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So I will start with some background. I had...
So I will start with some background. I had traditional braces from age 15 to age 17 and when they came off, my top teeth weren’t completely straight. I have never been happy with the result but being a teenager, I didn’t want to say anything and just went with it . I remember getting my plates (what some orthodontists call retainers in Australia) and seeing my eye teeth were crooked in the plate and thinking “does he seriously consider this completed?”. My orthodontist when I was a teenager was incredibly rough when he didn’t need to be. I know this because he had a different orthodontist who worked for him on Fridays and I would try and book in with him as he was much more gentle and didn’t hurt me.
I had serious overcrowding and had four teeth (two top, two bottom) removed prior to my braces going on. My bottom teeth straightened within 6 months, but the braces stayed on for the full two years. Funnily enough, my bottom teeth started relapsing much quicker than the top teeth. The plate I got didn’t fit from the start and they eventually made a new plate with a fixed wire for my front four bottom teeth, but they moved so quickly it was difficult to get on and eventually I just gave up. I was told to get my wisdom teeth out once I was over 18 but at that time I couldn’t afford to take time off work to get it done and I didn’t have private health insurance.
So, now I am 30 years old, still have impacted wisdom teeth and still unhappy with the result of my previous orthodontic work. I looked into invisalign about 3 years ago and was told the price would be in the range of about $7000, but that particular dentist required me to pay half upfront, which I couldn’t do, so I didn’t go any further than the consultation.
I have been thinking about it on and off for the last few years and am now in the financial position to do it, so I decided to look for an orthodontist in my local area (in western Sydney). Once I found an orthodontist, I contacted them about the process. They asked if I could send some photos of my teeth, as the orthodontist was very busy and this way he could get an idea of whether invisalign would be suitable for me. I took some photos (with my mouth stretched wide, my fiancé thought it was hilarious) and sent them off and got a phone call saying it did look like it would work and to come in for a closer look and for impressions.
At the impressions appointment, I would have to pay $500, which goes toward the cost of the invisalign if I go ahead with it. I really didn’t have a problem with this, as I was pretty certain already that I wanted to do it. I got the impressions done, which take much longer than normal orthodontic impressions (3 minutes as opposed to about 20 or 30 seconds). As the impressions need to be perfect, they had to do my bottom teeth twice, but the bottom was much better than the feeling of the top one where the impression stuff overspills and becomes an irritating tongue tickler for 3 minutes!
I got x-rays done and the orthodontist looked at my wisdom teeth. He said two of them were bad – one was seriously squashed and putting pressure on my jaw, and another had previously had an infection (I can’t recall any pain with it though). The other two were moderate, but still impacted. Then he said the words I was hoping I would hear – “you need to get them out, but I suggest you do it after you finish the invisalign”. I was stoked, I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to do it this year as I took eight weeks leave at the end of last year year and I am taking three weeks off this October and really don’t want to take any more large chunks of leave this year. Quite a few people I know have needed a couple of weeks off after having their four wisdom teeth out.
After this, the orthodontist explained a few things to me about invisalign. He said that it was very likely that I would need the attachments (or “buttons” as some people call them on here) and how they work (by sort of grabbing the tooth and moving it, like a bracket in traditional braces. It gives the aligner something to grip onto to cause more movement). He explained how they would look and that he usually doesn’t like them being on the front four teeth as it makes them quite visible. I decided I was fine with that, tooth coloured attachments are not going to be as visible as a full set of braces, and I don’t really care what people think. If I find people looking weirdly at my mouth, I will tell them I have invisalign. I don’t care if people know, I just don’t want to have metal braces again, and I’m getting married in 6 months and don’t want metal mouth for my photos.
The orthodontist explained it will take approximately 4 to 6 weeks for the ClinCheck to come back, then he would contact me. He said he could email me parts of it and then I could go in and see him for a more comprehensive view of how things will work. It only took a couple of weeks before the ClinCheck came back. The exports from the ClinCheck were emailed to me and I was already happy with where my front teeth would end up. When I went in to get more detail, the orthodontist explained that my last orthodontic work made my bite almost how it should be, but there will be a bit of work on my bite. He showed me where the attachments will be and where I will have to get teeth filed. He explained that invisalign recommended 1mm between each bottom tooth at the front, but he doesn’t believe that I need that much shaved off. He explained that it was up to me whether I wanted to go ahead with an attachment that was on one of the front four. I said I would prefer to try it without it and if we have to do a refinement later we can, I am more concerned about how my teeth will look for my wedding so if I need attachments in more visible places after I don’t care. While looking at the ClinCheck, he noticed one or two teeth that wouldn’t be sitting where they should be in relation to my bite so he said he will send refinements back with that, and removing attachments from one of the front four.
So after all that, I was happy to go ahead. I asked the orthodontist one last question – how long would it take for you do this if I got traditional braces? He said he would need 6 to 12 months but he would have more control over the treatment if I got traditional braces. I decided against braces as I didn’t particularly want them again and couldn’t even consider it if treatment went past 6 months. So he advised he would send me a quote and once I gave the ok and paid $1500, the aligners would be ordered and there was no turning back. The quote came in at $7200, which is the lower end for full invisalign in Australia (they say between $7000 and $9000).
My aligners were ordered last Wednesday and now it is just the waiting for them to come in. Once they come in, I pay another $500 and then the rest is paid in 18 monthly instalments.
When I went to see the ClinCheck, I was at 20 to 23 aligners, but with the changes, I am not sure how many more it will add. The orthodontist said to me it will be either two weeks or three weeks each so I guess they have to see how well your teeth are moving and decide how long you will need each one. So it could be 46 weeks to 69 weeks. The duration doesn’t really bother me, I have been waiting half my life for my teeth to be right.
If there is one piece of advice I can give to people who are considering doing invisalign it is to go to an orthodontist. They are trained in moving teeth. There were several things that my orthodontist changed on my ClinCheck that he may not have known if he wasn’t a trained orthodontist. I have read some people’s posts on here that their invisalign dentist told them that they just follow the invisalign program. This shouldn’t be happening. They should be able to identify if changes need to be made (like the amount being shaved off each tooth) to ensure you have the smoothest (and shortest) ride as possible. If my orthodontist wasn’t trained in orthodontics, I would be getting attachments where I don’t want them, would have too much shaved from the sides of my teeth and my bite would still end up incorrect at the end.
I don’t expect for things to run perfectly, but I am confident that my orthodontist can fix anything that goes wrong. When I had braces, a very noticeable gap developed in between my front teeth. I was so self conscious about it and kept asking the orthodontist to do something about it. Eventually, he put a band across the brackets on the top two front teeth and closed the gap. Am I worried they will get a gap again? Absolutely! The ClinCheck doesn’t show this happening, but you never know. If a gap does develop, I will be straight back at the orthodontist for a refinement.
When I had traditional braces, I used to carry a mirror and a little brush the orthodontist gave me to clean any food out of the braces after I ate. I have a feeling I will be doing something similar with the attachments! But at least I can use my iphone’s reverse facing camera as a mirror!
I am not too concerned about the pain and sensitivity of the teeth moving or of the aligners rubbing in my mouth. I think if I could handle traditional braces with all that metal, I think I will be ok. I remember the pain after getting my braces tightened. They were usually sore to bite into anything for the first day but I really don’t think it will impact me more now than what it did when I was a teenager. I will try and suck it up! The worst thing about braces was all things rubbing in your mouth. This is where the dentist wax comes in handy, to cover the sore spots, and I have noticed people have filed their aligners if they are a bit rough. I remember after I got my braces off how I kept running my tongue along my teeth cos they felt so smooth compared to the metal, so I imagine it will take a while for me to get used to the attachments and the aligners, although I am truly confident I will be ok!
I will keep updating as I go along :)
I will add some photos and hopefully be able to add my mini ClinCheck videos in the next few days.
I had serious overcrowding and had four teeth (two top, two bottom) removed prior to my braces going on. My bottom teeth straightened within 6 months, but the braces stayed on for the full two years. Funnily enough, my bottom teeth started relapsing much quicker than the top teeth. The plate I got didn’t fit from the start and they eventually made a new plate with a fixed wire for my front four bottom teeth, but they moved so quickly it was difficult to get on and eventually I just gave up. I was told to get my wisdom teeth out once I was over 18 but at that time I couldn’t afford to take time off work to get it done and I didn’t have private health insurance.
So, now I am 30 years old, still have impacted wisdom teeth and still unhappy with the result of my previous orthodontic work. I looked into invisalign about 3 years ago and was told the price would be in the range of about $7000, but that particular dentist required me to pay half upfront, which I couldn’t do, so I didn’t go any further than the consultation.
I have been thinking about it on and off for the last few years and am now in the financial position to do it, so I decided to look for an orthodontist in my local area (in western Sydney). Once I found an orthodontist, I contacted them about the process. They asked if I could send some photos of my teeth, as the orthodontist was very busy and this way he could get an idea of whether invisalign would be suitable for me. I took some photos (with my mouth stretched wide, my fiancé thought it was hilarious) and sent them off and got a phone call saying it did look like it would work and to come in for a closer look and for impressions.
At the impressions appointment, I would have to pay $500, which goes toward the cost of the invisalign if I go ahead with it. I really didn’t have a problem with this, as I was pretty certain already that I wanted to do it. I got the impressions done, which take much longer than normal orthodontic impressions (3 minutes as opposed to about 20 or 30 seconds). As the impressions need to be perfect, they had to do my bottom teeth twice, but the bottom was much better than the feeling of the top one where the impression stuff overspills and becomes an irritating tongue tickler for 3 minutes!
I got x-rays done and the orthodontist looked at my wisdom teeth. He said two of them were bad – one was seriously squashed and putting pressure on my jaw, and another had previously had an infection (I can’t recall any pain with it though). The other two were moderate, but still impacted. Then he said the words I was hoping I would hear – “you need to get them out, but I suggest you do it after you finish the invisalign”. I was stoked, I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to do it this year as I took eight weeks leave at the end of last year year and I am taking three weeks off this October and really don’t want to take any more large chunks of leave this year. Quite a few people I know have needed a couple of weeks off after having their four wisdom teeth out.
After this, the orthodontist explained a few things to me about invisalign. He said that it was very likely that I would need the attachments (or “buttons” as some people call them on here) and how they work (by sort of grabbing the tooth and moving it, like a bracket in traditional braces. It gives the aligner something to grip onto to cause more movement). He explained how they would look and that he usually doesn’t like them being on the front four teeth as it makes them quite visible. I decided I was fine with that, tooth coloured attachments are not going to be as visible as a full set of braces, and I don’t really care what people think. If I find people looking weirdly at my mouth, I will tell them I have invisalign. I don’t care if people know, I just don’t want to have metal braces again, and I’m getting married in 6 months and don’t want metal mouth for my photos.
The orthodontist explained it will take approximately 4 to 6 weeks for the ClinCheck to come back, then he would contact me. He said he could email me parts of it and then I could go in and see him for a more comprehensive view of how things will work. It only took a couple of weeks before the ClinCheck came back. The exports from the ClinCheck were emailed to me and I was already happy with where my front teeth would end up. When I went in to get more detail, the orthodontist explained that my last orthodontic work made my bite almost how it should be, but there will be a bit of work on my bite. He showed me where the attachments will be and where I will have to get teeth filed. He explained that invisalign recommended 1mm between each bottom tooth at the front, but he doesn’t believe that I need that much shaved off. He explained that it was up to me whether I wanted to go ahead with an attachment that was on one of the front four. I said I would prefer to try it without it and if we have to do a refinement later we can, I am more concerned about how my teeth will look for my wedding so if I need attachments in more visible places after I don’t care. While looking at the ClinCheck, he noticed one or two teeth that wouldn’t be sitting where they should be in relation to my bite so he said he will send refinements back with that, and removing attachments from one of the front four.
So after all that, I was happy to go ahead. I asked the orthodontist one last question – how long would it take for you do this if I got traditional braces? He said he would need 6 to 12 months but he would have more control over the treatment if I got traditional braces. I decided against braces as I didn’t particularly want them again and couldn’t even consider it if treatment went past 6 months. So he advised he would send me a quote and once I gave the ok and paid $1500, the aligners would be ordered and there was no turning back. The quote came in at $7200, which is the lower end for full invisalign in Australia (they say between $7000 and $9000).
My aligners were ordered last Wednesday and now it is just the waiting for them to come in. Once they come in, I pay another $500 and then the rest is paid in 18 monthly instalments.
When I went to see the ClinCheck, I was at 20 to 23 aligners, but with the changes, I am not sure how many more it will add. The orthodontist said to me it will be either two weeks or three weeks each so I guess they have to see how well your teeth are moving and decide how long you will need each one. So it could be 46 weeks to 69 weeks. The duration doesn’t really bother me, I have been waiting half my life for my teeth to be right.
If there is one piece of advice I can give to people who are considering doing invisalign it is to go to an orthodontist. They are trained in moving teeth. There were several things that my orthodontist changed on my ClinCheck that he may not have known if he wasn’t a trained orthodontist. I have read some people’s posts on here that their invisalign dentist told them that they just follow the invisalign program. This shouldn’t be happening. They should be able to identify if changes need to be made (like the amount being shaved off each tooth) to ensure you have the smoothest (and shortest) ride as possible. If my orthodontist wasn’t trained in orthodontics, I would be getting attachments where I don’t want them, would have too much shaved from the sides of my teeth and my bite would still end up incorrect at the end.
I don’t expect for things to run perfectly, but I am confident that my orthodontist can fix anything that goes wrong. When I had braces, a very noticeable gap developed in between my front teeth. I was so self conscious about it and kept asking the orthodontist to do something about it. Eventually, he put a band across the brackets on the top two front teeth and closed the gap. Am I worried they will get a gap again? Absolutely! The ClinCheck doesn’t show this happening, but you never know. If a gap does develop, I will be straight back at the orthodontist for a refinement.
When I had traditional braces, I used to carry a mirror and a little brush the orthodontist gave me to clean any food out of the braces after I ate. I have a feeling I will be doing something similar with the attachments! But at least I can use my iphone’s reverse facing camera as a mirror!
I am not too concerned about the pain and sensitivity of the teeth moving or of the aligners rubbing in my mouth. I think if I could handle traditional braces with all that metal, I think I will be ok. I remember the pain after getting my braces tightened. They were usually sore to bite into anything for the first day but I really don’t think it will impact me more now than what it did when I was a teenager. I will try and suck it up! The worst thing about braces was all things rubbing in your mouth. This is where the dentist wax comes in handy, to cover the sore spots, and I have noticed people have filed their aligners if they are a bit rough. I remember after I got my braces off how I kept running my tongue along my teeth cos they felt so smooth compared to the metal, so I imagine it will take a while for me to get used to the attachments and the aligners, although I am truly confident I will be ok!
I will keep updating as I go along :)
I will add some photos and hopefully be able to add my mini ClinCheck videos in the next few days.
I got a phone call yesterday, my aligners have...
I got a phone call yesterday, my aligners have arrived! I can't go in until Thursday next week though as my ortho doesn't have a lot of availability (it's like only lunch time appointments left when trying to book a date in the very near future) and it takes me an hour to get back from work :/ so now it will be a very impatient wait for me. Aligners only took 13 days to come in from when they ordered them! Super quick! Even the receptionist was surprised they were in so quick!
I've ordered some retainer brite from the US as it has a lot of really good reviews. The site also had a spray and wipes for the aligners which I am going to try out. Will check back in next week!
I've ordered some retainer brite from the US as it has a lot of really good reviews. The site also had a spray and wipes for the aligners which I am going to try out. Will check back in next week!
So I got my first trays today, yay! So far, so...
So I got my first trays today, yay! So far, so good. There is a small amount of tightness and pressure but all in all it feels ok. I am still learning how to take them out, when my orthodontist did it, it was so simple but I feel like I have to put more pressure onto them to get them out.
I got my first two trays, I am meant to get attachments after the first tray but my orthodontist said he wanted me to get used to taking them in and out before he started with attachments which I'm ok with, so I will get them on tray 3 in mid June. He said to me to keep them in for 2 to 3 weeks and that I will know if its not ready to change (like if it is not fitting properly) and to not force myself onto the next one if I'm not ready. To quote him "it's not a race, it's a marathon" lol.
At the moment, you can't see them unless you are right up close to me which is good. I know it will be more noticeable with attachments but I think it's still better than braces.
I was talking to my orthodontist about what to expect, he said it won't be as bad as braces but it is different because with braces you tighten everything at once and with Invisalign you are moving one tooth here before you can move another tooth another way etc so you'll have different teeth that are tender at different times.
I tried out the "Cleanse. Freshen. Go" wipes. They are handy to have but hard to get into all the grooves so I wouldn't rely on them for every day use but good to use on the fly. I will definitely be buying more cos they would be so useful for travel or eating on the run.
I found the casts of my teeth from before I had braces (1997 they were taken, which means I had my braces for more than 2.5 years - I had forgotten how long I had them!). I'll try post some photos of them tonight.
Now my wonderful fiancé, who is most conveniently a chef, has taken the night off and is making me soup for dinner so I don't have to chew. It's pretty cold so I'm looking forward to it!
I got my first two trays, I am meant to get attachments after the first tray but my orthodontist said he wanted me to get used to taking them in and out before he started with attachments which I'm ok with, so I will get them on tray 3 in mid June. He said to me to keep them in for 2 to 3 weeks and that I will know if its not ready to change (like if it is not fitting properly) and to not force myself onto the next one if I'm not ready. To quote him "it's not a race, it's a marathon" lol.
At the moment, you can't see them unless you are right up close to me which is good. I know it will be more noticeable with attachments but I think it's still better than braces.
I was talking to my orthodontist about what to expect, he said it won't be as bad as braces but it is different because with braces you tighten everything at once and with Invisalign you are moving one tooth here before you can move another tooth another way etc so you'll have different teeth that are tender at different times.
I tried out the "Cleanse. Freshen. Go" wipes. They are handy to have but hard to get into all the grooves so I wouldn't rely on them for every day use but good to use on the fly. I will definitely be buying more cos they would be so useful for travel or eating on the run.
I found the casts of my teeth from before I had braces (1997 they were taken, which means I had my braces for more than 2.5 years - I had forgotten how long I had them!). I'll try post some photos of them tonight.
Now my wonderful fiancé, who is most conveniently a chef, has taken the night off and is making me soup for dinner so I don't have to chew. It's pretty cold so I'm looking forward to it!
Provider Review
Dr in Western Sydney
I found my orthodontist on the invisalign website