Invisalign in Seattle! Tacoma, WA

Yeah, here's hoping I have just been lucky! Maybe after my IPR and my teeth have room to move, perhaps then I will feel something. Per my clincheck, the 10 trays with straighten my teeth, but it doesnt look like it pulls in my overbite as much as I would like, plus look at my teeth, there is NO WAY I won't need refinements to pull in my overbite (I've seen bunny rabbits with less of an overbite lol)! I am already mentally prepared for another 10 or more trays. So far I have only had to file and use wax on my first tray (very minor but if you don't do it the trays will cut your mouth). I agree with the consumers that Invisalign should improve the quality of their EXPENSIVE aligners and smooth the edges. But if we consumers keep buying as-is, they don't have much incentive until a competitor comes along with a better product.

I certainly hope you go forward with getting braces. I am sure it will be worth it. Keep us posted!

Thanks. This site is great for information. Thank you for your reply. I think talking personally with others going through it will really help with my fears.

How are things going? I went ahead after my could and paid in full. Did all the scans and, x-rays, pictures. Currently waiting for my trays. Ortho said 16-20 months. Yikes! What have I hot myself into! I hope you are still having a virtually pain free experience. It gives me hope!

Oops, "consult" not "could" and "got". Lol

My treatment is still absolutely PAIN FREE (yay!...hmm?).

I do not see any visible changes to my teeth yet.

Tray one looks exactly like tray 6 (disapointing, but I have no choice but to remain patient and trust the process and my dentist). My doctor said I should start seeing change around tray 10.

My first thought and concern was that I would only received 10 trays total, but my doctor said because my schedule is so unpredicable (due to travel and I am moving to a different state travelling back to Seattle for appointments), he thought it best to make in-treatment adjustments instead of waiting until the end. So I will probably have (guessing here) 10 additional trays.

I also mentioned to my doctor about not experiencing any pain, he said it is not painful to everyone, and that I probably just have a higher tolerance. However in my mind the pain has to first be there in order to tolerate it. LOL

Anyway, I will switch to tray 5 tonight. No pictures posted as there is nothing new to see.

I am scheduled for IPR April 20th, maybe my teeth will move a bit more or faster, and I can see changes and experience a bit of pain (so I feel like they are working).



Congratulations on your investement! Whew! doesn't it feel great to finally do it?! The wait for my first trays made me anxious. I am patient with people, but I am impatient and have issues with not having material things in my hands that I have already paid for (a different conversation...lol).

Thousands of people go through the treatment, so it must be tolerable even if you do experience pain. I am looking forward to your first day with trays post!

I see you havent updated in a while. Hope everything still going well with you and still pain free! I had a little bump in the road on starting my invisalign. I switched providers. Going with my general dentist (a preferred prodider) instead of the elite guy I was originally going with. The wait times were just too long. He's too busy, working in like 3 ir 4 different offices. God forbid I need a replacement aligner or last minute appt. for anything. I could be stuck in an old aligner for weeks! Also my treatment time went from a possible 16-20 months to 10 months. Im really not looking for cookie cutter straight teeth. I think the other guy would have been too much of a perfectionist. Anyway, I start on Friday! Get attachments and everything right from the get go. Yikes! Super nervous. Praying for no pain like you! I started a review. my clincheck is up!

I never saw my clincheck, but my teeth were pretty bad, so I didn't really worry about it since every consult I went two predicted I would need a set or two of refinements. I figure once my teeth actually start looking good than I can worry about how I want them to end up. I was told my initial trays ended up coming in 3 weeks, even though I was told most likely around 6. Also every time I go in for a check up, and a new set of trays I've received 6-7 trays each time so as song as you time it right 10 weeks should be ok.

Thanks. I see you got acceledent. I asked my ortho about it and even though he's an elite provider he has never used it. He did say he may be able to get it but doesn't recommend it. Why he wouldn't offer people a way for a faster and possibly more comfortable treatment is beyond me! Do you use it every day? Not sure I would have the discipline.

Okay...your comments make a lot of sense. Thanks!
I hope the big movements are come soon. ;)

Good thing you voiced your concerns early in the process. I used the chewies the first couple of days and think they do there job...if nothing else gives assurance the aligners are in as best as they can be. Good luck on your journey....I just started on 2/19.

It probably will not take 6 weeks. I believe 6 weeks is the manufactures standard turn around time, but I think most people get their aligners sooner. And your clincheck will be sent to your doctor for approval before your aligners are created. how soon you get your clincheck depends on your case, your doctor and Invisalign's response time. I was fortunate to get mine in two weeks because my doctor submitted a rush because I am moving, and I gave him permission to approve my clincheck without my review (why would I want to approve it... he is the dentist not me. That is what I pay him for. Plus waiting for my review and approval was wasting valuable time!). It is soooo tough waiting. Waiting sure tested my patience! :)

Yours will be here before you know it! Then onto the next waiting game... Waiting to be able to switch into your next set of aligners; then waiting to see the first slight change. I won't see any change until tray 6. (Out of 10). I switch to tray three on Wednesday and it looks exactly like tray one :(

No pain or pressure with my aligners yet, so I am skeptical that they are working. But I will stay the course and hopefully I will start to feel something.

You'll find yourself replaying your Clincheck over and over! :-)

My journey started 3 days ago..woohoo! It took 2 1/2 weeks. You're right, I viewed my Clinchek over a dozen times so far.

Ha ha! Yep! Those clinchecks are quite addictive! I look at mine to see which teeth are supposed to be moving with a particular tray.
So you're on day three. Wasn't the first day exciting and full of wonder and antiipation around taking them in and out, and cleaning them, and the funny lisps (although people I know didn't seem to notice my lisp or aligners until I pointed them out). So...what do you think so far? Did you find all of the information on this sight helpful? How many trays total do you have? I sure did. I got great tips; from how to deal with sharp edges, wax, chewies, and cleaning my aligners. I am only on tray two, but feel like a pro at it! This forum is great. Be sure to post progress pictures, even if it is just for your own purposes (that was one of the things I still look at). I REALLY REALLY appreciate the people who posts lost of pictures. I follow similar cases that either started around the same time I did, or are abojut three months ahead of me, so I can see how and if their aligners are changing their teeth. Fun to do when I have a bit of down time and sitting on the couch.

I was too excited the first day...I called my ortho's office a couple times last week to make sure the aligners hadn't came in...so anxious. I got the call Thursday at 4:00 and she said they had a 7:30sm appt. on Friday. I jumped on it. My first day was full of exploring...I kept looking in the mirror. The aligners were giving my teeth firm hugs. It felt comforting on Friday, but what a change on Saturday!! I removed them for breakfast and wanted to put them right back in. My teeth were throbbing and I swear they were loose. I had to remember this is a means to an end and something I wanted for a very long time. This forum has been very informative. I must admit, I think it's an addiction. I ordered a cute makeup bag to carry my supplies in..toothbrush, toothpaste, mirror, floss, wax, sanitizer and case. The only thing I find difficult is to remove the aligners and brush my teeth in public restrooms. My teeth are my secret, for now anyway..lol. I will take your advice and post more pictures as I change trays to track my progress. I'm in it to win!! I have 27 trays + refinements (don't know how many yet) with 21 attachments on my teeth. They feel weird and I always feel like I have food stuck in my teeth when my aligners aren't in. My lisp isn't bad, but I trying to avoid saying "s" words. I am definitely on the Invisalign diet...I eat three meals a day and drink water instead of Coca Cola :( major downside to this but better for me. I strategically plan when to eat, I ask myself "Is it worth it"?

Yes! 100% worth every sacrafice! We're going to look great when we are all done! One year/two years seems so far away, but once the aligners become daily routine habit, I anticipate the journey will be over sooner than we realize. I think once we get to the 3 to 4 month mark, whereby, I have read on this forum, is when most people can actually see a marked change, the rest of the time will fly by! The confidence a pretty smile gives a person is priceless. When I see people with pretty smiles I get a little envious. I still haven't found a cute make up bag yet. I have a bag for my invisalign gear, but it's not as pretty as I would like. I'll put some effort into finding a better one. Thanks for the tip about putting a mirror in the bag. I hadn't thought of that item. I think once I experience some discomfort with my aligners I might not want to take them in and out as much as I do now, and I too can get on the invisialign diet...hey what girl doesn't mind shedding a few pounds. What a fabulous side perk! I get to switch my aligner out tomorrow night (yay!... and the two weeks seemed to go by faster than the first two weeks which seemed to last forever), fingers crossed tray three might finally provide some discomfort! I want to be able to complain! ha ha!
No matter how diligent I am about brushing and flossing before bed (and I do extra at night), I have noticed that if I eat or drink something with sugar, I still wake up with feeling like fur is on my teeth! yuck! I think it is because the saliva is not circulating and removing the sugar/bacteria on my teeth as much when the aligners are in. So I avoid sugar in the evening. And the area around my attachments never feel smooth and clean like my teeth do after brushing and flossing (i wonder if that is just how the cement feels, or am I just really not scrubbing them enough...I'll ask my dentist on my next visit...unless someone here knows). Two things I really do not like about wearing the aligners
1.) my teeth never really feel clean no matter how much I brush.
2.) I forget I am wearing them and inadvertently pop food or drink in my mouth, or use my teeth to try to tear open a bag or something like that, then bite down and instantly be reminded that I have my aligners in (thankfully I haven't cracked them yet). Once I start feeling pain/discomfort maybe I won't do that anymore!
I will update my pictures every other tray for now, since I won't have any significant movement until tray 6. So nothing for me or anyone to see really.

LOL @ you wanting to feel discomfort. I can't wait until you do! You will quickly try and edit that statement. You definitely will not try and use your teeth for anything other than softly chewing food. You are right...the sacrifice is worth every bit.