Invisalign

ElcaB · August 2013

I am totally kicking myself for having been stupid enough at the age of 21 for ceasing to wear my retainer responsibly. Since then, my teeth have shifted and I'm really bothered by them. I'm ready to fix them (again), but I just can't bring myself to wear normal braces again.

Have any of you ever had Invisalign? How do you feel about it? What are/were the pros & cons?

PrettyGirlLost · August 2013

I had the joy of having all 4 wisdom teeth come in AFTER all my orthodontics were completed (braces, retainers, etc.).

I'm getting them out soon and will then begin fixing my shifted teeth via Clear Correct. I'll let you know how it progresses!

ashleyep · August 2013

ElcaB said:

I am totally kicking myself for having been stupid enough at the age of 21 for ceasing to wear my retainer responsibly. Since then, my teeth have shifted and I'm really bothered by them. I'm ready to fix them (again), but I just can't bring myself to wear normal braces again.

Have any of you ever had Invisalign? How do you feel about it? What are/were the pros & cons?

My fiance just had them. It's expensive as an adult when your dental insurance doesn't cover it. Like $3-4K I think. But he's happy with the result.

I had it in high school (AFTER 4 years of braces!) and hated it. When you get your braces tightened it hurts for a few days, but you can't take them out. With invisalign you take them out to eat and I would almost be in tears putting the trays back in after each meal. I ended up either skipping meals or eating with them in (gross!). You need to brush them basically all the time when you take them out.

Overall, I'm sure they're worth it, but I stopped wearing them. Twice.

PrettyGirlLost · August 2013

@ashleyep can you clean them with regular toothpaste and mouthwash, or do you need to use something special so as not to damage them?

How long did it take to straighten your fiance's teeth and how many trays did he have, just out of curiosity?

ashleyep · August 2013

PrettyGirlLost said:

@ashleyep can you clean them with regular toothpaste and mouthwash, or do you need to use something special so as not to damage them?

How long did it take to straighten your fiance's teeth and how many trays did he have, just out of curiosity?

Yep, you can just brush them like normal. You change the trays every 2 weeks, but it's hard to keep them really clean.

I don't remember how many trays he had, but he wasn't in it for that long, just a few months. He just wanted to fix his two front teeth. He now has a retainer that looks like a beefier invisalign tray.

[Deleted User] · August 2013

I did it and was very happy with the results.
But they will shift agin if you do not wear the retainer, every night, forever !
so wear the retainer
wear the retainer
wear the retainer!
signed,
a TWO time user of invisalign because I did not wear the retainer the first time around

[Deleted User] · August 2013

PrettyGirlLost said:

@ashleyep can you clean them with regular toothpaste and mouthwash, or do you need to use something special so as not to damage them?

How long did it take to straighten your fiance's teeth and how many trays did he have, just out of curiosity?

I was told NOT to use toothpaste, too abrasive and mouthwash would stain. They told me hot water and liquid soap

ashleyep · August 2013

IamTheMommaOfTheBride said:

PrettyGirlLost said:

@ashleyep can you clean them with regular toothpaste and mouthwash, or do you need to use something special so as not to damage them?

How long did it take to straighten your fiance's teeth and how many trays did he have, just out of curiosity?

I was told NOT to use toothpaste, too abrasive and mouthwash would stain. They told me hot water and liquid soap

Maybe that's the case. You only wear the trays for two weeks so abrasive doesn't seem like that big of a concern. I *know* he didn't use liquid soap, but in either case, he didn't need anything fancy.

silver0319 · August 2013

Post-braces, I had a retainer that was very similar to the invisalign trays. My orthodontist always recommended denture cleaner.

OjitosVerdes · August 2013

I didn't wear my retainers as a teenager and as a result ended up paying full price for Invisalign in my late 20's. While aesthetically they were better than regular braces, I was not happy with my experience or the results and in hindsight I would have gone with traditional braces again. (Maybe with less noticeable porcelain brackets.) My main complaint and humble opinion is that Invisalign offers the wearer less flexibility as far as day-to-day conditions in which they are worn, which results in less permanent results.

What I mean by that is with traditional braces, you are stuck in them and have to do everything in them. You eat and drink and brush ideally after meals, but you can get around to brushing when it's convenient for you. With Invisalign, you cannot put anything in your mouth except water. Not only does this result in it being painful to put them back in after taking them out like an AP mentioned, as teeth can shift fast, but many times I'd find myself on the run and desperately need to grab a snack ... I would take them out to eat (this really isn't optional - they get absolutely nasty otherwise and you get layers of food stuck b/t your teeth and the clear retainer), but wouldn't be in a convenient place to brush. As a result, sometimes I would have to wait hours to put the trays back in. Because of this, I don't think the corrective movement was as stable with Invisalign since my teeth were constantly shifting around. If you are a regular coffee or tea sipper throughout the day like I am, it also means you are constantly taking them in and out and brushing, which is extremely aggravating. Because my results were "unstable", the retainer I wear now is very painful to put in every night - even if I wear it religiously every night.

And while the aesthetics are better than a mouth full of metal, I do feel like they can still look weird and they aren't totally invisible like the advertising would have you believe. Also, in my case because of the movement I needed, I had to have enamel colored brackets put on several teeth that the trays covered, which meant that I had all these strange plastic bumps all over my teeth that were actually pretty visible. I would often catch people glancing down at my teeth, and I know they noticed that something was "off". I think it's almost better to just rock traditional braces then walk around with lumpy, strangely shiney and plasticky teeth.

I know that some people absolutely love Invisalign and are thrilled with the results, though, so it would be worth a consult. Just think carefully about your lifestyle and consider the correction you need before jumping into it.

Edited due to puppy jumping on keyboard and messing up my typing, and to add more info.

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