One Invisalign Experience

First off, let me clarify the cost for my treatment. It was $3000 out of pocket, $5000 total. Luckily my company has a plan that covers orthodontics. I also want to clarify that this is my experience and mine alone. The experience I describe is mine personally and I'm sorry if others have not had the same. Now, for the review. Why Invisalign over traditional braces?  I'll be honest, vanity sake. I didn't want a mouth full of metal, scraping up of my gums and insides of my mouth, etc. Plus, I attend alot of project meetings, I'm an electrical engineer, and I wanted something less intrusive and the appeal of clear aligners was too much. Lastly, my dentist said that Invisalign was possible for my case. Pros: The clear aligners are hardly noticeable and can be taken out. The shorter treatment time (8 1/2 months versus over a year). Relatively minor pain at "new" tray time (every two weeks). Profound weight loss due to no more snacking and gum chewing. Better understanding of dental hygiene that will last a long time. My "fangs" are gone!! The overcrowding on my lower teeth is gone too. (In other words, the treatment worked for me.) Cons: What felt like continual brushing and flossing. Some trays tasted plastic-y or had sharp edges that messed up my tongue. The constant dry mouth feeling. The film that develops from normal wear on the trays. The lisp that never went away. In general, I am really pleased with the treatment program. I never liked my smile but I do now. I will be receiving my retainers in about two weeks when they get back from Invisalign. My dentist says I will need to wear them three days a week but I intend on wearing them every night for two reasons: 1. I grind my teeth and 2. I don't want them to revert - I paid alot for these!! Would I recommend this to others?  Yes, with the caveat that they do their homework and get their dentist's/ortho's blessing. I did not really have to recommend the treatment to my friends and family. They saw my results and so far three have vowed to start the treatment. My personal recommendations: You must wear the aligners the 20 -22 hours a day as recommended. It may be a pain, but trust me, it will make the treatment easier in the long run. To get the film off the aligners, I bought these little flosser things for braces, they work great. CVS, Walgreens and Target have them. I bought a little electric flosser, made flossing easier and took less time. An hour or so before putting in new trays, take a few Advil, Tylenol, your pain med of choice. It will numb it just enough to pop them on and after 12 hours, your teeth will have moved.