Invisalign gagging

[PeterPipersPepper]

Hello all. I have an appointment with my dentist next week but I’m finding this quite challenging so wanted to see if anyone else had experienced it.

I have an easily triggered gag reflex and when I first started with Invisalign a few months ago, I would gag everytime I took the aligners out or put them back in again.

Now I am finding I am gagging multiple times a day just having them in my mouth. Just the action of wearing the aligners holds my mouth open slightly which seems to be enough to make me gag frequently. It’s especially bad when I’m rushing to get somewhere or have low blood sugar. I’m having to take them out a lot. The other day I was sick rushing to take them out but thankfully I was at home. Has anyone else experienced this and has any tips?

I sometimes get this in the evenings when I put my night retainers in - it's usually because I've got some tiny fragment of food stuck somewhere in my teeth and the retainers aren't fitting completely flush. If I rebrush my teeth, floss, and rinse the retainers in water, it's normally OK. But I have quite an easily triggered gag reflex too.

For getting them out, do you have a little pul tool? That might be easier than using your fingers as it's smaller.

Thank you both. Yes even putting the tool in my mouth to remove them makes me gag. I’m worried it’s become psychosomatic now because I’m anticipating it happening…!

Maybe forget invisaligns if you're struggling to tolerate them and ask for Damons? Not as big and ugly as old fashioned train tracks and they work really quickly, I had mine in for only 6months. No gagging!

Did you ever solve this issue?
I'm struggling too after starting Invisalign yesterday

If you only got them yesterday I'd say give them time. It really does feel horrible for the first couple of days - they feel massive in your mouth, they are hard to get out, they make you create more saliva. But it probably will go away. For the first 48 hours I was thinking wtf have I done?? But then it was fine.

I had this a little when I first got Invisalign and still sometimes with my retainers. I had/have to work hard to focus on not gagging - it’s mind over matter. I focus on moving my toungue forwards, or gripping my other hand in a fist and remind myself to keep gently breathing. The more I did it the easier it got. I was never actually choking on the aligners, just it was something weird about the foreign object in my mouth making my brain panic and then gagging setting in. Probably you’re not actually physically reacting either since the aligners are normally very well fitting.

Thank you both, that's exactly how it feels and I'm going to have to have some mind over matter I think! Argh the ads make it look so easy with smiley teenagers!

Exactly as @Twentyfivehours says it was mind over matter that helped for me and now I only gag once or twice a day. Good luck @bakermummy21

Thank you @PeterPipersPepper. Great to hear you overcame it.

Don't know if this will help or make things worse but I used to,wear a thin non latex glove to remove my Invisalign, it helped me grip them and made the whole process quicker and easier. I am still wearing retainers every night 4 years after finishing so you do have to get used to it unfortunately.