Invisalign: Stories

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Invisalign: What They Don't Tell You

orthoRookie
updated 4 years ago

Not Worth It
Cost: $4,300
Chicago

My first set of retainers where 36 trays for the...

5 Jun 2008

My first set of retainers where 36 trays for the upper and 19 for the lower. When I got to tray 22 in the upper new trays had to be made because the trays were 'off track' just a little in the beginning and got to point of being worthless. The new set of trays was 34 for the upper and 17 for the lower. After tray 19 on the upper my canines were not line-up properly. I had the option of going for fine adjustments with invisalign (part of the package) or going full traditional fix appliance (no further cost to me). I decided to go for full fixed appliance and here is why.

Reason number one NOT to use invisalign. Check with your dentist on this if you don't believe me.....

1) I was 37 when I started invisalign and had one teenee weene cavity. One cavity in my entire life. While wearing invisalign I received five cavities! With invisalign the teeth are covered with plastic. Big deal right? YES! Your salivia acts as a cleansing agent for your teeth and helps prevent decay. When the teeth are covered guess what? They are not "washed" by your saliva and are more prone to decay.

2) Invisalign cannot raise or lower teeth. Trust me on this. Even with the litte "bumps" of the glue; it just doesn't work well.

3) For every hour you don't wear the aligners it take 24 hours of wearing to make up for that hour.

4) If you need eslatic work (mid shift alignment) forget it. What a royal pain.

5) You WILL lose a tray or two! and lose momentum in your treatment!

6) Snacking is a pain. Removing the trays, brushing all the time, etc....

In short I wouldn't reccomend this product to anyone. I was so worried about the look, what people would think, yada, yada, which is wy I choose invisalign. One thing I learned is no matter how bad you think your teeth are aligned other people think the extact same thinkg about their own teeth! Believe me on this one: People WILL be jealous you have braces! Not everyone has the money for brace....they WILL be jealous!

Average braces is 1 to 1.5 years and its a short time in your life. Do not worry what people will think or say or whatever. Your oral health is worth it!

Do your homework; a lot of homework if you are considering invisalign.

Go for traditional braces - they are cheaper and do a MUCH better job and most importantly give treatment control to your orthodonist who sees your teeth in real life as opposed to someone at invisalign looking at your teeth in 3D on a computer - Its just not the same thing....

Great review?

Comments (22)

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rmh1206 22 May 2013

Im a 29year old who is in invisalign AND I work in, the dental field and took courses on invisalign. If you're getting cavities while wearing them its because of xerostmia or dry mouth which is from the trays so you should just be drinking alot of water. Also I'm not sure where all you ppl are living by but in upstate NY it costs the same or less than traditional braces. Yes traditional braces can be better in certain situations because invisalign can't fix certain things..its ideal for adults who's jaws aren't going to be growing anymor..not very good for crossbites or rotating teeth..better for cloosing spaces and fixing crowding..if you have a teen I would go with traditional braces for sure. The original post on here was made in 2008. There have been significant changes in invisalign since then.

RosaPrincesse 19 May 2013

I don't lose my trays, maybe it's just you. It's more expensive so i believe people out there will be taking good care of the aligner trays and make sure the investment is worth it. I'm on my 31th and last tray, and i can say it works pretty good on me. I don't get all the problems you have up there, since i had invisalign for slightly more than year, i have fairly whiter teeth than before.

Startedrightnow 11 May 2013

I'm a teen and I just started my Invisalign a day ago, maybe it's not working as well for you because you are older and your teeth are already set in place and you are no longer growing

Dawn12 16 Apr 2013

Hi, I'm 21 years old and am currently being treated for my cross bite with Invisalign. I have 36 aligners too and am about half way through. In my opinion invisalign is the best investment I have ever made, being this far into treatment I can fairly say it is working exactly up to standards. In terms of price, I negotiated down to paying the same price as traditional braces. So that wasn't an issue! Also, I have gone a day without wearing my aligner and still the next aligner fit perfectly on schedule. I can't say much about tooth decay... But I want to make a point about the other benefits of Invisalign that were not mentioned in this review. First off the aligners are much more comfortable for the mouth, being smooth. They do not cut the inside of the mouth like traditional braces. They're also easy-on, easy-off and easy to clean. I love that I can eat whatever I want by taking them off. And of course the very obvious already mentioned, they're invisible!

jayjay01 22 Mar 2013

Hi thanks for the post, I too tried them, £2,000 and over two years, did the tiniest bit of movement, but poor practitioner who wanted to 'shave' my teeth into place when the I's didn't do the promised thing, also he would not accept when I kept saying how worried I was about a remaining crossed teeth, even though the evidence was in front of him, in my mouth! Also had same prob with cavity, ended up having a tooth pulled, now having to spend out for proper braces and dental implant....do not go there people, save money, time and teeth go for the traditional braces.

sassy18 29 Oct 2012

I am a parent researching invisalign for my 14 year old daughter. Thank you very much for posting this!!!! My big worry was that she would not wear the trays regularly. With all these other issues, I will definitely go with traditional braces. You have really helped me! Also, don't waste time on the negative comments below. You shared your experience and some really useful information. Take care. :)

Shelly Russell 21 Aug 2012

I don't really have an opinion either way, braces or invisalign seem like better options than nothing. I didn't have a choice because my orthodontist didn't offer invisalign to me when I was in high school, but I'm not sure I would like having a constant barrier on my teeth. I hate cavities and by the looks of it, invisalign seems to create cavity problems. I'm sorry your experience was such a bummer. Good luck!

Shelly Russell 21 Aug 2012

youarewrong 10 Aug 2012

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youarewrong 10 Aug 2012

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kornflakes 22 Dec 2010

Ok first off, right off the bat.. #5. Really? How are you going to GUARANTEE that we WILL definitely UNDOUBTEDLY for sure lose a tray or two? Really now? You are guaranteeing that. That right there made me lose all credibility in all your statements, sorry. Not buying your reasoning.

Yeah you have to brush your teeth a lot, and snacking is a pain. But that's life. If you really want it, put the work in. Simple.

sunray22 7 Mar 2010

I kind of agree with this. It's a pain to get invisalign. I had them for a year and my teeth aren't perfect...they are better but not what I wanted. Also, they have shifted, even though I wear the retainer at night. My wisdom teeth are coming in though so it could be due to that. I wish that I had just gotten regular braces as a kid..or even later in college, I didn't care if people saw that I had braces. My parents didn't want to get it for me though so I went with invisalign in college. My advice is to go with the traditional braces, or if you DO get invisalign be really careful about brushing a lot and get a permanent retainer put in so they don't shift when you are done with treatment.

ab22 18 Nov 2009

I agree with your post and if I had known would have gotten traditional braces instead of Invisalign. Yes you should realize ahead of time that snacking will be a struggle but for me I was able to deal b/c of the hope that my teeth would look great in the end. I just finished refinement #1 with no improvement. I wish my ortho would offer regular braces to me b/c I would do that in a heartbeat to get this over!

c-dub 31 Aug 2009

my dentist said i only need to wear them at night - did she mislead me? also, are there "substitute invisalign" companies out there? I am worried that my dentist substituted another brand - my trays came with no documentation or branding or anything - and i've heard rumors that dentists can have other companies make molds like invisalign but that aren't the same brand...?

3770anon 21 May 2010

Invisalign trays have codes printed on the upper and lower trays, by the molars. I have seen inexpensive retainers made from molds on ebay...would look very similar to invisalign, but would not help align your teeth...

Kay09 (unregistered guest) 1 Aug 2009

I'd just like to comment on your reasons why Invisalign isn't any good... 1) I was 37 when I started invisalign and had one teenee weene cavity. One cavity in my entire life. While wearing invisalign I received five cavities! With invisalign the teeth are covered with plastic. Big deal right? YES! Your salivia acts as a cleansing agent for your teeth and helps prevent decay. When the teeth are covered guess what? They are not "washed" by your saliva and are more prone to decay. Yes, you are correct. But you are NOT meant to eat with the aligners in, or drink any sugary liquids with them in. You are meant to remove them for every pice of food that enters your mouth, BRUSH thorougly afterwards to avoid food getting trapped between your teeth and aligners!!! So, if one was to follow the 'Invisalign rules' properly (alot of people don't, I have no idea why when they are paying out all that money) you shouldn't need to worry about decay. 3) For every hour you don't wear the aligners it take 24 hours of wearing to make up for that hour. You're meant to wear the aligners for at least 22 hours a day. If you cannot stick to this then why bother going ahead with treatment? 6) Snacking is a pain. Removing the trays, brushing all the time, etc.... Yes, but people should know this before starting the treatment. If you aren't happy with this or it isn't going to fit in with your lifestyle then why on earth go ahead with it! to then complain?

the truth 18 Mar 2011

Ok actually you are wrong. I have invisalign and I follow EVERYTHING! I have always brushed and flossed after every meal, yes even stupid little snacks! I have been very careful about invisalign. I follow every instructions and rules!!
And I have had to get a root canal wearing invisilign, including another cavity, oh and guess what my regular dentist told me? Not my gold digging orthodontist, but my regular dentist. He says I have a lot of stains. You know what? I've never brushed my teeth and flossed as great as I do while wearing invisilign, yet I've never had my teeth with so much problems and as stained as heck while wearing invisalign. Don't ignore the facts, do your research. Yes I brush in an angle softly and do the flossing correctly and all. So don't assume. You know why? It can take saliva up to 2 or more hours to help penetrate the plaque and begin healing process. But wearing the plastics cover your teeth, for hours, not allowing the natural saliva your teeth needs long enough to help your teeth. THerefore, decay and cavities are more likely to happen. By the way, the root canal had to be an extra a thousand and something dollars by a professional root canal dentist. Gee more money... Also brushing too much and using too much flouride is actually harmful to teeth. (I'll let you research this one.) So as you can see, even following everything possible to have healthy teeth, while wearing invisalign is ...impossible. My advice? DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO CHOOSE A PROBLEM. My dentist was afraid to get into a confrontation with my orthodontist. So he said "I don't want to blame any orthodontist, so I can't really give you advice." He did admit he's not a fan of invisalign though. Now I am comtemplating whether I should continue invisalign or not. I have moved so far and am almost done. But I don't want any more bad things to happen to my teeth. I'm afraid of a tooth extraction in the near future and afraid of another root canal.... Yet it was a heck of a lot of money. Yet the cost of the negative effects will cost me more later. You know...perfect teeth, I guess isn't everything. I realized how many of my friends are beautiful even with their imperfect teeth. But if you can't help it, GET BRACES, NOT PLASTICS.

superfast 12 Jun 2009

i too went from one cavity my whole life to 5 after finishing invisalign.....it must be connected...and yes i was very vigilant about keeping my teeth and trays brushed.....i wonder if they will foot my dentist bill for fillings?

Kdub 16 Apr 2009

I have a month left of my invisalign treatment. Just had my reqular dentist appointment... 8 cavities!!!! I love how invisalign has straightened my teeth but there is a lot of things your dentist doesn't tell you, such as anything negative about this product. I do reccommend it, but with caution!

invisalign wearer (unregistered guest) 9 Dec 2008

that is way tooo wrong invisalgn is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

leighsaa 13 Aug 2008

I would have to disagree with the braces as well. I wore braces as a child from 1st grade up until my sophmore year. Yes that is right 10 years, b/c my jaw was too small, not enough room for my all my teeth, my canines took almost 6 years to come down even with help from stupid incisions from the ortho. My ortho NEVER gave me retainers or anything once he took them off and my experience SUCKED on a whole and I would never do braces again. They hurt like hell. Luckily, my teeth don't look bad, but I am going to try Invisalign on the top teeth now. Second, my husband had braces when I met him. He wore them for 2 years. Got them off, his teeth looked great. His retainers broke time and time again. And you know why??? B/c his teeth are shifting! So much for braces and paying for them, b/c now you would never know. So that is just two personal stories I have. I could go on, but I will never go to braces!

christine628763 23 Jul 2008

ok im sorry but one of the facts that u stated : braces usually take 1 - 1.5 years ....ummmm NOT EVEN. braces take up to at least 1.5 year, but RARELY. my teeth werent even that crooked at the beginning of braces and i had 6 years of braces. and my ortho ended up screwing up my teeth in the end anyway, so im switching to invisalign.