Teeth :(

[CheriCheriLady]

Just scrolling through xmas family photos and I'm feeling deflated about my teeth. I'm 38 and I'm sick and tired of hiding my teeth, covering my mouth in public when laughing as I have two visible gaps from tooth removal and crooked front teeth. I also have a discoloured teeth from root canal. I spent 2.5k on Invisalign and I hate them. I hate having to wear them for 22 hours per day. I hate that it affects my speech. They make me gag and to make matters worse, I have these buttons on now. I've stopped wearing them since Oct half term as I forgot to take them with me on holiday and ever since I got back, I just can't bare to wear them.

Shall I call it a day and just get implants and veneers in? I don't want bright white teeth, just natural looking ones. I know they shave the teeth. I know some people regret it. I know the best teeth are your own teeth but is it worth it to lose your youthful years feeling crap and deflated and constantly hiding your smile? Is it worth wasting these years just to keep your natural teeth.

Please share me your thoughts and experiences 🙏

I would stick with the invisalign and then get the other stuff sorted once that is done. Why waste that money? That's what I did, including having buttons and elastic bands which was annoying at the time, but then had crowns put on my root canaled 2 front teeth once they had been straightened and now they look great.

Definitely stick with the Invisalign. I had unbelievably crooked teeth...was told at 12 I'd need multiple teeth out then train track braces on at 15 for five years. I said no thanks! I was hugely self conscious about the teeth, though I did look after them, then found out about Invisalign in my late 30s. My orthodontist - in London, had been doing it for years - said I had the most crooked teeth he'd ever seen!! 2.5 years later, I couldn't believe the difference. Yes, they take a bit of getting used to (esp the button bits) and I had to do loads of presentations in work, so was aware my speech was a bit different. However, and I know this sounds dramatic, I honestly think aside from having my kids, doing it was my best decision ever. I'm now in my 50s, really take good care of my teeth (Invisalign is great at getting you into really good habits), wear my retainer as I should, and I have pretty damn good teeth. With veneers, you can't ever not have them due to the shaving of your own teeth, so when they fall off/wear down in ten or so years (less sometimes, depending on lifestyle and diet), you need to have ££££ available to have them redone.
As the other poster says, stick with the Invisalign and then deal with any 'shortfalls' afterwards, eg maybe the odd crown or intensive bleaching.
Come on, make it a 2025 resolution and get back with it...you can do it x

Just to add, the retainer is at night! Every other night, so no day time wear

I could have done with Invisalign but didn't want the bother and expense. I didn't like the idea of veneers because it seemed too invasive so I went for composite bonding. I have a crossbite that would have been hard to fix but the dentist has managed to hide it pretty well with some clever shaping, filing down a tooth and making the bonds longer to hide it. It wasn't his ideal remedy but as I say - I didn't want the bother. It cost £1,600 for 4 teeth and made a world of difference for me.

If you feel this uncomfortable about your teeth and have already gone to the trouble of starting Invisalign you should definitely stick with it. I did it a couple of years ago in my mid-thirties and it has helped my confidence with my smile so much. The time with them in really will fly by.
There are so many people I work with and other friends and acquaintances getting braces as adults now that I feel it's really accepted as normal which is great.
At the end of my Invisalign I got composite bonding to even out the appearance of some of my teeth plus a course of whitening treatments and that was when I could see the biggest difference and I started getting so many compliments. It was so worth it for a year of Invisalign treatment plus now just wearing retainers every night.

I finished Invisalign three weeks ago. In total I had 50 sets of aligners and it took over two years. I also had a 6 week period of having metal buttons and elastic bands that were a complete nightmare, which to make matters worse were fitted the week after I started a new job!

Absolutely agree you should see it through - I was so done with it by the end, and it took 9 months longer than I thought, but it was really worth the money and the effort. I now have permanent wire retainers and they're still my teeth, but so much better!

Thank you so much. I'm visiting family right now and once I get back home, I will try again :(

I hope you kept all your past Invisalign retainers as October is a long time to be without them and you will likely need to go back a number of weeks.

Yes still have some. I was 11/24 and I have my retainers back from 6.