Wish I'd Done Braces

This was such a mistake! I've just finished seven months of Invisalign, and my teeth and bite are nowhere near where they are supposed to be according to the computer projection I was shown when I was sold on the job.

I went through this extremely disruptive procedure (forget all that hype about the trays being invisible...they are awful, as are the "buttons") to correct a painful bite problem, which was causing migraines. My bite has improved, but my migraines intensified markedly during the Invisalign treatment. I have had to resort to numerous medications and acupuncture for relief (very expensive, and the medications have made me ill). Just a couple of weeks ago, my dentist's colleague -- and there is a huge mistake I made...I went to an Invisalign dentist instead of an orthodontist -- dropped the news that the seven months I was quoted was not necessarily the full treatment period. In truth, I will be evaluated at the end and a decision will be made as to whether my teeth need to be "refined" with more trays! I will need to have the "buttons" (these are cement attachments that give the trays something to pull on) removed from my teeth, have impressions made and sent off, wait for trays, come back to have more buttons put on, and wear the blasted trays for more weeks, and weeks, and weeks. Then I will have to wear the retainer for six months -- all the time. I haven't smiled in seven months, and it looks like it will be much longer than that before I can.

I was told none of these little details when this dentist sold me the job. I wasn't even told about the "buttons" (there was some comment that I'd probably need to have some "attachments" but that they were "nothing")! Or how the buttons would scratch up my mouth when I ate. Or how my mouth and tongue would swell up, painfully, until I got used to the irritating effect of the trays. It is horrible to wake up in the morning with a dry and sour mouth full of plastic trays.

I do not recommend this treatment to anyone. If you already have Invisalign and have trouble with rough edges on the trays (per another review here), use the softer side of an emory board (nail file) to smooth them. Soak them briefly in a solution of half Listerine and half water twice a week, and then brush them with a small amount of toothpaste to keep them clean. Besides killing germs, the Listerine will color the gunk on the trays that you can't see, and you can brush it off. Drink loads of water -- the trays make your mouth dry and irritated, which will encourage bacteria. And kiss your social life (and romantic life) goodbye until the trays are gone. They give you bad breath, make you speak oddly, discolor your teeth, and make most people clench their mouths to hide their teeth so that they look unpleasant.