Invisalign

[user1465146157]

Hello
Has anyone used clear braces to straighten their teeth and would you recommend it?

My teeth are definitely moving and changing the shape of my face/smile, It's really weird!

Thinking of getting clear braces but unsure where to start and whether it will work

Any recommendations?

Thanks!

[dontgobaconmyheart]

It will almost certainly work, but the only person that can advise as to how long it will take and what is required and what your suitability is, is a dentist. If you have a consultation they can show you digitally what your end result will be which is great.

Obviously it is fairly costly (and there can be additional costs at the end if the smile needs readjusting) and quite a commitment, it needs to be worn constantly and can be quite uncomfortable. Adjusting to new sets as they change I found very painful actually. Whilst the end effect was great and ultimately worth it, i found the process to be largely pretty miserable and was desperate for it to end. They aren't really invisible although they are not visually horrendous and I felt very self conscious over it and it did affect my speech, I think you can definitely tell you have them in.

Worth it for confidence in your smile but there is some graft involved. I would do it again but almost certainly wouldn't enjoy it!

[westr]

I have Invisalign in at the moment and it is definitely worth it. I've got a thread on here with a lot of helpful advice from others - have a look at that.

[HollowTalk]

My son had it done in his 20s. It cost about £3,000 and he wore them for about a year, I think. Maybe a bit longer. They made a huge difference.

[TriciaMcMillan]

Talk to your dentist. I had them about 2 years ago now. Only took 4 months. Bloody love the results. Best £2500 I've probably ever spent. My teeth bothered me every time I looked in the mirror, literally every day of my life. Not any more!

[DizSquiz]

Hey

I'm 27 and started Invisalign almost a year ago, it would've been done quicker but lockdown put delay on appointments etc.

I'm so impressed with my teeth so far. I have one tray left and then I will be going in for final check up etc. They also offer more trays (free) if your still not quite happy with how they are.

I've attached two pictures of my teeth. First photo is when I was on tray 4 and last photo is whilst on current tray.

Unfortunately you can see on my most recent photo that the top right tooth is wonky, and I'm planning to have this reshaped and built up, i accepted this, as in order to get my teeth straight it had to move to its current position.

All in all, I wish I'd started it sooner. I smile a lot more now, I was very conscious of smiling before.

[DizSquiz]

Top left tooth*

[Solasum]

I am a week in to my first tray of 19. My teeth have bothered me for years. Hasn’t been as painful as I was expecting, though eating is pretty miserable with the attachments as they are a bit sharp. My teeth have never been cleaner though.

You should be able to go for a consultation without incurring too much cost, and as part of that they create a simulation to show what can be done.

[user1465146157]

Thanks so much for comments everyone - really helpful I think I'll look into it

@DizSquiz wow looking so good!! Really happy it's worked for you - keep smiling!!

[CatherineCawood]

I had mine fitted last Friday. First tray of 20. It's pretty miserable, have mouth ulcers and cuts on my tongue. Hope it settles down soon. Expensive but hopefully worth it.

[user1465146157]

Sorry when you say first tray
Do you get a new tray every week?
How often are they changed?

[wiltingflower]

On my final aligner now and will have a check up soon with my Orthodontist. I am so glad to have done the process and it's made a huge difference to my self confidence and my dental hygiene. Timescale wise, I started in August last year and am mostly finished with the original course of aligners now.

I only did the top row and focused on sorting out a relapse in my front teeth (slight overlap) after losing a retainer a couple of years ago. The front two teeth don't overlap anymore and they seem straight but I'm not convinced they're as flat/definitely not overlapping as they could be so would like to see if I could get further aligners or temporary braces following the check up. Otherwise happy with the process. Did have some initial lisping and dry mouth with aligner 1 and 2 but it went away after a couple of weeks.

[wiltingflower]

I am doing Invisalign lite as I only need minor changes. Total of 13 aligners (given to me in one go) and I was told to wear them for about 10-14 days each, 22 hours a day but I could move to the next set for shorter or longer depending on how fast my teeth moved. My orthodontist said they'd make more aligners for me as needed after the original course.

[Thewinterofdiscontent]

It works but do think about what it hears in terms of eating and drinking. I drink massive amounts of coffee and taking the aligners out every hour didn’t work for me. I’m going for fixed brace which limits what food I can have obviously but can cope with drinks.
I did Smile direct which is the cheaper DIY version. I got my money back because my computer generated final smile was worse than having wonky teeth ( huge open bite) . I guess because they don’t shave your teeth, they have less room to adjust your teeth into a final position.

[IdblowJonSnow]

I had it, they were good for a while but have since moved and now feel really uncomfortable in my mouth and have a wonky bite.
Complained to dentist and they just gave me my money back with no discussion or offer to fix so I think they know they fucked up.
Cba to go through it all again. Found it very painful at the start although you do get used to it.

Unless your teeth are bad, I'd leave it.

[citychick]

I had Invisalign about 4 years ago.
Changed trays every 10/14 days.
So glad I did it. Was expensive, but i that prices are coming down. I also needed a lot of trays.

I still wear a retainer most days and every night.
You need the be completely compliant and follow the pathway.

I'm so glad I did it. Looking at old photos my teeth were horrible. Now they are straight.

[User65412]

You could also look into just getting wire braces. I wanted invisalign but went for white wires and brackets on the advice of my dentist of it being quicker, cheaper and more effective. It was a huge deal for me and I was so worried about it but no one cared.
On a more general note, if you are unhappy with your teeth - just do it! Best 2k I ever spent. Yes some discomfort in the short term but it's worth it. Book that consultation!

[Summerhillsquare]

I'm doing Smile Direct. Cheaper than Invisalign I think but entirely remote. My teeth are vastly improved 4 months in but it's not without its challenges.

[BouquetsAndBalls]

Definitely book a consultation. My teeth couldn't be fixed with Invisalign so I got a full on fixed wire brace. Didn't bother with white, just went with the bog standard metal.

Fab job. Brilliant smile within 10 months. Best money I ever spent. Just wish I hadn't waited until age 47 to do it!!

[pilates]

Do you have to keep them in for the rest if your life? Because surely your teeth will move again once you stop using the brace?

[SimonJT]

I had invisalign and they were fantastic, when I had completed them I had the option of a wire retainer or removable night retainers. I went with the night time ones as its harder to bleach teeth with a wire retainer.

I haven’t had any movement in my teeth since my treatment stopped.

[FromEden]

Do you have to keep them in for the rest if your life? Because surely your teeth will move again once you stop using the brace?

You have to wear a retainer at night to stop them moving. Finished my treatment over a year ago and wearing the retainer feels completely normal now. Guess I'll have to do it for the rest of my life lol

[pilates]

Ok, so you have to continue with retainers at night?

[pilates]

Thanks fromeden, cross post

[User65412]

Also I have a fixed wire behind my front teeth but it's no bother at all and fine to clean. It was damaged a couple of years ago (pork crackling incident 🙈) but they just replaced it. I also have a plastic retainer which I wear a couple of nights a week but the wire gives me security should I lose/forget the retainer. The plastic retainer is also useful for any future whitening as you don't need to pay for the mould - you just pop the gel in your retainer! I think most 'smile' treatments come with whitening included if you go private though.

[nancywhitehead]

From what I have heard they are a bit of a faff, and will only work properly if you only need fairly minor changes to your teeth, as opposed to traditional braces which will generally get better results.

My teeth had quite large gaps in between them. One orthodontist told me that invisalign would work and I was about to start but then moved house. My new orthodontist (who was more experienced) told me that there was no way that invisalign would have got me the results I wanted and it should never have been recommended.

I had traditional braces and was actually really glad I did. They were absolutely fine, and I only needed them for about 18 months to get perfect teeth. No taking them in and out to eat, and they didn't make me lisp (which invisalign does).

I can definitely see the appeal that it is clear and not all that noticeable, but unless it's only a tiny thing that you want to change, my understanding is that traditional braces are better and less hassle.