I got my Invisalign on 5 days ago and so far it is quite an adjustement. I had horrible discomfort up until Sunday evening so it lasted about 2 1/2 days. The discomfort mostly from taking them out and putting them back in. I took Ibuprofen once when it was really bad, but it is tolerable (to me). I have a lisp now which isnt the most attractive part of this but I read it will decrease as I get used to them. I will absolutely not eat or drink in them (only water). Alot of people say they eat less, but since I am a person who works out and depends on healthy snacking during the day I just increase the amount I eat at once. I don't really mind taking the time to pop them out and brush my teeth before popping them back in. If it helps just keep thinking about the outcome, and the amount of money you spent on it!!
I decided to have treatment after pondering it for a long time. I didn't want to wear metal braces because of my age (28 when I started) . A well-known cosmetic dentist made an assessment and told me the treatment would last, based on a computer-generated simulation, around 9 months. What he never told me was that he would put some kind of white "brackets" on some of my teeth so that the teeth could rotate (to this point he added more, totaling 13 teeth with brackets) . The first few days were really painful and I even developed small bleeding ulcers in my mouth from those "brackets", requiring over-the-counter oral anesthetics. Also, it is worth to know that it can be really painful and difficult to remove the trays during the first couple of days of transitioning to a new tray. After just a few weeks of treatment I started seeing differences and, later on, got a lot of compliments from friends who did NOT know I was wearing them. After 9 months I wasn't 100% satisfied with the results, so my dentist decided to extend the treatment for 5 more months. Only downside of this would have to be the constant visits to the dentist to have trays delivered, as well as constantly cleaning these trays (word of advise, USE EFFERDENT/POLIDENT TO CLEAN THEM, they get 99.99% cleaned/sterilized without any remaining stains or odors and a box of 120 tabs costs around 4$ and lasts for about a month, depending on how often you clean them). I would totally recommend this treatment for anyone who doesn't want to wear metal braces, but would tell them that: 1) Can be painful at some points 2) Requires commitment of using it AS LONG AS YOU CAN 3) It can make you lose weight (since you won't be munching as usual since you don't want to mess with invisalign and candy) 4) You may need to get those brackets, which can be painful. Overall, I'd say I'm very pleased with the results so far and have already recommended this to some of my friends! Updated on 11 Feb 2011:
I am inclined to share my experience 5 years AFTER everything was final and done. I had my Invisalign 5 years ago for 1.5 years to straighten a slightly crooked front tooth. I had had braces as a teenager but after a few years, front tooth went back to overlapping another tooth. When I saw Invisalign option as an adult, I went for it and wore it religiously for 1.5 years. Plus the final tray for as long as it held up - now it is in two pieces, my teeth have shifted back. SO I recently inquired about re-opening my invisalign case as my teeth have shifted again. However, my case was apparently an 'EXPRESS CASE' which means Invisalign does NOT save any information, my teeth have GONE BACK to the original shape and at this point, I will have to have to open a whole new invisalign case costing $5000. The problem was that the final tray was very final, it wasn't built with additional support to last forever, I wasn't given an option to have one made, nothing was made clear to me. I just expected my teeth to stay straight as long as I wore the final tray. The doctor's office (Dr. Circa in Philadelphia) had me sign papers at my last visit, I would advise anyone going through invisalign treatment to be sure you will have an option to rebuild your final retainer as chances are, your teeth will definitely shift back or try to shift without a good retainer. I have met a few people with the same problem, some have started a new case, save yourself the trouble, understand your teeth will shift back, get a good retainer to last you forever!!
