Did Invisalign and now on to Damon...

[braceface4343]

Hey Everyone! First I'd like to thank everyone for their posts. I wish I had known about this website before I went ahead with Invisalign. I've been in my trays for 20 months and several teeth aren't moving. After many refinement trays, I decided I needed to seek an orthodontist to see what options I had. I initially had my dentist do the Invisalign treatment, but it is clear I need someone who specializes in moving teeth to complete my treatment. The orthodontist gave me the option of an additional year in Invisalign (making it 3 in total) or 9 months in Damons. I found the Invisalign trays to be extremely bothersome. I noticed them in my mouth from the very first second they were put on and EVERY second in between, leading up to the 20 months I had them. So now I'm moving on to Damon. I get them in 2 weeks and can't wait. I wear my last tray at night now to keep them from shifting, and oh the freedom of not wearing them 22 hours a day! I know I will have the braces on 24/7, but for me, it has got to be better than the trays. I just didn't tolerate them well or the restrictions it placed on me as far as taking them out every time I wanted to drink something other than water or eat.

The reason I'm posting this is that I think it may be helpful (I hope so anyway) for people who are trying to decide whether to go with Invisalign or braces. I'll be able to give a first hand account of what both feel like and list the pros and cons for you. I know every experience is relative to the person who is experiencing it, but I'll be fair in my assessment of each.

I wish I had them in now so I could tell you more but 2 weeks will be here in no time.

And again, thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and advice. You are a great group!

Talk to you soon!

[braceface4343]

Okay, so I am officially braced! I went with the Damon clear on top and metal on bottom. I'm not a big fan of getting my teeth worked on so the process of putting them on was slightly uncomfortable, but not bad. Comparable to the discomfort of having to have that goop in your mouth for the Invisalign impressions.

It feels a bit weird to have the brackets on (a little duck lip action going on!) but to be perfectly honest, they are infinitely less awkward in my mouth than the Invisalign trays. The Invisalign trays were bothersome for me from day one and I never, EVER got used to them. I particularly hated the feel of the plastic trays on the inside of my teeth. It felt like I was wearing a mouthguard 24/7 instead of a thin piece of plastic.

Presently, I have no pain. I am expecting that to change from what I've read! I did like the fact that you only had 1 day of slight discomfort with a new Invisalign tray. I'm hoping the pain won't be too bad with the braces. Not looking forward to figuring out the flossing part of this, but after 20 months of brushing and flossing EVERY time I ate or drank anything besides water, I'll take it.

Aesthetically, they look great. I'm very happy I went with the clear on top. They are discreet and you don't see much of the metal on my bottoms. I was a little worried about what I would look like being in my 40's with a stylin' grill and all, but I'm happy with them.

Well, I'll let you know how my teeth feel in the next few days. Wish me luck that they don't hurt too badly!

[denSMSgt]

Hope the actual braces go well for you!

I hated dealing with retainers so much more than braces themselves, but forced myself to wear faithfully. Had lower bonded (supposedly) permanent retainer come partially unbonded without me being able to tell and stuff shifted over a decade. I quickly vetoed the invisalign option, clear on top, and am rockin' full-metal smartclip 3M brackets.

It's funny how everyone has such a different preference, invisalign vs clear vs metal. I know the newer style clear aren't supposed to discolour as bad, but I fancy coffee and tea too much to test. Removable stuff (just like the stupid retainers) just make me crazy. I'm just much happier with real braces.

Have a great one, and SMILE!

dennis

[braceface4343]

I couldn't agree more Dennis! If you had told me that a mouth full of brackets could be more comfortable than a clear plastic retainer I would have told you that you were crazy. It took about a day and half for the mild aching to go away which I thought was pretty good. Each day it gets a little easier to eat. I am surprised at how tender my teeth (front tops and bottoms) still are. I'm going on day 4 and thought it would be a little easier. Who knew how a hard a crinkle cut french fry could be!

I'm glad I've been an avid reader of this and other forums because I didn't freak out when I began to notice how loose my teeth were. It's kind of creepy! They are better today but that's a little unsettling at first.

I will give props to Invisalign as far as being able to easily floss your teeth. It takes me FOREVER to floss. I was extremely dilligent about brushing and flossing when I wore trays and I sometimes flossed up to 5 times a day so I guess I shouldn't complain too badly. But it is much easier with Invisalign.

So far, I'm still very happy with my decision to finish up with the braces. I'm competely used to them and they don't bug me at all. No sores or anything of that nature. I enjoy being able to drink a cup of coffee without being on the "trays out time clock". Kind of funny though, the first time I went to eat with my braces on I reached in my mouth to take out my trays. I did that for 2 years, hard to break that habit!

Thanks for the feedback!

[braceface4343]

Well, I've had the damon braces on for almost 5 weeks now. I had my first new wire/adjustment a few days ago. So far, I have absolutely no complaints. I can't believe 4 weeks flew by as quickly as they did. With the Invisalign trays, it seemed like the two weeks until I had a new tray dragged and I was counting down the days until I was done with them. As far as interfering with my life, it's nothing compared to Invisalign. I wish I had done these first and never heard of them, but what's done is done. The only slight annoyance would be eating. I just don't like getting food caught in my braces while I'm eating but it's nothing flossing and brushing doesn't take care of. I was afraid that after getting my new wire my teeth would be as sore as they were when the braces were first on. It was about a 1/10 of the pain. Didn't need any Advil and I just had to have slightly soft food for a day or two. I've got the flossing down pretty quickly and am religious about that. All this work to get my teeth fixed, not going to ruin them out of laziness! I do have one question though, when they shape your teeth (I have some odd shaped ones that need to match the others) is there a lot of pain with that? My teeth are quite sensitive with the trays and then the braces so the thought of someone shaving down my teeth makes me want to jump out of my chair!

Thanks for any feedback. Have a great day!