Invisalign-too good to be true?

[louden48]

Have any of y'all ever used invisalign? Do you know someone who has or is currently using it? My dentist office provided a free consultation and work up. They sent the info and pictures off to Invisalign and I received this neat video treatment plan of how it would work over the course of 8 months (Express case). I am considering starting Invisalign and would like some feedback on your experiences-good or bad.

[MWC]

Can't help, but will be interested to see what others say. I know my dentist pushes them like crazy!

[btodd]

I am a dental hygienist with full bands (braces) on my teeth. The only resaon I don't have Invisalign is MONEY!! I was able to get my bands at a discount from my orthodontist. I have had a couple of adult patients who have had great results with Invisalign. The ease of maintaing your oral hygiene and not being limited in what you are eating are also great benefits..............They are not totally invisible and do affect speech somewhat but are certainly more esthetically pleasing than these bands I have on my teeth!! I would highly recommend seeing a certified orthodontist rather than a general dentist if you are considering any movement of teeth!! Hope this helps...................................

[konaandcooper]

I can't offer any advice on Invisalign, but I am 37 years old and had braces last year. I asked my orthodontist the exact same question because I was interested in Invisalign as well.

He stated that the product wasn't very great and only worked for a small % of people. One of the reasons why it is only good for a very small % of people is because it only straightens your teeth to a small degree. Quite often when people need to have their teeth corrected, their teeth are bunched up too much and it involves either removing a tooth to create room to pull the other teeth into the space that was once occupied.Alternatively, if the orthodontist only needs to create a small amount of space to straighten the positioning of the other teeth (which was the case for me), he will "shave" your teeth. This procedure involves the Dr. using a tool which looks like an mini orbital saw which shaves a very thin piece off of a tooth or teeth. This then creates a bit of a gap between your teeth. Then the Dr. will use wires or elastic bands to pull the other teeth in the direction of the gap.

[lolabella]

I did invisalign 3 years ago and was pleased with the end results. However, I was pretty lazy and when I was all done with the treatment, I was supposed to wear my last tray at night (kind of like a retainer) and I didn't. My teeth have moved significantly back. The good news is, I kept most of my trays (you get a new tray approx. every 2 weeks) and I can re-start the treatment on my own.

Another thing to consider during treatment is that the trays are removable for eating and cleaning. I became very used to popping the trays in and out and not used to put them back in when I should. So my treatment took longer. Totally my fault. Also, my speech was effected and I never acclimated to it so, I'd also pop out the trays if I was talking on the phone or talking in front of a group.

So, Invisalign does work, however, more is going to be required of you to keep up with the treatment. If you are someone that is pretty consistent and keep them in all the time, it would work great for you. If I did it again, I'd probably wouldn't do it and get the clear braces cause I just wasn't consistent with keeping my trays in all the time.

[konaandcooper]

Originally Posted by lolabella

I did invisalign 3 years ago and was pleased with the end results. However, I was pretty lazy and when I was all done with the treatment, I was supposed to wear my last tray at night (kind of like a retainer) and I didn't. My teeth have moved significantly back. The good news is, I kept most of my trays (you get a new tray approx. every 2 weeks) and I can re-start the treatment on my own.

Another thing to consider during treatment is that the trays are removable for eating and cleaning. I became very used to popping the trays in and out and not used to put them back in when I should. So my treatment took longer. Totally my fault. Also, my speech was effected and I never acclimated to it so, I'd also pop out the trays if I was talking on the phone or talking in front of a group.

So, Invisalign does work, however, more is going to be required of you to keep up with the treatment. If you are someone that is pretty consistent and keep them in all the time, it would work great for you. If I did it again, I'd probably wouldn't do it and get the clear braces cause I just wasn't consistent with keeping my trays in all the time.

Judging from your picture, I say your teeth look wonderful.

[lolabella]

Originally Posted by konaandcooper

Judging from your picture, I say your teeth look wonderful.

Thank you! I wait tables part time and shortly after I finished my treatment, a lovely couple that I was waiting on commented on my 'beautiful smile'. I started to cry cause I had never heard that before.

[Luv2Dance]

Awwwwwww. That is so sweet.

[NorthMinnesota]

I think we purchased a new car for our family orthodontist! Anyway...our youngest had what looked like regular braces but were called "Sure smile". They were fantastic! She was in braces for only a year...much less time than the oldest! This system really cuts the time down. They use digital photography and computer and robotic stuff to make the bands/wires exact. It was great!!! Take a look!

[btodd]

The advances in orthodontics are amazing.......the time spent in braces is almost half of what it was when I was beginning to practice!! BTW............ my bands are clear on my top front teeth.........I have been assured that they won't stain. With the amount of coffee and red wine I drink, that is a very good thing!!!

[konaandcooper]

Originally Posted by lolabella

Thank you! I wait tables part time and shortly after I finished my treatment, a lovely couple that I was waiting on commented on my 'beautiful smile'. I started to cry cause I had never heard that before.

I am in the same boat. I had the absolute worse teeth in the world for most of my life. They were brittle, stained, crooked, and really affected my self confidence when speaking to anybody. I found I wouldn't smile...not because of lack of happiness, but just because of being embarassed of my smile.

Then I spent the money and time to have the braces. Braces came off and I spent the money to have bonding done on every single tooth in my mouth. I remember speaking to the dentist at the beginning of the project, and I told him I wanted to have obnoxiously white teeth. I said I loved Matt Damon's teeth and would be happy to use him as a benchmark for the end result. Now.....Matt Damon has nothing on me! I could be in a room with 100 people and I can guarantee....nobody has straighter, or whiter teeth than me.

It has caused me to smile a million times more than I used to, and in turn this ends up truly affecting my social life. People are so much more wanting to speak to you when you are smiling at them, compared to never smiling. I couldn't be happier.

[btodd]

Originally Posted by konaandcooper

I am in the same boat. I had the absolute worse teeth in the world for most of my life. They were brittle, stained, crooked, and really affected my self confidence when speaking to anybody. I found I wouldn't smile...not because of lack of happiness, but just because of being embarassed of my smile.

Then I spent the money and time to have the braces. Braces came off and I spent the money to have bonding done on every single tooth in my mouth. I remember speaking to the dentist at the beginning of the project, and I told him I wanted to have obnoxiously white teeth. I said I loved Matt Damon's teeth and would be happy to use him as a benchmark for the end result. Now.....Matt Damon has nothing on me! I could be in a room with 100 people and I can guarantee....nobody has straighter, or whiter teeth than me.

It has caused me to smile a million times more than I used to, and in turn this ends up truly affecting my social life. People are so much more wanting to speak to you when you are smiling at them, compared to never smiling. I couldn't be happier.

That's awesome...............you can never underestimate the power of a healthy, happy smile!!!

[louden48]

Thanks so much for the info. Let me give you a little of my teeth history...I had braces in junior high. I wore them until I finished the 8th grade. I didn't have a whole lot of problems with braces other than it has been assumed that my jaw teeth were moved too quickly and it may have caused some damage to the roots. Over the course of the years I have had numerous problems with my teeth resulting in many root canals and crowns...man the gold in my teeth must be worth a fortune! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a slacker in the oral hygine department...I brush and floss almost to obsession. Nevertheless, it seems like every year or two, here we go again, back to the dentist for a cracked tooth or one that wants to abscess. This past week was no exception. While Jeff was gone to Vegas for a corporate sales meeting, I was here popping Vicodin to try to keep some sort of sanity until the weekend was over and I could get in to see my dentist (whom I love, dearly)! BTW, before you ask, yes, I'm a grinder. I also wear a sports mouthguard at night to keep from completly obliterating my teeth. Anyway, I go in to the office and we resume our talk about the Invisalign. Basically what came of our conversation is that my teeth continue to move and that one of my jaw teeth is rotating, thus moving the tooth in front of it and making my bite out of alignment. It was so bad that he said I was biting on the inside of a crown (porcelin doesn't give like enamel) and repeatedly injuring that part of my mouth. Is this why I could only drink this weekend? Apparently, the answer is "Yes." At the end of our conversation, I decided that I would probably do better going in to Invisalign and keeping the trays so I could use them as a retainer in the end and hopefully not have this problem anymore.

I have a video I'm putting together of the presentation they sent me. It's not very long so feel free to watch it. Watch closely, though because the changes are subtle. I think it's pretty cool! I'll post it in a few minutes...I think!

[louden48]

Ok, here it is. Let me know what you think...

[lolabella]

Cool Video Christy!! I tried to hunt down my video, but I cannot find it. I probably would be too embarrassed at the state of my former teeth to share it here though.

All this talk about Invisalign made me re-examine the current condition of my teeth. I got out my trays and was upset to find that my teeth really have moved. I had to go back to a bunch of early trays to find one that fit. Needless to say, I'm wearing it right now.