experiences with invisilign

[Oki07]

Yestherday, I went to the ortho for a second opinion about invisilign braces. The firts ortho I went to wanted to do invisilign for a year, then a operation of my jaws and then brackets for at least another year. I am 31 and I dont think I have got the disipline for this. Te ortho I went to yestherday didn't agree about the operation of my jaws, because I do have an overbite, but there is nothing wrong with the way my face looks. He said it is possible to get my teeth straihter, but probably not completly straight. To get it completely straight I would probably need to wear brackets for another 6 to 10 months. He said I could go ahead with invisilign and decide when I am finished with that if I want to go along with brackets. Than they will pay for the brackets and I will pay the visits.

On the third of march I will go bach and take impressions of my teeth. Together with my pictures this will be sent to the USA. They make an impression of what my teeth will look like after invisilign and I will be able to see where some extra "things in the colour of my teeth"(??) need to be placed. After that, I decide if I go along.

I just wondered if someone could tell me how they felt with invisilign.
Did many people see you we're wearing braces?
Did it hurt?
Did it affect your speach (for how many days)? M
y ortho said it doesn't hurt at all and it won't affect my speach. He has treated people in the theatre business and he hasn't heared one complaint about their speach. He also told me I won't be able to snack, but I can drink everything as long as I regularly brush and rince after I drink. I will have to wear a brace at night for the rest of my life, after I am done with the procedure. This doesn't really bother me.

Please tell me your experiences? I am from Holland, so I am sorry for my not so correct english.

Greetings!

[Sunny]

Great you have found a conservative orthodontist Oki. The main concern I have from your post, is that you have seen two orthodontist's with treatment plans that were widely different, and you've chosen one without finding out what other's would say. But ... if you are totally comfortable and confident with this person, then hopefully it will go well for you.

I don't have invisalign, but I work for orthodontist's who use it, so I come into contact with people daily who do wear invisalign. My experience is that how a person finds invisalign, is as varied as people find any orthodontic work. As with any removable appliances, you do need to be more disciplined, but for most adults, this isn't an issue, as most are highly motivated and also paying for the privilege of improving their bite and smile.

For most people there is a period of discomfort, but if you take excellent care of your mouth, and follow the instructions regarding the care of the aligners, this will hopefully pass quickly. We recommend our patients change to new aligners before going to bed, so that there mouth has a quiet period to adjust to the work needed.

Many people do find they have a lisp after getting invisalign, but usually this appears to be more obvious to them, than to those around them. I think they become very focused on their speech and the tiniest change becomes more obvious.

With invisalign you can only snack with your aligners out and should drink only clear (sugar free), cold liquids with them in ... preferably only water. If you drink anything hot with an aligner in, you risk damaging it, plus if you drink liquid that contains acid, which fizz (soda) and fruit juices do, then you risk damaging the enamel of your teeth.

It's essential your oral hygiene is excellent, but you also need to brush carefully. For example you must brush gently and take extra care of your gums. Brushing hard damages the enamel of teeth and can cause the gums to recede. Also do not brush for 30 minutes after eating or drinking foods containing acid, as you risk damaging the enamel on your teeth. If you eat/drink foods with acid, you need to thoroughly cleanse your mouth with water and wait. This is a disadvantage of invisalign, as you shouldn't put the aligners back in during this time, and acid is a natural part of many of the foods people eat. Brushing and flossing well, will not damage anything ... and does not need to be overdone.

Great you have such a wonderful attitude to wearing retainers. It's true that teeth move for life, and therefore they must be retained in there current position for some part of every week, to prevent them moving back to where they once were ... or worse.

All the best with your next appointment and here's to your treatment being exciting and successful!

[Oki07]

Originally Posted by Sunny

Great you have found a conservative orthodontist Oki. The main concern I have from your post, is that you have seen two orthodontist's with treatment plans that were widely different, and you've chosen one without finding out what other's would say. But ... if you are totally comfortable and confident with this person, then hopefully it will go well for you

Thank you for your reaction. I have spoken with the orthodontist about the first orthodontist I went to. He explained why he thinks invisilign could work for me without a jaw operation. A jaw operation would change my face, wich is not something I want, because on the outside you dont see that i have an overbite. The first orthodontist said that he would go along with only invisilign if I wanted to, but that he was afraid it wouldn't last (straight), because of my overbite. That, said the second ortho could be true and he said I would have to sleep with an aligner forever.

I went yestherday to take impressions of my teeth and I will go back on the seventh of april to talk about the possibilities and to see what my teeth could look like. Then I decide if I will go along. Another is, that there are only two orthodontist nearby who work with invisilign.

Still one question. I invisilign visible to others or do they have to know. What are your experiences?

[Sunny]

Originally Posted by Oki07

Still one question. I invisilign visible to others or do they have to know. What are your experiences?

Oki there is only one type of invisable orthodontic treatment and that's brackets on the lingual side of your teeth.

With invisalign, it's almost impossible to see on most people. It's important to remember, that although our teeth are extremely important to us, the rest of the world has there own issues and hangups, and our teeth don't rate a thought with most people.

Some people worry that the attachments (that invisalign use to help move teeth) will be noticable, but I see patients with them every day, and except when they're very close and I'm looking at their teeth, they're not noticable to me.

The best way to help your invisalign to not be noticable, is to act as if you aren't wearing aligners. If you cover your mouth or smile with your mouth closed, then people who are looking at you, will be drawn to see what you're hiding.

Here's to your appointment on 7 April being what you want!

[mariahfromchicago]

I don't have invisalign. It isn't visible unless you are about 1 foot (or 30 cm) away from the person. Good luck!

[Oki07]

I have read that it is really difficult to remove the aligners. Is that true or is it just a matter of getting used to?

Mariahfromchigago, what kind of braces do you have?

[Sunny]

Oki new aligners mean the teeth have to move to fit them, and it can take a day or two for the aligners to be easier to remove. You'll get used to how to remove the aligners while they're 'tight'.

How long they remain tight ... depends on how long it takes your teeth to move to fit the new aligner.

Make sure you get your orthodontist to explain this to you and show you how to remove the aligners.

Good luck!

[Mossy]

Hi,

I have invisalign and for me personally, no-one in my workplace has noticed that I am wearing them, but then why would they?.
You will not notice unless you are really close up and this can also depend upon where attachments are positioned (if any).

I was worried about the lisp as well, again no-one has noticed anything different about my speech, although I sometimes think I can hear it myself…(especially, when I am trying to spell something)

There is an adjustment period of getting used to the aligners and the mouth may feel tender at the start but this will subside.

Aligners feel tight when you move onto a new one but this eases after a couple of days.

With regards to removing the aligners, I have more difficulty removing the bottom set, but this is to do with the positioning of my attachments, again this gets easier as the week progresses. You will develop a knack for this!!

You will feel pressure and there is a certain amount of discipline involved, but for me the pro's far outweigh the cons!!

Good Luck with it!!

[Oki07]

Mossy,thank you for sharing! As the day that I make the decision comes closer I am more scared. I want my teeth to become straight and I know that I will have some pain and discomfort for probably almost two years. That I do not worry about. I just worry about the lisp and if may people will see it. I don't really wanna talk about this on my work. And as I speak a lot on the phone and in hearings with people a very bad lisp wouldn't be so nice and surely something to think about.

Do you eat three meals a day and is that the only time you take them out? Do you brush your teeth every time after you ate? Cause now I eat three meals a day and I eat around 10:00 and 16:30 something (like an evergreen or a cracker). I onderstand that you cannot brush your teeth directly after you've eaten becaese this isn't good for them.

[Adu]

Hi Oki07

I considered the idea of invisalign, but all three orthodontist's I consulted said I wasn't a candidate, so I'm not considering that any more.

I have two friends with invisalign, and there treatment is as opposite as day and night. One has found invisalign comfortable, with minimal affect on his mouth and speech. Also when looking at this person, his invisalign would be invisable to anyone who wasn't looking at his teeth.

My other friend has had mouth sores and finds the aligners difficult to put on and take off. His speech is affected, but it's not seriously, just a mild lisp with some letter combinations. He's unhappy about that, as like other have suggested, he thinks it's worse than it really sounds to others. Also his aligners are more noticable. I don't understand why, but on one side the aligner sit lower than the other, and this creates a 'plastic' look below those teeth, and a shadow across where the aligner stops. I don't think it looks that bad, but he's very unhappy and considering changing to ibraces. At his last appointment, his orthodontist has told him that he'll need to wear elastics on that side ... and now he's even more upset. He was told that the aligners will be adjusted, so that the elastic can be attached to the 'attachments'.

I'm not sure of the number of 'attachments' each have, but they both have some on there upper and lower teeth. Also for both, there are no real bite problems, just cosmetic issues, so they were good candidates for invisalign.

I hope you get your questions answered. Adu

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by Oki07

Mossy,thank you for sharing! As the day that I make the decision comes closer I am more scared. I want my teeth to become straight and I know that I will have some pain and discomfort for probably almost two years. That I do not worry about. I just worry about the lisp and if may people will see it. I don't really wanna talk about this on my work. And as I speak a lot on the phone and in hearings with people a very bad lisp wouldn't be so nice and surely something to think about.

Do you eat three meals a day and is that the only time you take them out? Do you brush your teeth every time after you ate? Cause now I eat three meals a day and I eat around 10:00 and 16:30 something (like an evergreen or a cracker). I onderstand that you cannot brush your teeth directly after you've eaten becaese this isn't good for them.

My experience with tooth brushing has been something like this - Wake up, take 'em out, eat something, brush teeth, brush aligners, put them in. Lunch time, same routine, take 'em out, eat, brush, brush, put them in. Dinner again, same thing. And then at night, before bed, if I have a snack, I'll take 'em out, do my nightly routine, put them in and go back to bed. The only big change, besides the number of times I brush my teeth, is that I've become very consistent with flossing, which can only be a good thing.

I don't understand your statement about not brushing directly after eating.

[Sunny]

Originally Posted by Punkin

I don't understand your statement about not brushing directly after eating.

There are risks involved if you brush immediately after eating. This is mainly if you've eaten or had a drink, of foods containing acid. It's recommended that you not brush for 30 minutes after doing this, as the acid (brushed on your teeth), can ruin the enamel. Instead if you're wearing aligners, you need to rinse and rinse with water to wash as much of the acid away, clean your aligners ... if possible wait, if not, put the aligners in, then remove then when the 30 minutes is up and brush both your teeth and aligners.

Like you, I've found my flossing habits have improved and I agree this is a good thing!

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by Sunny

There are risks involved if you brush immediately after eating. This is mainly if you've eaten or had a drink, of foods containing acid. It's recommended that you not brush for 30 minutes after doing this, as the acid (brushed on your teeth), can ruin the enamel. Instead if you're wearing aligners, you need to rinse and rinse with water to wash as much of the acid away, clean your aligners ... if possible wait, if not, put the aligners in, then remove then when the 30 minutes is up and brush both your teeth and aligners.

Like you, I've found my flossing habits have improved and I agree this is a good thing!

I have, never in my life, heard this before. Not saying I don't believe you, but I've never been warned of this by any of the dentists I've seen, my dental friends, nor the dentists my family, including my kids, go to. ~shrug~

[Sunny]

Brenda do some searching on google, and you'll find loads of documented research and advice from oral professionals on this subject.

I had to study it as part of a subject required to work as an orthodontic assistant, plus here in Australia, we currently have adverts on TV on this subject, due to the damage being done to the enamel of teeth.

Plus when you think about the affect of rubbing something acid on enamel, it's not difficult to visualise what happens. Then think about doing this often ... and the affects that may occur.

I recommend you talk to your ortho and dentists about this, as it's important to know about.

[Oki07]

Today I have been to my ortho to see what the result can be. It looked pretty good. I will need 30 aligners on the top en 15 on the upper. I will have to wear them for three weeks before I change a set. Which means it will take two years. I will have 8 attachement and some of them will be visible, cause there next to my front teeth. Also they will take away some of my teeth to make more room.

It's quite a decision I am about to take. I'm a bit worried about the attachements. On the other hand; Im not much of a laugher, because of the way my teeth are now.

Well I just wanted tot get this of my chest. I will receive an email on wednesday with the costs (about € 3000,00) and when I have payd everything will be orderd in America. I'm excited en worried, but feel this is my best chance of getting straight teeth. I am now almost 32 (well in juli), so I could have straight teeth before I am 35. That would be nice.

Greetings Femke

[Sunny]

Great your appointment went so well Oki07!

It's excellent that you're so excited about having straight teeth and that you can look forward to laughing. I couldn't imagine not laughing, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it when you do.

Congratulations with making this decision!

[Oki07]

Well I got my invislign and 8 attachments yesterday. The ortho decided to already remove some of some teeth. This was supposed to happen before aligner two, but than I would have go to be back in three weeks. So he decided to do so immideatly. That was not a good experience. It hurts. And I am not so happy with it, cause when I wear my aligner you see a little piece of plastic, where there is no piece of tooth anymore. I hope this will be better with my next aligner.

I practices getting them in and out at the ortho. Getting them out was really difficult and I couln't do it there. When I was at home, I luckily could take them out. It's esspecialy difficult where the attachement are. I am wondering how this will go during lunch, cause I don't want to take them out in front of the mirror, where my collegues see me.

I have to go back today, cause I already "ate" one attachement. Bummer. Hope this doesn't happen to often.

[Sunny]

Great you have the attachments Oki!

Sorry your experience of IPR wasn't so good. I've had it done a couple of times to make small amounts of space and both times it was pain free. Here's some reading on that topic. Hopefully you'll find the gaps don't take too long to close, and I'm sure no one can see them, although they're obvious to you.

Shame one of the attachments has come off, but sounds like there's quite some pressure on them to help move teeth at this stage, so maybe it just wasn't able to cope. Here's to your appointment to replace the attachment going well.

Good luck with the removing of aligners getting easier. Take care!

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by Oki07

Well I got my invislign and 8 attachments yesterday. The ortho decided to already remove some of some teeth. This was supposed to happen before aligner two, but than I would have go to be back in three weeks. So he decided to do so immideatly. That was not a good experience. It hurts. And I am not so happy with it, cause when I wear my aligner you see a little piece of plastic, where there is no piece of tooth anymore. I hope this will be better with my next aligner.

I practices getting them in and out at the ortho. Getting them out was really difficult and I couln't do it there. When I was at home, I luckily could take them out. It's esspecialy difficult where the attachement are. I am wondering how this will go during lunch, cause I don't want to take them out in front of the mirror, where my collegues see me.

I have to go back today, cause I already "ate" one attachement. Bummer. Hope this doesn't happen to often.

You will probably always have a "pocket" where the part of the tooth is missing. They made the molds for the aligners using your teeth when they were all there, and they probably wouldn't have been able to adjust for the missing part of the teeth. I have 4 teeth completely gone, and 4 "pockets" in my aligners where the teeth should be. You can't see them unless you really look.

If you are having problems with certain attachments, you can ask your dr. to grind them down a bit, or take the corners off. it makes it easier to get them on and off and they still do their job. I had quite a few of mine shaved down a bit.

it also does get easier getting them on and off. You will find a way that works for you. For me, it's grabbing the right back with my left hand, and getting that part off, and then working around, pushing toward the front of my mouth to get over the attachments.

Good luck

[Oki07]

Yesterday they have placed a new attachement and grinded it (and another one too) down a bit. I hope it will last now. If it doesn't I dont have to come back. They will see what to do about it on my next appointment (in six weeks).

My lisp is worse than the first day. Will this get better? Also there is more salvia, wich get's in the aligner. Will this change?

Thanx for your reaction! It helps to learn about other invisilign users!

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by Oki07

Yesterday they have placed a new attachement and grinded it (and another one too) down a bit. I hope it will last now. If it doesn't I dont have to come back. They will see what to do about it on my next appointment (in six weeks).

My lisp is worse than the first day. Will this get better? Also there is more salvia, wich get's in the aligner. Will this change?

Thanx for your reaction! It helps to learn about other invisilign users!

Hopefully grinding the attachments will make getting them on and off a bit easier. And, know that after a few days, they do get easier to take on and off, as your teeth move and adjust to the position the aligners are moving them to.

Honestly, I can't hear a lisp at all. There is a phrase somewhere around here that you can practice saying to help learn to speak without the lisp. I've also heard that reading aloud or singing in the car will help (I do that all the time, so maybe that's why )

As for the saliva, I noticed that the first few days I had them, I had serious extra saliva, almost to the point of drooling while removing the aligners. That is gone. Now it is just normal, but yes, it gets in the aligners. And that is a good thing, as that saliva does help kill the bacteria that get trapped in your aligners.

Another tip, if you are having trouble getting the aligners off, I've found using a bit of a paper towel to dry them off in your mouth before removing them helps you grip them better.

It does get better; you'll get used to them and will hardly notice them at all soon

[Oki07]

I am wondering how many of you clean there aligners? I live in holland and I am not able to get retainer-brite here. Well can I get corega junior. I have orderd this, but don't know if it will work. Beside that I think it is really expensive. 20 tabs costs me € 21,00, incuding sending-costs. There is also corega 3 minutes tabs, but they are for dentures and I don't know if I can use them for my invisilign. Untill now I am using a brush and dishwashing-soap, which takes a lot of time. Any tips? Thanx!

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by Oki07

I am wondering how many of you clean there aligners? I live in holland and I am not able to get retainer-brite here. Well can I get corega junior. I have orderd this, but don't know if it will work. Beside that I think it is really expensive. 20 tabs costs me € 21,00, incuding sending-costs. There is also corega 3 minutes tabs, but they are for dentures and I don't know if I can use them for my invisilign. Untill now I am using a brush and dishwashing-soap, which takes a lot of time. Any tips? Thanx!

I use a plain old toothbrush and toothpaste. It works fine. I use a brush with a small head, as it is easier to clean them; I also soak them in mouthwash once in a while.

[Snowy]

My impressions...

* Almost no-one sees you're wearing braces. I've had two people notice in four months, and that was in bright sunlight both times. I'm completely open about the fact that I have them, and most of the people I've told struggle to see the braces after I tell them.

* Yes, it hurts. My dentist was very up front with me (he's really cool; he actually wore Invisaligns for three months even though his teeth were straight because he wanted to be able to tell his patients how it would feel) and he said that some of the aligners would hurt like crazy. My experience was that the first two weeks were awful; after that it was mostly fine, but switching to a new aligner always means at least 24 hours of - well, maybe not pain, but strong discomfort. I have two co-workers who are also wearing Invisalign. One of them has had an identical experience to my own, and the other had no pain at all. It's going to vary a bit depending on the individual, but I'd be prepared for some discomfort. It's nothing intolerable, though, and Ibuprofen helps a lot.

* Yes. This was a big issue for me, as when I started I was working as an IT trainer and spending a lot of time teaching training courses. The first 48 hours I sounded horrendous and wondered how on earth I would cope. But you get used to it and adjust really fast. It's primarily something you have to deal with right at the beginning, and maybe to a much lesser extent if you get a bad aligner partway through. I got a great piece of advice from a coworker with metal braces, which was to practice saying the word "Statistics" (which we use a lot) until I was smooth. It really worked - if you can say "statistics" with Invisalign, you can say anything. And the lisp doesn't last - it goes away really fast as you adjust. I found that the dry mouth was a much more persistent problem - I still go through about 2 litres of water during a 2-hour training session, but my trainees assure me that I don't sound funny.