|
Author
|
Topic: Invisalign Braces Cont'...How about a new thread?
|
dentistinfo
Junior Member
|
posted 07-28-2009 09:39 AM
 
My dentist recommended that he put invisalign on my teeth. They are crooked. I am wondering why a dentist would do this instead of an orthodontist. Does anyone have any insights on this? Thanks.
. |
sdacic
Junior Member
|
posted 07-30-2009 02:29 PM
I just started invisalign a little over 2 weeks ago. I�m on my second set of aligners. I�m due for 36 on the lower and 28 on the upper I think. My teeth are pretty bad i guess. I have some crowding on the top and the bottom. My midline on the top is shifted about 3 mm to the left and my midline on the bottom is shifted about 1-2 mm to the right. My teeth are riddled with fillings and I also have 2 of my wisdom teeth in place as well. So that�s the background on my teeth.
I always wanted straight teeth but never wanted the regular metal braces. I went to one ortho to see if I was an invisalign candidate and he told me no. He suggested ceramic braces with a 2 year treatment and he said he would have to pull one of my teeth out as well. Needless to say I didn�t go with this guy.
I found an Elite premier provider on the invisalign website close to my place and i went to see him. This guy knew his stuff. To this day he has treated over 700 patients with invisalign. He told me i was a candidate and that the treatment would take no longer then 18 months with no teeth being pulled. This made my day.
After the initial consult i took a few days to really think things over and i decided to go for it. I went in about a week later to get my impressions taken. This was a little unpleasant but not too bad. Its very important to relax your jaw when biting into the mold so they get the proper impression of your bite.
About a month after the impressions my trays were in. I went in to get the attachments put on. I got one on every tooth. The ones on the top were actually put on the back of my teeth so they are not visible at all. The ones on the bottom are on the front of the teeth but they are barely noticable if at all. The stuff they use to clean your teeth before they attach the buttons is reallllly reallly sour so that kinda sucked. After one of the assistants glued my attachments on she showed me how to put the aligners in and how to take them out. When i first put them in the feeling was weird. They felt really tight but did not hurt. Taking them out the first time sucked too cuz I had no idea what i was doing. Top one was easy to take out but the bottom one took some time.
Wearing them at first was not bad at all. I actually proffered having them on because when i took them off all the attachments on my teeth were still so rough and sharp they were cutting the inside of my mouth. I had a little bit of a lisp as well for the first 3-4 days but nothing bad at all. The aligners don�t hurt at all when i wore them. They just felt really tight for the first few days. The one thing that did hurt for the first week or so was chewing. My teeth were really loose (as can be expected) and chewing was really uncomfortable. Another thing that hurt was taking the aligners out the first few times i did it but i got one of those dental picks and that helped till i figured out what the easiest way to take them out was.
Overall so far my experience hasn�t been bad at all. The aligners are more comfortable then I thought they�d be after the first few days of adjustment. They are nearly invisible and people don�t know i have them in until i tell them. They are kind of pricey but i think well worth the money. i paid 7 grand total. 2 of that insurance covered and the rest i got an interest free payment plan with the ortho.
I�m still kind of new with these (only on my second set) but if anyone has any questions let me know. I got most of my questions answered on this site as well. Id be happy to help.
. |
ValerieJayne
Junior Member
|
posted 09-13-2009 06:33 PM
I'm finished with Invisalign and could not be happier! Here's my blog about the whole experience. http://www.invisavalerie.blogspot.com/
. |
Nuriya
Junior Member
|
posted 10-24-2009 09:51 AM
I am on my first tray my third day having the trays. I have 8 attachments. The biggest concern I had before getting invisalign is the pain. I have extremely sensitive teeth after all the dental work... And all I felt wearing them is a pressure. Maybe some soreness when you take the trays out and eat. The most painful part would probably be the buttons that scratch my cheeks when the trays are out. Other than that I already can tell that my teeth are moving!!! Someone told me once you put the new sets of trays in it takes 4 hours for teeth to actually move and adjust then 2 weeks for healing and getting use to the new position. I love invisalign and surprisingly do not want to take the trays out at all (because of the buttons).
My question is, though, what are those blue dots on the trays?
. |
mmray31
Junior Member
|
posted 11-19-2009 11:47 PM
may i know what is the main purpose of wearing retainer after the braces removed?
Individual Voluntary Arrangements Application
. |
chashmish
Preferred Member
|
posted 11-20-2009 12:34 PM
The retainer ensures that your teeth will stay in place.
Update on my treatment - I was on a mid-course correction (30U/L) after my initial treatment (38U/44L).
There's really only 1 tooth that has a visible amount of moving to do. I haven't felt any pressure on that tooth for a bit, so I examined the aligner more closely and saw that even though the tray is seated properly, it wasn't grasping my tooth completely. I went to see my ortho who gave me the option of either doing another refinement OR just putting traditional braces on that tooth and the 2 neighboring teeth. I chose the latter. It's only day 2 so I know I shouldn't be making snap judgements yet since my mouth hasn't fully adjusted to the metal, but OMG, I can't imagine having a full mouth of this. I'm so grateful that InvisAlign (mostly) worked for me. I do, however, feel soreness around that tooth now, so overall, I made the right decision. I was so close (aligner 28)...just a couple extra months........
. |
kak
Junior Member
|
posted 01-05-2010 10:45 AM
quote:
Originally posted by TheresaM:
Hi,After lurking on this board for almost a year, I finally joined. Thanks to everyone on this board, I've taken the plunge and I'm getting my 1st set of trays tomorrow! I did a lot of research and visited 2 dentists and 1 ortho before deciding upon a dentist who is a premiere provider. I feel prepared (as well as I can be, anyway) for this process. I'll be getting 22U (can't remember the lower - it's about the same). I'm 45 years old and have never had braces. My parents couldn't afford them so I had a retainer instead. It did an 'OK' job and most people are surprised when they find out I'm getting my teeth straightened, but I've always disliked my smile, so it's time to do something about it. I plan on living to a ripe old age, so I figure I'll have a great smile for the second 45 years of life! :-) I'm a bit nervous about a few things:
1. Taking the aligners in and out - I'm going to take everyone's advice and start the new trays after dinner to make it a bit easier (I hope). 2. Cutting - I have an extremely small mouth, so I won't be surprised if the aligners cause some problems. I'm not worried about the pain. I had some minor surgery 6 months ago and my doctor gave me a prescription for vicodin and extra-strength painreliever which I never used. It may come in handy now! I'll be sure to post often about my experiences. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions too. Theresa
. |
kak
Junior Member
|
posted 01-05-2010 10:50 AM
I'm on my 7th set of aligners out of 10. I am almost 60 years old and have always regretted the fact that I didn't have braces as a teen. Its really worth it, and in just 7 aligners, I can see an amazing and wonderful difference. I did not have any lisping or significant pain, and to date, no one has commented about noticing them. I have 5 attachments on the lower, none on the upper. Hang in there, its totally worth the commitment. Drink a lot of water.
quote:
Originally posted by TheresaM:
Hi,After lurking on this board for almost a year, I finally joined. Thanks to everyone on this board, I've taken the plunge and I'm getting my 1st set of trays tomorrow! I did a lot of research and visited 2 dentists and 1 ortho before deciding upon a dentist who is a premiere provider. I feel prepared (as well as I can be, anyway) for this process. I'll be getting 22U (can't remember the lower - it's about the same). I'm 45 years old and have never had braces. My parents couldn't afford them so I had a retainer instead. It did an 'OK' job and most people are surprised when they find out I'm getting my teeth straightened, but I've always disliked my smile, so it's time to do something about it. I plan on living to a ripe old age, so I figure I'll have a great smile for the second 45 years of life! :-) I'm a bit nervous about a few things:
1. Taking the aligners in and out - I'm going to take everyone's advice and start the new trays after dinner to make it a bit easier (I hope). 2. Cutting - I have an extremely small mouth, so I won't be surprised if the aligners cause some problems. I'm not worried about the pain. I had some minor surgery 6 months ago and my doctor gave me a prescription for vicodin and extra-strength painreliever which I never used. It may come in handy now! I'll be sure to post often about my experiences. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions too. Theresa
. |
Mr. Z
Junior Member
|
posted 01-05-2010 04:06 PM
Hello all! Just found out that i'm going to be undergoing invisalign treatment. The problem with my teeth is that they are retracted i.e. they angle inward. This is causing alignment issues, cross bite, teeth shifting and cosmetically it appears that i have a narrow dental arch. The dentist has a lot of experience with invisalign and claims i'm an ideal candidate for the treatment. She said the teeth only need to be moved a few millimeters to reach a more vertical position which will have the affect of expanding the dental arch and correcting the alignment issues. My issue is that there are two dentists in the office, the one i originally saw looked at my teeth and said i need traditional braces which would need to be on for 12months. He doesn't have a lot of orthodontic expertise but is a very reputable dentist. He called in his colleague to get 2nd opinion. The colleague completely contradicted what the first dentist said and is the one who advised definitely go with invisalign, claiming i'm an ideal candidate. The colleague is a premiere provider for invisalign (lots of experience with it) and has study orthodontics, though, not an orthodontist. This little debate, happened right in front of me and has caused me some concern. I decided to go with the invisalign, due to the extensive experience of the dentist recommending it and the fact that it seems much more pleasant than traditional braces. However, i'm wondering has anyone used invisalign to straighten inward slanting teeth? I'm having a hard time picturing how it will create force pushing out of the mouth. If others have had it work in this manner, it would ease my concern a bit. Thanks!
. |
chashmish
Preferred Member
|
posted 01-07-2010 09:37 AM
I had an inward slanting molar on my bottom right jaw. And I mean, very inward (~45 degrees). It would constantly poke into my tongue because of the angle it was at.(Ironically, on the top, I had the opposite problem. A "fang" - outward slanting canine.) My ortho widened my arch. I was surprised because he refused to pull any teeth, but he managed to make enough room to fix all my teeth. You'll probably get both regular and lingual attachments/buttons. I've had lingual attachments on my inward slanting tooth many times. I'm not sure why, but that's always the first one I manage to lose. I'm nearing the end of my treatment. My bottom molar is substantially better than it was originally. However, it's not completely straight. My problem is because of the way the aligners were cut though - they didn't come down far enough in the back, so they didn't grip my molar well enough to push it up. About 5 trays ago, they stopped touching my molar completely in the back so my tooth just stopped moving. I'm on my 3rd year of InvisAlign (my teeth were seriously messed up!) and so, I opted to put traditional braces on that molar as well as the two accompanying teeth. I've had the traditional ones for about a month now. I don't feel/see much movement, but let me tell you, traditional braces are SO much more uncomfortable than InvisAlign. I almost feel like doing another refinement.
. |
Mr. Z
Junior Member
|
posted 01-09-2010 05:07 PM
thanks for sharing your experience - that puts me at ease a little. Hope the rest of your treatment goes smoothly and looks great!
. |
debi
Junior Member
|
posted 01-12-2010 05:26 PM
Personally, I haven't had any trouble at all with my invisaligns. I don't believe I would ever go with traditional braces. The invisalign make it so much easier to care for your teeth. The only discomfort is from the "bumps", and part of that is just being self-conscious about them. I've found that most people don't even notice! I do have a question for any experienced wearers. My "plan" called for 9 invisalign trays for my top teeth and 21 for the bottom. I've finished 9 sets. Yesterday, I went to my dentist and he has refused to remove the bumps on my top teeth, even though I have completed the 9 trays. He says I must wear the 9th tray on top until I finish all 21 bottom aligners. I figured once I had completed the trays, the bumps would come off and I would get the retainer for the top teeth!!
Has anyone else had a similar experience?? Seems weird to have to wear the same tray for 24 more weeks!
. |
chashmish
Preferred Member
|
posted 01-12-2010 06:58 PM
Yeah, I've gone through that a few times. Typically, my ortho does remove the buttons but I still have to wear the same tray for however amount of time is required to finish the bottom trays.This last time, though, I have metal braces on 3 teeth on the bottom now. So my ortho removed the buttons from the top (all 12 of them, yay!) but kept the few that I have on the bottom even though I'm done with both sets of trays. Once I'm done with the metal braces (another month or so), then he'll remove my bottom buttons and see where to go from there....
. |
newtovis
Junior Member
|
posted 01-15-2010 09:18 AM
Whats up everyone.. Brandon is the name and this is my FIRST day on the visalign journey. I got my tray inserted this morning. 3 hrs ago.. and im actually feeling perfectly fine.. a litttle lisp but my mouth naturally doesnt move a lot when i talk so it isnt that much of a difference.. just the "th's" and the "s"anyway.. wierdly enough.. ive been wanting to bite on hard objects.. kinda like im teething lol. im not becuase i know it isnt good for the trays.. but the urge is there!
. |
newtovis
Junior Member
|
posted 01-15-2010 09:24 AM
oh and I dread the time i have to take these out(which is right now, im about to go on lunch)I know im going to struggle b/c i struggled at the denstist when going through the trial run.. Does anyone have any particular way they take them off? Which ways work best for you?
. |
salrn
Junior Member
|
posted 01-22-2010 02:18 AM
I will be starting my invisalign trays on monday-so looking forward to it, until I read all these stories of how they hurt..... I can take pain, but dental pain is a whole different level.
I also see prices of up to 7000. I went to a dental school, which is supervised by attending physicians, and paid 3700. Then my insurance covered half. Just an FYI for any one else interested in them.
. |
thismakesmenervous
Junior Member
|
posted 01-27-2010 11:05 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Teddy:
Well, thanks to NJ guy, Betsy and Pricey for the words of hope. One week in, and almost everyone at work notices on me! I think my lips do look like I had collagen injections a bit, and this lisp is crazy. However, on the bright side, I have resigned myself to just laughing about it, and just pretty much telling people. I only have 13u and 14L so about 7 months or so, and I'm jut going to deal with it and hope and pray this lisp dissipates like most people say it does. There were a few times this week (even this aft!) where I just thought forget it...and then I seriously clicked on this board and am now resolved to go through with this. It's the "th" and "s" that is bad for me - any ideas??? Thanks!
Try to hold your tongue on the top of your mouth when you speak, try not to let it touch the aligners if you can. I had speech therapy most of my life and i was worried my lisp would come back when i got them. today is my first day and i dont hear a difference
. |
ashellypnut
Junior Member
|
posted 01-30-2010 04:59 AM
I'm using the Simpli 5 product, which my ortho told me is very similar to Invisalign, and I've had similar issues as many of you here: cutting tongue, cutting inner lip, pain/pressure. I'm on my 2nd trays and they are VERY tight and painful. Wondering if I should have gone 3 weeks on tray 1 instead of the 2 my ortho suggested...any thoughts?
. |
~saliwells~
Junior Member
|
posted 02-02-2010 02:23 PM
I'm getting my first trays tomorrow morning, and I'm sooo excited. I know most people have complained that it took forever to get their first trays after the impressions were done, but mine have come in only 3 weeks after my records visit. I'm wondering if I should be worried that they aren't going to be right...Oh well, guess I'll figure that out tomorrow. 
. |
~saliwells~
Junior Member
|
posted 02-03-2010 11:07 AM
Ok, so just got my trays, they don't hurt so far or feel too rough but we'll see how they feel later. I've got 22U/12L, 6 attachments on the upper front teeth and 2 attachments on the lower. The trays are extremely hard to remove right now, but I'm sure it will get better. It just feels weird at this point.
. |
beerman
Junior Member
|
posted 03-10-2010 02:47 PM
Finally done! Actually was not bad at all 17/17
. |
emergency dental
Junior Member
|
posted 03-27-2010 02:21 PM
Not everyone is a candidate for Invisalign. More complex cases or very crowded teeth that require tooth removal may not get ideal results with Invisalign.
. |
Vega
Junior Member
|
posted 03-29-2010 09:09 AM
I wish they had invisalign when I had braces back in the 80's. I had regular metal braces and it was difficult to floss regularly especially as a child. My gums were very inflamed because of this. With invisalign, not only do they look better cosmetically but they're easier to clean and floss your teeth.Vega Sinclair, Dental Plans
. |
Invir
Junior Member
|
posted 04-05-2010 09:50 AM
Hi everyone I started with Invisalign for a fifteen month period. By month eleven, the process was not moving fast enough and very little results. I ended up getting braces in the end and also paid for both Invisalign and braces. I had overcrowding and was doubtful personally about Invisalign in first place. So advice stay well clear of Invisalign.
. |
