Starting invisalign at age 60! Better late than never!! - Newbury Park, CA

Well after turning 60 I finally did it and considered Invisalign! For years my dentist would tell me I should consider getting braces and I always laughed and said if I wanted to do that I would’ve years ago! When I was young my Mother was very ill and it wasn’t even an option since my parents couldn’t afford it. Later on I could’ve but I married young, had children and they were the ones getting braces! I just thought I would have to live with crooked crowded teeth. Over the last couple years my teeth started to have many problems mainly from the pockets of my crooked teeth. My dentist then retired and a new younger dentist took over his practice and he was more equipped with newer equipment and such. I would see the Invisalign pamphlets in the office and one day he mentioned I should consider Invisalign which would help alleviate some of the issues with my teeth. It was the first time I ever really considered it since I would never have done metal braces. So I set up a consultation with my current dentist. I never even considered getting a consultation elsewhere since I really like my dentist and I trust his expertise. At first he told me he thought it would take around 18 months and possible extractions on the bottom since my teeth are crowded and I have a very narrow arch; but he wanted to hear back from Invisalign to see what plan they came up with. He quoted me $4,750 after a 10% discount for paying cash up front. I then decided to go ahead. I’m finally going to do this after all these years! I want to think about teeth whitening later along with bonding my front chipped tooth when I am done. So impressions were taken of my teeth and sent off. He told me it would take around 26 days for my trays to come in. After 28 days…the waiting seemed forever…I got a call that they were in! The plan was 35 trays, 17 to 20 months and no extractions! I was very happy with this till I heard I had to have 20 attachments and 7 IPR’s! 18 attachments would go on when I was fitted with Tray 2, and 3 of those are on my front teeth…so disappointing! Later down the line I will receive 2 more attachments. Oh well, I was disappointed but then again it’s all good considering the end result and that’s what I need to focus on; but I tell you, it’s hard starting out when you know how far you have to go!
TRAY #1
Impression: Not as bad as I thought it would be considering what I read here in some cases. I mean there was some tightness and I think the biggest thing is the irritation of the trays rubbing against my tongue! I did have to go in about 3 days later since I developed a blood blister on the back on my tongue where it hurt like heck to swallow! My dentist filed down that edge for me which really helped and told me to gargle with warm salt water. I have also learned to put wax on those edges that really bother me if I can’t file them well enough. I definitely have to get used to these things! Especially since I love my coffee in the morning and in the evening and sipping is a thing of the past! If I want it I have to gulp it! I used to get up, pour my coffee, sip for about an half hour, then fix my breakfast…Now I have to get up, pour my coffee, make my breakfast, take my trays out and gobble down everything within a half hour to get them back in! I have tried to stay on schedule to keep them in for 22 hours and I think I’m doing a good job, maybe just short by a half hour at times. The hardest part is when we eat out. Depending where we are I either take them out in the car or in the restroom if we have to wait for our food. It’s not the easiest to go in the restroom afterwards to floss and brush but I want my teeth clean before putting them back in. I use one of those small GUM floss brushes to floss discretely at the table which allows me to just go in to brush…might I add…quickly! My mouth does get dry but I always carry water with me. My lips have also been dry so I rub on a little Aquapour which makes a huge difference. I had already been using 24 Hr Color Stay lipstick and have had no problems with it coming off on the aligners.
TRAY #2
Today I went in for my second trays and to have attachments put on. Putting the attachments on wasn’t bad at all. I had 10 put on the top and 8 on the bottom. Boy I hate the feel of them though. My dentist even polished them after and they still feel bad. I agree with what others have said, I like the feel of my trays back in! I also had the first 2 of 7 IPR’s done on my bottom front teeth. That wasn’t bad either but it does kind of feel strange now that I have space between those teeth! I have had discomfort but I must say not as bad as I thought. I had asked my dentist about AcceleDent and he had never heard of it but he did take the time to research and to call Invisalign to inquire about it in which they stated they didn’t warrant their product with the use of it so his conclusion was to stick with the regular plan. I was disappointed of course but I guess I’m in for the long haul! I also asked if things move along well would we be able to shorten my time from 2 weeks to maybe 10 days…the answer was No, need to stick with the plan…2 weeks with each set of aligners. Oh well, no speeding up things here. The hard part now was to get these things out easily. I did read on these boards…a Godsend I must add…of suggestions on how to take them out easier which really helped in my case. For the top I now grab the back inside edge of the aligner and slowly pull all the way around till it comes off. The same for the bottom, however I have to grab from the back outside edge instead because I can’t get my fingers in to pull on the inside since my arch is so narrow. This works like a charm and I’m able to get them out quite quickly and easily. I have a routine when I take them out in the morning- I let them sit in a half hydrogen peroxide and half water solution to soak, then brush with toothpaste and put them back in. I have an air flosser I use when I’m at home but I do use regular floss when I do my teeth at night. I also soak them every few days in with a Polident tablet just to keep them clean from any staining since I have to keep them in for 2 weeks and this seems to work. My teeth have been sensitive when eating but not terrible. So far so good! I’m 5 days into this tray so I have a long ways to go. My dentist sent me home with all 3 sets of trays so I go back in 6 weeks. But it only took 2 days for 1 attachment to break off entirely and another partially. So they got me in the next day…the office is just down the street which is so convenient…and he fixed those two. Hopefully nothing more happens because in a week he is getting married and going on his honeymoon so if any others come off I am to remain in my current tray and cannot go forward, so hopefully they stay put! I ordered some Chewies from Ebay and used one for the first few days to seat these trays after putting them in. I guess they’re doing what they’re supposed to. The sides of my teeth feel good while chewing on it but the front teeth are really sensitive! I asked my dentist for a copy of my ClinCheck and there was no way to do that but he did let me take a video of it on my phone. I will update my progress when I change to Tray 3.

I’m 9 days into my 3rd set of trays. When I started my 3rd set they definitely were tight! Within an hour though, they had already loosened up a bit. I had filed the areas I knew I would have trouble with beforehand and that made a huge difference in the comfort factor. They still rub from time to time but in a much milder way. I have gotten used to removing them and that has gotten much easier now. What I’m still having trouble with is removing them to eat and getting them back in in the allotted time, especially when eating out. I still need to work on that but it will come in time.
Then you have the unforeseen dilemmas…like the other morning when I woke up with a migraine headache! Unfortunately something I have suffered with for years…thank goodness for headache meds! I had to get up, remove my trays and take my meds right away but on an empty stomach, I needed to get down some crackers so that I wouldn’t get sick to my stomach which I was on the verge of. Then I needed to try to brush my teeth and get them back in…no fun when you’re not feeling well! About a half hour later I ended up feeling sick to my stomach anyway. Now this was a test! I had to remove my trays super quick just in the nick of time! Unfortunately I didn’t put them back in just in case I needed to run to the bathroom again and I ended up lying down and falling asleep and not waking up for about 3 hours! Over my allotted time for the whole day! I tried to make up for it the rest of the day but that was just impossible. I have tried to keep to the allotted time but I don’t break my back doing it; I think I come close. I feel that a ½ an hour to an hour less than my 22 hours isn’t going to be a problem especially since my dentist is making me keep each set of trays in for 2 weeks. So far my trays have started feeling really loose at least a week and definitely by 10 days into each set. It’s funny though I actually don’t like the feel of them when they are this way and they start to really bother me. I like the feel of them being much snugger on my teeth.
Of course it hasn’t been long enough yet to really notice any movement but I do feel a difference in the way my teeth line up when I take my trays out to eat. I will be keeping you updated on my journey since unfortunately I’ve got a long ways to go!

I'm midway through Tray 5 and I've been doing really well. Of course I have the discomfort after changing to a new tray but I seem to adjust rather quickly. If anything, my front teeth are a bit sore when I take my trays out to eat.

I saw my dentist for a teeth cleaning and he was really happy and said my gums look really healthy. He sent me home with Trays 5, 6, 7 and 8. He also filed them all for me since there's a spot that always bothers me that I would have to file. I also had another IPR done on the bottom.

The time seems like it is going rather quickly but I have a long ways to go...30 more trays! I do see a slight difference in my front bottom teeth looking a tad bit straighter. I couldn't help it and took my trays out to compare from the 1st to the 8th and I definitely can see a difference! Slowly but surely!