I decided to wait until tray 10 to share my experience with Invisalign so far. The reason I am sharing this is to encourage those who want to start treatment but are too afraid to because of the scary stories found online about this procedure. I will try to keep this short. ? I am 42 years old and have never had a cavity in my life. I’ve always wanted to straighten my teeth but was too afraid of the pain involved and being that I’ve never had extensive dental work done, I was afraid I would not be able to tolerate the pain of orthodontic work. When I noticed my upper teeth starting to wear down my two bottom incisors, I decided to finally seek orthodontic treatment to fix the problem. I consulted with 4 different orthodontists on several treatment options and decided to go with Invisalign. I started my treatment at the end of August 2014. The initial visit involved the itero scan and x-rays, both quick and painless. After 2 weeks I was able to see the clincheck design and another 3 weeks later I had my first set of trays. The orthodontist placed 6 attachments and when I first put the trays on, it will feel like I put on a set of Halloween vampire teeth. My mouth felt weird and it was very difficult to pronounce words. I felt like I couldn’t close my mouth completely. There was a feeling of pressure, but luckily for me, no pain. My doctor showed me how to take them off and went through a few minutes of pronunciation exercises. I felt a sense of dread and regret thinking I will not be able to go through a whole year of this feeling, but the doctor assured me I will feel better after a few days. I was expecting to feel the real pain the next day as my doctor warned me I would, but again, luckily for me, there was no pain. NONE! It is now January 2015 and I must say that I have not experience any pain at all. Occasional discomfort or tenderness yes, pain no. My teeth are moving according to the plan. I wear my aligners an average of 22-23 hours a day. I am not a snacker so it is very easy for me to keep them on that long. The most I was concerned with is getting cavities as I have read some reviews of people getting cavities with treatment. I am happy to report that I just had my regular dental cleaning and I am still cavity free! My teeth are strong and I have no tooth sensitivity. Please don’t be afraid or discouraged to try Invisalign, everyone’s experience is different. My advice is to get a qualified orthodontist, preferably a top 1% and/or elite provider that will work with you and address your concerns throughout your treatment. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Most dental schools do NOT teach much orthodontics. Most dental schools also do not teach advanced principles of occlusion (how the upper teeth and lower teeth should function with each other). Occlusion is import for the long term health of your teeth. Treatment planning is typically learned over a 2-3 year orthodontic residency program. The technicians that help the general dentists plan the case never meet the patient nor ever hear about their specific chief concerns. Treatment plans are based on computer generated images which often can violate principles of physics (Newton's Laws). The end result can be an extremely awkward bite and lead to other problems that didn't exist at the start of treatment. The one day course that general dentists take to learn how to submit Invisalign cases does NOT teach doctors the skills to think like an orthodontist. Certification to submit Invisalign cases is NOT an orthodontic certification from an accredited Orthodontic Program. Understanding basic principles of the biology of tooth movement and biomechanics is critical in treatment planning and troubleshooting. I have been treating patients with Invisalign since its inception and trouble shooting is a part of being an orthodontist. Problems do happen with Invisalign cases and knowing how to deal with the problems is the responsibility of the doctor. It DOES matter who designs your orthodontic case. Straightening teeth is not like getting a haircut. How your function ends up is extremely important to the future health of your teeth. If you see an orthodontist and your Invisalign treatment doesn't go as planned, at least they know how to use braces to fix the problem. General dentists do not know how to fix these problems aside from doing more fillings, crowns, and veneers at the end of treatment to patch up the problems. What you save on the orthodontic bill can likely be spent with more dental restorations at the end of treatment.
