orthoRookie

A few notes here.... What to know whether Invisalign is worth its salt? Just ask folks who have already gone down that road only to have to switch to fixed appliance (yes, like myself). No one ever starts off with fixed appliance and switches over to Invisalign. :) What happens in a computer model and what happens in real life according the human body is two completely different things. Do not believe the computer - it does not know how to calculate cell and tissue reaction in YOUR body. For those folks who want to "speed" up this process....that is one of the silliest things you will ever do. Generally as teeth move the roots will shorten and the faster a tooth moves the depth of its roots are shorten more so then when the tooth moves slowly. Do not be in a hurry with this process. Tooth aligning starts from the rear teeth to the front. This doesn't matter if you are on invisalign or not. Results on the front canines are not noticalbe towards the end of treatment. One last final note. IMHO, going to a dentist for alligning teeth is like going to an orthodontist for a cleaning.

With regard to tooth enamel. Traditional braces do not harm tooth enamel like invisalign for the simple reason that your salivia can still "wash" your teeth. When wearing invisalign your salivia is unable to wash your teeth. I've done the invisalign route and after 2.5 years of treatment metal braces were required and I wish I started with regular braces in the first place. Sorry but I've never had a caviiy in my life of 40 years and with invisalign that wonderful product contributed to my four or so cavities I received. My reccommendation: Stay away from invisalign - cavities are simply not worth it.

Metal braces are by far better. Wearing invisalign prevents saliva from washing the teeth. Be prepared for more cavities with invisalign.

"Also, I don't know if other Invisilign users have had the same problem, but I actually developed several cavities while wearing them. I've only had 1 cavity in 33 years and now I have 3! I wonder if Invisilign traps bacteria since you can't rinse it away when you drink water? It may not be related, but considering my dental history, I have hard time believing its not. I have actually found that regular braces easier to keep clean even if they are more noticable. " Yes, I had the same issue. 1 cavity in 37 years and had 5 with invisalgin. When wearing these things your saliva cannot wash your teeth. My expirence was similir to your - they had to redo the trays and I wound up in regular brace near the end. Regular braces are cheaper and the way to go.