My Journey to my Dream Smile! Dayton, OH

Welcome to my story! My name is Claire. I have decided to share my Invisalign journey with you all as when I was in the research phase, other peoples reviews really helped me! Growing up in Ireland, braces were not the norm. I was never too concerned with how my teeth looked, as long as they were clean! My teeth were never considered to be really ugly. (by Irish standards!) Well, that all changed when I moved to the USA! Everything is bigger, better, brighter here! AND a lot shinier! All of a sudden i realized that my misshapen tusks were not going to fit in! All around me were a sea of beautiful, white, bright shiny smiles. I started to feel paranoid about my smile. I used Crest Whitestrips, which made me feel a little better as they helped to brighten up my teeth. However, when i would get my picture taken I found myself not smiling so wide and I tended to keep my mouth closed. I also started to notice that my teeth were shifting as i got older. They are so crossed and crowded. A few months ago, I saw a picture of myself with a co-worker- it was the final straw! My teeth looked horrendous. Really wonky and my canines looked downright scary. So i went for an Invisalign consultation. To my delight i was informed that i was a good candidate. My total price was quoted as $4700. During my next appointment I was fitted for the Aligners. The dentist took impressions of my teeth and some photos. It was not painful in any way. I was so excited! Much to my disappointment it was two more months before my trays came back! I just wanted to get started. I was so inpatient. A couple of days ago I went to the dentist to get my Invisalign. I was shocked at what happened next..... The dentist told me that he would be shaving my teeth to make space. (I did not know this!) So he proceeded to shave in between some of my teeth. It was not really painful at all. Just kind of uncomfortable. He then placed little metal 'keys' in between the teeth to ensure he had shaved them appropriately. He had a plan from Invisalign and reviewed it often. I was nervous to see what he had done. The result was that I had some very noticeable gaps in between my teeth. I was informed I would have 28 trays. I was not shown a Clincheck video. (I am not sure if that is always part of the Invisalign process) I was not given any information regarding expected results or anything like that. I will ask at my next appointment. The dentist put the aligners in my mouth. It felt very, very strange. I was dribbling all over the place! What really struck me the most was that when I tried to speak, the top and bottom back would literally bang together! I thought to myself, 'ohmygossssssssh, how am I going to stand this'?! He instructed me to remove them and then put then insert them again. Woww..it was difficult. The aligners are extremely tight on your teeth. I felt extremely awkward and spoke with a noticeable lisp. The next day I woke up and was in a lot of pain. My teeth ached and my jaw hurt. I also had a little bit of a headache. This carried on for a couple of days to varying degrees. I am now on day 5. I am still quite lispy. I am not in pain, rather, my teeth feel quite sensitive and achey. When i speak to anyone, I feel like i need to inform them I am wearing Invisalign as I feel quite paranoid. Things I have noticed- spit gets caught in the trays, lipstick gets caught in the top tray, I keep on sucking on the trays, they do not hurt my gums at all and finally, they dont feel so clunky in my mouth. Oh and they have loosened up a bit so they are easier to remove and insert. All in all, I am glad that I have embarked on this journey and am so excited to see the results. I go back to the dentist in two weeks and I will be getting buttons placed on my teeth. I believe these help to move teeth. I will share that with you all! Also, i hope my teeth pictures dont make you sick, looking at them makes me feel so embarrassed and re-affirms my decision to go forward with Invisalign! Smooches x

Hello everybody,
Well, it has been 12 days since I got Invisalign. Here are a couple of the main things I have found over this period:
• I am brushing/flossing/mouth washing on average 5 times per day.
• Wearing Invisalign make my lips extremely dry.
• Lipstick is my enemy now as it gets caught in the top aligner (not a good look at all!)
• I have been drinking a lot more water and snack way less (Score!)
• I have a habit of playing with the edges of the aligners with my tongue, resulting in blisters.
• I am super paranoid about having bad breath.
• Very few people have noticed I am wearing the aligners, although I have felt the need to preface every conversation with ‘excuse me, I just got braces’!
• I am still talking a little strangely. I have a slight lisp and find that when I speak the upper and lower aligner clatter off each other. Specifically, my back teeth. This is soooooo annoying.
• Spit collects in the trays, but it is not dreadful- I find myself sucking on them (while they are on my teeth)- I know its kind of gross.
• I really like to drink and socialize (C’mon, I’m Irish!) So its very irritating that I have to rush my libations!
• I have experienced quite a bit of pain. In my gums, my teeth, jaw and head. (But hey, that means something is happening right?!)
I feel VERY proud of myself that I am doing this! I feel empowered and am committed to staying on track!
I will get attachments and a new set of aligners on Friday- I will update you all and post some pics!
Smooches!

Well i am now on my second tray. I got a bunch of attachments last week (13 to be exact). Lord have mercy- the pain of it! The process did not sound too dreadful. The reality of having my teeth drilled was something quite different. Truly, i am not being dramatic. The pain and sensitivity was so intense that I broke into a full blown sweat! I have heard other people say it was painless so perhaps i just have extremely sensitive teeth. Anyways, I have 8 attachments on top and 5 on the bottom. On top, one tooth has two attachments, the rest have one. I think my dentist did a very good job of matching the color of the composite to my tooth color. The attachments themselves are not very noticeable. Its a weird comparison, but as they stick out, they make me look like i have shark teeth! It also kind of looks like i have plaque stuck to my teeth. It (Sorry i know that sounds disgusting! They have made my aligners a bit more noticeable due to the fact that the aligner sticks out in parts to accommodate the attachments. It is rather awkward looking. And of course I have a large one right in the middle of one of my front teeth! I will not complain though- it is a small price to pay for straight teeth. The attachments themselves have caused me no pain in terms of rubbing against the inside of my mouth. They have, however, made eating a little messier. When i eat, it feels like every scrap of food is stuck to them and in between my teeth. Of course, this is not the case. However due to the spaces (IPR) the dentist shaved in between my teeth, food does get stuck in there. No biggie really. I try to keep my mouth closed while eating in company and then excuse myself after and floss/brush etc. One major thing i did discover is that my first tray got extremely discolored. I kind of thought it may have been in my head- until i compared it with a new fresh tray. I was shocked! It looked disgusting. I could not figure out what had made it so unsightly. I have been flossing/brushing/using mouthwash after every meal. I soaked it every morning in an Efferdent tablet. I only drank water. Then it dawned on me.....LIPSTICK!! Uuurgh. I love to wear lipstick, and that really bums me out. Thanks to the suggestion of another reviewer, i have started to use lip stain and am yet to notice any staining.

Just wanted to do a quick update. I started on Tray 3 a couple of days ago.. Have spent the weekend with a little discomfort. Today i woke up in A LOT of pain. Sheeeeesh it is intense.. The pain is on one side of my mouth and into my jaw... It feels a cross of nerves being exposed and a deep, dull throbbing ache. I hope this passes soon. Today is not a good Invisalign day!! :(

It has been five days since I posted about feeling pain. My gosh it has been intense. As I type this my jaw is throbbing and I feel white hot pain in my back teeth on one side. I have been gobbling down Ibuprofen. I hate to complain and moan but this is pretty unbearable. I just don't know whether this level of pain is normal or not.

I have been through a rough couple of weeks. i have been in constant, relentless pain. Believe me when i tell you i have a high tolerance for pain, but the pain i have been experiencing has been on another level. Currently I have not slept a full 7 hours in at least a week and a half. Last night I was awake from about 1 AM onwards. I put a warm face cloth on my jaw which gave a little relief. I am running on fumes at this point. I went to the dentist last Friday. He said he thinks that i have 'very sensitive periodontal ligaments' and thinks i may grind my teeth in my sleep. He thinks this is the source of the pain. To add to it all, I have had a bunch of coldsores aw well!! I got a prescription for Cold Sore med and Ibuprofen 800mg. I have been popping 3/4 of the Ibuprofen and about 3 Extra Strength Tylenol daily. I can no longer eat or drink on the affected side. Today after speaking with my dentist I have decided to cease Invisalign treatment for a couple of weeks to allow my mouth to heal a bit. He said we could give it another try and see how it goes. I feel very disappointed with this whole thing but literally do not know what else to do. Nobody could function with this level of pain. I am praying for some decent sleep tonight. :((((((((((((

Hi everyone.
Ohmygosh, i do not know where to begin. I ceased Invisalign treatment on the 24th of September. I was hoping for immediate relief, but alas, that was nowhere near the case. The pain did NOT subside at all. Even with Ibuprofen and Extra Strength Tylenol i was still waking up in the middle of the night in AGONY. The pain has been relentless. Nagging, aching, hot, angry pain. I went back to the dentist on the 29th. I text him and told him i was no where near improved and that i could not take the pain anymore. (This was following a full night of lying in the dark in pain and ZERO sleep.) So anyways.. My dentist is perplexed. He looked at my teeth, prodded, poked, did X-rays. Now he thinks it could be an abscess or TMJ. It is so frustrating, my pain is so intense, so I would have thought the problem to be really obvious. He gave me a prescription for a steriod and an anti-biotic. I have been taking both for a couple of days. Here is the good thing- I am noticing that the pain disappears for a few hours..also i have been able to sleep at night!!! Hallelujah!! I am taking about two Ibuprofen and a couple of Tylenol a day for the past few days. I CANNOT wait to get to a point where i will no longer need any pain meds. My poor liver and kidneys have been ambushed this past month!! I am hoping and praying this all gets better. I have a dentist appointment on October 17th. My wish is that the pain subsides, that I get my missing attachment put on my tooth and that i can start back on Invisalign. I am just terrified that if the pain goes, that Invisalign may stir it up again. I literally cannot and will not relive the past few weeks. Right now I am trying to be positive but to be honest I feel so tired, deflated and disappointed. I am wondering if I do resume, what tray I would even resume with.

It is six days since my last update. I finished the steroids and am nearly finished the anti-biotics. The pain is less intense. But it is STILL here. I am waking up very early every morning and have to take a pain pill. I am averaging about two 800 mg Ibuprofen and two Extra Strength Tylenol every day. This just cannot be healthy. I have been gobbling pain pills for over a month at this point. I havent worn the aligners in weeks and weeks. My next appointment is Oct 17th. How can i put a tray in when I am still in this much pain? and how if my pain is this intense and relentless, can it not be obvious what the problem is. am so drained and tired of this. I have absolutely no clue where to go from here. I am at the point where i completely regret ever doing this to myself.