Invisalign: Stories

Your teeth looks so pretty and perfect :)

Yeah, if the way that tooth looked was bugging you, you might as well get your treatment adjusted to fix it now while you can. Glad you were persistent. :)

Hi Brooke, I stopped by to read your review and just wanted to let you know your teeth look terrific! Did you see a Dentist or an Ortho?

Your teeth look FANTASTIC :)

Before I got pregnant I had mild ginigivitis, which I did not have before Invisalign. My hygenist said it's most likely due to the mouth breathing from having the invisalign. Since becoming pregnant I have noticed it has gotten a bit worse which all pregnant women get. Because of that and wearing the retainers I was getting more plaque buildup at the back and around some of the buttons, but with that I just go for cleanings every 2-3 months instead of 6 months to make sure everything is clean and how it should be. Good thing I enjoy getting my teeth cleaned :)
I'm glad you milk it the first few days after changing aligners! As a mom I'm sure you do tons as it is so it would be nice to get a break from some of the chores.
I had 13 buttons total, 3 on either side on the bottom on the molars, and 1 on my second tooth on top and 3 on the sides from the eye teeth backwards. Looked like big chunks of plaque on my eye teeth but at least it's over with now :)
By permanent retainer I mean a Lingual Wire, where they place the wire behind your teeth. After treatment my dentist wants me to wear the plastic ones for 6 months full time, then switch to overnights for 4 months, then 4 times a week for a few months before they put the wire in. I guess your teeth can shift a bit with the wire, so you need to let the bones set for a while and you wear the Invisalign retainer. I'll may just wear them at night and not bother with the Lingual Wire we'll see....I heard it's harder to floss having it being bonded behind your teeth. The plastic retainers are only good for so long so I may look into the Essix retainer to wear at night where the wire is in front of your teeth, they are supposed to last longer.

Hi Brooke, from what I have read via the Invisilign forum and also from my own dentist, who did one of my daughter's braces, retainers should be worn every night or every other night "for the rest of your life." My daughter and son were not told that at the time. My daughter's teeth shifted a bit, but my son's teeth have not shifted in 10 years. I guess it's a 50-50. LOL

I only have some pressure pain the first two days ... but I milk it for all it's worth by telling my family I am in pain and need to lie down on the sofa and just watch TV. That means my husband goes grocery shopping and my son takes care of the dog, cleans the bathrooms, etc. LOL

I didn't realize it, until you mentioned it here, that I do a lot of mouth breathing. No wonder I am thirsty more than usual and always using lip balm. I'm wondering if that might also explain why I developed a cavity along my gum line. {The last time I had a cavity was at age 17 ... and I'm almost 62} It's a cavity detected only by computerized scanning which detects the slightest bit of tooth color distortion undetected by the naked eye and the dentist's probe.

At this point, I'm not willing to have it drilled and filled since this high-tech scanning equipment charts the progress of ever-so-slight color distortion. Since I have twice-yearly cleaning and exams, I want to see if it remains the same or worsens. Drilling always takes more of the tooth than just that tiny area of demineralization and the cavity is nowhere near the root.

There was a time when my upper teeth were extremely sensitive, even to touch, during the month before the end date of my first treatment. In fact, my dentist [bless her soul] used Lidocaine injections to numb the teeth before she removed the buttons. No explanation why that time hurt. Did you have any kind of that pain?

I have 9 buttons [all new with the second round] including two on the front tooth and two on a molar. I will get two new buttons on the laterals during the last three liners. In other words, I have knobby teeth. *grin*

How many attachments did you have? I bet it feels great to have all of them off. I'm forever running my tongue over the attachments.

Our dental coverage only pays a lifetime $1,500 for orthodontia until age 18, and nothing after that, so all my expenses are out-of-pocket.

I'm curious what you mean by permanent retainer. I wear a retainer every night on my bottom teeth and it's a heavier duty material than the liners. Is there something more permanent than that?

So far, so good. I'm into my second year of Invisilign and I began at age 60. It's never too late. LOL

I began with 19 liners which translates to 9-10 months. After that time, the bottom teeth were perfect in my view, but the two upper laterals still had a bit of a twist. My dentist, who also does orthodontics, veneers and even Botox, made new impressions with a focus on the two laterals.

Invisilign sent 10 more liners for the upper teeth while I wore my lower retainer 24/7. At completion, I still had the darn twist. My dentist then made more impressions and complained to Invisilign. The company replied that they were having problems with correcting laterals and said they engineered "the fix."

The "fix" meant 18 liners. I don't know how the company and my dentist negotiated any extra costs. I just know that I didn't have to spend an extra dime.

My treatment cost was $5,200.

I was okay beginning anew because I darn well want those laterals perfect. *grin*
This go-round meant new attachments including one on my front tooth.

I'm on liner #12 and at liner #15, my dentist will be putting attachments on the two laterals. At this point, I think I'll have an attachment on every single upper tooth. Two of the upper teeth each have two buttons ... so Invisilign is really serious this time. *grin*

In the last 10 days of my treatment, a band will be attached to the front and back side of the one lateral to pull it down and even with my other teeth.

I have before and after photos from my first go-round, but I want to wait for "the real" after photos.

My one word of advice is to wear your retainers every night and buy a set of new retainers every 12 to 18 months. It seems our teeth really want to return to their pre-treatment position.

Kinda like a stubborn two-year-old whose favorite word is "no." *grin*

I know this is an Invisilign forum, but I hope you'll let us know when your baby arrives and post a pic.

My best to you.
P.S. With living in Ontario, did your insurance cover your Invisilign treatment?

Thankyou so much Barbara! That's so kind of you to say it really made my day :) How is your invisalign journey so far?

Wow Brooke! Your teeth look fantastic. Admittedly, I had to chuckle a bit when you said, "your teeth weren't that bad." I said the same when I opted to have my Invisilign. Both upper laterals had a twist in them and my front bottom teeth were "leaning."

My treatment isn't completed yet, but I look at my "before" and "now" photos and think, "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize I needed more than just those few teeth fixed."

I even said to my dentist, "Are you sure those 'before' photos are mine and not someone else's?"

Beautiful smile, Brooke, and quite a busy year. Congratulations on your accomplishments and thank you so much for sharing. I can just envision your newborn looking at his/her momma's smile and thinking, "Wow! I picked a great Mom."

Wishing you the best of the best. *smile*

Thankyou so much! I love how they look I can't wait until I dont have to wear retainers duting the day to show them off :) I'm 13 weeks so far, busiest year of my life! Opened a business, got married, now pregnant and buying a house. So exhausting but worth it!

I just uploaded my before and after photos. I had my attachments taken off yesterday on the top and I still have a week left on the bottom. I had a cleaning yesterday as well so my gums are a bit red and inflamed due to my pregnancy. On the front top two teeth there is a tiny little chip and I will get that fixed after the baby is born. Either way I am very happy with my experience. I get my retainers next week, they're just like the invisalign trays only without the attachment buttons in the molding. I wear those for six months full time, then I wear them only at night for about four months, then 4 times a week for another few months and I'll get the permanent retainer. It took a total of six months for my teeth to get straightened. I know they weren't too bad before, I've just always wanted a straight smile and it was too uncomfortable with my bite with my teeth shifting inwards I didn't want it to get worse and cause problems down the road. If you notice the discolouration on my front teeth, my mother was sick when she was pregnant with me and the medications she was on affected the colouring. It used to be a lot worse but I whitened them about twelve years ago which helped a lot and now I just maintain it by doing it a few times a year. I don't drink coffee much either so it helps to keep them pretty white. One day down the road I may get bonding to cover it up permanently but I'm not doing anything until after the baby is born. I hope everyone likes my results and I thankyou for your positive feedback.

So did you get your attachments off today?!! Hoping so!! Would love to hear how things are looking.