Invisalign with extraction

[Dental101]

After years of dithering, I have finally paid up for Invisalign and now am panicking!

I have to have 4 pre-molars extracted to make room and my dentist has referred me to a specialist who has quoted £350 per tooth! Yes £1400!!! Yet all 4 will take a 45 minute appointment. Is this reasonable? I am in Berkshire but could get to Hampshire does anyone have a recommendation?

Horror stories about lisping, pain, smelly aligners etc are all getting to me. Can anyone tell me it is going to be worth it or should I be looking to cancel?

My orthodontist said invisalign or fixed braces were fine for me, he’s very experienced. I chose Invisalign as, at nearly 54, I felt you never know when you may have to have an urgent MRI and if you had metal, have the whole lot off in a hurry. (This happened to my son, but fortunately at the end of treatment).

TIA for any guidance x

As a HCP, you don’t need to have braces taken off for an MRI. If this was a significant part of your decision making to go with Invisalign then you need to rethink.

DD had Invisalign when she was 15 - we were really impressed and treatment was quick + easy. She chose it primarily for cosmetic reasons - didn’t like the look of regular braces. It takes a huge amount of self discipline though as the trays need to be worn for 22 hours per day in order to work. Snacking and drinking anything except for water outside meal times needs to be heavily restricted and long, leisurely meals need to be kept to a minimum.

I had Invisalign at 70. I quickly got into the routine and am very pleased with how my teeth turned out!

I’m on week 5 of Invisalign, also had 2 extractions. So far I’m incredibly pleased, no pain, no change in speech, honestly barely even feel the aligners. I paid roughly £900 for 2 extractions and 2 fillings on top of the £3000 for the Invisalign treatment

Wish I’d done it years ago

I had Invisalign last year, no extractions but it was the best thing I ever did. I expected it to be so much worse but it was fine.

Is Invisalign painful?
Does it require weekly appointments for the new tray to be shaped?
After treatment do you continue to use a retainer? For how long?

DD found the first few days quite sore but after that treatment was relatively pain free. Occasionally a bit achy the day after a tray change but nothing major.

DD’s check ups were every 4-6 weeks. Your entire treatment plan is mapped out at the beginning and all trays are sent to your orthodontist at once. They then give you a certain amount at each visit to ensure that things are progressing smoothly.

Retainers need to be worn nightly for the rest of your life - or as DD’s orthodontist would say.. as long as you want to keep your teeth straight for! She has both an Invisalign retainer and a permanent retainer (metal bar) behind her front teeth to keep her stubborn gap closed.

Get an ultrasonic cleaner if you’re worried about smelly aligners. I found it by far the best way to clean mine. The lisping was annoying but it was only for a couple of weeks until I got used to them. I don’t think I would want to have teeth removed though. Is there no way to avoid that?

Thanks for advice all.