- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
I initially wanted to wear braces - again. I'd...
After Invisalign was recommended, I had many questions to ask my new orthodontist. I was given many answers. In hindsight, I question the accuracy of them. I chose Invisalign because I understood they'd be difficult for others to see and a fast treatment for me. The work I needed was nowhere near the complexity of the work completed 40 years ago. But, I've realized Invisalign isn't for everyone. I'm 2 1/2 years into treatment and some of my teeth remain crooked. I feel deflated and disappointed in all the time and money I've invested. After all, I do have a life to live.
Whenever I change out my trays to a new one, I chew the Invisaligner sponges as instructed. My teeth quickly shift position and the trays loosen. Then they flop around a little and this continues for almost two weeks until the next set of trays replace them. Then the cycle repeats itself. They make my speech sound like I have a severe lisp and people frequently ask me to repeat myself. Sometimes others stare at my mouth. Then there's often - but not always - the spot where my tongue hits them and gets sore with occasional bleeding. This compounds my speech concerns as my tongue instinctively seeks to minimize its pain. I find the need to explain myself to others: speech challenges, time spent behind closed doors taking care of Invisalign hygiene as well as my own oral care, etc. This has proven to be a hindrance - if not downright embarrassing.
I am employed as a healthcare professional in a fast-paced environment where I regularly interact with at least 20-30 people daily. Due to the nature of my work, I'm not usually with the same people every day. A large component of my position requires educating others. Then there's phone calls, colleagues, visitors, families, and the list goes one. When they can't understand me - and repeatedly on different days with new groups - my job becomes more challenging.
Invisalign is a sturdy product. However, they are nowhere near invisible. That's a misnomer. I spent hard-earned dollars for a lot of lost time and have experienced tremendous frustration.
At the conclusion, will I still have a malocclusion? Invisalign still has a lot of homework to do.
Provider Review
Invisalign isn't appropriate for everyone. I liked the days where I could be in a chair in a room with a technician or the orthodontist. The assembly line fashion of today's orthodontics precludes discussing the real issues I'm having with Invisalign. Too many youthful sets of ears are within three feet of me and are a hindrance to communication with the man himself. It would behoove orthodontists to consider the pitfalls in addition to the plusses of Invisalign treatment. If the client has large amounts of social interaction, or is in a professional position, Invisalign may not be the best route to straightening teeth. When wearing Invisalign, teeth impressions must be taken, and lag time for the product to reach the client may well exceed two months. Two months of waiting x 3 sets of trays = six months' time - minimum. It may be easier making choices for your child but I'd look at more angles if I had a choice again. If the idea of wearing braces for a year arose 26 months ago, or even 36 months ago, I wouldn't feel the need to write a review. I will be posting an update if things "shift" in any way for me.