Invisalign...when will it get better?!

[JacobKowalski]

Took the plunge and got some clear alligners fitted to my top teeth on Friday to start the process of closing a significant gap between my front teeth (Not officially Invisalign, but the same thing)

I am already so fed up and feeling like I've made a huge mistake. I have a terrible lisp, feel like I'm slobbering and every time I take them out it hurts 😥 to top it off, the first few times I took them out I struggled so much I ended up bending the plastic on the top slightly so I had a little bit jutting out that has scratched the piece of skin between my lip and gum which hurts.

I'm taking them out 3 times a day to eat, great for the diet because snacking is not worth the pain of having to take them out.

Because my front teeth are the ones that need to move I can't bite down on anything because the teeth are so sensitive, I have to fork food into the back of my mouth, can't bite into anything.

Anyone who's has Invisalign or similar have any positive success stories to keep me going? I'm looking at 6 months to complete the process and I honestly can't imagine doing it that long. I've wanted my gap closed for as long as I can remember but now I'm bloody miserable.

No I just left them in. They did get a bit discoloured but I changed them every 2 weeks so it didn't really matter. Like I say I gave them a good wash after each coffee. I guess it's best to take them out first if you can be bothered.

How are you getting on now, OP?
I'm on day four of my first Sure Smile aligner tray, and feeling miserable, for all the reasons you mentioned yourself!
I keep thinking about having a year of this ahead of me: I'm committed to doing everything as I should, but it's hard.

I'm doing so much better, the first week really was miserable but I finally figured out a way to remove them without it feeling like I was ripping my teeth out (popping the very back out on each side, then kind of pulling them forward and down away from my teeth if that makes sense?)

I've just put my fourth alligner in last and this one has been the most painful one to switch, however I can already see such a difference in the size of my gap which is amazing. It normally takes about a day to get used to a new alligner and for any discomfort to disappear.

Fingers crossed it gets better for you, I really was so miserable and read about other people saying it DOES get better and I didn't believe them, but it will get better and it will definitely be worth it!

That’s really reassuring, thank you, OP.
I do feel a bit better about things over the last couple of days.

Could I chip in please. Am 3 months into it and whilst my teeth were not massively out of shape due to age they were slipping forward. The first few aligners (I change every week) were fine and then one was horrible. My mouth was burning so in the end I took them off for 1 night and things got better as mouth cuts heal very quickly. Warm salt water really helped.

If I am being honest it is a big committment but due to the price one does just keep going. My bottom teeth are going rather yellow now and I cannot whiten until the end of the treament which is likely to be June 2025! I can use the last tray to hold the gel.

I also find that I am chomping down on the aligners and I am hoping this doesnt become a habit. Can sleep in them fine but I knew that for sleeping with the whitening trays I was going to be fine.

Cannot wait for the end and I am sure it will be worth it in the end.

This thread has turned into a bit of an aligner support group! I don’t think anyone who hasn’t experienced it all could understand.

I’m just on my second set of trays, so two weeks in. The first week and a bit was quite annoying. They didn’t hurt really, but there was pressure and I was just aware of them all the time. Having just changed this morning I expected to have another few days of discomfort whilst the teeth adjusted again, but actually it’s not been bad at all.

It took me a while to get the knack of removing them - I definitely couldn’t do it without the tool and for my bottom teeth I found its easier to remove them from the inside rather than the outside.

Also although the leaflet said to only drink water with them in, my dentist said it’s fine to drink tea and coffee, just stay clear of sugary drinks. I haven't noticed any discolouration doing his, and use an ultrasound cleaner to make sure the trays are kept clean.

Did anyone else have the lisp? The first week was awful, then it disappeared but with this new tray it's back (only a tiny bit, but enough to make me self conscious!)

My last set didn't fit properly on the back teeth after I first took them out, it drove me crazy! The plastic felt softer on that set and I think when I took them out I bent them and the shape changed. I was able to squash them back into shape but god that was annoying.

Luckily I only have a set on the top as my bottom teeth are ok (in my opinion, dentist would probably say different)

Sparks here, a year in and probably another to go. The first bit was absolutely horrible, I coudldn't get them in, couldn't ge them out, I was clamping down in the night and getting the worst headaches, couldn't talk, coudn't see the funny side of it all. I got them stuck half in half out, I've got loads of the "buttons" on my teeth, and needed to get someone to help me. It felt like the biggest most expensive mistake of my life, I was full of regret!

To echo others, you'll get used to it. Second nature now, almost do it without thinking, and it's no biggy. Stick with it, I find the denture tabs to soak good, plus some heavy duty sensitive toothpaste as I got spots that were really sensitive as the teeth shifted and that helped.

Stick with it.

I have a lisp that comes and goes.
I went out for lunch with a friend the other day and couldn’t get my food down fast enough so that I could go and brush my teeth and get the aligners back in.
My friend was lingering over several coffees while I nursed my still water.
Definitely need real commitment for this.

I've got an appointment to discuss either fixed braces or aligners next week. I was wondering how many people had to have elastics?
I'm feeling if I need loads of attachments and elastics I might as well just go for fixed braces and not have to worry about all the eating/drinking etc 🙈

I don’t like the sound of elastics.
I think I would panic at the thought I might swallow them. I was stressed about struggling to get my aligners out at first and feared them being stuck.
Irrational I suppose. I can manage them now but not looking forward to the next trays as I imagine they’ll be tight again.

Had invisalign just over 2 years ago, top and bottom and a tooth extracted to make space for rest of the teeth to not be as squashed. First week was bad, I ended up drinking most meals as moving my mouth over the lumps on my teeth was agony. Then it got better, new aligners sometimes hurt for less than a day, sometimes 2 or 3 days. 18 months in total.
My orthodontist recommended changing to a new aligner at bedtime, so you are asleep for the first few painful hours.
Cleaning my teeth after every snack and meal, did make them whiter than just cleaning twice a day. Now just having a night time retainer for rest of my life, I still have nights when saliva production is on overload. Also some nights they feel tighter than others, which proves teeth will still try and move back to old position unless new position is maintained.
But so worth it.

Jingleballs I had the fixed braces. It was a real commitment- yes I didn't have to take them out to eat but all sorts got stuck in them so I'd have to have a big cleaning session after eating anything. There is also a bit of marking on my front teeth from where they were stuck on. Would have gone for invisalign type if I could but the invisalign specialist was rather rude about how wonky my teeth were and sent me elsewhere.

Some helpful tips on here - especially about being able to drink a cup of tea with them in!

I guess I didn’t do proper research beforehand, but the attachments are not something that are really flagged up beforehand, or even mentioned that I can see on the Invisalign site, so I wasn’t prepared for the sheer difficulty of getting the aligners off! Nor was I prepped with the tool, so the first 24 hours were miserable, tea-less and hungry, while I waited for Amazon to deliver it!

I really hope this will get easier, especially as we have work lunch every day, but at no fixed time, so it’ll be a panicky rush to get the trays off…

I don’t like the sound of elastics.
I think I would panic at the thought I might swallow
So far I've swallowed three metal elastic attachment things, Monsieur Mangetout style.
I do sometimes fall asleep while my aligners are soaking in cleaner and wake up panicking that I've swallowed them.