Invisalign: Stories

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Wish I'd Done Braces

California Crookedteeth
posted 5 years ago
updated 4 years ago

Not Worth It
Cost: $6,400
California

This was such a mistake! I've just finished...

1 Jan 2008

This was such a mistake! I've just finished seven months of Invisalign, and my teeth and bite are nowhere near where they are supposed to be according to the computer projection I was shown when I was sold on the job.

I went through this extremely disruptive procedure (forget all that hype about the trays being invisible...they are awful, as are the "buttons") to correct a painful bite problem, which was causing migraines. My bite has improved, but my migraines intensified markedly during the Invisalign treatment. I have had to resort to numerous medications and acupuncture for relief (very expensive, and the medications have made me ill). Just a couple of weeks ago, my dentist's colleague -- and there is a huge mistake I made...I went to an Invisalign dentist instead of an orthodontist -- dropped the news that the seven months I was quoted was not necessarily the full treatment period. In truth, I will be evaluated at the end and a decision will be made as to whether my teeth need to be "refined" with more trays! I will need to have the "buttons" (these are cement attachments that give the trays something to pull on) removed from my teeth, have impressions made and sent off, wait for trays, come back to have more buttons put on, and wear the blasted trays for more weeks, and weeks, and weeks. Then I will have to wear the retainer for six months -- all the time. I haven't smiled in seven months, and it looks like it will be much longer than that before I can.

I was told none of these little details when this dentist sold me the job. I wasn't even told about the "buttons" (there was some comment that I'd probably need to have some "attachments" but that they were "nothing")! Or how the buttons would scratch up my mouth when I ate. Or how my mouth and tongue would swell up, painfully, until I got used to the irritating effect of the trays. It is horrible to wake up in the morning with a dry and sour mouth full of plastic trays.

I do not recommend this treatment to anyone. If you already have Invisalign and have trouble with rough edges on the trays (per another review here), use the softer side of an emory board (nail file) to smooth them. Soak them briefly in a solution of half Listerine and half water twice a week, and then brush them with a small amount of toothpaste to keep them clean. Besides killing germs, the Listerine will color the gunk on the trays that you can't see, and you can brush it off. Drink loads of water -- the trays make your mouth dry and irritated, which will encourage bacteria. And kiss your social life (and romantic life) goodbye until the trays are gone. They give you bad breath, make you speak oddly, discolor your teeth, and make most people clench their mouths to hide their teeth so that they look unpleasant.

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Comments (226)

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dontevenbother 23 Aug 2012

Soo Just got my trays a few days ago. I wouldn't say my Ortho "lied" exactly, but there definitely was very little (if any) mention of attachments during our initial talks. I think that the receptionist probably asked if I wanted to see the trays when I was setting up my appointment, but other than that, nada. You would think that for a product that is advertised as practically invisible, they would think to mention that you were going to have 8 VERY visible, unattractive bumps across your top front teeth. I might as well have gotten ceramic braces, because my Invisalign trays as just as noticeable, if not slightly creepier.

Frankly speaking, I think that people with little to no attachments might very well have a great time with this product. But it's a COMPLETELY different experience when you have more than four. Not only are my "invisible" braces very visible, but they're also nearly impossible to take out. My Ortho said to try out this first set of trays and if I really hated the attachments, he'd take them off and continue treatment without them. But also mentioned that the treatment wouldn't be nearly as effective??

I'm not asking for "magic". I'm asking for the product as it was advertised, which seems very reasonable to me. Honestly, if I'm spending over 5-6K for a product that is advertised as "nearly invisible", I'm not going to be very happy with my very visible bumps in a very visible area. And judging by the reviews of people that have had way more than 4 attachments, the product doesn't even seem to work all that well for people that have to get this many. That's definitely something that they do not tell you up front. And who would think to search for that information?? Really? Dear Google: "Will my invisible braces come with a bunch of ugly attachments that I won't be able to remove for the next 8 months, give or take a few years?"

Honestly, if you're considering Invisalign, feel free to get a consult. See if you're a candidate. But if they send your molds in and your trays come back with a bunch of ugly buttons on your top teeth, take your money to the nearest reputable Ortho and get yourself fixed with some good-old-fashioned brackets because 1) They'll look just as bad 2) They'll probably work better, and 3) You're probably gonna be less likely to get cavities.

jnicole 6 Jul 2012

I hated my breath and was freaked out about cleanliness until I started gargling with Smart Mouth (gargle, I do not use on my trays) and it is amazing, even in the morning my breath is good. You can get it at Target, a little expensive but well worth it.

Disheartened 30 Jun 2012

I had Invisaligns for 1 1/2 years--thinking that I was almost done--when--I discovered that they had made 2 of my front teeth shorter!! Those teeth never had a problem in the first place! My orthodontist switched me to full braces, which I wish I'd done from the beginning, as the plastics set me back a whole year. The Invisaligns also made me lisp, over-salivate, and I was constantly bothered by their being in my mouth. Now, I am mainly bothered by the turbos put behind my front teeth to keep my uppers and lowers from touching. It's impossible to eat normally. I "mouth" my foods, and can't chew meats, crisp veggies and hard fruits. Need to put up with this for several months, but will eventually get a better result with the braces. Apparently, the Invisaligns aren't as successful with fixing one's bite, which would have driven me crazy! A friend who used Invisligns has a bite that is still off, and he is unable to chew lettuce and the like.

Disheartened 1 Jul 2012

Actually, it was the upper teeth. And, it was a very experienced orthodontist,
so I am perplexed. They seem to not want to talk about it, but to move on with the braces which she states she can do more with.

Richmond9232 26 Jun 2012

If you are having some troubles with bad breath and you certainly brush, floss your teeth and use mouthwash after every meal, Then maybe you should consider using Orabrush. The reason you have bad breath is because 90 % of the bacteria in your mouth comes from your tongue. You probably brush your tongue with your toothbrush, but that won't work. Orabrush has ultra-soft, pointed bristles reach deep into your tongue and get rid stinky bacteria. You'll be surprised to see what kind of gunk hide inside your mouth! Here's their website and it's totally free shipping! go to orabrush.com for more info!

matadorable 30 Apr 2012

Dr Kumar, I wear my aligners religiously in fact, my original prescription of 17 aligners on the lower set worked perfectly. I didn't need any refinement for this. The uppers were not moving properly my dentist agreed with me on this.

Raj Kumar, BDS, LDSRCS 1 Jul 2012

maybe it was just your dentist not planning properly; I find that the lower teeth can sometimes be stubborn to move. I am sorry that you did not get on with Invisalign.

View answers from Raj Kumar, BDS, LDSRCS

Louise elizabeth 27 Apr 2012

I am in my fourth year of treatment (was told that it would take 18 months). Am waiting for my third set of refinements and my teeth are still crooked at the bottom. So fed up with this invisalign rubbish, would have been done if I'd have gotten train tracks. And they would have been less expensive.

Sachamama 30 Apr 2012

Louise I was in the same position and was encouraged by the technicians to go to my orthodontist and demand metal braces. i'm midway through year 4 (with metals now, 9 months in) and I am so much happier.

matadorable 27 Apr 2012

I am now in year four of the treatment also which was initially supposed to be one year and two weeks. I'm on my fifth refinement and I had to pay for the last one. my front two teeth are still at an angle, this was caused by the first treatment that made them moved at a slant rather than bodily. If i'd had train-tracks I would have been done in 18 months.

Sachamama 30 Apr 2012

Matadorable, I'm was in the exact same position - 2 yrs into the Invisalign process, I had to have extractions (would never ever do that again) and then the gaps weren't closing, even a year after. My midline shifted 4mm off centre, my bite was off, my canines rotated. It was awful. I went to regular braces and my teeth (now 9 months in) are beginning to look straight and I have a much better bite.

joeydegz32 26 Apr 2012

The only thing can't stress enough it to go to an orthodontic office. Ive just got another 20 aligners when I had 35 before. This will add another 10 months to m 15 months treatment. Braces were predicted to be 2 years anyways. Add in the months of waiting its about 27 months. Intake them out for a few hours when I to bars 2-3 x a week. My new set of aligners has half as many attar home ts and they are so small you barely notice. My teeth are nearly perfectl straight to the untrained eye, just bait the arches perfected. I only have to wear 1 elastic vs. 2 now to pull my arch left, and fix my bite. If my bite were normal I'd be done. Yeah braces are safer I suppose but go to an orthodontist and you'll be fine. I'm pissed that I have an extra 5-7 months from my quoted 18 months but I can feel the arch moving. I'll be at the bar this weekend for a friends bday and no one their will know I'm undergoing orthodontic treatment, I go on dates too..never an issue- metal mouth would be for a 22 year old

Sachamama 26 Apr 2012

Well here we are - 4 and a half years into treatment. I've had my 3M braces for 9 months now and my teeth are STILL being corrected. apparently the 3+ years of Invisalign was for nothing. My gaps from the mid-Invisalign teeth removal are still apparent, my upper centre line was so off (4mm) that i've been strong force elastics for months, power chains and at my last appointment, my orthodontist suggested I have an implanted anchor placed.

In April we were away on holidays and met another couple, the wife was an orthodontist in Toronto and had nothing but negative things to say about Invisalign. She stated that many "Premium and Platinum" providers have become as much because of over-recommendation for Invisalign and people choosing that as their treatment (so essentially those providers are paying for that "accreditation") and it has nothing to do with successful treatment.

I've been told countless times by my orthodontist that the issue has been because of my non-compliance, however, any recommendations he has made, I have followed through with 100% with exception to the implanted anchor which I have refused - stating that if it comes to that, I want a refund of the 6 and a half thousand dollars that he has taken from me, and a referral to another orthodontist. The excuse are constant - the invisalign needed "refinement" so what was initially quoted as 40 weeks, turned into 1.5 years and then extraction and then starting from scratch and then my roots weren't moving in the "projected" way, and then my bite was misaligned due to incorrect movement from the Invisalign, and on... and on... and on...

I feel taken. If I could rewind 5 years to when I had that initial consult, I would never, ever had gone with Invisalign. I would NEVER have had extractions and I would have asked to have the contract altered that if treatment went beyond 2.5 years that my money would be refunded.

Raj Kumar, BDS, LDSRCS 27 Apr 2012

Dear Sachamama,
My name is Dr Raj Kumar of Forma dental and I am one of those so called Platinum Elite doctors. I have over 8 years of experience.
Invisalign has predictable movements in most cases and I find an average treatment time about 15-18 months.
The only patients that take 4 years in my practice are those that do not wear their aligners or do not come regularly for me to review progress.
Yes there is an exception to every rule, but if the treatment time is X months then I find the actual time is X plus 1/3rd.
I am sorry that you have had problems, but after treating over 700 patients I can recall about 5-7 patients that have had only 50-80 % success and then they just gave up.
It is all down to doctor planning and patient wearing.
Invisalign movements have been repeated in millions of treatments including refinements and nothing is perfect.
The difference between an Invisalign refinement and a metal brace refinement is that with Invisalign you know when you are having a refinement, and with metal braces you just don't know when its a refinement.
Orthodontists and others may say negative things about Invisalign but only because they have never used it or have had limited success with it.
I have closed 12mm overjets, closed large open bites and rotated incisors by 45 degrees etc.
I rarely take teeth out and as a Platinum Elite doctor I have earned my stripes.
Sorry it did not work for you.

View answers from Raj Kumar, BDS, LDSRCS

Sachamama 30 Apr 2012

I appreciate that I might be the "exception to the rule". I had been wearing my aligners religiously - and in my final year was even eating with them in, because I didn't want to be held accountable for "not wearing them enough" the only time they came out was for brushing. I had visits with my provider every 3 weeks due to them not fitting, and was changing aligners every week.

There needs to be some sort of contingency made for patients who do follow through with treatment appropriately - if the treatment doesn't work properly after 2 years. Committing to ten months is one thing - four years and extractions is another.

I'm glad that you're happy with your product. I am not and will never recommend this method of treatment.

Angela Martens
BSc, MD, FRCP

gixchic 26 Apr 2012

I've had my aligners for only 2 weeks now and yes its a bit uncomfortable especially when you change out the trays every 2 weeks the first few days with the new trays are rough because they are so tight. I find that you do have to be very careful when you pull them off. I have an easier time removing my lower trays my top trays are harder to remove due to having 2 fang like teeth which both have attachments placed on them. I have 14 total attachments placed on my teeth and yes it makes it harder to remove my trays. I cannot really comment on how my teeth look due to it being way to soon for any movement. I am happy with the dentist i chose and I feel that is very important to the success of the process. I'd much rather being doing this than metal braces just because i can still brush my teeth and eat without wires in my mouth.

JennyE 8 Jan 2012

I've had invisalign for about 1.5 years (4 more months to go). I really have no complaints. Yes, the attachments aren't the sexiest things but they really aren't that bad. Mine aren't rough at all and my ortho's office works to make sure they're as smooth as possible. No scratching up my mouth at all (some of the aligners may have had rough spots but I just smooth areas down with a nail file...works like a charm!). I also have had no issues with cavities. I floss after everyone meal and usually only chew sugarless gum after lunch (at work). I also get my teeth cleaned by my dentist every 3 months to help prevent issues. I drop my aligners in water when I take them out at lunch and dinner (prevents saliva from drying on them and making them "cruddy"). I bought a thing (and cleaner) that cleans them from Dentakit and use that every other morning (on alternate mornings I use a water and mouthwash blend). I do brush them with my soft toothbrush. I was told NOT to use toothpaste as it's the toothpaste that scratches the aligners (it's abrasive). This reviewers comments sound like she/he did not do her own research and did not have accurate expectations. People blame the doctors for not sharing facts... but you have to take responsibility for asking detailed and informed questions and doing your own research (we have the internet!!). That research would have probably resulted in he/she going to an ortho as opposed to a dentist. I went to 3 different orthos before I decided and researched invisalign like you can't imagine. No surprises for me and I am really happy. Can't wait for my perfect teeth... only a few months away!

joeydegz32 8 Sep 2011

I have 10 attachments on my teeth and honestly no one has said shit to me. My teeth have changed a lot. I live in suburbs of Chicago and go to a ortho that I believe is very qualified. I can show you pictures of how much I progressed and I'm on tray 22/35 top / 30 bottom. Only complaint is my top retainer doesn't fit 100% right, my 2 front teeth have a dip in the retainer. I will probably need a refinement if it doesn't correct itself. But all my other teeth are moving fine.

Laurel C 4 Sep 2011

I am on aligner 9/25 with 8 buttons and two of those "claw"-like metal attachments. Also have to wear elastics now.
Yeah I'm pissed cause my dentist guy is a douche bag and didn't even mention the like 4 months of spacers, separators and retainers BEFORE invisalign.
But I still feel it will be worth it if it works (although i haven't seen a difference yet) because it's still better than braces for me.
I don't even let a lot of people see me with my aligners in so you can imagine how much I wear them.
I wear them basically only at night (have gone like 3 days without them in) and I'm still progressing so don't be afraid to take them out for a couple hours if you're on a date or something!!

joeydegz32 8 Sep 2011

You can go a day or a few hours without them in vut be careful. Your teeth may not shift 100% each time as directed. At the end you could have aligners that don't fit. If that happens, you'll have to order more and take new impressions. Ordering takes a month +.

Kosakosa 30 Aug 2011

There are some Invisalign - paid representatives on this thread. Invisalign DOES NOT and I repeat DOES NOT work. This is my 4th year and counting --- I have waster $10,000 on this. I am recommending that the company be investigated for fraud and false promises.

Megan P (Community Manager) 30 Aug 2011

There were a couple of questions posted in the Q&A section that I thought might interest you, so I wanted to share them.

One question posed was "Who makes the treatment plan, the dentist or the Invisalign company?" You can Click here to see the dentists answers.

The other asked simply "Does Invisalign work?" You can Click here to see the dentists answers.

I'm sorry to hear you have had a bad experience, and I hope the info in the answers is helpful to you.

JennyE 8 Jan 2012

Maybe it's associated with your chosen dentist and/or ortho? Your comment just seems a little skewed since there are so many people on the internet (on many sights) that share their success stories... including myself. It's worked great for me and I'm very happy with the results thus far...

happpyyyyy 18 Aug 2011

im getting ready to put in tray 10 of 25 and already my teeth look so different. i am not gonna need any buttons and cant wait to see the end results :)

tiffanyfg 9 Aug 2011

I had two courses of Invisalign, an inital course and a mid course correction and am gettind metal braces fitted soon. On both courses I got up to sets 15/16 of 30 and the back teeth cease fitting. They start to rise when a new set goes in at set 5-6, and finish going in at all. Which means you can't talk, etc without a massive lisp. I now have 9 things to get rid off, it was a massive waste of over $10k AUD.