I just started my Invisalign adventure yesterday and, so far, have not been too miserable. I had normal braces through middle school, but recently found out, as a senior in high school, that I needed them again to fix my popping jaw. When it came down to choosing normal braces or Invisalign, my attitude was basically: there is NO way I'm starting college with a mouthful of metal. So, here I am, twenty-four hours into set 1 of 21.

One of my only complaints is about my poor tongue! The bottom retainer has cut my tongue up a little bit. Does filing the plastic down really help? My other small complaint is a sore throat. I read a couple posts saying this might come from an allergic reaction to the plastic ... anyone know anything about this? I'm already allergic to most pollens, grasses, dusts, and trees and have a lot of food allergies so maybe I'm just paranoid ....

I'm getting one next week when I start tray 11 out of 13, just curious to what it's going to look like.

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Originally posted by James:
I am week 3 of Invisalign and for the most part, it is not that bad. I've never had braces. I am a 26/Male.

Question: I am on the Express plan (10 top, 6 bottom) and my teeth seem to be moving quite fast. I have actually upped the trays every week, so I am on tray 3 of upper and lower in week three. I know this may be a bit insane, but I am tolerating it fine. Is there a problem expediting like this?

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According to my dentist, this is HORRIBLE for your teeth. He explained that our teeth move the first 3 days we have a new set of trays in and after that they need the additional 10-11 days to heal. By changing aligners too quickly, the roots of your teeth are not giving enough time to heal, thus damaging the roots. Moreover, doing this can lead to bone loss and result in nerve damage. Although some suggest that 10-12 days is sufficent, in the big scheme of things its not going to make much of a difference in waiting a few more days when you can have the assurance you are not causing any self inflicted damage where you could loose teeth from this later in life. HTH :-)

Second time around, I switched to a much better ortho and got braces again. This time it (for the most part) worked and my teeth got better. I got retainers but (being a kid then) never wore them which I now regret. Perhaps that's why my teeth are misaligned again.

Anyway, my dentist told me more than a year ago that my 4 wisdom teeth will eventually have to go because it will ruin my teeth alignment. I had 2 removed but the 2 are still untouched as of now (I feel some pain & pressure cause of it already and am looking to finally have them removed).

Unfortunately the alignment has gotten screwed up again, here are recent PHOTOS (yes, it bothers me THIS MUCH):

http://aycu08.webshots.com/image/19567/2000950803773673191_rs.jpg

There's more crowding & the two huge, long front teeth have protruded and I feel are being pushed out even more thus ruining the alignment. =(

Can Invisalign fix this? I know I have to ask the ortho but I guess an early opinion here won't hurt and might even help.

I was hoping Invisalign EXPRESS would be OK already...what do you think? Also, will veneers help (more)?

Cost: I am on my 5th of 26 trays. It cost $5000 total, of which insurance is paying $1200.

Lips and Gums:
The first trays hurt my lips and gums badly. I cut a small emory board in half lengthwise and filed the sharp edges and this helped a lot. I also used curved nail scissors to trim edges that were too long and cutting my mucosa (like, inside my upper lip). (My dentist gave me that tip.) One thing I learned the hard way: it's very important not to roughen the plastic surfaces with which your tongue comes in contact. I did that inadvertently on my first trays and had great difficulty speaking at times, especially when not well enough hydrated.

Speech / Hydration:
I was VERY self conscious about my speech at first. However, others didn't notice a thing (I asked my close friends), and I have become accustomed to it now. I have learned that the most important thing I can do to normalize my speech in these braces is to stay well hydrated. If I get behind on fluid intake, there is greater friction between my tongue and the braces and it is much harder to keep my speech sounding normal. I had been in the habit of drinking two caffeinated beverages in the AMs. I still do that, but I now have to drink a lot more water to make up for it. (Caffeine is a dehydrating agent)

Tooth pain, tray removal:
I have a high pain tolerance and have not had a lot of tooth pain with these braces. The first two sets Of trays I took 2 ES Tylenol on the first night but haven't needed anything else since. During the 1st two days of each new tray it can be shocking to put them on and take them off- that is, there is some discomfort; however, i don't find it to be a deterrent. I certainly woulnd't pass up food because of it! (ha ha good thing, I am too skinny as it is) This effect gradually decreases over the two weeks that each tray set is in. TAking them out was very difficult at first. My dentist gave me a special tool she created, which was very effective. HOwever, I haven't needed it since the second set of trays, I just use my fingernails now. I find it interesting that I can feel pressure/discomfort in a different location with each set of trays.

EAting/drinking:
I didn't drink any sugared drinks before Invisalign - only water and diet cokes. I have continued with that with the braces on. However, because staining the trays is possible with non-clear drinks, I always use a straw. I had always done that anyway to keep my teeth from staining. i would never eat in these braces and at first found it quite annoying to have to take them out, brush, and put them back on after every time i ate; however, I'm used to it now. With the 3rd set of trays I started noticing a difference in my bite. Now my molars definitely do not come together completly when I bite down. This doesn't really bother me so far. I can tell it is due to the change in alignment of my top and bottom front teeth, because they now scrape together at times when I eat. That does bother me, but I try to chew slowly and that helps. Next time I'm at the dentist I will ask her what will be done about taht - I expect my top teeth might have to be filed down a little at the end of treatment.

Hygeine:
I am a germ freak so handling these things and the smell and film drive me crazy. But what's a girl to do!!?? I haven't cleaned mine with anything but (non-baking soda) toothpaste because the instructions warned that using anything else might make the trays less clear and more visible and I am self-conscious enough about them as it is. I have learned to soak them in water while I eat (when possible), and use a good deal of water with the toothpaste when brushing them - that makes it easier to remove the film. I found i needed a FIRM toothbrush to clean them because the film isn't easy to get off, so I have to keep double toothbrushes around (soft for teeth). I carry travel toothbrushes and little tubes of toothpaste in my purse, and also keep these supplies in my office and on each floor of my home, to make it as convenient as possible. I brush my teeth in the car, in my office, etc. etc - any where private. i have an aversion to brushing my teeth in public for some reason...but at times I have to do it, eg, when at a restaurant. If I brush in the car or my office I go to the bathroom to rinse them immediately after. Usually I brush them vigorously under water when rinsing them. I use a super whitening toothpaste to brush my teeth but a regular toothpaste to clean the trays. My teeth are fairly white, I have always used whitening strips once a month or so to maintain that. Well now the strips don't make sufficient contact with my teeth b/c of the buttons. So I found a super whitening gel, which I apply with a qtip about once/week for 10-15 min. It is a pain but better than having yellow teeth. :-) I don't floss every time I eat. I do it in the AM and at bed time, and I have had no problem with excess stuff between my teeth or gum bleeding or odor. It takes hours for bacteria to start growing so I don't buy the thing about flossing every single meal. I find that the odor on the trays increases gradually over the time period in which they are worn. It seems to be permanently imbedded in the plastic...I am always grateful to get to that new tray set every two weeks. However, it has not been enough to give me bad breath. (i have checked with my boyfriend on that:-) )

Can others tell?
My dentist didn't tell me I would have to have "buttons" and have spaces cut between my teeth (which are visible when I have the braces off) until after I had already paid and was trapped in the chair. It's a good thing she didn't tell me b/c I would not have done it. I was mortified beyond words at first. I have a high visibility job in which ~60 people report up to me, 600 people in my division know me whether I know them or not, and I frequently have to speak in front of groups. Plus, I have always been uncomfortable with my appearance anyway, so I was really shaken the first day b/c of the buttons, the changes in my speech, and the spaces she cut between my teeth. However, NO ONE NOTICED!! Not even my boyfriend, he even kept forgetting i had them for the first few weeks. He can see them when I talk, but only if he remembers to look for them - otherwise they are 100% undetectable to him at all times. (Yes, even THOSE times.)AFter about a week of no one noticing any difference, I relaxed and stopped worrying about it so much.

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Originally posted by TMG:
Jil...I have 13 uppers, 12 lowers and i am looking at 6 1/2 months also. I paid $2100.

I personally want "almost" perfect teeth so I dont think 6 months is bad compared ot how long others have to do this so I would suggest waiting it out and not quitting half way thru no matter how your teeth look. They need time to settle. My dentist did some shaving on my 3rd visit and it wasnt bad. The spaces are really tiny and unnoticeable. I think its normal for the shaving...

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Originally posted by TMG:
Jil...I have 13 uppers, 12 lowers and i am looking at 6 1/2 months also. I paid $2100.

I personally want "almost" perfect teeth so I dont think 6 months is bad compared ot how long others have to do this so I would suggest waiting it out and not quitting half way thru no matter how your teeth look. They need time to settle. My dentist did some shaving on my 3rd visit and it wasnt bad. The spaces are really tiny and unnoticeable. I think its normal for the shaving...

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Looks like I got the replying thing wrong the first time. I'm trying again.

It's cool to get answered so fast.. I believe I'm going to need this forum as a support group.. still not sure what I've gotten myself into. As I said, I'm on day 3, still waiting for the pain to go away. Right now it's barely bearable, I guess I don't have such a high pain resistance as some of the other people around. What tray are you in TMG?

The reason I mentioned the perfect teeth issue is that I saw so many pictures of 'unperfect' teeth posted here, where I couldn't really figure out what the problem was. I wouldn't go messing around with my mouth if those were my teeth.. I feel that what I have right now is more serious than what others have, and yet the treatment period is so short. It's strange.

I had shaving done before the first tray. Don't know if I'm gonna need some more. It's not that bad, but certainly not a pleasant experience. Besides the teeth pain, I also have the normal problem of cuts in the base of the tongue because of the lower aligner. It hurt so much when I got up in the morning that I put a piece a cloth underneath my tongue to separate it from the plastic. I tried to wax it as well, not sure about the result yet. I'm keeping that cloth for now, just in case. With all that stuffed in my mouth, I did develop a slur, which I didn't have in the first two days. But people are used to not understanding me because I have an accent. I wonder if anyone has noticed though.

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Originally posted by TMG:
Jil, I am on tray 3 of 12...I have no problems with pain or tongue cuts. The first set was the hardest but now its like normal. I do notice after I have had them out longer than I should that they are really snug feeling but that doesnt last long. I would say to just give it a couple more weeks and it should get better.

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I guess I'm having second thoughts because I didn't think it would be this tough... The pain constantly reminds me of possible bone loss or root shortening. Does that happen to everyone or does it only happen to those that don't follow directions properly? I obviously don't want to shorten my teeth's lifespan for mere cosmetic reasons, and my dentist sounds like she's trying to sugar-coat everything so I don't completely trust what she says (she was very encouraging and convincing at first but after I paid she answers my questions briefly and seems to blow off my concerns... I feel like I got a bit cheated).

I also do not trust my dentist very much. Most of my knowledge of what I'm going through and what I should expect comes from this forum and not from the man who treats me. I don't like it, but at least I can find here valuable information to help me cope. I do bother my dentist with all kinds of questions, I want to keep him on his heals and I figure for the amount of money I'm paying I am entitled to.

I am on my second week of treatment and most of the soreness in my mouth is gone. I recommend using dental wax on the trays to smooth the rough edges and even cover the tray where it comes into contact with the tongue. It hardly cost anything and is easy to find in dental shops (at least it was easy for me).

Good luck with your treatment.

Question for everyone using Invisalign... how long till you notice some change? I can't tell if anything has moved or what the trays are working on.

How do you dentist work through the treatment with you? I got trays 1 and 2 from my dentist, then had an appointment and the dentist made some space between some teeth; especially my two front upper teeth. Now I been given trays 3 to 6 and meet with my dentist in July. My cousin that also got invisalign was given all her trays the first time and then meets with her dentist.