POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
Starting on July 26, 2017 - 54 Years Old!
ORIGINAL POST
I had metal braces when I was in college, starting...
$6,000
I had metal braces when I was in college, starting Invisalign tomorrow! I have TMJ and my bad bite causes ear ringing, which has gotten out of hand. I am hoping getting my teeth and bite straight again will help with it! I figured if I could stand the old metal braces this would be OK. I am 54 and never thought I would be doing this again! I will update as time goes on.
UPDATED FROM DMSN214
1 day post
24 hrs gone
OMG, I had forgotten how sore your teeth can get! I have a LOT of attachments...18 I think. Some teeth have 2 of them. I really had no idea you could have so many, but I do. So far my worst complaints are 1-how hard the trays are to get out of my mouth. I swear by the time I get it out I expect to see a tooth has come out with it! and 2 - how the attachments scrape the inside of my lips when I eat. It is a relief to put the trays back in because it covers the rough attachments! It really does INSTANTLY change all of your habits associated with eating. I made the analogy of eating like a cat or a dog. Cats like to have food always available and graze throughout the day, dogs wolf down a bowlful and then don't eat until the next mealtime. With Invisalign, you have to eat like a dog. You have to get your food ready, dish it up, take out your trays and eat everything at once and not dilly-dally around about it! Then you have to brush/floss/swish everything and get those babies back in your mouth! My days of 'I think I'll have some tea and cheese-itz while I watch TV' are OVER :(. I am hoping the 'Invisalign Diet' will help me to drop some pounds in the process. And truthfully, it is SO HARD to take these things out and deal with the upkeep, its just too much trouble to try to snack in between meals. When I had the old braces 30 years ago, you could not escape them and couldn't eat certain things, but you couldn't remove them so didn't have to deal with that discomfort. I am hoping that after a few days it will feel better ( I know it will, patience isn't always my strong suit) and they will be easier to remove so the eating will be easier. I am also trying to eat softer things and have a protein shake for breakfast. The bad thing is, about the time these trays will feel better, I will switch out and it will start all over again! Big picture tho, if it makes my ear ringing go down significantly, it is worth anything, and that is the main reason I am doing this. So right now I have some irritation n the inside of my lips which I know will get better eventually, and my teeth are pretty sore, but I guess it could be worse! More later :)
Replies (4)
August 19, 2017
I started my trays in December 2015 and had this same problem. It's how the trays are originally made for what they are first trying to do. They kind of roll around your teeth. My dentist claimed I was the first client of hers who had this issue and posed no suggestions. I did figure out I could easily remove them wearing medical gloves. Another person on realself said he uses a paper towel or tissue to remove them.
August 22, 2017
i have gotten better at it on m own, plus I bought a little metal tool to help when I need it. I also use a napkin when I am out in public. thanks!
August 22, 2017
Also over time the trays will change. After several trays in my process I can remove them without any help to grip them
October 5, 2017
I'm 52 and am on my second group of trays. I was first told I needed 24 trays which would take a year. But at the year mark, my top canines were not straight because they overlap a bit so I'm on another set of trays and hopefully will be done in February. Don't be afraid to use an emery board on the edges of your trays to round off the sharpness. I also had to use a medical glove to grip them to remove them for a long time due to how they initially wrap around my teeth.
UPDATED FROM DMSN214
5 days post
6days
The inside of my lips feels better, the attachments don't seem to scratch me so bad when I chew now. The trays are still a bit hard to get out, but after doing some reading on the Internet, I take a napkin in my fingers and grab the back of the tray and pull to get them out. It gives me a better grip and it works pretty well for me. I also bought a "remover tool" from Amazon.it's metal and I guess it kind of replaces using your finger nail, which I can't do anyway. I guess it works OK but I just got it today so I haven't quite got the hang of it. With all the attachments on my teeth, when I take the trays out I swear I expect to see a tooth in the tray but so far thank God that hasn't happened! This is making me Cranky and feeling kind of blah and sorry for myself and I really just want to take them out for a whole day, but I am persevering. They re annoying me tonight and I notice them every minute. I m going o take a Tylenol PM and go to bed! I I'll thank you not o be a wussy tomorrow.
Replies (5)
August 18, 2017
I'm 55, on Day 3 of Tray 1. I was not prepared for the attachments--I also have many, so between that and the tightness of the trays, I literally spend 10-15 mins. just taking them off. "Tools" don't help, and my nails are shot already. Maybe I'm being too fragile with trays--certainly don't want to crack my first ones! I guess the upside is I drink a lot of water (instead of coffee) & eat two good meals. I can already tell my pants are looser. Lol (I still want these trays easier to get out! Oh, and I also have a sore on my tongue and one corner of lip is cracked. Ugh. This BETTER be worth it! 42 trays, overbite correction).
August 22, 2017
Hi! Sorry I somehow missed your comment. I feel you. Really, what I do is pop up one side, grab it with a napkin or just finger and pull up to about the mid way, then try same on the other side. I have better luck with the top tray than the bottom. I can only pop the bottom out from the R but can get the top out from both sides. I think it would be hard to crack a tray. I am almost done with #2 tray and I have gotten some sore spots. My trays both have gotten easier to remove after the 1 week mark. Good luck.
August 22, 2017
Oh man... I've got a ton of attachments too. It gets better, I swear. You might trying using some dental wax on the parts that are causing sores. Getting the trays on and off gets easier too. I'm able to get my fingernail under the tray in the back and lift it off and around. I actually had a couple of attachments pop off there that first few weeks until I got the hang of it!
August 22, 2017
I used a medical glove to grip & remove my trays for the longest time. And one day I found I could remove them with my hand. Over time as i changed trays they did not seem to roll down around near the gums as much and it took less effort to remove them
Replies (6)