POSTED UNDER Invisalign Reviews
So Happy to Finally Be Done!!!
ORIGINAL POST
So Happy to Finally Be Done!!!
WORTH IT$4,618
I started my Invisalign journey on October 3rd 2018 and have finally got the wires put on the back of my teeth to hold them in place almost exactly 1 year later.
I found reading these reviews so helpful when going through the process so definitely wanted to contribute with my story.
First off, growing up I didn't get braces because where I'm from, if the dentist says your teeth aren't bad enough to warrant braces, your parents need to pay for them out of pocket and they are very expensive. My teeth were definitely always a little crooked but my mum swears they got worse and shifted as I got older. Because the thought of dealing with braces in my older teens/early 20s was terrifying (and unaffordable for me at the time), I tried to tell myself my teeth gave me character but deep down I was never fully comfortable/happy with them.
After I started working and was able to start saving up, I started to research my options and that's how I discovered Invisalign. There was probably a year between when I started thinking about the process and when I went to my first consultation. I was 25 years old.
Let me just say that initial research and my dentist's first estimate of how long the process would take, painted a much rosier picture of Invisalign than what I actually experienced. Although I knew Invisalign wouldn't be 'invisible' I don't think I realised quite how many buttons I'd need (and I definitely wasn't aware that I would need a goddamn HOOK on my front tooth but I'll come to that later). Also, I was told the process would take me 7 months which sounded easy. It ended up taking close to 12.
The first tray is probably not a fun experience for anyone. I found my teeth were sore for 2 days but I only actually had to reach for a painkiller once. It was unpleasant but bearable. I developed a bit of a sore throat and headache - not sure if these were related to my teeth moving. My gums also started to hurt and I started to feel like they were receding but I'm pretty sure it was just me over thinking and being paranoid. I was more or less used to the aligners after 5 days even though I was feeling dull pain a lot of the time.
At first I was meticulous about going to the bathroom every time I needed to take out my trays, by tray 3 I was popping them in and out (half discreetly) wherever.
By tray 4 or 5 my front right tooth stopped tracking (it wasn't coming down enough). My dentist filed my teeth some more to make room and told me to come back after tray 6 to see if mid-course correction would be necessary. My teeth barely hurt anymore by this point.
When I came back for tray 6 the tooth still wasn't tracking. It was at this point that my dentist put a HOOK on my front tooth, cut a section out of the tray and had me use an elastic band (looped around the hook and attached to the back of the aligner) to attempt to pull the tooth down.
For trays 6 and 7 the dentist just gave me tighter elastics. I was extremely demoralised by this point. To be honest it really knocked my confidence and I stopped being as sociable because I felt pretty hideous. I had the hook on my front tooth for basically the rest of the treatment and by tray 14 (my 'last' tray) the tooth still wasn't fully down.
I got an extra 6 trays during the refinement stage and a button was put on my front right tooth. After this my dentist put a wire behind my teeth but a week or so later the wire broke and my teeth shifted slightly. I had to wear my old tray for another 5 weeks and then the dentist manually pulled my teeth together before fixing the wire that I am currently wearing in place. This helped to reduce the gaps between my front teeth.
Looking back, if I'm honest the process was very trialing and kind of a pain in the ass. That being said, it was of course worth it and now that I am finished I don't regret having gone through it. I am so relieved to be done and (fingers crossed) to never have to wear aligners again (they get super gross after wearing them for several weeks no matter how well you clean them).
I found reading these reviews so helpful when going through the process so definitely wanted to contribute with my story.
First off, growing up I didn't get braces because where I'm from, if the dentist says your teeth aren't bad enough to warrant braces, your parents need to pay for them out of pocket and they are very expensive. My teeth were definitely always a little crooked but my mum swears they got worse and shifted as I got older. Because the thought of dealing with braces in my older teens/early 20s was terrifying (and unaffordable for me at the time), I tried to tell myself my teeth gave me character but deep down I was never fully comfortable/happy with them.
After I started working and was able to start saving up, I started to research my options and that's how I discovered Invisalign. There was probably a year between when I started thinking about the process and when I went to my first consultation. I was 25 years old.
Let me just say that initial research and my dentist's first estimate of how long the process would take, painted a much rosier picture of Invisalign than what I actually experienced. Although I knew Invisalign wouldn't be 'invisible' I don't think I realised quite how many buttons I'd need (and I definitely wasn't aware that I would need a goddamn HOOK on my front tooth but I'll come to that later). Also, I was told the process would take me 7 months which sounded easy. It ended up taking close to 12.
The first tray is probably not a fun experience for anyone. I found my teeth were sore for 2 days but I only actually had to reach for a painkiller once. It was unpleasant but bearable. I developed a bit of a sore throat and headache - not sure if these were related to my teeth moving. My gums also started to hurt and I started to feel like they were receding but I'm pretty sure it was just me over thinking and being paranoid. I was more or less used to the aligners after 5 days even though I was feeling dull pain a lot of the time.
At first I was meticulous about going to the bathroom every time I needed to take out my trays, by tray 3 I was popping them in and out (half discreetly) wherever.
By tray 4 or 5 my front right tooth stopped tracking (it wasn't coming down enough). My dentist filed my teeth some more to make room and told me to come back after tray 6 to see if mid-course correction would be necessary. My teeth barely hurt anymore by this point.
When I came back for tray 6 the tooth still wasn't tracking. It was at this point that my dentist put a HOOK on my front tooth, cut a section out of the tray and had me use an elastic band (looped around the hook and attached to the back of the aligner) to attempt to pull the tooth down.
For trays 6 and 7 the dentist just gave me tighter elastics. I was extremely demoralised by this point. To be honest it really knocked my confidence and I stopped being as sociable because I felt pretty hideous. I had the hook on my front tooth for basically the rest of the treatment and by tray 14 (my 'last' tray) the tooth still wasn't fully down.
I got an extra 6 trays during the refinement stage and a button was put on my front right tooth. After this my dentist put a wire behind my teeth but a week or so later the wire broke and my teeth shifted slightly. I had to wear my old tray for another 5 weeks and then the dentist manually pulled my teeth together before fixing the wire that I am currently wearing in place. This helped to reduce the gaps between my front teeth.
Looking back, if I'm honest the process was very trialing and kind of a pain in the ass. That being said, it was of course worth it and now that I am finished I don't regret having gone through it. I am so relieved to be done and (fingers crossed) to never have to wear aligners again (they get super gross after wearing them for several weeks no matter how well you clean them).
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