California Crookedteeth

Good post, Simon6. I agree with the practitioner who said that Invisalign is a very poor choice for people with bite problems -- voice of experience here! You are correct that the "Premier Provider" designation does not indicate quality treatment. It means that the provider has completed X number of treatments, and I believe that they also pay for the listing. As someone who also suffers from longstanding bite problems, which were exacerbated by my Invisalign treatment, I'd encourage you to seek out a clinic that specializes in bite problems. Many dental schools will have such a practice. In-depth analysis of your bone and muscular structure will be done -- not just your teeth. Surgery is not always the answer for bite and jaw problems. Sometimes physical therapy and further orthodontia can correct things. But don't let those clowns who did your Invisalign grind down your teeth!

Jessrose, I remember a lot of tooth and jaw pain at the start of treatment, as well as general mouth swelling. I stuck with soft and mild foods for the first couple of weeks. You don't want to do too much chewing, or consume anything that irritates your mouth tissues. But don't eat anything without removing the trays! You will rot your teeth and damage your gums. It's normal for the first few sets of trays to hurt when you first put them in. Your ortho can prescribe pain medication for you. As I noted earlier here, I was prescribed Valium for one exceptionally difficult stretch in my treatment. Did your ortho tell you to refrain from removing the first set of trays for 6 hours? That's what my provider told me to do. And I was told to put in all new sets of trays before bedtime, after taking Advil or prescription pain meds. Leaving the trays in for that long at one stretch gives the nerves in the roots of your teeth time to calm down.

Ycformosa, you make good points. As the person who started this thread, I have been alternately intrigued and disgusted by the responses. This is not a fight. I didn't post my review to throw down the gauntlet on the question of Invisalign. You bring up a very good point: the way the Invisalign business is structured makes it difficult to gauge the reliability and professionalism of an Invisalign service provider. And Invisalign takes no responsibility for any problems that arise. That is all between you and your provider. Upshot: consult with a full-service orthodontist with an an established reputation in his or her field. Avoid anyone who specializes in Invisalign (and offers no other orthodontic treatment), and run away from general practice dentists who also do Invisalign. If you have jaw and bite problems, I would suggest consultation with a specialist in that area as well.

Paul, I suspect that a lot of the negative reviews you've read (regarding pain, especially) are on Fraxel Repair, a much stronger treatment than Restore (which you and the reviewer had done). And it's a really, really bad idea to drink alcohol while healing from any Fraxel.

(in reference to your snappy comment above) Wow. It sounds like you are having a bad day and looking for someone to punish, tx808. Amazing. Update on how my teeth straightening has held up: My front, bottom teeth sank somewhat in relation to the rest of my bottom teeth. As a result, they have gotten out of alignment again (pushed together), but not nearly to the degree that they were. The top teeth have held their places, although I have a couple of large gaps behind my eyeteeth now. (My top teeth were not crooked to begin with, but were not meeting my bottom teeth in a firm bite.) I wear my retainer at night. It doesn't fit the bottom teeth very well, and never has, but it seats during the night. I'm told, by my regular dentist, that I need to wear the retainer forever if I want my teeth to stay in alignment. My Invisalign doctor told me I needed to wear the retainer for one year only.