POSTED UNDER Invisalign Reviews
31 Years Old-Very Mild Case of Misaligned Teeth - Gahanna, OH
ORIGINAL POST
I've had very crowded bottom teeth since middle...
gvstate01April 23, 2014
$5,280
I've had very crowded bottom teeth since middle school and my parents never considered getting me braces. We were very poor, so understandable. In my mid 20s I was told by more than a couple dentists that my enamel had worn off my four front bottom teeth because they were rubbing incorrectly on the back of my top front teeth. My dentin was exposed and I was in danger of one day possibly losing these teeth. I really had no idea that misaligned teeth could cause dental issues. I assumed braces/invisalign was only for cosmetic reasons.
Since then, my two top front teeth have become slightly crooked as well. I wanted to get crowns on the bottom teeth (for the exposed dentin), but was told I should fix the alignment first because those would eventually wear as well.
I had my consultation March 5, 2014. It was free and included bite wings and a full, digital head and mouth xray. I was examined by the dentist and was told I was a good candidate for invisalign for 12 months. I have a slight overbite so it would fix that too. I have dental insurance, but nothing over 19 for ortho, so it's all out of pocket. The office offers 18 months no interest as well as 24 months no interest for Care Credit card holders (of which I am). So I put $3500 on care credit ($146/mo) and will pay the dentist for 18 months as well for the remainder ($99). So for $245 and no interest, I really thought it was a good enough deal (especially since my husband and I both have stable jobs).
My invisalign came in 4 weeks, but I couldn't get an appointment until April 21, 2014. So I've had these for almost 2 days. When I went in, I was told I'd have 17 trays on top and 13 trays on the bottom. They also put 19 attachments on my teeth.....NINETEEN!! Almost every non-molar has an attachment, and a few have 2 (including one of my front teeth). My teeth are NO WHERE near bad, so I was quite surprised. One a scale of 1-10, I've been at a stable 8 with the look of my teeth.
The cost was high, but it includes the following (without insurance):
All invisalign trays (including molds)
All appointments (every 6-8 weeks)
All follow-ups
Permanent top and bottom (behind) retainers
Removable top and bottom retainers
Teeth whitening at end of treatment
ALL visits for 2 years following the completion of invisalign
*I was also told if my dentist or I are not happy when all trays are done, they will do as many refinement trays for any length of time to get what I like. In other words, if my treatment goes longer, I'm still charged the same. This was a big deal for me as I did not want any surprises to add on to the already high cost.
And if it's relevant, I went to an orth ONLY dentist. He is not a regular family dentist; braces and invisalign only. This practice cares a lot and treats everyone with respect. When I took my first molds, I was there for an hour and a half because my mouth shape is just weird and they had to keep trying different techniques. But they let me know that it wasn't a problem at all.
As for me liking it so far, it's a toss up. It feels like I have white strips in 24/7 and when I take them off to eat, my teeth start hurting and I'm constantly (accidentally) biting my inside lips. The attachments are very bothersome and are very sharp. They're medium difficulty getting off. I'm not sure if these have more advantages to regular braces. You can eat and drink (pretty much) what you want with regular braces. But you have to take these off to eat and then brush your teeth to put them back on. I'm brushing 5-6 times a day and my gums are starting to hurt from it. I also still have a slight lisp; I'm sure it may lessen, but I don't think it'll fully go away. Oh, and they're definitely not invisible, especially since there's almost always spit in them and the attachments don't make it better either.
Since then, my two top front teeth have become slightly crooked as well. I wanted to get crowns on the bottom teeth (for the exposed dentin), but was told I should fix the alignment first because those would eventually wear as well.
I had my consultation March 5, 2014. It was free and included bite wings and a full, digital head and mouth xray. I was examined by the dentist and was told I was a good candidate for invisalign for 12 months. I have a slight overbite so it would fix that too. I have dental insurance, but nothing over 19 for ortho, so it's all out of pocket. The office offers 18 months no interest as well as 24 months no interest for Care Credit card holders (of which I am). So I put $3500 on care credit ($146/mo) and will pay the dentist for 18 months as well for the remainder ($99). So for $245 and no interest, I really thought it was a good enough deal (especially since my husband and I both have stable jobs).
My invisalign came in 4 weeks, but I couldn't get an appointment until April 21, 2014. So I've had these for almost 2 days. When I went in, I was told I'd have 17 trays on top and 13 trays on the bottom. They also put 19 attachments on my teeth.....NINETEEN!! Almost every non-molar has an attachment, and a few have 2 (including one of my front teeth). My teeth are NO WHERE near bad, so I was quite surprised. One a scale of 1-10, I've been at a stable 8 with the look of my teeth.
The cost was high, but it includes the following (without insurance):
All invisalign trays (including molds)
All appointments (every 6-8 weeks)
All follow-ups
Permanent top and bottom (behind) retainers
Removable top and bottom retainers
Teeth whitening at end of treatment
ALL visits for 2 years following the completion of invisalign
*I was also told if my dentist or I are not happy when all trays are done, they will do as many refinement trays for any length of time to get what I like. In other words, if my treatment goes longer, I'm still charged the same. This was a big deal for me as I did not want any surprises to add on to the already high cost.
And if it's relevant, I went to an orth ONLY dentist. He is not a regular family dentist; braces and invisalign only. This practice cares a lot and treats everyone with respect. When I took my first molds, I was there for an hour and a half because my mouth shape is just weird and they had to keep trying different techniques. But they let me know that it wasn't a problem at all.
As for me liking it so far, it's a toss up. It feels like I have white strips in 24/7 and when I take them off to eat, my teeth start hurting and I'm constantly (accidentally) biting my inside lips. The attachments are very bothersome and are very sharp. They're medium difficulty getting off. I'm not sure if these have more advantages to regular braces. You can eat and drink (pretty much) what you want with regular braces. But you have to take these off to eat and then brush your teeth to put them back on. I'm brushing 5-6 times a day and my gums are starting to hurt from it. I also still have a slight lisp; I'm sure it may lessen, but I don't think it'll fully go away. Oh, and they're definitely not invisible, especially since there's almost always spit in them and the attachments don't make it better either.
UPDATED FROM gvstate01
11 days post
This Doesn't Get Better...
gvstate01May 2, 2014
I really can't explain how annoyed I am with Invisalign, it's just awful. The trays aren't thin and it's just like this huge piece of plastic in my mouth constantly. It's so thick that I actually can't clench my molars together. Last week I also cracked off an attachment. I've read they're supposed to be reattached within 24 hours, but apparently my dentist doesn't think so. I have to wait 9 days to get an appointment to get it put back on. When I got the invisalign and the attachments were being put on, the assistant said she'd never seen anyone that had one come off. Perhaps she hadn't been there for too long or they really just don't know how to handle a patient where one has come off.
In a couple days I will be switching to tray 2; the trays I have now are not very tight at all and the molar pieces are almost flat from me trying to close my mouth (and to add, I needed to cut off the wisdom teeth parts because my mouth was open about a half inch since the trays didn't fit over the wisdom teeth at all). Hopefully tray 2 will be different? The trays don't make my teeth hurt very much, but it's a totally different story when they're off. My teeth ache and I have jaw fatigue without them on. It's hard to chew food with a weak jaw and teeth that are touching differently than they had before.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I take the trays out, it feels like I'm pulling my teeth out. So just like original braces, your teeth loosen a bit and move. So when I take these out 3-4 times a day, it's pulling on my teeth more than what I'd like. I also hate that I can't sip coffee throughout the day. I basically have to chug it in the morning and then not have any more the rest of the day. I'm used to drinking about a gallon of water a day, so that's not a problem. But you don't really even want snacks, much less to eat at all. It's making me a little depressed.
And when they put the attachments on, plan to have composite over your entire tooth; it doesn't come off either. And this composite is NOT resilient to color change. I brush my teeth 4-5 times a day and floss and rise at night (along with brushing my trays) and my front left tooth is still turning a dingy color because the entire tooth is covered in resin. I'm pretty upset about this since I don't take the color of my teeth lightly (I was a white strips junky for a long time and had "too white" of teeth as a lot of people put it).
I don't yet see any advantages to invisalign except people can't tell I have them on when I'm at least 5-6 feet away. But that's the only upside. After 2 weeks, I still have slurred speech and many people have asked what is on my teeth and why I'm talking funny. I can't eat when I want, I can't drink when I want, I have headaches all the time....I really wish I had gone with traditional braces. At least they can use clear brackets now right? And probably would have been cheaper too :( I have an interview in a couple weeks too.....Taking them out is out of the question since the attachments are VERY noticeable. I also have bitten my lip over 20 times because of them. But if I leave them in, I'll talk funny. These things are way more hassle than I had expected.
In a couple days I will be switching to tray 2; the trays I have now are not very tight at all and the molar pieces are almost flat from me trying to close my mouth (and to add, I needed to cut off the wisdom teeth parts because my mouth was open about a half inch since the trays didn't fit over the wisdom teeth at all). Hopefully tray 2 will be different? The trays don't make my teeth hurt very much, but it's a totally different story when they're off. My teeth ache and I have jaw fatigue without them on. It's hard to chew food with a weak jaw and teeth that are touching differently than they had before.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I take the trays out, it feels like I'm pulling my teeth out. So just like original braces, your teeth loosen a bit and move. So when I take these out 3-4 times a day, it's pulling on my teeth more than what I'd like. I also hate that I can't sip coffee throughout the day. I basically have to chug it in the morning and then not have any more the rest of the day. I'm used to drinking about a gallon of water a day, so that's not a problem. But you don't really even want snacks, much less to eat at all. It's making me a little depressed.
And when they put the attachments on, plan to have composite over your entire tooth; it doesn't come off either. And this composite is NOT resilient to color change. I brush my teeth 4-5 times a day and floss and rise at night (along with brushing my trays) and my front left tooth is still turning a dingy color because the entire tooth is covered in resin. I'm pretty upset about this since I don't take the color of my teeth lightly (I was a white strips junky for a long time and had "too white" of teeth as a lot of people put it).
I don't yet see any advantages to invisalign except people can't tell I have them on when I'm at least 5-6 feet away. But that's the only upside. After 2 weeks, I still have slurred speech and many people have asked what is on my teeth and why I'm talking funny. I can't eat when I want, I can't drink when I want, I have headaches all the time....I really wish I had gone with traditional braces. At least they can use clear brackets now right? And probably would have been cheaper too :( I have an interview in a couple weeks too.....Taking them out is out of the question since the attachments are VERY noticeable. I also have bitten my lip over 20 times because of them. But if I leave them in, I'll talk funny. These things are way more hassle than I had expected.
Replies (3)
MT26
May 2, 2014
Hi! I felt the same way about the trays at first as well. But honestly it does gt better. And the trays should be getting softer after a couple of days of wear. I know on day 1 they feel cumbersome, but after a full day, they gt so much softer. I wonder if the fit of ur trays r correct. I sometimes have minor mouth aches and headaches when switching aligners, but it really shouldn't be all the time. I know it seems like it sux, but believe me it will gt better :)
May 3, 2014
I somehow missed you in the beginning, I'm sorry! Here are my thoughts:
When you are headachy, possibly withdrawing from caffeine, in pain, and eating less than usual, life will seem bleaker no matter what. It's an adjustment period. I experienced everything you are talking about (except that I never drank coffee) but, like MT26 said, it gets better. Slowly. And for some of us, very slowly indeed. For me, the lisp never went away. But a few of the things you mentioned are fixable, at least in part.
The bonding agent all over your teeth can be polished off in large part. A pumice polishing can get that stuff off. That's what they did for me. Some will always be left during treatment, in order to keep the attachments on, but it doesn't need to be all over all your teeth.
Next, the attachments get worn down a bit over time and after that, they hurt less. Until then, unfortunately, they may rip up the inside of your mouth when your aligners aren't in :(. Still, that definitely gets better.
Talk to your doctor, for sure, about the wisdom teeth not fitting. A lot of doctors don't even include them in the aligners at all. Your doctor can cut them out but you shouldn't do that yourself (that's probably obvious to you but I'll mention it for any others that read your comments section.)
Attachments falling off is common, and how quickly it needs to be fixed depends on a lot of things, like which teeth are affected, where you are in treatment, whether there is still another attachment left on the tooth, how many attachments there were on the tooth originally, etc. etc. I didn't get my attachment reattached within 24 hours. It was more like a week or two.
Now, the comparison with traditional braces. It is entirely possible that you could have headaches all the time from them as well, and lisping is likely in the beginning. For many, the headaches are a result of the tooth movement. For some, though, it's a result of clenching your teeth in the trays. I did that, and it compresses the gums between your molars and your jaws and will make it so your teeth don't touch when you try to chew. If you can try to keep yourself from clenching, you'll be in better shape. I actively think about it as often as possible and try to keep my lower jaw lax enough that my teeth don't touch at all, whenever possible.
Anyway, to continue, clear brackets are not less visible than Invisalign, and they are not comfortable either. But, as with braces, orthodontic wax is a great way to smooth over places where your mouth has gotten irritated. Also, the main advantage with Invisalign is that cleaning your teeth is easier. Studies have shown that dental health post-Invisalign treatment is better than dental health post-braces. No matter how hard you work, your braces will keep your teeth from getting as clean as they could get without braces.
Okay, sorry about the novel-length reply :(. I'm sad to see that you're having so much difficulty, so I just wanted to share my experience.
When you are headachy, possibly withdrawing from caffeine, in pain, and eating less than usual, life will seem bleaker no matter what. It's an adjustment period. I experienced everything you are talking about (except that I never drank coffee) but, like MT26 said, it gets better. Slowly. And for some of us, very slowly indeed. For me, the lisp never went away. But a few of the things you mentioned are fixable, at least in part.
The bonding agent all over your teeth can be polished off in large part. A pumice polishing can get that stuff off. That's what they did for me. Some will always be left during treatment, in order to keep the attachments on, but it doesn't need to be all over all your teeth.
Next, the attachments get worn down a bit over time and after that, they hurt less. Until then, unfortunately, they may rip up the inside of your mouth when your aligners aren't in :(. Still, that definitely gets better.
Talk to your doctor, for sure, about the wisdom teeth not fitting. A lot of doctors don't even include them in the aligners at all. Your doctor can cut them out but you shouldn't do that yourself (that's probably obvious to you but I'll mention it for any others that read your comments section.)
Attachments falling off is common, and how quickly it needs to be fixed depends on a lot of things, like which teeth are affected, where you are in treatment, whether there is still another attachment left on the tooth, how many attachments there were on the tooth originally, etc. etc. I didn't get my attachment reattached within 24 hours. It was more like a week or two.
Now, the comparison with traditional braces. It is entirely possible that you could have headaches all the time from them as well, and lisping is likely in the beginning. For many, the headaches are a result of the tooth movement. For some, though, it's a result of clenching your teeth in the trays. I did that, and it compresses the gums between your molars and your jaws and will make it so your teeth don't touch when you try to chew. If you can try to keep yourself from clenching, you'll be in better shape. I actively think about it as often as possible and try to keep my lower jaw lax enough that my teeth don't touch at all, whenever possible.
Anyway, to continue, clear brackets are not less visible than Invisalign, and they are not comfortable either. But, as with braces, orthodontic wax is a great way to smooth over places where your mouth has gotten irritated. Also, the main advantage with Invisalign is that cleaning your teeth is easier. Studies have shown that dental health post-Invisalign treatment is better than dental health post-braces. No matter how hard you work, your braces will keep your teeth from getting as clean as they could get without braces.
Okay, sorry about the novel-length reply :(. I'm sad to see that you're having so much difficulty, so I just wanted to share my experience.
Replies (0)