Orthodontics

Today is a big day. Braces off! We pick up the retainers soon.

I've done all of the calling, scheduling, all of the driving, the note-taking, and the waiting for all of the visits. Not to mention all of the reminding, the food and drink policing, and last-minute visits where you have to drop everything and go. So, after 2.5 years+ I'm so happy to be done. I can finally stop stuffing a hundred different packages of precautionary Tylenol and wax in every nook and cranny. This is a bigger day of celebration for me than it is for him. Just one problem:

He is ridiculously good looking now. That scares me soooooo much. Girls -- back off!

Now, for the second child... a few more months and it starts all over again!
 
I?m just starting up with my little one. Some type of 2 stage process with expanders being fitted first.  I feel like I?m paying my orthodontists mortgage with all these costs  :(
 
I actually got Invisaligns about a month and a half ago.  I actually fought my parents not to get those metal braces when I was a kid because I would hear about how they sucked.  These Invisaligns are cool and in about a year I'll have straight teeth. 
 
USCTrojanCPA said:
I actually got Invisaligns about a month and a half ago.  I actually fought my parents not to get those metal braces when I was a kid because I would hear about how they sucked.  These Invisaligns are cool and in about a year I'll have straight teeth. 
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Have you had any problem with the fit on the Invisalign?

My son just got Essix retainers. They're just like Invisalign. I spent extra for this 'awesome' product. They are clear and hug the teeth, 2nd molar to 2nd molar. No wires like the Hawley / traditional retainer. The doctor checked the fit this morning and had to fix one upper retainer from rocking left / right. However, during school, my son realized it now rocks front / back. Ugh. I actually bought 2 sets so I would have an instant Plan B if he lost his retainer. ('Cause I'm neurotic like that.) Same with the other set - the upper doesn't fit right. He can't relax his jaw and find natural occlusion. Since the doctor is out of the office for the next 5 days, I've just spent the last hour trying to bring down the bite on that one with a nail file myself, little by little, trying it in each time. It helped a little but not enough. I don't want to put a hole in the retainer so I ended up notifying them of the problem. I kind of regret getting this product and maybe should have went with the old-fashioned Hawley, although I realize this would theoretically do a better job guiding the teeth. I'm just so tired of this.  :( Had a 7:30 a.m. appt this morning. Now I have to bring him back again tomorrow after school.  :'(
 
SoCal said:
USCTrojanCPA said:
I actually got Invisaligns about a month and a half ago.  I actually fought my parents not to get those metal braces when I was a kid because I would hear about how they sucked.  These Invisaligns are cool and in about a year I'll have straight teeth. 
Click to expand...

Have you had any problem with the fit on the Invisalign?

My son just got Essix retainers. They're just like Invisalign. I spent extra for this 'awesome' product. They are clear and hug the teeth, 2nd molar to 2nd molar. No wires like the Hawley / traditional retainer. The doctor checked the fit this morning and had to fix one upper retainer from rocking left / right. However, during school, my son realized it now rocks front / back. Ugh. I actually bought 2 sets so I would have an instant Plan B if he lost his retainer. ('Cause I'm neurotic like that.) Same with the other set - the upper doesn't fit right. He can't relax his jaw and find natural occlusion. Since the doctor is out of the office for the next 5 days, I've just spent the last hour trying to bring down the bite on that one with a nail file myself, little by little, trying it in each time. It helped a little but not enough. I don't want to put a hole in the retainer so I ended up notifying them of the problem. I kind of regret getting this product and maybe should have went with the old-fashioned Hawley, although I realize this would theoretically do a better job guiding the teeth. I'm just so tired of this.  :( Had a 7:30 a.m. appt this morning. Now I have to bring him back again tomorrow after school.  :'(
Click to expand...

Those clear retainer are kind of hard to adjust but they are very popular.

I believe the Invisalign aligners are more flexible than those clear retainer, thus less fitting issues.  Didn't you used to work in this field and had some experience with these products?
 
I started invisalign about 2 months ago and they trays are an exact fit down to the gum line and nook/cranny of each tooth. The orthodontist will take a 3D scan of your teeth and the aligner trays are manufactured based on this scan. You switch trays every 7-14 days to continue to move the teeth. There are no adjustments with invisalign...if they don't fit it's likely because you didn't wear your previous trays long enough.

All that said, I think Essix are retainers so it may not require the precision fit of invisalign because it is just retaining tooth position.
 
I go to one of the the top orthos in Silicon Valley (does a lot of the pro athletes up here, instructor at UCSF) and he craps all over Invisalign. I did the traditional spacer/bracket thing for 2 years and the results are golden. Cost me ~$8K.
 
A relative of mine is doing Invisalign and they like it. They did braces when they were younger so they can compare the experiences.

They like how they can remove the trays and be able to eat, floss and brush their teeth normally without the abrasion/pain of the metal and the constant visits for adjustments.

The biggest con is it makes them talk funny.
 
SoCal said:
USCTrojanCPA said:
I actually got Invisaligns about a month and a half ago.  I actually fought my parents not to get those metal braces when I was a kid because I would hear about how they sucked.  These Invisaligns are cool and in about a year I'll have straight teeth. 
Click to expand...

Have you had any problem with the fit on the Invisalign?

My son just got Essix retainers. They're just like Invisalign. I spent extra for this 'awesome' product. They are clear and hug the teeth, 2nd molar to 2nd molar. No wires like the Hawley / traditional retainer. The doctor checked the fit this morning and had to fix one upper retainer from rocking left / right. However, during school, my son realized it now rocks front / back. Ugh. I actually bought 2 sets so I would have an instant Plan B if he lost his retainer. ('Cause I'm neurotic like that.) Same with the other set - the upper doesn't fit right. He can't relax his jaw and find natural occlusion. Since the doctor is out of the office for the next 5 days, I've just spent the last hour trying to bring down the bite on that one with a nail file myself, little by little, trying it in each time. It helped a little but not enough. I don't want to put a hole in the retainer so I ended up notifying them of the problem. I kind of regret getting this product and maybe should have went with the old-fashioned Hawley, although I realize this would theoretically do a better job guiding the teeth. I'm just so tired of this.  :( Had a 7:30 a.m. appt this morning. Now I have to bring him back again tomorrow after school.  :'(
Click to expand...

Perfect fit.  The dentist scanned my teeth and uploaded the data to invisalign.  Every new tray is a bit snap for the first 4-5 days and then it's like wearing a retainer.  I went from wearing one tray for 2 weeks for the first 4 trays but then the dentist told me that my teeth were moving nicely so starting with the 5th tray she said I just need to wear it for 1 week.
 
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