POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
My INVISALIGN Story (29 Y/o, Female) - New Jersey, NJ
ORIGINAL POST
I considered Invisalign for at least a year before...
jerseagalDecember 9, 2014
$5,850
I considered Invisalign for at least a year before I went through with it. I was under the impression that it was completely painless, completely invisible, and would be a relatively quick process. NO, NO, and NO. My teeth need pretty minor correcting... I have uneven front teeth, and a tooth that pokes out a bit. It's not major, but it seems to be getting worse over the years so I wanted to correct it.
The process of getting the trays isn't so bad. There is a session where they make molds of your teeth that is pretty yucky and was particularly difficult because I have anxiety. Having my mouth 'glued' shut with molding material for over a minute several times was enough to make my palms sweaty. It's not painful, but it does play on your nerves and the goo will get all over your face.
When they fit my first tray in my mouth - I was almost like 'I CAN'T DO THIS!'. It felt unnatural, and the trays felt ENORMOUS in my mouth. I had a big time lisp, and the next day it felt like I had been punched in every single one of my teeth. No really. It was painful. On top of that, my tongue seemed to find all the sharp edges and began to get really cut up. By day 3 I really didn't want to talk at all and was trying to eat only mushy food. I barely slept the first night because the trays felt so strange in my mouth.
I did take a nail file and file down some of the sharp edges. After that it was fine. You have to be a bit more aggressive about it then you think to actually get the sharp bits to file down.
By my second appointment (time for attachments!) I barely even noticed I was wearing a tray. So it DOES get better, but you have to just hang in there.
Getting the attachments was unpleasant, and they don't feel nice. It feels like I constantly have food stuck in my teeth, which I hate. I can already tell that my upper lip is going to get cut up on the top one. They are pointy. I can also not tell when there are huge pieces of food stuck in them.
Having Invisalign makes going out to dinner a bit unpleasant, and takes some of the joy out of eating. I no longer eat between meals, have much coffee, or drink much alcohol. You can get away with some beverages by using a straw and literally sticking it all the way to pretty much the back of your throat, but I pretty much promise that some beverage will still get in your trays. The upside is that I now drink a ton of water, and my skin looks awesome. If I am drinking wine, I'll literally have a sip of wine (thru a straw) and then a sip of water to chase it. It helps. Colgate wisps are amazing if you are out to eat and don't feel like taking a toothbrush everywhere.
Also - your mouth and lips will get RIDICULOUSLY dry at first. I bought a ton of chapstick and wear it constantly. I keep it next to my bed at night. I do outreach at work which means I talk A LOT, and I absolutely must have a bottle of water with me or I am unable to continue.
Your mouth does compensate for the initial dryness by producing a seeming waterfall of saliva after the first couple weeks, but you will still be a bit dryer than usual.
The process of getting the trays isn't so bad. There is a session where they make molds of your teeth that is pretty yucky and was particularly difficult because I have anxiety. Having my mouth 'glued' shut with molding material for over a minute several times was enough to make my palms sweaty. It's not painful, but it does play on your nerves and the goo will get all over your face.
When they fit my first tray in my mouth - I was almost like 'I CAN'T DO THIS!'. It felt unnatural, and the trays felt ENORMOUS in my mouth. I had a big time lisp, and the next day it felt like I had been punched in every single one of my teeth. No really. It was painful. On top of that, my tongue seemed to find all the sharp edges and began to get really cut up. By day 3 I really didn't want to talk at all and was trying to eat only mushy food. I barely slept the first night because the trays felt so strange in my mouth.
I did take a nail file and file down some of the sharp edges. After that it was fine. You have to be a bit more aggressive about it then you think to actually get the sharp bits to file down.
By my second appointment (time for attachments!) I barely even noticed I was wearing a tray. So it DOES get better, but you have to just hang in there.
Getting the attachments was unpleasant, and they don't feel nice. It feels like I constantly have food stuck in my teeth, which I hate. I can already tell that my upper lip is going to get cut up on the top one. They are pointy. I can also not tell when there are huge pieces of food stuck in them.
Having Invisalign makes going out to dinner a bit unpleasant, and takes some of the joy out of eating. I no longer eat between meals, have much coffee, or drink much alcohol. You can get away with some beverages by using a straw and literally sticking it all the way to pretty much the back of your throat, but I pretty much promise that some beverage will still get in your trays. The upside is that I now drink a ton of water, and my skin looks awesome. If I am drinking wine, I'll literally have a sip of wine (thru a straw) and then a sip of water to chase it. It helps. Colgate wisps are amazing if you are out to eat and don't feel like taking a toothbrush everywhere.
Also - your mouth and lips will get RIDICULOUSLY dry at first. I bought a ton of chapstick and wear it constantly. I keep it next to my bed at night. I do outreach at work which means I talk A LOT, and I absolutely must have a bottle of water with me or I am unable to continue.
Your mouth does compensate for the initial dryness by producing a seeming waterfall of saliva after the first couple weeks, but you will still be a bit dryer than usual.
Replies (7)
January 22, 2015
I'm from NJ and I agree with almost everything you wrote. It's very intrusive. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed eating until I got my invisalign. I now only eat 3 times a day and nothing in between. On the flip side my teeth are so clean and breathe is always fresh since all I ever do is brush, floss, and rinse.
March 6, 2015
I am on day 2 of 1st set. Holy crap my tongue looks like an extra in " The Walking Dead". My lower right tray does not go all the way back to my wisdom tooth, left side does. And there is a GAP in that shorter right side that my tongue catches every.time.i.talk. Very irritating.
I get attachments on the third tray...a month from now. Not looking forward to that:(.
Good description and glad to hear it gets better. I am going to be so skinny by the end of this because of the inconvenience-- easier not to eat. Am looking for sugar free protein drinks!
March 6, 2015
The first couple days with the first tray are the WORST! The first couple days after attachments are the second worst! Once you go through that - it gets much better. No less inconvenient, but less painful. I also have a seemingly 'partial' bottom tray that does not extend to my wisdom teeth on one side. Initially I had to file it down quite a bit because my tongue caught on it - but I haven't touched my last 2 trays with a file at all. I think your mouth ends up adjusting. I literally stopped talking on days 2 and 3 because my tongue was such a mess! For what it's worth - it is fortunately a part of your body that seems to heal very quickly!
March 6, 2015
...and I forgot to mention. I ended up completely abandoning the idea that I could drink thick things with the tray in. I could not get smoothies down without it getting in the trays - even with a straw. If I am going to be drinking alcohol all day (at a concert or event like a St. Patricks Parade - tomorrow!) I leave them in for fear I would remove them and then be drunk enough to lose them, and I try to avoid red wine.
March 6, 2015
Yay, light at the end of the tongue tunnel! I refuse to talk it hurts, lol. Ok so no protein shakes w tray in, but in emergency can pop them off, drink it, drink water and pop them back on. At least no solid food particles between the teeth if I can't get to a bathroom!
November 10, 2015
Your comments are very accurate and describe what it is really like. I called it "teeth jail" and it was especially difficult going out with friends, having to find a bathroom to pop them out in order to eat or drink. Honestly, I think conventional braces would have been better and probably would have required less time. One orthodontist tried to convince me of that but I thought Invisalign sounded like it would be easy. I generated a LOT of saliva, spitting while talking at times. Cleaning them with denture tablets isn't fun. I had relatively minor problems of crooked lower teeth and an overlapping upper tooth. It was fixed but took an awfully long time and was more expensive than conventional braces.
UPDATED FROM jerseagal
23 days post
Hanging In There...
jerseagalDecember 17, 2014
I'm a week into tray 2. I'm surprisingly sad/upset that my ortho is having me wear each tray for 3 weeks instead of the typical two. This is going to extend my treatment significantly and I was really hoping to be done for a big event I have next September. Does anyone else have an ortho that was having them wear trays for 3 weeks each?
Tray 2 was initially quite painful. My upper lip was having a good bit of trouble sliding easily over the top attachments, and I developed a sore. Against my ortho's advice I had to file down a part of the attachment on the actual tray itself. Note to anyone else doing this: it will rough up your tray a little, and cause the attachment nubbin to cease being 'clear'. This small cosmetic sacrifice was worth it for my upper lip, I found.
I have periodic days where I notice the trays more than others. If I am talking a lot at work the underside of my tongue occasionally gets sore from the bottom liner edge. Other then that I find that most days I don't notice them much unless I'm taking them out for eating (in which case I notice A LOT).
It is really difficult to time eating around the holidays. There is so much food and I'm going to so many parties. I have begun to drink alcohol with trays in through a straw, and it seems to be ok. Every once in a while I'll go into the bathroom and remove the trays and swish with water, and it seems to be ok.
Mouth is a bit less dry but I still drink a ton of water.
All in all going well. Can't wait for tray 3. I feel like I may actually be able to see some improvement. Hopefully posting some photos soon!
Tray 2 was initially quite painful. My upper lip was having a good bit of trouble sliding easily over the top attachments, and I developed a sore. Against my ortho's advice I had to file down a part of the attachment on the actual tray itself. Note to anyone else doing this: it will rough up your tray a little, and cause the attachment nubbin to cease being 'clear'. This small cosmetic sacrifice was worth it for my upper lip, I found.
I have periodic days where I notice the trays more than others. If I am talking a lot at work the underside of my tongue occasionally gets sore from the bottom liner edge. Other then that I find that most days I don't notice them much unless I'm taking them out for eating (in which case I notice A LOT).
It is really difficult to time eating around the holidays. There is so much food and I'm going to so many parties. I have begun to drink alcohol with trays in through a straw, and it seems to be ok. Every once in a while I'll go into the bathroom and remove the trays and swish with water, and it seems to be ok.
Mouth is a bit less dry but I still drink a ton of water.
All in all going well. Can't wait for tray 3. I feel like I may actually be able to see some improvement. Hopefully posting some photos soon!
Replies (5)
December 18, 2014
It's unusual to go through an entire treatment with trays at 3 weeks each. Did your doctor give the reasoning behind this? And is your doctor opposed to things like AcceleDent and Propel?
December 18, 2014
I thought so also. I kind of want to call and see if it's possible to do two. My aligner is almost loose now at about 10 days into tray 2. I didn't ask him about either. I'm not into Propel, but I would probably purchase Acceledent. I feel like a whiner wanting to go faster - but this is quite a good bit more of a lifestyle change than I thought and want to get through treatment as quickly as I can.
December 19, 2014
There is nothing wrong with you for feeling that way! It's a huge lifestyle change and it's a long treatment, no matter how short it is, honestly. PLUS there's the full-time retainer-wear at the end. This is no small thing.
December 18, 2014
My orthodontist is having me wear each tray for 3 weeks each also. I haven't asked why, but they do not feel very tight after the first week.
July 29, 2015
The thing that worked best for me is to take nail clippers (or cuticle trimmers) and trim off the edge, where the invisalign sort of flares out. Took me months to figure it out.
UPDATED FROM jerseagal
24 days post
Some photos...
jerseagalDecember 18, 2014
These are both with tray two (and attachments). You can see my snaggle up top, which is what I'm hoping to correct. One of my front teeth is also longer than the other. The photo where I am completely visible shows my full 'before'.
Replies (7)
December 19, 2014
Is Invisalign able to "fix" the uneven lengths of your 2 front teeth, or will you have to go to a cosmetic dentist to have them evened out? My teeth are not perfectly even lengths either- mine are that way because of teeth grinding in the past.
December 19, 2014
Some extruding and intruding of teeth can be done with Invisalign, but I don't know how much. Have you discussed your options for those teeth with your doctor, Jerseagal? Also, did you get your ClinCheck so we can see it? :):):)
December 20, 2014
I was told that Invisalign will correct the extruding. Mine is not from grinding - all my problems seem to stem from the eye tooth (think it's an eye tooth? the ones on either side of the front teeth) that has been gradually poking out over the years. Even with only 2 trays I swear I see a slight improvement already. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking...
December 20, 2014
I did not get my clincheck but I'll ask at my next appt.! I want to see it too! Haha
December 19, 2014
You are gorgeous and your smile is gorgeous, even just the way it is! It'll be such a wonderful change to have them even :).
Would you like for me to help you crop the last photo to maintain the privacy of your friend?
December 20, 2014
Thank you! :-) Were it not for progressive worsening of my teeth I probably would have left them be. But alas.
You can leave him in, he doesn't mind.
Welcome to the community, and thanks for all of the great tips! :D I've been in retainers for nearly 3 years, but I still remember all that stuff when I read what you wrote :). I think it's really helpful for people to read that even though the beginning is...unpleasant, that you can still get used to it.
At only 15 days post, I realize you won't be seeing any results yet, but I hope you'll post before pics for us, so we can follow your progress :).