POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
OMG I Have Finally Made a Decision! Sevenoaks, GB
ORIGINAL POST
Having already booked and cancelled invisalign...
mazza40April 2, 2016
WORTH IT$6,000
Having already booked and cancelled invisalign three times in the past 9 months I am over the moon to have finally made that decision, thanks to lots of tips and support from you all and a lot of looking in the mirror and old photos and thinking do I really want to reach 50 with these wonky teeth and lack of confidence when I smile, or spend 18 months doing something which will cheer me up for the next 50 years!?! I had my wisdom teeth & 5 other teeth out as a teen (hence the bottom teeth don't line up properly with the top teeth) but have never been happy with my teeth and they have got worse as I've got older, together with gum problems due to the overcrowding. When I saw the Clincheck yesterday I was happy to see that although I will have 18 attachments, I won't have them on my 2 front teeth. I don't know why, but the look of the attachments bothered me more than anything else - I'm sure it will be the least of my worries once I get going (22nd April). I'll need 26 trays, the dreaded IPR and refinements - about 18 months in total apparently. Will be back to regale you with the misery after the 22nd (no - I will be brave!)
Replies (13)
April 2, 2016
Hi Mazza,
April 2, 2016
Oops, wasn't done! Lol!
I also will be taking the "plunge" this month. Currently waiting for aligners. Had my initial consult and scan and all that jazz at the end of February. 6-10 week wait I was told. Not too happy about that! Lucky you got to see your your clincheck before they sent for the aligners. That wasn't offered to me. So happy I found this site. Although I have read a lot of things that scare me more than anything I've learned to just read "worth it" or "not sure" reviews. Anyway I am also in the late 40's range starting this. I had braces as a teen and sadly my teeth have reverted back to their pre braces crooked state for lack of wearing a retainer. My biggest concern being my top teeth. My bottom teeth are super crooked but never bothered me cause they don't show up in pics. But my once lovely smile is now marred with dare I say it a snaggletooth! Yikes! But I figure if I'm going to do this I may as well do it right! So my teeth will be in case in plastic for somewhere between 16 and 20 months! Gasp! I was hoping for 9-10 months. Strongly considering the extra cost of acceledent to cut the time down. I just have to convince my ortho who does not do the device.I kick myself for not speaking to more than one ortho! Anyway looks like we will be in a similar time frame for this business hopefully we can comiserate together! Ciao
I also will be taking the "plunge" this month. Currently waiting for aligners. Had my initial consult and scan and all that jazz at the end of February. 6-10 week wait I was told. Not too happy about that! Lucky you got to see your your clincheck before they sent for the aligners. That wasn't offered to me. So happy I found this site. Although I have read a lot of things that scare me more than anything I've learned to just read "worth it" or "not sure" reviews. Anyway I am also in the late 40's range starting this. I had braces as a teen and sadly my teeth have reverted back to their pre braces crooked state for lack of wearing a retainer. My biggest concern being my top teeth. My bottom teeth are super crooked but never bothered me cause they don't show up in pics. But my once lovely smile is now marred with dare I say it a snaggletooth! Yikes! But I figure if I'm going to do this I may as well do it right! So my teeth will be in case in plastic for somewhere between 16 and 20 months! Gasp! I was hoping for 9-10 months. Strongly considering the extra cost of acceledent to cut the time down. I just have to convince my ortho who does not do the device.I kick myself for not speaking to more than one ortho! Anyway looks like we will be in a similar time frame for this business hopefully we can comiserate together! Ciao
April 3, 2016
I've will have had an 8 week wait since my records appointment - it's too long! I think that's why I kept on backing out before - too much time to think about it! I asked for the clincheck to be emailed to me while I was at the appointment - I don't think he would have sent it unless I'd asked though. Acceledent doesn't seem to be available in the UK yet, but I did ask my ortho and he says he wouldn't be in favour of me having it anyway, or changing the aligners less than every 2 weeks except maybe with the refinements so looks like I've got to be patient and go the whole 14-18 months! Good luck - look forward to seeing how you get on :)
April 3, 2016
Congrats on taking the plunge! I'm a recent beginner, too (on tray 4 -woo!) so I understand what you've been through. I'd also talked myself out of it several times before finally going for it!
As far as the attachments go, I can tell you that I'm not thrilled about mine (I have 15, mostly on my top teeth), but it's not because of how they look - it's because of how they feel. This really surprised me! I was dreading having the attachments on because I was so worried about how they'd look, but they're not as bad as I worried. They just make my teeth feel dirty, which I hate! But, oh well. It could be worse - at least I don't have metal and wire stuck to ALL of my teeth!! I'll be headed in for IPR on the 18th, so fingers crossed that it's also much ado about nothing!
Stay brave - you can do it! One day at a time :)
As far as the attachments go, I can tell you that I'm not thrilled about mine (I have 15, mostly on my top teeth), but it's not because of how they look - it's because of how they feel. This really surprised me! I was dreading having the attachments on because I was so worried about how they'd look, but they're not as bad as I worried. They just make my teeth feel dirty, which I hate! But, oh well. It could be worse - at least I don't have metal and wire stuck to ALL of my teeth!! I'll be headed in for IPR on the 18th, so fingers crossed that it's also much ado about nothing!
Stay brave - you can do it! One day at a time :)
April 3, 2016
I want to be just like your neighbor. Honestly, this is one of the best things I've done for myself, no regrets, just want it done with now after 2 years. My provider doesn't DO acceledent either, so 2 weeks of 38 initial trays, and three weeks for the 12-15 refinements as well. I am now on refinement 13 ( 13-15 are called over-correction trays. they basically add to the refinement stage in case things are still not where they should be) it's all there in my last review.
UPDATED FROM mazza40
So far so good...
mazza40April 22, 2016
The day finally came! Picked up my first 2 sets of aligners today. I thought it was best to expect the worst - lots of pain, saliva, mashed banana diet and a horrendous lisp. Well, I did have a bit of a lisp but it only lasted a few hours and apart from a bit of a sore tongue everything is good. Attachments on May 20th - I guess that's when it will kick in as my ortho said it is only 60% efficient without the attachments - I think he is easing me in gently. Happy days :)
Replies (2)
April 22, 2016
Congrats! I'm glad to hear it's going well. I have had a bit of a setback with starting mine. Switching providers. So starting over from scratch. Appt. On Tues. Unfortunate but I think will be for the best in the end. : )
April 23, 2016
Oh dear, that's a shame, but I think it is really important to feel 100% confident with your orthodontist. The first one I saw said it would only take 12 months and would be about $2000 cheaper but there was just something that didn't feel 'right'. Good luck - I look forward to hearing how you get on.
UPDATED FROM mazza40
Attachments & IPR - yay!
mazza40May 20, 2016
Hi all. It's been a long 4 weeks since I started but I finally went in for the dreaded attachments and got the bonus of having a bit of IPR too! The most uncomfortable part was having my lips stretched to beyond their normal capacity, but apart from that I coped (and I am a bit of a wimp). I was pleasantly surprised by how the attachments look, as I was expecting the worst. They feel very strange without the aligners on, but I'm sure I'll get used to it, and I'm really not in any discomfort - they feel tight and my teeth are a bit sensitive, but nothing that is going to stop me eating or sleeping (although I won't be attempting an apple or raw carrots for a while)! The IPR was a bit grim but it didn't take long and although it felt like I would have a 2 inch gap in between each tooth, I actually can't even see a difference. I've got my next 5 trays so go back in 10 weeks for the next 5 and a bit of IPR. I made the mistake of comparing tray 7 to tray 2 - I really can't see any difference at all :(
Replies (10)
May 20, 2016
Well done !! It doesn't sound too bad. I'm there for mine in 3 weeks to allow time for my extractions to heal. Glad it's gone ok.
May 20, 2016
Glad everything went well! It looks great, hope mine will turn out this well too! ;) Don't feel too bad about not seeing much change at Tray 7. I think we shouldn't expect any visible change till mid-treatment. But I'm sure you will feel it...
May 20, 2016
Thanks. Yes, I think you're right - I looked at the clincheck and it doesn't look like my front tooth will start to uncross until Tray 13, half way through. How are you going on?
May 20, 2016
I know. Mine the same. :( We'll get there soon. Thanks, so far so good! :) I'm eating out tonight for the first time, hope it will go well. I've been doing 30 min meal times, breakfast and dinner only, so now I have some extra time for the weekend. :) Bit nervous about next week though...
May 20, 2016
Have a good time - I'm sure you'll be fine. I think 2 hours a day without them is very unrealistic - don't you? I mean, you wouldn't have a life for 1-2 years if you kept to that 24/7 - lol :) I manage to keep to it most days, but if you are eating out you would spend half your time in the toilet if you had to keep to that!!
May 20, 2016
Thank you! :) I know, it's a challenge! For me the most important meals are breakfast and dinner. For lunch, I figured I could either have smoothies, creamy soups through a straw then brush/rinse, or just skip it, so I would have more time on Fri/Sat. I want to enjoy eating out. :)
May 20, 2016
Glad you are ok, I found the lip stretching horrid too! I have no pain but as you say teeth sensitive and it feels very weird without the aligners on! I also compared my tray 6 to tray one and was disappointed but we need to just remember the changes are minute so as not to move them too quickly - we will have straight teeth one day!!!
May 20, 2016
Glad things went well for you! Yes you'll get used to them. The worst is after you eat and feels like there's still food stuck on your teeth. Keep a mirror close!
May 30, 2016
Glad you made it through IPR and the attachments without too much discomfort! The attachments do feel strange especially when eating, but like all the changes you go through during the process you do get used to it.
I was lucky in that I did not have to deal with the stretching during IPR, just at the very beginning of the process when the photos were taken.
Keep the faith, you will see visible changes soon and before you know it you will be done and have an amazing smile!
I was lucky in that I did not have to deal with the stretching during IPR, just at the very beginning of the process when the photos were taken.
Keep the faith, you will see visible changes soon and before you know it you will be done and have an amazing smile!
All the best for your treatment.