Invisalign vs Fixed braces experiences.

[kkelly82]

Hi everyone. I’m 40 and have been considering getting braces to fix overcrowding for some time now. I’d like to hear people’s experiences of the good, bad & ugly of both treatments. My concern is not being able to sleep well with either brace in my mouth.

I have so far seen two dentist but don’t think I’ll be having the treatment with either of them. From what I’ve read since I’m now considering booking an appointment with an orthodontist instead. Would anyone else out there agree that it’s better to receive this sort of treatment with an orthodontist?

Finally, bit of a long shot I know, but if anyone has received this treatment at a dental surgery in Nottinghamshire and would recommend it, I’d really like to know.

TIA

I had fixed metal braces at 47! Orthodontist charged me NHS rate - £1500 payable in instalments at each appointment. Def wasn't as hard as I expected.. Had hoped to lose a few pounds being unable to eat but alas all was fine! Retainer for bed every third night. Not bad either.
From what I have read other faster methods can twist tooth roots which can cause issues down the line.
Had my tracks on for 11 months.

@Creepymanonagoatfarm

I can't believe you managed to get it at nhs rates. I can't get anything similar here and I've tried. £3k average quote.

I have Invisalign and it's honestly one of the best things I've ever done. I'm nearly at the end and it's been a year so far but my confidence has grown loads and you get used to wearing the retainers. Never had an issue with sleeping.

The only thing is you can't eat and drink with it in, except for water.

But like the pp said- good if you wanna lost weight! 🤣

Invisalign - best thing I ever did.
You get used to the aligners - the first few days are a bit achy.

Corrected my teeth in six months. They do say you have to sleep with a retainer in. Instead my dentist put a very thin hair line wire behind my teeth so they never move. I've never worn my retainer because of this and they haven't moved a peep. I often quickly try my retainer on to make sure they haven't moved.

If you do get Invisalign make sure you do through a dentist though as many online companies sell them without any check ups or X-rays or can't track your teeth movement.

Best thing I ever did. Plus no need to clean bits of food out of metal braces. I just brushed my usual teeth twice a day and then cleaned my aligners with a separate toothbrush and paste. The results are amazing!

I had Invisalign and have no regrets. You have to wear them religiously and not leave them out for hours here and there as this is why people have problems and then complain about results as the aligners are measured to move your teeth very gradually but if you don't wear them enough hours then your teeth will not have moved sufficiently for the next one.

They are a bitch the first few days but you quickly get used to them.

Look at the all the options and consult more than one dentist / orthodontist as some styles - fixed or otherwise - suit different people.

I've had both - metal braces as a teenager then Invisalign in my thirties (as I didn't wear my retainer the first time!)

I would choose Invisalign every time. Metal braces were extremely uncomfortable and often very painful. They are hard to keep clean and I ended up with a cavity where my orthodontist hadn't fitted one of the brackets properly and food got trapped underneath it. Invisalign were less obtrusive, less painful and gave great results.

Just my 2p worth!

You need to see a proper orthodontist, not a cosmetic dentist.

I had metal braces as a teenager and Invisalign now. Definitely would go for Invisalign again. It’s easy to maintain, has worked well. No rubbing on gums etc and can be removed if you have a really important presentation or similar. You should take them out to eat and drink although I do keep them in and drink tea/coffee at work.

I had fixed braces twice, at around 13 then again at 20 after my teeth moved back.

I then had Invisalign in 2020 at age 38, best thing I ever did. I did it through an orthodontist and they were exceptional. IMO Invisalign gives more accurate positioning of your teeth compared to fixed braces. Also they had the tech to show you amazing 3D images of how/where your teeth will move to. It did cost around £5k all in (London) and was one of the more expensive clinics, but the other one I visited that quoted £3k just didn't seem too bothered & I didn't feel overly confident with them. You get what you pay for I guess.

They have an option on the Invisalign website to search for approved practices near you.

You'll sleep fine, after a week or so you'll forget they're even there. Bit of a pain to take them out to eat etc but you get used to it. Best thing I ever did!

I’d be surprised that a regular dentist would offer braces, I think you’d always be better off going to a proper orthodontist.

I’ve had a consultation about fixing my teeth and have an appointment booked for X-rays etc. I was told that sometimes, if there is overcrowding and problems with your bite, trying to fix it can make it worse. My X-rays are to determine which way the roots are pointing and of my issues can be fixed.

Very jealous of the prices PP’s are paying. I’ve been quoted £4k. I am near London though which always seems to be more expensive.

I had quite a big overbite but chose no to have teeth out which would habe given a more perfect result. Apparently the top lip drops back and changes your mouth. I didn't want that! Slight overbite but actually teeth are straight and lovely as I wanted!

I disagree with previous poster saying see an orthodontist & not a cosmetic dentist. I recently started invisalign with a cosmetic dentist and results have been fantastic. I did see an orthodontist in London who quoted me 8K for lower invisalign only, and the same amount for fixed lower braces. She must have thought I was loaded and/or daft.

My cosmetic dentist is charging less than 2K.
The invisalign process/stages of correction are exactly the same regardless of who you go to. Naturally you should see someone with excellent experience and reviews, but how this can be an orthodontist only speciality is beyond me.

I tried Smile Direct and would have stuck with them if the final result had come back better. They refunded in full quickly. There’s are a bit rough round the edges but I think would be great for minor work.
I went to a private orthodontist and it was £4.5k for either style. I was tempted by metal braces because I drink a lot of coffee and wine and it didn’t work with aligners taking them out all the time. They are very snug!
I didn’t do either in the end. Partly cost and partly because I still thumb suck a bir. This would be a distaste for my roots if I got braces. They do the metal ones with spikes to help but as I say I ran out of money anyway.

Not me personally but three family members have had either Invisalign and fixed braces from Melton Orthodontics and would thoroughly recommend. Not too far from Nottingham.

I've had both.
I had fixed braces at 16 and then invisalign at 35. I much preferred the invisalign. It seemed less painful and quicker. The fixed braces took a lot of getting used to, they cut the skin inside my mouth for the first 5 days and I found it hard to know where to put my lips.
Invisalign are more expensive and can be uncomfortable for the first couple of days of a new tray but they were a lot easier to tolerate.

I don't know how far into Nottinghamshire you are but I used a dentist just over the border in South Yorkshire that I would recommend. He specialises in aesthetic dentistry and also teaches it to dental students.

@fairgame84 that’s really interesting to hear they you had a better experience with Invisalign as opposed to fixed braces - thanks for sharing. If you could let me know the name of the dentist you went to in South Yorkshire that would be great. Thank you.

@Catnipples Really interesting to hear about your experiences of both types of braces. I’ve just visited the Invisalign website and found a list of accredited dentist nearby so thanks for pointing me in the direction of that. Good to know the pain is minimal too!

@kkelly82
Yes it was Ihsan at Bawtry.
www.bawtrydentalclinic.com/

Thanks everyone for responding. Lots of good points and really interesting to hear about all your experiences of both fixed braces and Invisalign. Also good to hear of many positive experiences where people are happy with the end result which I guess is essential after spending loads of time and money! I definitely feel more at ease knowing that Invisalign will only be uncomfortable for a little while.

Another Invisalign fan here! The first few days were uncomfortable and it felt like I had a mouth full of gravel. But then it was easy. Some weeks were more “pushy” than others but no pain and I was surprised at how quickly I got used to wearing them. I’ve now got thin wires on the backs which will be there for a few years and I have a night time retainer. I’ve straight white teeth for the first time in my life and it’s one of the best things I’ve spent money on! It took about 6 months but my teeth were very wonky.

I'm on invisalign - £3k through my dentist. Waiting on an adjustment set to come in now, then it will be 14 more weeks of wearing them. After that I'll get some bonding and possibly some laser on my gum.
Invisalign is a short term pain in the arse, you have to take them out to eat, and then brush your teeth. I haven't always been great about doing that on nights out, but I've still had good results so far. I think it normally works faster than traditional braces. Night time is no problem, you have a bit of pressure pain on the first few days of a new set, but a couple of paracetamol fixes that. I have a strong gag reflex and they haven't given me any issues.

Go for fixed damon braces

these are the best

invisalign straighten teeth whereas damon braces widen and straighten at same time do overall look is different

you can get clear brackets

remwmber Invisalign isn’t suitable for everyone - it depends on your issue

I am currently on tray two of Invisalign treatment. I had a consultation at my usual (very good) dentists' practice with the dentist there that offers Invisalign and one with an orthodontist and I decided to go with the orthodontist.

A PP said that the invisalign process/stages of correction are exactly the same regardless of who you go to, but I'm not sure this is always the case. My orthodontist made many revisions to the Invisalign treatment plan. For example, Invisalign's plan for the first set was 16 retainers to be worn for a week each but she felt this movement was too fast so went back and requested that they revise the first set to 20 retainers which I have to wear for 10 days each. She moved the attachments/buttons around so I don't have any on my front 6 teeth top and bottom, and also changed the IPR timings so it can be done gradually throughout the treatment and she will gauge if it is all strictly necessary. I will see her once a month throughout. It is expensive at about £5k (central London) but but I only intend to do this once and I need my teeth to last me a lifetime!

As for the experience of wearing the Invisalign, I HATED the first tray, was really grumpy, thought I'd made a huge mistake and loathed sleeping in them. It was really difficult getting them in and out and the orthodontist has not even put on the attachments yet (she does that on the second appointment to give you a chance to get used to the retainers first). Now I'm nearly at the end of tray two and I hardly notice them. It's so funny how fast we adjust to new things. It hasn't been painful so far, more of a feeling of gentle pressure. I'm very excited to see my teeth moving and am so glad I made the decision to go for it. Good luck!

Another having a very positive experience with invisalign for overcrowding. I think one of the biggest advantages is they look good a lot sooner... I've probably got another 6 months to go but can enjoy them looking basically straight whereas metal braces would still be looking like metal braces.

By the way, I discussed both fixed braces and Invisalign in some detail with the orthodontist. In my case (not complex and teeth not that wonky) she said both methods would work very well and give exactly the same results, they would both take exactly the same amount of time (a year) and cost almost the same amount. In my case, she didn't think one method had any benefit over the other. So for me it just came down to personal preference as to which to choose.