“Happy with my choice so far”

Hi everybody! I have been reading reviews on this site for a few months now. I had my appointment with the orthodontist in september and I was not certain that Invisalign was for me.

So I started off with trainer trays which are made at the orthodontist office by taking molds and impressions. These do not move your teeth, it is a way to get used to the trays and see if Invisalign is for you. I used them at nighttime. My mouth was extremely dry the first nights. But I got used to it and it did not seem too bad. So I decided to go through with the real deal.

Molds/Impressions/IPR

On October 27 I went to my orthodontist to send my molds and impressions to the Invisalign company. Before doing this he wanted to start off with IPR. A lot of you wonder about this procedure. I have to say it wasn't as scary as it sounds. I thought taking the impressions was worse because I almost gagged :)


He created space between my teeth. It didn't hurt at all. It was uncomfortable when he used the "sandpaper" to shave between my teeth. But still it did not hurt so this is nothing to be worried about.

So we took new molds and impressions after the IPR. I was told to come back 9/12 which is today. So today I started my invisalign treatment. This is my experience so far:

Invisible or not?

Many of you are probably wondering if they truly are invisible. I do not think that people can see that you are wearing braces from a distance. But if they come really close it is visible but much, much better than regular braces. I met my mom and dad afterwards and none of them could see that I was wearing Invisalign.

Lisp

I hardly lisp, maybe because I got used to the trainer trays.

Pain

I felt pressure when he first took in the trays but it is not that bad. I do not think it is painful, I feel a bit of soreness on my front crooked tooth besides from that it hardly hurts. I would choose Invisalign over regular braces for sure.

Buttons/Attachments

I asked my orthodontist about the buttons before we started off. I did not want them to be visible on my front teeth. He told me I would not need these on my upper teeth. When I got them today I was happy since there are small prints for buttons on the lower trays. My lower teeth are hardly showing when I speak so this is not a problem for me. I will have 6 buttons which will be put on later in the process.

Hours per day?

My orthodontist says that I should wear my Invisalign at least 20 hours per day.

Treatment time

I have 23 upper trays and 26 lower trays. My orthodontist says that most people will need refinement so my 1 year process will probably be longer than expected.

Well I think this is all for now. I will post photos in the future so you can see before and after pics.

Updated on 24 Dec 2011:
24/12.

I changed to my second trays yesterday. My first set of trays were pretty loose after one week. And they looked absolutely disgusting, I felt it was very hard to keep them clean. I have to agree with some reviews on the fact that toothpaste makes it even worse. I just bought Cortega dental tabs and I hope these will help me keep the trays clean.

I am already used to the trays and I hardly think they show but some people have been asking me if I have something in my mouth. At first I was very self conscious but now I just feel great about getting my teeth straight, don't feel that it is something to be ashamed of.

My second tray was tight as the first one. I can't help feeling a bit worried since I hardly feel any pain and I'm wondering if this is normal? My orthodontist told me that Invisalign is less painful than regular braces but this feels a bit odd.

The soreness appears when I take out my trays to eat but it goes away. I hope something is happening with my teeth!

Updated on 6 May 2012:
7/5

I am on tray 11 out of 23 upper and 26 lower.
I started seeing a slight change rather early in the process, probably on tray 5. Still not so much discomfort, the worst is 2-3 days of a new tray.
The worst part so far are my dry and cracked lips, I wear chapstick 24/7.

I have 6 buttons on my lower, so far so good the only downside is that its more difficult to get the trays off.

I can see a change so far (even friends and family point it out) and I am very happy with my choice. Will be posting pictures later in the process :)