Invisalign: Stories

On the advice of my regular dentist, I had traditional brackets and wire braces from age 40-42. His rationale was to improve the longevity of my teeth since I wasn't all that worried about the cosmetic side of things. I hated that program so much I stopped before having a "perfect" outcome, even though we were 6-8 months over schedule already. I hated the retainer too, so my occlusion regressed a bit until it was noticeable. Seeking to finally "finish" the program, I approached my general dentist about Invisalign. I think it's a fantastic program, and in my opinion, it's a great way to finish after the heavy lifting of traditional braces. Invisalign provides much more finite control of each tooth movement than brackets. As a result, each new tray (every two weeks) may only move a couple of teeth, so it's far less painful than having braces adjusted (and no bleeding cheeks from mashing into sharp brakets.) Also of interest, the computerized technology and outsourced nature of Invisalign takes a lot of the "art" out of orthodonture. Being able to eat normally, brush and floss regularly, or outright avoid the trays for social functions is a huge benefit. Finally, you can use whitening gel in the trays whenever you want.