Third Day of Invisalign Treatment - Maryland

I'm currently in my 10th month of treatment, with a little over 3 months to go. I'm very happy with the results! My teeth have moved dramatically, and are very close to the projected results from the simulation model they provided. It has definitely been worth it. It really surprised me that the pressure in my mouth reduced and my bite improves tremendously as my teeth straightened- it feels much better. That said, yes Inviaslign is uncomfortable and something that I am always aware of, and sort of have to plan around. Aesthetically it's noticeable but not terrible- some people actually don't notice, most people realize that it's Invisalign and they "get it," but then there are some people who apparently have not heard of Invisalign and seem to think that I am suffering from some strange, exotic adult orthodontic procedure, and they react with mild embarrassment and curiosity. This can be a bit annoying. Anyway, the lisp goes away quickly, but the pain/discomfort continues for the first couple of days each time you switch to a new aligner. I did become callous to taking them out and putting them back in, and it stopped bothering me if someone else might see... The biggest problem at this point is the inconvenience, especially if I'm somewhere (like an outdoor festival) where I want to eat but there's not really any running water- I wind up either not wearing them for several hours or not eating, and neither solution is satisfying. Wine and coffee, and other thick sugary beverages, also pose problems. But the payoff is that my teeth are almost perfect... So overall I would say do it, especially if you (like me) would never get regular braces but need to straighten your teeth. Good luck!

It's only my third day of treatment, but I wanted to echo some of the thoughts in other reviews about the initial surprise. First, Invisalign is more noticeable than I expected. If you don't really look at my teeth, and are standing some distance away, then you wouldn't notice (unlike metal braces). However, if you do look, well the attachments are visible (kind of strange looking and jagged) lumps on my teeth and the clear tray tends to fill with saliva and have little air bubbles in it, particularly around the attachment lumps, and is visible. It generally looks like braces lite, but clearly something orthodontic is happening. Invisalign is not something to do immediately before a big event, such as a conference where you plan to present or meet many new people, a time when you are about to start dating again after a long time away, or a much anticipated vacation. Choose a time when you are ok with getting used to having something on your teeth. Second, it does hurt. "Pressure" doesn't fully capture it. It's not that different from braces in this aspect. Third, at the beginning they are hard to remove, and very inconvenient. Lunchtime at work is suddenly complicated. It's embarrassing to pull them out in the bathroom at work because there is a lot of saliva that trails out with the trays. On the plus side, it does help you go on a diet. Snacking is far less appealing. Finally, the lisp is embarrassing, especially at work. You might feel the need to explain it to people as you suddenly sound like an 8 year old. You might need to take them out when you have a big meeting or phone call. They say this will get better over the first week, we'll see but I really hope so. The number one surprise to me were the attachments. I had no idea what they would look and feel like, and had only anticipated the clear retainer like tray, which is all my orthodontist showed me. In reality, the attachments account for about 50% of the discomfort and embarrassment, and you never see them or hear much about them ahead of time. So the message is: yes, I think it will be worth it if the projectes results are obtained, yes it is likely the best option, however it is NOT as invisible and non-invasive as they say. It's a lot more like having braces than I expected.