POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
27 year old fixing minor/moderate overjet
ORIGINAL POST
I've wanted to get my teeth fixed for the last 2...
janderson21March 11, 2015
WORTH IT$5,500
I've wanted to get my teeth fixed for the last 2 years, and just never pulled the trigger until now. I had traditional braces on for 2.5 years when I was 10.5 years old-my adult teeth came in very early and my orthodontist was comfortable putting them on that early. I was a huge thumb sucker up until getting my braces on, and apparently after breaking that habit I turned into a tongue thruster. My teeth began to move within a year of not wearing my top retainer at night; I wish I could tell my 16 year old self how dumb that idea is. Now flash forward 10 years and I have moderate over-jetting of my front teeth, and have been having pain in my top front teeth recently due to them moving. Luckily I had a permanent bottom retainer on my bottom teeth, and those suckers didn't even move a millimeter.
Yesterday I had an appointment to get my first 5 sets of aligners, and couldn't wait to begin. Now I knew I would have to have some attachments, but I didn't expect to have them on every single top tooth. It looks like I have regular braces minus the metal and wire, but with the added bonus of plastic. I was feeling excited to begin, and after leaving all I could feel was regret and self conscious.
I'm on day two (2) of 1/21 liners (with liners 19-21 being refinements) and feeling a bit sore, but not nearly as painful as traditional braces. My projected time frame was originally 12-14 months, but ClinCheck quoted me 9-13 months. So like my title says, I'm very hopeful that I'll finish on ClinCheck's time frame and that I'll achieve the results I want!
Yesterday I had an appointment to get my first 5 sets of aligners, and couldn't wait to begin. Now I knew I would have to have some attachments, but I didn't expect to have them on every single top tooth. It looks like I have regular braces minus the metal and wire, but with the added bonus of plastic. I was feeling excited to begin, and after leaving all I could feel was regret and self conscious.
I'm on day two (2) of 1/21 liners (with liners 19-21 being refinements) and feeling a bit sore, but not nearly as painful as traditional braces. My projected time frame was originally 12-14 months, but ClinCheck quoted me 9-13 months. So like my title says, I'm very hopeful that I'll finish on ClinCheck's time frame and that I'll achieve the results I want!
Replies (3)
March 13, 2015
Hang in there. I am on 6 of 26. I change weekly because I use acceledent. I too was so excited waiting for my first tray and when I left the dentist office on that first day... I thought.... what did I do? I had so much regret. I am a very social person. I thought ok I'm in the house for the year but honestly it gets better. When I do get feelings of regret I look at the end result and know it's worth it. I should be done by August, then we will see if I need refinements. It will be over before I know it. At least that is what I keep telling myself. Hang in there and keep posting pictures!!!
May 3, 2015
I finished my invisalign over a year ago and I am so happy with the result. It took 18 months for my treatment as I had vampire 'style' teeth which stuck out. At first when they added the attachments I was very self conscious but to be honest I was 8 months into my treatment before some of my friends even noticed I had it done. They're not as obvious as you think. There were two other advantages to having Invisalign; they prevented me from snacking as much, which is good for the figure and also stopped my bad habit of biting my nails. So not only did I end up with a beautiful smile but also a good figure and nice nails. Look for the positives and you'll be fine. :)
UPDATED FROM janderson21
4 days post
Annoyed
janderson21March 15, 2015
I'm almost coming up on one (1) week of wearing my first set of aligners (1/21) and I can't help but constantly feel annoyed and almost claustrophobic at times. I'm annoyed that I can't have a snack when I'm hungry because then I will have them out longer then the 22 hours, I'm annoyed that I have to brush my teeth like 5 times a day now, I'm annoyed at the stupid attachments stuck to my teeth. I'm feeling a huge deal of regret at this point. After looking at liner 5, my teeth won't even begin to move at that point...that's 10 weeks of wearing these liners for nothing.
Can someone please tell me the frustration and annoyance will end at some point? That things will get easier, and less time consuming? That my teeth will start to move shortly?
Can someone please tell me the frustration and annoyance will end at some point? That things will get easier, and less time consuming? That my teeth will start to move shortly?
Replies (32)
March 15, 2015
Girl.. You have it easy! I have 45 aligners for my top teeth and won't see any "real" movement by tray 28! Your teeth are already moving. The movements, however, are so tiny, you won't see a significant change until a couple of months. Hang in there!
The claustrophobic feeling is too familiar! By the second aligner you'll feel naked without them in! LOL
You'll be alright!
March 17, 2015
I saw on your posts that you got Acceledent. How's that working for you, and are you noticing any changes?
March 17, 2015
Absolutely! My IPRs have been closing up very quickly, and my ortho says my teeth are tracking well! The device helps tremendously with the pain. I switch my trays on the 8th day since by that time they're so loose! It's a great investment.
March 17, 2015
That's awesome! I know what IPR is, but why did you have to have it? I haven't heard my ortho mention it in my treatment, so I'm hoping to dodge that bullet! I really want to do the acceledent, and after hearing such great things about it, I might get it at my 10 week check up. Is your treatment cut in half as of now?
March 17, 2015
I've got plenty of IPRs in my treatment because of my crowding. :( the procedure sucks, but the gaps are so tiny and close up fairly quickly with Acceledent!
Hopefully - my ortho is unfamiliar with how Acceledent works (I got my device off eBay) so it's been a challenge trying to explain to him that my trays are super loose by the 8th day. He still insists I should keep them in for 10 days!
March 17, 2015
Dear Fbishara87, I too have Acceledent and planned to sell it on Ebay once I am done with it. I read on their website it is deactivated after 18 months and if still in treatment consult your ortho. I assume this is why they registered it when I got it at the ortho. Check out the fine print on the Acceledent website.
March 17, 2015
It does deactivate after the equivalent of 18 months of use (with 20 mins per day). Luckily the woman I bought it from only used it for about 6 months!
March 19, 2015
Great! I wouldn't want you to have been ripped off. Ya never know with ebay. Good luck with it. I really think it is speeding my process up.
March 19, 2015
depends on the case/severity of your crowding. unfortunately, I have to have them on the bottom and the top!
March 19, 2015
Hahahaha omg I know! I was freaking out - I had bought it for $600! I would've been terribly upset if it didn't work. I'm glad it's working out for you!
March 16, 2015
I agree with the other commenter! Eventually you'll feel naked without them! They will actually be a comfort because when they are in, they are doing their jobs! Also, I was a snacker. I've learned to really sit down with a meal that has lots of flavors and textures in it. Get crunchy veggies, protein and complex carbs in every meal to curb cravings and stay full. Have some chocolate after the meal. Or every meal! In the beginning I'd time myself and was pretty miserable an rushed my eating, very unenjoyable . After two or three trays of that i stopped and I enjoy my coffee after breakfast and lunch. My teeth have been tracking great, so I think an extra hour and a half a day out of your mouth is really okay. One last thing, get some chewies from the ortho. I found that whenever I out my trays back in the felt bit in my mouth. But when i used a chewie i seat them nice and close to my teeth, they felt thinner in my mouth. Basically more like they weren't there . Maybe that could help with the claustrophobic feeling. Sorry so long! Hope itnhelps!
March 17, 2015
Thanks for your input! I have the chewies and used them the first few days when my tray was tight, as of a week in they are feeling pretty loose and I have get them out quicker. I think the claustrophobic feeling is coming from the attachments I have across all my front teeth, they stick out and cause me to use more effort to close my mouth comfortably. Good to know it gets better, and I'll get more used to the trays. Thanks so much for the support!
March 17, 2015
I think I know exactly what you mean about putting in so much effort To close your mouth around the attatchments. When I smile I feel like I Have to maneuver my lips back over my teeth/braces/Attachments. It's kind of funny to me. How many attachments do you have?
March 17, 2015
Mine are plastered across my front teeth, so it looks like I have normal braces on...I was not aware I would have as many as I do, so I was and am pretty upset about it still :(
I have 15 total; 10 on top and 5 on the bottom anchor teeth. Luckily my bottom teeth didn't move since I was a kid, so they're like the anchors! How many attachments do you have?
March 17, 2015
I have 17 of them. 9 top 8 bottom. And my eye teeth which are being moved down and over to cover extraction holes have 2 on each! I felt like it was noticeable at first. But no one has noticed unless I point them out. My own husband didn't even notice! I'd still rather have these than actual braces! I'm willing to bet that yours aren't hugely noticeable either. It's not permanent, just hang in there! In my moments of irritation I remind myself in LUCKY to even be having my smile fixed. Your smile before was pretty so it can only get better!
March 17, 2015
Totally agree with you! Just difficult to remember at times, but I feel very lucky to be able to afford to get my teeth fixed..and I know I'm going to be so happy when it's done!
March 17, 2015
My Ortho quoted me 12-14 months, but when I got my liners they quoted me 9-13 months. But that's assuming I don't need any more refinements (liners 19-21 are my refinement stage). How long is yours?
March 17, 2015
I believe I have 46 or 48 aligners right now now including refinements. It will take two years plus refinements :-/. I'm in it to win it right now lol can you imagine how much floss I'll have used by then!? Haha!
March 19, 2015
What liner are you on now? I know! All the floss and toothpaste I'm going to go through is crazy! I know my dentist is probably so happy!
March 20, 2015
It's 46 aligners total not including refinements, just realiZed that didn't make sense. I'm on aligner 7. I found a decent floss at Walgreens and it's retractable so if you pull out too much you spin the little wheel and it pulls back in. It's a decent floss too! And I got double or more yards (can't quite remember) for about the same price I was paying for the floss I was using. So that should help with how much floss will end up costing! Hopefully after we are done with invisalign we will continue the good habits lol
March 20, 2015
The interesting thing is that with traditional metal braces, the wearer is supposed to brush & floss after every meal also, makes snacking not worth the trouble, etc. Flossing with metal in your mouth is much more time consuming, but we mostly only hear of removable aligners wearers complaining of all of the brushing & flossing......
I started brushing & flossing after every meal after going thru a 6th grade health class, in 1972. The only difference now is that I used to wait until I got home from eating out to brush & floss. Now I do it immediately after eating.
March 20, 2015
I know braces wearers who definitely didn't floss or brush after every meal....ever. Either way if you aren't used to it, its an adjustment! Especially when you have a busy schedule!
March 22, 2015
I agree with Violet, when I had metal braces I never brushed and flossed after every meal. I did however brush 3 times a day, but the braces never stopped me from eating. It is really interesting that people with Invisalign complain most about this; I think it has to do with putting plastic over your teeth and letting whatever you ate or drank sit on your teeh for the rest of the day.
March 22, 2015
Exactly, Anderson! I've neve that metal neves so idk if orthos stress the rushing and
March 22, 2015
Sorry! Stress the brushing and flossing after every meal like they seem to do with invisalign wearers. But either way since anything you don't get rid of is essentially trapped under there and able to sit right in your teeth makes a difference. If I had metal braces I don't think I'd feel the need to be as anal about flossing and brushing. I'd definite snack when i wanted to!
March 22, 2015
I remember when I had metal braces in high school. I always brushed and flossed after lunch at school.
April 3, 2015
When I had my attachments put on, my ortho filed them down, so they hardly stuck out at all. The other day, I was feeling them with my fingertips, counting them, and I thought that 1 of them must have fallen off. A few days later, I realized it is still there. It just feels like a thin sheet of sand paper, doesn't stick out. Maybe you could have yours filed down like I did.
UPDATED FROM janderson21
24 days post
Liner 2
janderson21April 3, 2015
I'm currently on my second week of liner 2. I was on my honeymoon during my first week, and wore them a little less then I would have liked! But, since I've been back I'm trying to wear them around the clock. Especially now, because I feel that my bite is changing, and when I don't have them in one of my bottom left molars is catching with my top teeth and sends that painful zing in my teeth. Has anyone else started seeing their bite change on their second liner? My floss now slides in and out without effort on my top teeth, so I know they are definitely moving. Other then that, everything is going well with them.
Replies (4)
April 3, 2015
I felt like something with my bite changed to! Idk about you but for me my bite felt totally different with them in as well. I thought maybe if felt off with them off because I was used to them being on. Does that make sense!? I Love findin new gaps in between my teeth where floss fits better! Let us know it's working.
April 3, 2015
My bite has been off since my front teeth started moving, almost like my top molars moved a tooth space ahead. I could never make that teeth chattering sound, and I just realized last week that I am able to now! But as for the bite, one of my left molars is catching on the other and is hurting. But I feel like it's so early on to have bite changes...
April 3, 2015
Yes, I noticed a change in my bite almost right away, but the tooth movement, I did not notice for about 6 months. My teeth started out fairly straight though.
Thanks for sharing your story. It sounds like you're well on your way. Check out some tips on how to deal with that initial pain in the Q&A area of the Invisalign community.Â