I'm 25 years old and have put off orthodontics for the past couple of years. I had braces when I was 15 for 3 years, but lost/damaged my retainers and my teeth have gradually gotten worse and worse ever since. I knew I didn't want braces again. I already look young for my age and I didn't want braces to make me look even more like an adolescent, so I liked the idea of straightening my teeth without anyone knowing (even if it took longer). As it turned out, I believe Invisalign will take about the same amount of time as braces would have. I started out in January and I'm now on tray 11 of 30ish (I can't remember exactly). Pictures to come. My experience is similar to a lot of others who reviewed here. My teeth don't really hurt, but the trays cut up my gums and tongue at first really badly. I ended up filing the first set of trays, which helped a TON, and I haven't needed to file since then. I think my mouth toughened up. I've definitely noticed my teeth moving, however, my teeth have not straightened a great deal. Mostly, the trays I've had in so far have been widening my jaw to make room to straighten the front teeth. I've also noticed that I have NO BITE anymore! My molars barely touch in the back and it's made it a little harder to chew. I have faith that this is a process and that it will take time to see the results I want. Each tray is easy to put in at the end of my 10 days, so I'm not worried about proper tracking at this point. More later :) Updated on 11 May 2015: These photos are midway through tray 11. Updated on 11 May 2015: Updated on 18 Jun 2015: I haven't seen much of a difference over the last month, but I'm hoping thats just because my jaw needs to be widened more. There still isn't room for my bottom teeth to straighten out, so I can be patient. My orthodontist still says I'm tracking well. These photos were taken today. Invisalign are in.
