POSTED UNDER Invisalign Reviews
Invisalign
UPDATED FROM Kitty_1
8 months later
Kitty_1October 16, 2013
WORTH IT$5,200
It has now been about 8months since the end of my invisalign experience and am now only wearing my retainers at night.
I must say that doing Invisalign was probably the best decision i have made for myself, i am not insecure about my teeth or about smiling anymore and it is one of the best feelings in the world.
i'll say though that they arent really staying in place as solidly as i'd like so i try to wear them more often than just at nights. But im sure that will change. Im very grateful for this experience and recommend anyone to do it, because even the smallest changes are encouraging! The cost/time IS WORTH IT!
I must say that doing Invisalign was probably the best decision i have made for myself, i am not insecure about my teeth or about smiling anymore and it is one of the best feelings in the world.
i'll say though that they arent really staying in place as solidly as i'd like so i try to wear them more often than just at nights. But im sure that will change. Im very grateful for this experience and recommend anyone to do it, because even the smallest changes are encouraging! The cost/time IS WORTH IT!
Replies (3)
UPDATED FROM Kitty_1
HI GUYS! I havent been on here for quite a long...
Kitty_1December 3, 2012
HI GUYS! I havent been on here for quite a long time but just wanted to update once again with my progress..
lets see.... So where i left off was that i was getting 5 refinements (5 is the maximum for refinements with invisalign LITE)
Im currently on my fourth of five. The refinements have not been very painful at all, compared to the initial set they actually dont hurt at all when i put them in or take them out which really confused me because it made me feel like they werent doing anything at all to change my teeth! The first 2 were like i was wearing a used aligner. The third one was a little tighter, then the fourth was more tighter again. I can honestly say that just this fourth set has made a significant difference all on its own! So dont lose hope if your aligners dont seem to be doing much work, it only takes that one or two to do most of the moving before u go back to the 'lazy ones' lol
so in regard to the progress of my teeth, id say i need about 2 more before i get the perfect result! Its a shame i only have one to go :( FINGERS CROSSED number 5 will push extra hard! Il be switching to five in 6 days. Cannot wait!
does anybody know what i may be able to do if the fifth doesnt shift my teeth far enough? What alternative do i have in order to achieve the perfect set of teeth?
lets see.... So where i left off was that i was getting 5 refinements (5 is the maximum for refinements with invisalign LITE)
Im currently on my fourth of five. The refinements have not been very painful at all, compared to the initial set they actually dont hurt at all when i put them in or take them out which really confused me because it made me feel like they werent doing anything at all to change my teeth! The first 2 were like i was wearing a used aligner. The third one was a little tighter, then the fourth was more tighter again. I can honestly say that just this fourth set has made a significant difference all on its own! So dont lose hope if your aligners dont seem to be doing much work, it only takes that one or two to do most of the moving before u go back to the 'lazy ones' lol
so in regard to the progress of my teeth, id say i need about 2 more before i get the perfect result! Its a shame i only have one to go :( FINGERS CROSSED number 5 will push extra hard! Il be switching to five in 6 days. Cannot wait!
does anybody know what i may be able to do if the fifth doesnt shift my teeth far enough? What alternative do i have in order to achieve the perfect set of teeth?
Replies (2)
December 5, 2012
Sorry to hear that you are concerned whether the refinements will actually be able to complete the treatment or not. I would encourage you to talk to your dentist or orthodontist about what options would be, since each office is going to have somewhat different policies.
I have submitted this question to the Q&A so we can hear the opinions of some of the dentists who volunteer on RealSelf, and that can hopefully give us a glimpse into how some offices would approach this:
What Happens if Your Teeth Still Need Some Corrections After the Last Set of Refinement Trays?
Keep us posted on what your particular offices says, and how things look after your 5th tray. Hopefully it will be a rockstar of a tray and this concern will have all been for nothing - we can hope! :)
February 2, 2013
I enjoyed reading your post. I'm sure by now you're done or at least finishing your refinements and onto your retainer phase. I researched that part and it seems everybody has a different story on how much/long they have to wear theirs and the type they have.
I'm on tray #1 of 23. I was only supposed to wear them 2 weeks each, but I'm still wearing my first set for another 2 weeks because they're still tight -- despite wearing them 23-23.5 hours a day. I figured being vigilant would speed up the process, but guess not.
You never mentioned again about your top tooth. My tooth is very similar to yours (crossed over about the same amount) and I was just talking to my ortho today about people who said their teeth are literally loose and wiggling. She said they reset -- I assume yours did? How long did it take? How long before you saw that top front tooth straighten out?
I have an extraction right in front, so I understand about the crying over unsightly space... I'm supposed to see improvement in that by aligner 9. And, like you, I also fear pulling my teeth out trying to remove the bottom tray, especially the ones next to the gap of the missing tooth...
You're very lucky that you had no problem removing the trays even with attachments, as even two weeks in, the bottom one still gives me a very hard time. All in all the wearing of these isn't difficult, it's only the pain upon removal. I hope you reached the level of perfection that you were striving for.--Renee
February 3, 2013
Hi Inktatt, im glad you enjoyed reading my review :)
at the moment im still on refinement 5, (iv lost count of exactly how long its been!) but thats because i hadnt been 100% satisfied with the result. As il mention in a proper post a little later my ortho had decided to use an interesting technique with this retainer in order to ROTATE the stubborn tooth, my most recently uploaded pic shows where my teeth were at about three weeks ago..
wearing aligners for longer than two weeks is very normal especially if its your first aligner (i remember having to wear one of mine for a month too but it was closer to the end of treatment)
just remember your teeth are going thru a transition and as they move the bone has to readjust to its new placement, so the longer u keep in the same aligner the better for your teeth. I know how frustrating it is for u and im sure you're SO eager to get to number two (or 23 for that matter lol) but from someone whos felt that also just believe me when i say you wont believe how fast time is going to go, before you know it you will be on 23 an wondering what happened to the time :)
in regards to the top overlapping tooth, my ortho told me it was quite normal for it to wiggle a little because its in transition and ofcourse is a little unstable because of this, it still does wiggle til now a tiny bit and i think it will until its been set by the retainers for a little while. I just make sure not to bite down on hard foods with it and try not to brush too hard on it either, but my ortho also assured me that out teeth are very strong and wont fall out just like that :)
id have to say i saw improvement in that front tooth little by little but i do think it was around the 10th/11th aligner where i started to see how much it had significantly been pushed back, its just a matter of rotating it downwards that takes the most time so just be patient and it will happen eventually even if u do need refinements just remember its going to look AMAZING once ur done and it will all be worth it :)
as mentioned in one of my posts, i found a particular way of removing each aligner which was from the left side with my upper and right side with my lower, i dont know if its just how the aligner was made but its easier to pop them out that way. Maybe give it a try and see which side on each aligner comes off a little easier. As long as you're not too rough ur teeth will be just fine :D but dont be scared to pull those aligners out, if ur too easy on them (esp with attachments) ur just prolonging the pain/discomfort.
i really hope iv helped with your questions and thanks for your post :)
il update my review soon re; my progress :)
October 17, 2013
I have spaces now in the back of my mouth with my molars. Food gets stuck in there now easily and I have to constantly floss (more than usual). I'm hoping those will close up after everything is done or closer to the end of my treatment. it's not unsightly but annoying.
UPDATED FROM Kitty_1
Hi guys, just another quick update. I've had to...
Kitty_1September 17, 2012
Hi guys, just another quick update.
I've had to wear my last (number 14) aligners for about a month now due to my ortho being away for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately it still hasnt achieved what i wanted so after seeing my ortho today we decided it was best to get refinements. 5 in total which should be in in a few weeks. Im happy that atleast it will all be done properly, abit sad coz i thought i'd be done by now but i guess ill be done by the end of the year or start of next :)
will update as i go along..
I've had to wear my last (number 14) aligners for about a month now due to my ortho being away for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately it still hasnt achieved what i wanted so after seeing my ortho today we decided it was best to get refinements. 5 in total which should be in in a few weeks. Im happy that atleast it will all be done properly, abit sad coz i thought i'd be done by now but i guess ill be done by the end of the year or start of next :)
will update as i go along..
Replies (2)
September 17, 2012
Yeah, having to do refinements is always a bit of a bummer, because by the time you reach that stage you are just so ready to be done...but like you said, at least it will be getting done right. Not much longer, and you will probably be much happier with the results. :)
September 19, 2012
Hi Mariposa, I am so glad you have made this post with updates and info about your invisalign as it has helped me alot in my research as I am strongly thinking of getting invisalign but was unsure about all the details. I think I have a slightly worse case than your initial one though so don't think I would be eligable for "Invisalign Lite". I also live around the Inner West area and was just wondering if you could tell me the name of your orthodontist if you dont mind? They seem like they do a very reasonable price considering yours was $4,700 without a healthfund. I really want to get Invisalign but have been reading up on some testamonials on how they can cost over $8500, which I certaintly will not be able to afford.
I am having the same experience, in that I feel like my teeth aren't staying put with just the night-time retainer wear, so I wear the retainers a few extra hours during the day. But now my TMJ seems to be coming back. Have you had any adverse affects from wearing your retainers extra?