POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
Starting Invisalign Journey
ORIGINAL POST
I started this Invisalign Journey last Thursday...
scott1003March 27, 2017
$5,800
I started this Invisalign Journey last Thursday March 23rd. Through the initial stages of decision making and first week of having the aligners, I have resulted to this website MULTIPLE times for advice. I thought that perhaps I could help someone else out in the future.
I received the first 3 trays on Thursday without attachments. These are my "training wheels" to get me accustomed with the aligners. I have 67 trays, changing them every 7 days. This puts my treatment time at about 1 year + 4 months. I will receive 13 attachments at my 3 week appointment.
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED SO FAR:
The first three days are absolute HELL!! There is no sugar coating it. I can't tell you how many times I thought I was going to give up thinking I would have to endure this for the next 1+ year. Everything I read on here said that it will get better... and yes it DOES get better, I promise. I was prepared for "teeth moving" pain, however this was different. The pain was coming from all the sores in my mouth. Anywhere my mouth touched the aligners, there was a sore (AKA EVERYWHERE). I recommend warm salt water rinses (every 1-3 hours) and Orajel. I also took a nail file to the aligners and tried to shave down any rough edges.
I am now on Day 5 and feeling so much better. The sores are completely gone! I am now starting to feel pain in my teeth from movement, but I'll take this over the sores any day.
My ortho allows us to eat with the aligners in, but cleaning them immediately after. From the reviews on this site, it seems this is abnormal. I pick and choose what I will eat with aligners in vs out. Keeping them in allows me to get more "aligner time" and keep it within 22 hours a day. However, I fear some foods may stain or some are just too hard to eat with them in. I've found eating to be very simple and has rarely slowed me down. The hygiene routine is cumbersome but I'm already used to it! Just brush, floss and clean every time you eat. Pretty simple!
My biggest take away for a future invisaligner so far: It gets better after the first 3 days! Don't be discouraged!!
I received the first 3 trays on Thursday without attachments. These are my "training wheels" to get me accustomed with the aligners. I have 67 trays, changing them every 7 days. This puts my treatment time at about 1 year + 4 months. I will receive 13 attachments at my 3 week appointment.
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED SO FAR:
The first three days are absolute HELL!! There is no sugar coating it. I can't tell you how many times I thought I was going to give up thinking I would have to endure this for the next 1+ year. Everything I read on here said that it will get better... and yes it DOES get better, I promise. I was prepared for "teeth moving" pain, however this was different. The pain was coming from all the sores in my mouth. Anywhere my mouth touched the aligners, there was a sore (AKA EVERYWHERE). I recommend warm salt water rinses (every 1-3 hours) and Orajel. I also took a nail file to the aligners and tried to shave down any rough edges.
I am now on Day 5 and feeling so much better. The sores are completely gone! I am now starting to feel pain in my teeth from movement, but I'll take this over the sores any day.
My ortho allows us to eat with the aligners in, but cleaning them immediately after. From the reviews on this site, it seems this is abnormal. I pick and choose what I will eat with aligners in vs out. Keeping them in allows me to get more "aligner time" and keep it within 22 hours a day. However, I fear some foods may stain or some are just too hard to eat with them in. I've found eating to be very simple and has rarely slowed me down. The hygiene routine is cumbersome but I'm already used to it! Just brush, floss and clean every time you eat. Pretty simple!
My biggest take away for a future invisaligner so far: It gets better after the first 3 days! Don't be discouraged!!
Replies (14)
March 28, 2017
Thanks for your note. I started yesterday. Today is my first full day. The thing I miss the most is my coffee time in the morning. I am encouraged by what I've read and hope the entire process just gets easier as time goes on...
March 28, 2017
I am a huge coffee lover as well! I only have one cup a day, but I love sipping on it through the morning.
I hate to encourage bad behavior, but I drink about half of my cup of coffee with my aligners in, then take them out and drink the second half while eating my breakfast (typically something small and quick, like fruit or yogurt). After that, I brush my teeth and aligners and pop them back in! I was worried about staining them, however no staining so far. I'm sure over time they would stain, but I change mine once a week so I'm hoping to continue! I can't give up my coffee.
I hate to encourage bad behavior, but I drink about half of my cup of coffee with my aligners in, then take them out and drink the second half while eating my breakfast (typically something small and quick, like fruit or yogurt). After that, I brush my teeth and aligners and pop them back in! I was worried about staining them, however no staining so far. I'm sure over time they would stain, but I change mine once a week so I'm hoping to continue! I can't give up my coffee.
March 28, 2017
Thanks! Appreciate that additional information. I'll get back into my coffee, starting tomorrow...
March 31, 2017
I have started my invisalign on March 23rd but my ortho told me to change the aligner every two weeks. Do you use any accelerator?
March 31, 2017
I don't, which I have found uncommon compared to everyone else! This may be specific to his practice, but not specific to individual. He told me that all his patients change aligners every week.
We started the same day!
We started the same day!
April 1, 2017
I needed this! I'm on sat day four and having a hard time with the cuts and a lisp. I can't get use to talking because of the cutting. I've filed the edges but I'm waiting on my sites to heal.
April 3, 2017
I totally get it! It's a waiting game. I filed my trays after I had already got all the sores. At that point, the damage was done until they healed!
April 3, 2017
Yes! I'm almost a week in and I'm much better. Just trying to overcome the lisp! My first tray, I also received attachments, but I have to keep this same tray for one month! I'm not sure why, but I wish I was switching every two weeks. Hopefully that will change.
UPDATED FROM scott1003
Tray #2
scott1003March 30, 2017
I received Tray #1 last Thursday morning, which meant I was supposed to switch to Tray #2 this Thursday morning. However after reading all of these reviews, I decided to put Tray #2 in Wednesday night right before bed to avoid pain.
When I put the tray on, it was VERY tight. A lot of pressure!! I got worried and took some Advil. I slept the next 8 hours and woke up with zero pain. They are definitely tighter than the last, but it doesn't provide any discomfort. By the end of today, I'm already able to move the aligners around with very little effort. I'm hoping that means my teeth are moving quickly!
I notice that some teeth and more wobbly or sensitive than others. According to my ClinCheck, these are the ones that should be shifting. Still no visible changes yet, obiously. I'm nervous to get my attachments on after Tray #3!
When I put the tray on, it was VERY tight. A lot of pressure!! I got worried and took some Advil. I slept the next 8 hours and woke up with zero pain. They are definitely tighter than the last, but it doesn't provide any discomfort. By the end of today, I'm already able to move the aligners around with very little effort. I'm hoping that means my teeth are moving quickly!
I notice that some teeth and more wobbly or sensitive than others. According to my ClinCheck, these are the ones that should be shifting. Still no visible changes yet, obiously. I'm nervous to get my attachments on after Tray #3!
Replies (2)
April 13, 2017
Take heart you'll get used to the routine, I started mine on March 8th 2017 and I'm on the third tray, I change them every two weeks so I'm on the 5th week. Though I can't see any change in my teeth, the spacing between is very evident. I have so may attachments but I've gotten use to them and unless someone is very close you can't see them, your teeth are white some they'll blend well.
April 13, 2017
In the last sentence I meant your teeth are white so the attachments will blend well.
UPDATED FROM scott1003
Attachments
scott1003April 12, 2017
Today I received Tray 4 and all my attachments were put on. Luckily, I don't have any on my front teeth, but I do have a few that are visible. They definitely make the trays much more noticeable, but it's sort of what I expected. The process of putting them on was VERY simple. I barely even knew he was putting them on. The polishing of the teeth beforehand created a little bit of sensitivity, but other than it was painless.
He suggested that I wait until tonight to take them off for the first time to avoid ripping off an attachment off. This obviously makes eating hard. I had already had breakfast, so for lunch I had a protein smoothie and drank it through a straw. Tonight after dinner I will attempt to take them off.
I have had absolutely no pain or tightness with the new tray and aligners. I'm thinking that this is a BREEZE so far!!
He suggested that I wait until tonight to take them off for the first time to avoid ripping off an attachment off. This obviously makes eating hard. I had already had breakfast, so for lunch I had a protein smoothie and drank it through a straw. Tonight after dinner I will attempt to take them off.
I have had absolutely no pain or tightness with the new tray and aligners. I'm thinking that this is a BREEZE so far!!
I woke up a lot through out the night the first couple nights! The pressure and the tightness of my jaw kept waking me up. I think the third night I took 200 mg of Advil and I slept through the night. Hard to say if that was the Advil or just the pressure wearing off!
Good luck to you too!! Hang in there. It gets so much better. I already feel used to them being in my mouth.