Just started process for invisalign...anyone?

[MickeysMommy]

Long story short - I had braces as a kid and my teeth were "perfect". Got bonded retainers and all was well. Ortho at one point some 10 yrs later told me I didn't need the retainers any so I had them removed. Big mistake. Huge. My teeth shifted and I was livid. He never told me they would and I didn't think they would after 20 some years...anyway...

Today was my first visit (after initial consultation) for Invisalign. The dr told me he thought I'd be really pleased with the results and I could be on a 10 day tray time. I get my first trays in about 3 weeks.

Does anyone have any advice? I hear the trays can really be difficult to remove in the beginning? Pointers? And, that the trays can hurt and to file them down? Suggestions?

Any help would be so very appreciative.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

All the sets of trays have the potential to be difficult to remove on the first day. This is something you may experience every time you swap to a new set of Invisaligners. I found that Motrin (ibuprofen) helped with the discomfort which that caused for me.

I just finished up my treatment earlier this year. I have never heard of filing down the trays.

I can say that you want to keep your Invisaligners really clean. You don't have to buy their brand of cleaner, but you do want to keep them really clean.

Are they going to be putting buttons on your teeth at any point? How long do they think you'll have to wear them?

 

[MickeysMommy]

Yes, I will have the "buttons". Probably more on the bottom than the top.

I was told approximately 9 months and the any revisions ???

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Once your buttons are in place, it will make it a little more of a challenge to remove your trays when you start each new series. The good news is that you will quickly become a pro at snapping those things on your teeth and pulling them off. I think for me the first six weeks was the adjustment period. Then it became second nature.

Practical note -- food can sometimes collect around the buttons. I always used to take those mini toothbrushes with me. That way I could dine out and get rid of anything that might collect there like spinach or cheese.

Your orthodontist may want to do some revisions after looking at how your teeth have done, but that happens to just about everyone, I think. Depending on your teeth, sometimes the top or bottom straightens more quickly. When you're done, you'll still receive a new retainer.

9 months! That's not bad at all Good luck with them!!!

 

[Straitlover]

I did regular braces, not Invisalign, so can't help with that. But I can say do not let them talk you into taking out the bonded retainers again! I have them top and bottom, and I will always have them. I had one tooth where the glue wore down and retainer came loose just on that one tooth. My night-time retainer (like the invisalign tray, not old school metal) had cracked so I couldn't wear that until I got the spot re-bonded. In no time that oen tooth shifted, and I had to wear my new pop-in retainer (old school this time!!!) for two months to get it back to sort of in place before they could re-bond. There's still a little gap, but it's not that big of a deal (it's two teeth over from my front tooth so not right up front). The only way to close it up completely is to re-bracket, and it's not worth the money to me.

 

[earfulofmagic]

I had regular braces, but on the filing question:

If any of the plastic is too sharp/too protruding, they can file that down, but hopefully it'll be noticeable while you're in the office and the ortho can file it for you then. It's the open edges potentially poking your gums that they'll file or clip. They did the same thing with my clear retainers, which I never wear because they're so uncomfortable -- wire retainer forever! (And bonded retainer on the bottom, blegh. would rather have a removable for that too)

Also, to make the retainers "fit" better you'll probably be instructed to bite/chew while in (it'll make more sense when they're on) for them to fully seat on your teeth. Some people buy these little roller chew... toys? to help the retainer fit well/help their mouth adjust more quickly to it. Like these: https://www.amazon.com/OrthoBands-A...1497632099&sr=8-1&keywords=invisalign+chewies

I can't necessarily recommend them, but you might find them helpful in the beginning of treatment. They will probably pop these in your goodie bag.

Good luck with everything! 9 months will be a breeze

 

[bellebud]

I had Invisalign a few years ago. Same story as you. Braces as a kid, perfect teeth. Was never told to keep my retainers forever (they tell kids that now). I'm 49 now. My teeth started shifting at about 40. Anyway, I wasn't as thrilled with Invisalign as I thought I'd be, because the 'buttons' were huge and weird looking, so if I had my trays out to eat, my teeth looked weird. AND they looked weird with the trays in too. My sil got regular braces as an adult. Of course they're a pain too (food getting stuck, can't eat certain things, etc). If I had to do it again, I don't know which I'd do. Your 9 months will go by quickly though, so that's good.

 

[MickeysMommy]

Thanks for the responses.

Nothing is perfect so I know this won't be either but I'm excited to get them fixed once and for all. And, not to worry, once these two bonded retainers go in they are NEVER coming out!!!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I had Invisalign for 5 months a couple of years ago. I had a really hard time removing them the first time. Luckily DH had already been through the process and gave me some pointers. After that, it wasn't difficult at all. I wouldn't do anything like file down sharp edges myself. You don't want to affect the integrity of the tray. If anything bothers you, go back to the Dr. and let him/her do the adjustments. I always carried a tooth brushing kit with me. It's best to make sure the trays and your teeth are always clean. I even brushed my teeth at Disneyland! My Dr. said I could drink almost anything with the trays in, just not diet soda since it would eat away at the them. It was a fairly easy process. I now wear my retainers every night so my teeth won't move again!

 

[StephMK]

I am on tray 19 of 24 through Clear Correct (same concept) and so happy I finally did this. I was the same-ortho as kid, teeth eventually started moving and were bothering me.

The trays aren't too bad to get out and I'd recommend drinking lots of water because your mouth can get dry. I was told to use a nail file if there was an edge that needed smoothing. I did that a few times and it was no problem.

I finished 16 trays but wasn't happy with 2 teeth. They took new molds and I just had to wait for the revision to be processed. So now my lowers are done and I'm partway through the new trays. All done, it will be 13 months start to finish. Well worth it!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

My daughter has had her invisalign for over a year. Her teeth are moving quite nicely. She is working her way through around 34 trays. She will be a junior in high school next fall, so a bit behind her peers in terms of timing for braces. So she chose invisalign so she could have photos at various special events without braces. She also doesn't have to worry about whether she'll be done in time for senior pictures next summer.

She hasn't had too much trouble with the trays themselves. Maybe once or twice she has had a rough spot that needed to be filed down. She had one tooth pulled and after that happened, she did have trouble with the gap they were closing having the right fit. They ended up having to remake some of her trays and that put her about a month behind on the bottom.

It took a bit for her to realize that tray wasn't fitting right. So my advice would be that if they don't seem to be snapping into the right spot completely, don't hesitate to go in. Sometimes they get it wrong and better to not waste time.

She's really happy with how the teeth are adjusting. Her cross bite was addressed with rubber bands and the gap where the lower front tooth was removed is almost completely closed now. She has moments where she wishes she had gone the traditional braces route (mostly because she's a grazer when it comes to eating) and times when she's happy she went this route (when it's time for photos at a special event).

One of my concerns going into it was how compliant she would be with it. Apparently some get started and just don't stick with it. Fortunately our daughter has hung in there and continues to be good with following the instructions.

 

[Monykalyn]

My daughter was done in 9 months too- in fact just finished her revision tray so and now in retainers. But she also had that newish Propel? I can't remember what it's called now- as well- where they give shots to stimulate bone development and she had to use a machine at night for a few minutes that vibrated her teeth. She had a misalignment of teeth as well as needing straitening. She hurt pretty bad the first 24 hours but was only mildly sore after that. She used to chewy things to make sure the trays were seated tight.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

FYI - not for the original poster, but for anyone else reading this thread who wants to consider Invisalign - I'd never had braces prior to having Invisalign. My teeth were HORRIBLY crooked. They straightened them well enough, but it took four years and SO MANY different sets, buttons, etc.

But based on my experience, I think if only a minor correction is needed, it would be perfect.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Hey you guys... I wonder how much Invisilign costs...
Is it thousands of dollars, like full regular braces?

After many years of braces, (even had did the palate expander to have my upper palate widened/split) My top front teeth are like forward/bucked.
I have always thought I would love to have just my upper teeth corrected!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Hey you guys... I wonder how much Invisilign costs...
Is it thousands of dollars, like full regular braces?

After many years of braces, (even had did the palate expander to have my upper palate widened/split) My top front teeth are like forward/bucked.
I have always thought I would love to have just my upper teeth corrected!!!

My daughter's invisalign was the same as full on braces. We had quotes from 4 highly recommended orthodontists and that's how it was with all of them.

Of course that might vary if you are having a second round of treatment. This was my daughter's first orthodontic treatment.

 

[Monykalyn]

My daughter's invisalign was the same as full on braces. We had quotes from 4 highly recommended orthodontists and that's how it was with all of them.

Of course that might vary if you are having a second round of treatment. This was my daughter's first orthodontic treatment.

We had similar experiences. The only difference, really, was the time involved. Traditional braces 2+ years, Invisalign 9 months. I think we also had similar kids who were extremely compliant. I think my DD was told 18 hours she had to be in her trays-I think she probably averaged closer to 20 hours (at least).

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Hey you guys... I wonder how much Invisilign costs...
Is it thousands of dollars, like full regular braces?

After many years of braces, (even had did the palate expander to have my upper palate widened/split) My top front teeth are like forward/bucked.
I have always thought I would love to have just my upper teeth corrected!!!

My experience with Invisalign cost roughly $5000. Given that it took them four years to actually finish straightening my teeth (I never had braces as a child), it was a bargain compared to some others.

 

[MickeysMommy]

So I got my first set of trays (I'll have 14 total on a 10 day schedule plus any revisions) and I'm adjusting. I have more attachments on the top than I expected as my top teeth aren't the ones that "bother" me but oh well. I'm noticing some lip soreness where the attachments and trays stick out a little but I don't think I'll be unable to handle it.

Any further recommendations or help that I will need?

 

[AquamarineSteph]

It'll get better in a few days. Then you'll change trays. ;-)

Make sure you keep your trays clean and brush well before you put your Invisaligners back into your mouth. Good luck!!!

 

[nkereina]

Hey you guys... I wonder how much Invisilign costs...
Is it thousands of dollars, like full regular braces?

DH has Invisalign currently - he's expected to go through 37 aligners with the whole process taking about 18 months. His case was worse than some others. It's costing him roughly $5000, which he was able to finance with no interest through Care Credit. It was cheaper than braces for him.

We are used to Invisalign now as he's halfway through the process. Having to remove them at each meal means I have to carry his case in my purse! LOL! When we're out to eat, he usually visits the bathroom before we sit down to remove them. He has dentist appointments about every 4 weeks to check it and receive new aligners, so he's had to work that out with his work schedule. Like others have mentioned, he finds some aligners to be painful the first 2 or 3 days he puts new ones in, but then it subsides. His stay in for 2 weeks at a time. As his teeth have moved, some brown spots appeared as teeth were uncovered but his dentist was able to polish them off during his cleanings. The dentist has also warned that they may need to add an aligner or two on at the end, depending how everything ends up, and he will have to wear a retainer.

One add on bonus is that once or twice a week he will soak his current aligner in peroxide to keep it clean because it gets funky towards the end of the set. As a result, his teeth have gotten super white from it! So that's been a good thing. He's very happy he went with Invisalign and the changes already are very noticeable!