Invisalign

[Jenny]

Anyone have informed opinions? Had a consult today and looking for opinions from people who have done it.

 

[VickiK]

I went through the process about 10 years ago. I can PM you.

 

[MissySki]

I did it a long time ago, before getting regular braces. Depends what you want to fix and how long they say it will take… fyi it often takes longer than they say and people need revisions etc. Personally I preferred the regular braces because it was just easier. With Invisalign you cannot eat or drink anything except water with them on and you need to wear them as much as possible… this can be good for like dieting lol, but in reality it can be such a pita to have to brush and floss every single time you take them off and need to get them back on. Think at an event, after any snack, a drink at a bar, if you want to eat on a plane or in an airport, while skiing, hiking, at an amusement park etc… I did it all lol. Regular braces require more office visits, diligent oral hygiene, and are always there, but seemed easier and faster to me. Of course I had a lot to fix and as my smile got better with Invisalign there was more I wanted to fix too that Invisalign wasn’t able to accomplish back then. For minor things it may be better. Though I also had a coworker who did Invisalign for minor lower teeth crowding and had the same experience where she wanted more and more fixed as the improvements came and she ended up in them way longer than originally estimated and had to have multiple revisions too.

If you have any specific questions, happy to weigh in.

 

[VickiK]

I went to a highly qualified and recommended orthodontist who had a successful, busy practice. My interaction was mostly with technicians, sort of like being on an assembly line. They would examine, measure, test, etc. and the orthodontist would come in afterward to confirm, test, verify. I felt that my experience and ultimate success would have been better had my contact been mostly with the orthodontist. Also, I felt like key details should have been explained more thoroughly and perhaps touched upon during the subsequent appointments.

Examples:
- The discomfort of breaking in a new pair of Invisaligns felt like an ordeal. I finally became resigned to it but I admit it was an issue for me and I wish I understood it better up front.

- Invisaligns couldn't fix my misaligned lower canine tooth. Only the traditional braces could fix this. This was explained after I was already committed to Invisaligns.

- I was not clear on the requirement of wearing retainer trays nightly for the rest of my life. As I realized the discomfort that went along with Invisaligns, this was a burden. I stopped wearing the retainers...it was a big relief but also a big fail on my part.

- Invisaligns corrected the vertical positioning of my teeth, i.e. the lower teeth stopped touching the back of the upper teeth. The changing bite bothered me but this was ultimately a good thing.

 

[MissySki]

I went to a highly qualified and recommended orthodontist who had a successful, busy practice. My interaction was mostly with technicians, sort of like being on an assembly line. They would examine, measure, test, etc. and the orthodontist would come in afterward to confirm, test, verify. I felt that my experience and ultimate success would have been better had my contact been mostly with the orthodontist. Also, I felt like key details should have been explained more thoroughly and perhaps touched upon during the subsequent appointments.

Examples:
- The discomfort of breaking in a new pair of Invisaligns felt like an ordeal. I finally became resigned to it but I admit it was an issue for me and I wish I understood it better up front.

- Invisaligns couldn't fix my misaligned lower canine tooth. Only the traditional braces could fix this. This was explained after I was already committed to Invisaligns.

- I was not clear on the requirement of wearing retainer trays nightly for the rest of my life. As I realized the discomfort that went along with Invisaligns, this was a burden. I stopped wearing the retainers...it was a big relief but also a big fail on my part.

- Invisaligns corrected the vertical positioning of my teeth, i.e. the lower teeth stopped touching the back of the upper teeth. The changing bite bothered me but this was ultimately a good thing.

If it makes you feel any better, that was also my experience at an Ortho for regular braces. You don't get much face time with the Orthodontist. I found I really liked one of the technicians who was really good and would always request her for more complicated things. Some of the techs kind of sucked, so I feel this is important.

Agreed, new aligner trays HURT to begin with. Like something fierce often. Whereas with regular braces the initial period for a few days can be quite painful but each adjustment isn't usually very bad at all.

I have an Invisalign style retainer even after regular braces, this is often what's given now. But with any type of retainer you need to wear it for the rest of your life or your teeth will shift in some capacity. I have bonded retainers for the front 6 teeth top and bottom as well. I've admittedly gotten a little lax with my nightly retainer, but I do still wear it and it still fits etc., but it feels tighter when I haven't worn it in a while.

Invisalign couldn't completely fix my bite, and while I was told this upfront I didn't fully appreciate what that meant until I got to the end. Regular braces corrected it much better in my case, with lots of elastic wear and made my bite way more comfortable than how I ended Invisalign. It was also able to do some rotational movements I needed that Invisalign wasn't as good at at the time.

 

[Jenny]

@VickiK @MissySki - did you have crowded teeth or spaced out teeth?

I had braces when I was 14-16 and even back then they told me that they couldn’t guarantee that my teeth would stay together. The bite issues were fixed, and I did wear my retainers for as long as they said I had to, but back then they didn’t treat it as a forever thing.

What I have now is a tooth that is turning a little bit, and another one that seems to be tired and has begun leaning toward its neighbor. Still have plenty of space available - if they were all pushed together you could probably fit another tooth on both uppers and lowers!

They did say a permanent retainer could be attached to the lower front teeth, and possibly one for the upper, but the space could prevent that on the top. (@MissySki, is this what you meant by bonded retainer?)

I still have a deep bite - such that the ortho is thinking that if I had regular braces that they might interfere with my bite. I think he mentioned my top teeth hitting the brackets on the bottom.

Whatever I get done, I need to do it soon, while DH is still working, because, oddly, our dental covers ortho for adults. I mean, it caps at $1200 but that's money I won’t have to pay,

 

[VickiK]

I had crowded lower teeth along with an adjacent lower canine tooth that was sort of leaning and turning outward. Not to make myself sound like a werewolf, but it was enough to make me want to fix these things.

 

[MissySki]

I also had some crowding and rotational needs, along with upper canines that grew in above my baby teeth so they had to be brought down.

I think the fact that you had braces as a kid and this is more revision and spacing issues bodes better for this option for you @Jenny. Especially if your bite could create issues for the braces… Is your bite not something they want to fix as well? It’s awesome to get some insurance benefit! At the time when I got my regular braces I had some coverage for adult orthodontics as well which was nice.

Yes, the bonded retainers are the “permanent” retainers. Really it is just a metal wire bonded to each tooth, in my case the front 6 on top and on the bottom each have one. I put permanent in parentheses because they can break or have bonding pop off and need to be replaced. I’ve had bonding pop off a number of times and had to have them fixed…it’s important to wear your regular retainer over the bonded if this happens to keep movement from occurring. Even with the bonded retainers I can feel my plastic retainers get tight if I don’t wear them for a little bit, so small shifts still can happen somehow someway. But having multiple retainer options seems to have worked well overall so far for retention. It stunk to have Invisalign and then braces for as long as I did, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Being happy and confident in your smile is absolutely worth it and priceless!

 

[Jenny]

I also had some crowding and rotational needs, along with upper canines that grew in above my baby teeth so they had to be brought down.

I think the fact that you had braces as a kid and this is more revision and spacing issues bodes better for this option for you @Jenny. Especially if your bite could create issues for the braces… Is your bite not something they want to fix as well? It’s awesome to get some insurance benefit! At the time when I got my regular braces I had some coverage for adult orthodontics as well which was nice.

Yes, the bonded retainers are the “permanent” retainers. Really it is just a metal wire bonded to each tooth, in my case the front 6 on top and on the bottom each have one. I put permanent in parentheses because they can break or have bonding pop off and need to be replaced. I’ve had bonding pop off a number of times and had to have them fixed…it’s important to wear your regular retainer over the bonded if this happens to keep movement from occurring. Even with the bonded retainers I can feel my plastic retainers get tight if I don’t wear them for a little bit, so small shifts still can happen somehow someway. But having multiple retainer options seems to have worked well overall so far for retention. It stunk to have Invisalign and then braces for as long as I did, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Being happy and confident in your smile is absolutely worth it and priceless!

He didn’t say there’s anything wrong with my bite, just that it's deep.

Interesting that you still have a retainer along with the bonded wire - I thought that was an instead of”.

 

[MissySki]

He didn’t say there’s anything wrong with my bite, just that it's deep.

Interesting that you still have a retainer along with the bonded wire - I thought that was an instead of”.

Perhaps it is for some? I’m not sure if it’s always both, if it’s due to how we moved my teeth, or if my ortho is just extra conservative etc. I do appreciate the backup due to the bonding having failed multiple times on the “permanent” wires as I mentioned though.

 

[Soujan]

I just finished my Invisalign in March. Had both upper a lower done or minor fixes to my bite and turning my teeth a little. Had it for about a year and a half. I did have some crowding issues on my lowers. The orthodontist would file between my teeth to make space.

You start off switching to a new tray every 14 days. Then it eventually gets reduced to every 10 days. Towards the end I was switching trays every 7 days. I didn't have much discomfort when switching to a new tray. It felt tight for 2 days and then it was fine. You have to be discipled in wearing them. The technicians told me to wear it 20 hours per day. It's really impossible to wear it that much. I like to drink coffee and tea throughout the day. I probably wore closer to 17 or 18 hours and every check-up was good. My orthodontist had me come in for a check-up every 6 weeks.

At first, I went for the bonded retainer on my lowers and ended up hating it. I didn't like feeling the wire in my mouth all the time and you can't floss with regular floss. I had it removed and a regular tray style retainer made. I didn't have the wire and tray at the same time.

 

[MissySki]

At first, I went for the bonded retainer on my lowers and ended up hating it. I didn't like feeling the wire in my mouth all the time and you can't floss with regular floss. I had it removed and a regular tray style retainer made. I didn't have the wire and tray at the same time.

The bonded retainers are definitely weird at first, but I don’t even notice them now. I’ve had them for gosh like 10 years now. The only time I notice them is if something needs to be fixed as previously mentioned.

You do need to use special floss for that area, I use the same I used when I had braces. Not a big deal, but oral hygiene is a consideration as it is more involved for sure and it can be tough to truly keep the areas around the bar clean. I use floss and a waterpik, I also go to the dentist 3 times per year for cleanings instead of twice just to ensure it’s all kept up with well. My hygienist hates the bonded retainers because it’s more work for her too, but the retention of your new smile is excellent with them, so too bad for her lol.

 

[Soujan]

The bonded retainers are definitely weird at first, but I don’t even notice them now. I’ve had them for gosh like 10 years now. The only time I notice them is if something needs to be fixed as previously mentioned.

You do need to use special floss for that area, I use the same I used when I had braces. Not a big deal, but oral hygiene is a consideration as it is more involved for sure and it can be tough to truly keep the areas around the bar clean. I use floss and a waterpik, I also go to the dentist 3 times per year for cleanings instead of twice just to ensure it’s all kept up with well. My hygienist hates the bonded retainers because it’s more work for her too, but the retention of your new smile is excellent with them, so too bad for her lol.

Last time I saw you, I did say your teeth are very straight.

 

[MissySki]

Last time I saw you, I did say your teeth are very straight.

Haha yeah, and it’s been a long time now! I really can’t believe it, it sure doesn’t feel like that long ago. I remember being so worried about it at the time and whether they would stay put. My regular dentist made me kind of paranoid because when I got my braces off she was like omg your teeth look great… now the trick is keeping them in place! I was like, wait what?? And she said, well look how many people get braces a second time as adults. That’s because they didn’t wear their retainers the first time around. True enough… though to be fair, a long time ago they didn’t tell people they had to wear them first the rest of their lives like they do now.

 

[santacruz skier]

Had braces as a teen for 3 years, wore retainer for 3 years. Teeth have definitely shifted a little but never back to where they were. A few years ago I decided to get fit for a retainer to wear at night. Easy to put in but brutal to take out. End of that story as never used it.

 

[Trailside Trixie]

I ended up getting clear braces when I was in my early 20's.. Just had a couple front teeth that were pushed back and I was very self conscoius about my smile. I wore a retainer at night for a long time. Things didn't shift much and I was very happy with the results.

 

[Puppyski]

Yes to everything shared above.

I had lots of surprises along the way, none of them good. The worst was them shaving off bits of my teeth, adding ‘buttons’ (bits of material that the trays push on) and then attempting to have me wear rubber bands. They were able to find an alternative for that, as having rubber bands across my mouth would have been a big issue with work. Never mind trying to speak clearly with those! I also developed an allergy to the trays, but I was able to get ones made of a different material at no extra charge.

My dentist recommended Invisalign to me, and said it could be done through her office. It went on and on for years, they removed bits of my teeth so that there was room for other teeth to move, and then I ended up with huge gaps between some of my back teeth, which led to some decay, additional need for fillings and crowns etc.

After years of complaining about the gaps Invisalign left, and having the dental hygienist advocate for me, the dentist paid for me to get Clear Correct, which is similar to Invisalign, but I think for smaller corrections.

Clear Correct mostly resolved the issues. The one problem is that the Clear Correct retainers given after treatment were of very poor quality and kept coming apart after a few weeks.

The dentist then covered the cost of providing better quality retainers, and all is ok now. I do not mind wearing the retainers at night, but it was a surprise to me that lifelong retainer wearing was going to be needed following Invisalign treatment. As others shared, I was ill prepared and ill informed about what to expect.

This whole process has taken 13 years. I was in my thirties when it started snd now in my fifties.

It sounds like those who have had orthodontists handle their Invisalign treatment have had better overall results. If you are considering having Invisalign I would ask detailed questions regarding your proposed treatment: Will they be shaving off parts of any teeth, will they be using the ‘buttons’, will they be using rubber bands, what is financial consequence (if any) if the treatment goes longer than projected?

I started this process because I cracked a tooth due to misalignment with my bite. Due to the treatment, I had many, many more dental issues. I wish I had never started it, but I would think it would be better with an orthodontist.

 

[VickiK]

Ugh, I remember they did the shaving thing with my teeth too. I guess I saw the need for it to allow my teeth to respond correctly to the braces, but it was a shock to the system.

I noticed changes in my teeth position as I got older, and my primary motivation to get braces in my 50s was health-driven, thinking of overall health later in life (much later anyway).

 

[MissySki]

I ended up getting clear braces when I was in my early 20's.. Just had a couple front teeth that were pushed back and I was very self conscoius about my smile. I wore a retainer at night for a long time. Things didn't shift much and I was very happy with the results.

Yeah I think the less things move and depending what those movement are, the more or less chance you have for your teeth relapsing to the old position. I know some people who had braces as a kid and their teeth stayed pretty perfect despite stopping wearing retainers. Other, well not so much.

 

[mustski]

Just as an FYI - my son ( the dentist! I love saying that!) still wears his retainer every night and he got his braces off at 15. He says retainers for the rest of your life are the new normal.