New!

[Glitzy]

I AM SO EXCITED. I go to get my attachments/first tray put on this coming monday (1/30) and I cannot wait! This feels like it has been such a long process to FINALLY be beginning my invisalign treatment! I have been assigned 22 u/l trays by my ortho, switching every 2 weeks. So my treatment is about 11 months.

I have been scouring this forum for probably 6~ months doing research about the invisalign process and looking at other members' journeys! I just have a couple questions/concerns:

My appointment is in the morning on monday (11 am) and I have read on here that (most) members choose to start new trays after dinner in the evening, as to let the trays remain in longer without having to be removed which helps you avoid a lot of the discomfort. Well... I obviously won't be able to do that because my ortho will be putting on my attachments and want me to put in my trays so she sees that I'll be able to do it, that they fit properly, etc. Needless to say.......I'm nervous about this. I'm not really sure what I'm asking here. I'm more just venting my nervous energy about it because I don't want to be miserable the first day!! lol Although, I guess that's inevitable, right? Regardless, do you have any pointers/advice?

Next, what do YOU like/think is best to use to clean your aligners? I've seen a lot of mixed reviews about what is truly "best"... so, do you brush them (i've heard this can scratch them?), or just sit them in water/mouthwash while they're out? Use denture/retainer cleaner?

Are there restrictions on the types of mouthwash you can use with your aligners? Does the mouthwash have to be alcohol free??

When did you start noticing visible movement in your teeth? Like 10 trays in, 15? After the 1st? lol, just curious!

OKAY. That's all for now! Feel free to leave any other comments about your experience with invisalign, or advice for a beginner!

[little miss sunshine]

Hii You must be sooo excited!

My first appointment was early morning too.... Id say have a big breakfast just in case you don't feel like removing them until a bit later. I left mine until tea time because they did feel very tight and it took me that long to get my confidence up to pulll them out. I knocked an attachment off very early on in my treatment too just be careful when removing the trays. I now start at one side at the back, then the other side, then pull it carefully over my 13 attachments. This has worked perfectly. How many attachments will you have?

I brush mine with just water when I go to brush my teeth after every meal. But then when they are looking a bit shabby I will soak them in denture cleaner whilst I eat tea.

As for movement everyone's plan is different.
I would say I started to see movement around tray 9. Now at tray 13 (14 tonight) My main problem tooth is really starting to line up.

Hope that helped!
You won't realise how fast the time goes feels like I only started last week! Really its been 6 months :O !

13/35 U
13/28 L

[Lebanonite]

Congratulations on starting your treatment! Feels like just yesterday I was in your shoes and all of a sudden I am on tray 20/23. As far as your concern about starting tray 1 in the middle of the day I wouldn't worry too much. The discomfort that you will feel will not last long.. But for future trays I would definitely recommend putting them in at night. I clean my trays with just a toothbrush and water. When I first got them I was brushing them with toothpaste cause I thought it would help the odor... It definitely makes it worse! I've been just brushing with a soft toothbrush and water ever since about tray 5 and it works perfect. You'll start feeling results immediately but when it comes to seeing results be patient! As far as I know teeth are fixed from back to front, so if you have crowded teeth in the front you'll need to be very patient! Good luck.

[GoofyGG]

Welcome to the club
Have a snack before your appointment then you can last until dinner time later in the day.
I've always use toothpaste to clean mine after every meal & soak them most days in denture cleaner when I'm eating breakfast. Yes toothpaste could scratch and therefore promote bacterial growth but as I'm brushing them around 4 times a day the critters haven't got time to grow!
I would always use alcohol free mouthwash for the benefit of my mouth.
It took ages for me to see a difference because all the back teeth moved first, major visible movements were noticed at around tray 20 on the uppers.

[bluegray]

I agree with the above posters -- time really does fly! I feel like I started not that long ago, but I'm already half way through tray 12 of 33. I haven't seen a lot of movement in the front yet, but have definitely noticed a lot of movement in the back.

When I'm home, I usually soak my trays in diluted mouthwash while I eat, then just brush with a soft toothbrush and water. When I'm at work or out in public, I just brush them with water and haven't had any problems with odor, discoloration, etc.

I wouldn't worry too much about removing the aligners the first day, but would probably agree that you should eat a bigger breakfast in case you don't feel comfortable attempting to take them off before dinner time. As for future aligners, pop two ibuprofen and put the newest set on after dinner/before bed so you have them in your mouth for a good number of hours before having to remove them. This gives your teeth time to make that initial movement and get settled.

Good luck and congrats!

[lanabyte]

Congrats on finally getting started! My advice: don't get too upset if they're hard to get off at first. Everyone's different and you just have to find a technique that works for you. I nearly cried in my ortho's office cause I couldn't get them off, lol. Now it's second nature. For me, I start in the back on the left and move across to the right on the bottom, and for the top I pull down the back on both sides and go towards the center. I have 6 attachments on top and 4 on bottom. If you're getting attachments, ask if they have a removal hook (aka 'retainer retriever') they can give you.

For cleaning, I bought a soft child-size travel toothbrush and brush my aligners with cool-lukewarm water before I put them back in. About 2-3 times a week I soak them in Polident. I've never had a stain and they always smell clean when I take them back to the ortho.

Mouthwash - I use Listerine Total Care (the purple stuff). It burns like crazy, but I love it, lol! I do a quick rinse with water afterwards.

I felt a difference after the first few trays in that it was easier to floss my back teeth. But I didn't notice a difference until the start of tray 13 when I was at the ortho and saw my first tray in the box. Comparing the two, the change was HUGE and I was shocked. I can definitely see it now. Take lots of pictures of your teeth and your trays.

Make sure you have a stiff emery board and file down the sharp points on your aligners. You'll learn where they are, and they're usually the same on every aligner (at least for me they are). I would suggest checking the first set for sharp spots before you put them in and ask the tech to cut them off.

Eat a large breakfast and maybe even a snack before you go and don't expect to take the trays off again until dinner. The longer you leave them on at first, the easier they are to get out.

Oh, and avoid super sticky foods. I've found they get stuck on my attachments and teeth and are really hard to brush off.

[Dancergirl]

I am new on this Forum but have been wearing my invisalign trays for almost 16 weeks now. I have had not problems & will be getting aligner tray 8 on the 31st.

I have had a pretty easy time wearing them for 22 hours each day & have only missed that 1 time. For cleaning them, I use a mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide & Alcohol that my dentist recommended. I put them in the solution when I take them out & then brush them with the small brush before I put them back in. I was told not to use toothpaste as it is abrasive.

I am lucky that I only have one button on my lower teeth (which were the worst). I only have 11U/18L & am currently on #7. I was able to notice movement by week 5. Yay!

Last note, I have an iPhone & use the timer part of the clock which really helps me to keep track of my time when they are off.

[Bekster45]

Glitzy,
Welcome aboard. Time does fly even though you may have tough days. I start tray 20 (of 28) on Friday. Lots of willpower involved - I found I had willpower I didn't even think I had - especially when it comes to snacking, drinking water instead of soda during the day, etc. when others around you may be eating or drinking.
Re: some of your questions -
-Tray cleaning - I use soft toothbrush with soap/water but sometimes during day I may brush them with toothpaste. I sometimes get a little buildup in them and then may soak them in denture cleaner or hydrogen peroxide.
-Mouthwash - I don't believe it matters... I did find though that many don't have flouride in them, so have tried to focus on ones that do have flouride. I really like Listerine Total Care Zero - no alcohol so it's a little less harsh than the regular Total Care. I also use Act Dry Mouth for those times when mouth seems extra dry.
-General tips - I too have to file down rough edges on trays. I also found that orthodontic wax used for regular braces helps immensely if I miss a rough spot and tongue or cheek gets irritated. If you have irritations, gargle with warm water and salt - it really helps in the soothing and healing of irritated areas. I also invested in a water pik and along with use of that and the increased brushing that comes with using Invisalign, I got rave reviews at my 6 month checkup at the dentist today.

Good luck on your new journey!

[Glitzy]

Wow! Thank you guys SO much for all the helpful advice/insight! It really has helped me so much! I am now on day 4, going strong with no real significant problems so far! Have had no problems wearing them 22+ hours per day. The end of the first day and the entire second day was the worst as far as pain goes; when I went to put the bottom aligner in after I ate a quick breakfast on day 2, I had tears in my eyes. haha, I am normally quite tough, but it sincerely did hurt! However, I just gotta remind myself to keep the end in mind-- it'll all be worth it! Today (Day 4), I have really only felt discomfort without my trays in while I try and chew my food. I can definitely tell what parts of my mouth are being targeted with this first set of aligners. Some teeth are super sore when I bite down! Most people say they only feel discomfort until about the 3rd day or so of each new aligner (if at all), so I hope mine will stop being sore soon!
Oddly enough, I thought it would be MUCH worse taking the aligners out versus putting them back in. Complete opposite! Sheesh, putting them back IN is like 1000x worse for me! I have to put the aligners in with the mentality of ripping off a bandaid-- do it QUICK! I take a deep breath, line up the tray, squeeze my eyes shut, and push it on fast. This is what works best for me. haha

To be honest, I think I got myself all hyped up after doing so much research about the whole invisalign experience... All for no reason. haha I have had none of the real "side effects" that SO many people complain about. For instance, i've had no lisp, no sore throat, no mouth irritations, no overly salivating mouth, no nightmares about taking the aligners out... nothing. Just the (normal) pain/pressure that follows the territory of having any sort of braces! No pain, no gain!! (The cliche phrases are rolling quite nice today! haha).

The only thing I am missing currently is chewing gum, as I have always been an avid gum chewer! I did, however, discover little things called "Listerine Strips" that I can use as a little refresher when I want a little mint flavor without brushing my teeth! They're awesome and safe to use with the aligners in!

Little Miss Sunshine: I had 13 attachments put on my teeth Monday! 9 in a row on the bottom (literally the whole front part of my bottom arch), and 4 on my top arch. But my ortho told me I will have another attachment added to my top arch on tray 13! woo! I think the reason I have been in so much pain while putting in the bottom arch is because of all those freaking attachments!! Ow! But I'm definitely surprised they haven't been harder for me to take out! PS: I love your blog!! It's amazing to see your transformation and progress thus far!!

[LeslieKnope]

I still chew gum with my aligners in Sometimes a tiny bit of gum can get stuck on the aligners, but if I really need to freshen my mouth I'll do it. I haven't had any problems.

[mogriff]

I am new to the forum also. I started my treatment on 1/17/12...as of today I am on trays 2 U/L of 24. No real issues or complaints. The pain (or should I say minor discomfort) has been a breeze so far. I can truly say the level of discomfort is soooooo miniscal compared to traditional metal braces, which I wore 14 years ago.

Anyhow, I clean my trays by soaking in Polident 3 min, mouthwash/water mixture or just by brushing with toothpaste. (All ok'd by my ortho).

[Glitzy]

I still chew gum with my aligners in Sometimes a tiny bit of gum can get stuck on the aligners, but if I really need to freshen my mouth I'll do it. I haven't had any problems.

Really? My ortho strongly advised against chewing gum. It makes sense. Aside from getting bits of the gum itself in the aligners, it puts extra, unnecessary stress on the aligners. I've read some nightmare stories about invisalign and gum chewing too! Yikes. I don't think I would chance ruining my aligners. I'll stick with my Listerine strips. Lol