Invisalign- tell me to woman up!

[SharyBobbins]

I had a consultation for Invisalign today and I'm in turmoil! I'm hoping some of you may have already had it or be in the middle of having it and are willing to help talk me off the ceiling!
I have an irrational fear of dentist so just sitting in the waiting room today had me in tears. I've been that distracted all day I've only just realised I've not had lunch (not like me at all!).
The thing is that I hate my smile. I try not to smile, not let people sit a certain side of me (my crooked top teeth are more noticeable on one side that the other). In every photo my lips are firmly sealed. I cry at the thought of living the rest of my adult life being so self-conscious. I want to be confident for me and for my little girl. That Jess Glynne song (Thursday?) makes me cry in the car. Despite all of that, having never even had a filling, I am terrified of interfering with my teeth when I don't "need" to. The dentist said I'd need them on the top and the bottom (which also made me upset as I thought the bottoms were alright). I'll need to wear them for 9-12 months in total. I think I can be disciplined enough to maximise their potential during and after with the retainer. But I'm getting put off as from what I have read they aren't really "invisible". The adhesive dots which they attach to your teeth seem to ruin that and given my front two teeth are the issue I imagine I'd need some on there. I keep swinging between thinking I just accept my imperfections and leave it to thinking that sorting my smile will genuinely improve my confidence and if I can then why shouldn't it. I'm also scared of being even more self conscious due to having plastic and random dots in my mouth 22 hours a day but on the other hand I'm so self conscious of my teeth anyway so I might as well be a tad more self conscious for the next year or so and possibly come out with some good results.
Can anyone offer any advice or experience?
Sorry for ramble. My DH isn't home yet and when I talked this through with my toddler she didn't care enough to offer any good advice

iamnot dentist isn’t too worried. In fairness I don’t drink coffee. And proper tea is usually when I’m eating something. I’ve had to cut back on fizzy drinks etc. So it’s the occasional tea maybe once a day while they’re in.

I do where poss try and stick to just water or clear liquids. Dentist said this was ok. Ish. Not advisable. But if I have no option (ie in a meeting at work and can’t leave to whip them out) it’s ok.

Getting my teeth sorted was one of the best things I've ever done. I've never stopped smiling and it's given me a ton of confidence.

Thanks for all of your encouragement. Rang up this morning and have an appointment for the end of the month to go through it more, have x-rays, moulds etc. Felt pleased with myself when I got off the phone but now wobbling again. Can't keep living like this though so I 95% sure I'll be going ahead with the treatment.
washingmachine you are my hero. 10 years? You are amazing.
Can anyone else elaborate on this "chewie" thing? It wasn't mentioned yesterday!

Chewies are basically rubber tubes about the size of a dental cotton roll that are used to help settle the aligner into place.

When you first put the aligner in it's the wrong shape for your teeth (well, your teeth are the wrong shape for the aligner) and the chewy helps push the aligner onto the teeth into the correct position. When it's fitted to your teeth and you continue to use the chewy the constant movement and pressure helps encourage the teeth to move into the right place inside the aligner (or something to that effect!)

I certainly didn't use mine for an hour every day but did use them frequently in the first few days after changing aligners.

My dentist must be very strict because I was told not even water when they arw in and chewing at least an hour a day is mininimum..

I can't believe the no drinking water, that's mad! My mouth felt so dry with them in, I definitely could not have coped without water. The chewies - I was very lazy about using them, I didn't like the sensation of them in my mouth, it didn't make a difference to the end result.

I’m 42 and about to get train tracks fitted and have been told I’ll need them for 18 months.... it’s not uncommon for older people to have braces. I feel it will be worth it in the long run!

I did try water it just seemed to puddle in my aligners and I am constantly "sucking" saliva puddling out of them.
I did lick the end of a spoon last week, literally with tip of tongue touched curry sauce and made sure didn't touch teeth and yet my aligners were stained by this

I have invisalign. People only notice when I tell them and are genuinely surprised. I've only had positive comments.

Go for it! The results are great.

If you have issues with dentists don't worry. Nothing has been painful or unpleasant. Only slightly uncomfortable bit was posing for photos with a metal thing in my mouth to stretch my lips, over in 2 minutes.

Tip- buy retainer brite on amazon, they are cleaning tablets. Used every morning the trays don't get manky at all.
You can drink tea and coffee. Anything hot enough to burn your mouth would warp the trays but you wouldn't drink that anyway.

Chewies gave me migraines but I clench my teeth a lot which gave a similar effect!

No water?! That's ridiculous. The information that comes with the trays when you first get them even says cool water is fine and to actually drink regularly to about dry mouth. How do you survive without drinking anything for 22 hrs a day?!

I would be peed off as well if I faffed around taking out my trays and leaning them every time I had a drink of water. You don't need to do this. I drink water with mine in plus one or two coffees a day (no sugar) . Minimal staining on the trays. My orthodontist is whitening my teeth at the end of my treatment but I haven't noticed any coffee staining on my teeth or attachments.
Sugary drinks shouldn't really be drunk with the trays in as the sugar can sit next to your teeth and cause decay. You need to have good tooth hygiene and regular dentist checkups in addition to your orthodontist appointments while having invisalign. Any cavities will be picked up by your dentist.
It is a faff brushing your teeth after each meal but this is a deterrent to snacking in between meals, which is good for my diet! I wouldn't trust a teenager with invisalign as you do need discipline to keep the trays in 22 hours a day. But the minor inconveniences are worth it.

I also have had invisalign and would encourage you to go for it - I honestly don’t think you’ll be disappointed and after a couple of days you get used to having them in. Yes you do need good dental hygiene, you can keep them in whilst eating, but for me the results are worth any minor inconvenience. You can drink water with them in - I removed them for anything else. I 2nd retainer Brite from amazon to keep your trays clean. I had new trays every fortnight for just over a year. I too thought I would only need the upper trays but it was better for me to get both. People only noticed I had them in when I told them and I could remove them if I had an event on and didn’t want to wear them. Delighted with the results!

Definitely don't buy retainer brite from your orthodontist. Mine charges 500% what Amazon does. I get a big box of 96 tablets and use them in the morning. 🦷💎

Thank you everyone! Will definitely not be buying the retainer bright from the orthodontist at that extortionate increase! Thanks for the tip!
So in the past few days I've gone from absolutely dreading the thought of getting braces to dreading being told by the orthodontist that after closer inspection I'm not eligible (or need teeth out argh!).

I looked at several different options before choosing Invisalign and was advised by one orthodontist I may need to have a tooth out. This didn’t happen as I chose to go elsewhere. Did they mention at your consultation that you were
eligible for Invisalign? I also got a picture of the planned changes after my initial consultation, really good to give you an idea visually. I must admit, I still doubted if a bit of plastic could actually move my teeth properly! It did though. A few years on and I still wear my retainer at night, although I don’t really need to. Having the retainers also makes it good it you want to whiten your teeth as you can just buy the gel and add it to your tray.

The only thing stopping me from having dental work is the cost. I'd have big silver train tracks for as long as it took if i could afford it. I hate my teeth, I imagine people mention them to each other after they've met me .

I had braces as a teenager and when I look back at photos of me when I was around 16, my teeth are lovely. I didn't have a retainer fitted so my teeth have just gone back to the way they used to be, probably worse. What a waste

Threads like this make me so hopeful that one day I can have mine done.

Do it op!

Piglet, I know how you feel as I was really conscious of mine too. Some places do plans where you can pay a certain amount upfront, followed by monthly payments interest free. That’s what I chose to do.

Piglet I paid £400 deposit and have paid £100 at each further appointments.

piglet..that happened to me too...braces as teen, no retainer now back to sq 1 if not worse

i paid £300 first visit and then £1200 for uss and projected images and then first 6 weeks of aligners
it will be about £300-400 per 6 week visit after that

It's very tempting. We have 3 children and a doer-upper house though. Currently scrimping and saving to have the garden landscaped - not sure DP would be that impressed if I spanked money on my teeth at the moment

To be fair he did say I was eligible & that it wasn't a massive job it would just take a while as there is a lot of movement needed. I'm just one of life's glass half empty people
Piglet I know exactly how you feel. I always think people meet me & walk away thinking "isn't it a shame about her teeth, why hasn't she had them fixed"

I’ve been looking into this but I am so confused about the cost. My dentist referred me to an orthodontist a couple of years ago and her starting price was £3500

But then you go on the internet and there seem to be offers galore. But are they 1000off but just 1000 more in the first place.

I desperately need them done. I had braces as a child but my teeth have got worse and worse as I’ve got older 😢 which makes me fear I need removal

I think the prices on the internet are probably the starting costs for the most minimal intervention and time frame required. The dentist I saw explained each of the price brackets from the lower end to the top price before he looked properly at my teeth. That's when he saw how much movement was needed and had to tell me I am at the top end of the price scale . I imagine there are some places who would do mine for cheaper but he's been doing Invisalign for a number of years & is a "gold practitioner" so I feel comfortable with him and the practice he works at.