I’ve been on a long, frustrating journey with pain and irritation in my mouth. It turns out, I’m allergic to traditional plastic. Based on the number of online communities I’ve found for people also dealing with allergies to traditional plastic, it’s a lot more common than I realized.
In Summary
I found my way to GT Smiles, got their plant-based retainers made with GT FLEX ® GREEN, and immediately felt relief from my plastic allergies. This is a great product and the team standing behind it is amazing!
Mac (GT Smiles Patient)
Here’s My Story
It’s been almost 10 years since I first started experiencing pain in my jaw and teeth. I’m a clencher/grinder in my sleep, and it got so bad that it started to mess up my bite.
I first did traditional braces to correct the bite issue that popped up and this had some success. Over time I also used the popular plastic aligners to further adjust my teeth. And then I “graduated” to plastic retainers.
With the aligners and retainers, my tongue and the roof of my mouth were consistently irritated, like I had been eating Cap’n Crunch each day. I tried multiple retainer companies and went through 10 different types of materials all with similar results. What was the issue? It turns out, I’m allergic to traditional plastic.
I began looking for material alternatives and found a website for a traditional-plastic-free retainer. I already removed plastic from my daily life (switched to metal water bottle and wax paper baggies), so why would I have plastic in my mouth at night that I’m grinding on?
I reached out to the GT Smiles team and got a response from a team member that they weren’t quite ready for release, but would let me know once they were.
Again I was in pain and this was maybe my only hope… a hail mary.
I kept emailing and asking for a date, and by some luck I was connected to the founder, Marc. I got to explain my situation to him and hear how passionate he is about this product, his concerns about plastic waste, and his focus on the potential health issues that come from having a petroleum-based plastic used in the mouth.
I was put into a trial a few weeks later and was connected with Ben, another GT Smiles team member and the one coordinating the trials. He was the best.
I received my first set of GT FLEX ® GREEN retainers and immediately felt the burning sensation lessen. Over the next few months I noticed the pain and burning almost completely go away.
The team has been phenomenal, working closely with me and my orthodontist to make sure everything is perfect! This is a great product and the team standing behind it is amazing!
– Mac