Today I picked my Invisalign braces

[sortingmyselfoutslowly]

Updating as a few users were considering getting them. They feel a bit weird but I can talk fine. No pain just slight pressure. I have to wear them 22 hours a day and take them off to eat and drink. DS age 4 couldn't tell I have them in, DD age 7 only when looking very carefully! I have 5 sets of trays to change myself at home every 2 weeks so don't need to go back to the orthodontist for 10 weeks. Looking forward to the results already!

Gulp - can you not drink coffee all day either? Is it water only?

Thanks for posting about this. I had a consultation yesterday at Sensu in Marylebone and they quoted me £4K for everything inc whitening, retainers etc and that was for 12 months.

I’m going to shop around now thanks to seeing your post!

PS I also have overcrowding and a collapsed jaw.. those consultations really do make you feel shitty about your teeth! My photos were actually hard to look at!

Congrats on starting this journey, I'm on set 14 of 29, nearly halfway there, trying to correct a slight underbite that was slowly getting worse.

I've paid just under 3k. It's a bit of an adjustment but worth it I hope. I was given the tip to pop a new set in at bedtime, so that your teeth adjust a bit overnight. The first few days of a new set are the hardest, all feels quite tight, however it soon eases and I wouldn't say its anything other than slightly uncomfortable.

Unfortunately I haven't lost weight, I 've just adapted to cram all my bad eating into the 2 hours when my braces are out. I don't really sip anything other than water when I have them in. I carry a little cosmetics bag wherever I go, travel sonic tooth brush and some floss, so I can keep my teeth clean at work after lunch etc.

Imfine you can eat or drink anything but you have to take them out first. It's a bit of a hassle to be honest... wash hands, pull trays out, and rinse them, eat and/ or have a hot drink, brush teeth, put trays back in. I vaguely considered a snack this morning then couldn't be arsed. Made sure i ate a filling healthy breakfast to keep me gping and drank water all day. So quite healthy! Luckily I'm not bothered about drinking alcohol. Day 3 has been slightly more comfortable than day 2.
Thank you Mightimunki I've been saving for a long time for this as I'm so self conscious about my smile. I'm getting used to the feel of the aligners now.

applecharlotte I know what you mean- seeing photos and digital photos of ugly teeth I hate was hard. But watching the animation of how my teeth will change, and a 3D image of the final result, I was determined to do it. Minor inconveniences are worth it for a better smile.

Do you know what? I’m bloody getting them done. I’m getting divorced. Life is shit. I feel so unappreciated and unsupported. As soon as I can work it out financially I’m doing it. I’ve hated the big gap in my teeth all my life. I’m really self conscious about it.

An orthodontist told me mine is very simple. It is just two teeth that need realigning and those clear braces would work fine and be approx 2k in total. How did you get a recommendation OP?

I just asked my kids orthodontist. Don’t know anyone who has had them in my area.

Top tip for removing them - get some disposable surgical gloves, you can buy them from amazon. Its the only way I've been able to remove mine without gagging and chipping my nails. I have done 14 sets of Invisalign Lite and am now waiting for refinements. Currrently brace free which is weird after 6 months but so nice to drink cups of tea whenever I want! Going to be hard to go back to wearing them again... good luck Op!

You've inspired me too! I'm definitely going to look into this!

I had 40 aligners. I've opted now for an additional 16 on the bottom as an additional refinement. They are excellent. I'm doing weekly wear which halves the elapsed time. No pain at all after the first two weeks.

I'm going to investigate this. My dentist does it so I'm booking a consultation. My teeth aren't too bad but I have one incisor that sticks out and looks awful from a side view. I'm sure if it squeezes in it will push my front two teeth into a slightly more central position too. Actually like the sound of awkwardness to snack/drink. I need help in that area too!! Thanks for all the info, what a great thread

Oh this is exciting! I'm enjoying hearing everyones views/experiences it's really helpful.

So thanks to sortingmyselfoutslowly I'm going for a free consultation at Finest Dental on the 9th Dec and when I called them they said Full Invisalign is £2950. That's £1,050 cheaper than Sensu. The only difference I can see is FD don't do whitening as part of the package. They do a 0% finance plan as well but only for the first year, think there's interest after that.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go for it too - £1k less amazing so thanks for sharing. Professionally I work one-to-one in talking sessions with people and I'd love not to be self conscious about my teeth anymore.

Also, I was thinking about ageing in general - I'm not bothered about wrinkles and sagging skin as they are inevitable but having a nice set of straight teeth for the next 30ish years is something I can control!

sortingmyselfoutslowly I'm so excited about seeing the end result on screen in advance.

It would actually be pretty scary spending all that cashola and not being sure what you'll end up looking like. I wonder if people ever not like how their face shape changes as the teeth move?

I just could not imagine going for braces. I do have irregular teeth but the feeling of pressure and the feeling that something external is there on my body (teeth) puts me off to wear braces. I hope you are coping well with that weird feeling.

Yeh it must be nice to have teeth straightened with invisalign, I looked in to that but ''wasn't a suitable candidate''. Had train tracks because my bite was wrong, it needed correcting. I don't think invisalign can correct that.

I had Invisalign about 10 years ago. No snacking meant the weight loss was superb! Also became a bit of a fast binge drinker...managed to slug down two glasses of wine in the 45 minutes I allowed myself to be brace free for dinner. But not every night....honest!

OnlyTheDepthVaries do you mind me asking if your teeth have stayed straight or if they have moved? I have been told I will need a metal retainer behind my bottom teeth and night time retainers for both top and bottom. Are you still wearing retainers?
emma I'm not going to lie, it does take a while to get used to wearing them, I have had side effects like dry lips, and when me braces come out I can't wait to drink a cup of tea and usually a huge glass of squash! However, the plus side with Invisalign is you do get to take them out for a little while each day, when you can eat and drink anything, whereas with metal braces you're stuck with them for the duration!

*my braces

I'm pleased if anyone decides to go for it! My advice- go with an experienced orthodontist. It's a technical process involving planning tiny movements and rotations of individual teeth in the optimum order to achieve the right result. Fixed braces are a case of seeing what happens but invisalign is very precise with a planned outcome.
I got a shellac manicure today and am determined not to wreck it... a metal teaspoon pops my aligners off instantly!
I did have a naughty cup of tea with them on. Swished my mouth round with water and thought nothing of it. Took aligners off for dinner and they have deposits of plaque in them 😨 won't be doing that again!!

Be careful with hot drinks OP, its not just the staining, the hot liquid can warp them. I have a quick cup of tea with them out and just swill with water before I pop them back in.

I also have dry lips. I'm more (sorry) spitty when I'm talking and it makes my lips sore. Nobody has noticed I'm wearing the aligners even face to face chatting. I've told a few people at work as we eat lunch together - their reactions were positive and interested. I have a slight lisp when I talk. It's more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. Day 1 was OK although I was very aware of the plastic in my mouth. Days 2-4 have been quite achey. Ibuprofen helps the most. I think next week it will improve then it will start to be sore again when I change to the next set of aligners and my teeth start to move again. I just look at the discomfort as a sign that the teeth are moving which is positive

Posies I was told by the orthodontic nurse that for a hot drink to warp them it would have to be too hot to drink... apparently she drinks fruit tea all day with them in. I won't be doing it again anyway!

Wow I didn't realise that, I was told hot drinks were a definite no no, I would have thought fruit tea would stain terribly Well I shall stick to no hot drinks, its worked so far for me. As for people not noticing, I work with children and none of them have commented over the last 6 months, and believe me they would if they spotted them! Have had several comments previously from the children about my crooked teeth but none about the braces.
I found days 1-2 of a new set uncomfortable but my teeth move quite quickly and so they soon feel normal.
Good luck sorting, if your user name is anything to go by you're doing similar to me. Bad skin sorted, bad relationship with food sorted, teeth nearly sorted!

Just busy organising my finance, and taking the plunge for these after xmas.

going away for xmas so was worried about wearing the braces and eating! So really pleased to read this and gain some insight into them.
Will be good to have a few others to speak to about their experience.

I work with children too. They are brutally honest aren't they! None of mine have noticed either 😊
Iwantavuvezela it's just readjusting to a new routine around eating. It's easier at home but I've been fine at work. You get a little plastic case to store them in. I carry a teaspoon in a sandwich bag in my handbag. Wash hands, pop aligners out using spoon, rinse under tap, eat and drink, brush teither, aligners back in. Softer foods have been kinder on my teeth this week as they're a bit achey but you can eat or drink anything with them out. Ice cream is good for soreness!