POSTED UNDER Invisalign Reviews REVIEWS
6 Months Down, 6 More Months to Go -Toronto, ON
ORIGINAL POST
I'm at the halfway point now and wanted to share...
Sare_bearAugust 7, 2013
WORTH IT$8,000
I'm at the halfway point now and wanted to share my experience and tips and tricks for anyone considering Invisalign. Overall I think this is a great product and wonderful for anyone who wants to straighten their teeth as discretely as possible.
The aligners are held into place with "buttons", which are small amounts of clear bond which are applied to your teeth. These buttons are strategically placed to help your teeth shift. When getting the mould/treatment plan, ask your orthodontist where the buttons will be placed as these can make the invisaligns less invisible. A friend of mine has hers on her front teeth which really sucks. Also if you have difficulty removing the aligners it may be because they are getting stuck on a button. I ended up having buttons removed from my back molars because I couldn't remove the trays and my doc said they weren't really necessary anyway.
Every time you change your aligners (every 2 weeks), you are going to hate your life and be miserable. The sooner you can come to terms with this, the better off you will be. Switch your aligners at night. I recommend taking an extra strength Advil or my favourite the Advil nighttime with a sleep aid. I find by the morning you teeth have settled and don't hurt as much. You have to keep reminding yourself, your teeth are shifting constantly they are going to be tender, be patient with yourself. If the aligners are really pinching, I will use the chewie for about 30 minutes to get my mouth used to the new fit.
Now for my tips:
- prior to getting the buttons put on, whiten your teeth so they are as white as possible. You won't be able to whiten during treatment so you might as well start off as white as you can. I used the crest white strips in level 4 (highest is 5)
- invest in an electric tooth brush. This is important for a few reasons, better more through clean, especially around the buttons and you can use it to massage your gums which will help with the pain.
- use polident cleaning tabs. In the morning while I am getting ready, I place my aligners in a cup of warm water with a tab. They are antibacterial and give them a great clean (really helps with stains and smelling). Warms them up, making it easier to apply. They feel super clean :)
Overall I am really happy with my results thus far, can't wait to see the final results. Will post pictures to add to this review.
The aligners are held into place with "buttons", which are small amounts of clear bond which are applied to your teeth. These buttons are strategically placed to help your teeth shift. When getting the mould/treatment plan, ask your orthodontist where the buttons will be placed as these can make the invisaligns less invisible. A friend of mine has hers on her front teeth which really sucks. Also if you have difficulty removing the aligners it may be because they are getting stuck on a button. I ended up having buttons removed from my back molars because I couldn't remove the trays and my doc said they weren't really necessary anyway.
Every time you change your aligners (every 2 weeks), you are going to hate your life and be miserable. The sooner you can come to terms with this, the better off you will be. Switch your aligners at night. I recommend taking an extra strength Advil or my favourite the Advil nighttime with a sleep aid. I find by the morning you teeth have settled and don't hurt as much. You have to keep reminding yourself, your teeth are shifting constantly they are going to be tender, be patient with yourself. If the aligners are really pinching, I will use the chewie for about 30 minutes to get my mouth used to the new fit.
Now for my tips:
- prior to getting the buttons put on, whiten your teeth so they are as white as possible. You won't be able to whiten during treatment so you might as well start off as white as you can. I used the crest white strips in level 4 (highest is 5)
- invest in an electric tooth brush. This is important for a few reasons, better more through clean, especially around the buttons and you can use it to massage your gums which will help with the pain.
- use polident cleaning tabs. In the morning while I am getting ready, I place my aligners in a cup of warm water with a tab. They are antibacterial and give them a great clean (really helps with stains and smelling). Warms them up, making it easier to apply. They feel super clean :)
Overall I am really happy with my results thus far, can't wait to see the final results. Will post pictures to add to this review.
Sare_bear's provider
Replies (4)
August 15, 2013
I too am at 6 months into my treatment! On the whitening - you can whiten your teeth after attachments (attachements are used to help move the teeth, buttona are applied when they are using elastics) have been applied - I've been doing it on and off since treatment began. A top invisalign ortho has said it's not an issue to whiten with attachments. Just an FYI - if you wanted to get a whitening gel later in treatment you can do so and use your trays. :)
March 16, 2015
Great tips - Going to look into cleaning my trays with the polident cleaning tabs.
June 12, 2017
A few comments about this post. According to my dentist you should never put your aligners in warm water as they will soften and therefore change shape - not what you want when they are trying to move your teeth. Also, they are supposed to be cleaned with a soft brush and toothpaste only. Also, it is not recommended to take Advil as the inflammation process helps with the re positioning of the teeth. Therefore Tylenol is recommended for the pain. Hope this helps.
Great tips, especially about whitening before starting treatment. I like the Crest White Strips too - so easy!
Looking forward to seeing your pictures when you post them. :)