Invisalign help - share your happy endings?

[LoyalGreenHam]

I've had Invisalign for 7 weeks but still on tray 5 as I keep getting the "do not proceed" message from dental monitoring as my teeth aren't moving as fast as they'd like. It hurts, my mouth is full of ulcers from the elastic band buttons, I keep losing attachments, I can't snack ever, the tooth brushing is a constant drag and all in all I'm wondering why I've done this to myself (and paid £4k for the privilege!). Can anyone give me their happy ending and tell me it gets better...? I have 46 trays which at this rate will last about 15 months. I'd never give up but I could do with lifting out of my first world problem self-pity right now...

Hi op.

I'm pretty much you, but I finished about a month ago. I had a similar amount of trays and timeline.

All the check ins, appointments, chewies, cleaning and waiting.

Yes, it was a lot and at times it felt like forever, but you soon get used to the trays and you just have to get your head down and crack on. Obviously talk to your dentist if there is too much pain. I didn't have much discomfort. New trays felt tight, but only one early caused ulcers.

I HATED my wonky teeth before. I never smiled with my teeth and now my DH says I smile (fully) and laugh all the time. Keep it up 😁. I wish I'd done it sooner.

Sympathies. I had traditional fixed braces rather than invisilign but what was estimated to be 18 months to 2 years turned into 4 years. I must admit by year 3 I was ready to cry after most adjustments visits and got to a point of regretting starting the whole process. BUT it’s all over now and the difference is quite incredible.

15 months isn’t to bad and it will go by quicker than you think. You’re only 7 weeks in so you won’t see big changes yet but I found around the 4 month mark you start to see real changes which is always a boost. Hang in there it will be worth it!

DD (15/16 at the time) had Invisalign a few years ago - absolutely worth the money & effort, her results were fabulous. It took around 12 months all in all, to be honest it never really seemed to bother her (probably as her wear time was nowhere near what it should’ve been.. somehow her teeth still moved within the correct timeframe, the joys of being young I suppose!). Pain/ulcers weren’t an issue past the first week or two and I would query this with your orthodontist. Heavily empathise with the attachment issue - we were back at the orthodontist having missing elastic band buttons replaced on an almost weekly basis😬 They definitely don’t agree with hard foods!

What I would say is to prepare for things to run over the 46 tray mark. The vast majority of patients will need refinement trays which can add another few months on to treatment. DD had an initial set of 14 trays - we ended up with two refinement sets of 9 aligners to fix a few of the more stubborn teeth, so treatment time effectively doubled.

I had Invisalign about 18 years ago. I only had discomfort on the first day of a new tray and neurofen sorted that out. I didn't have elastic band buttons- but do recall fixed blobs of something on my teeth as anchor points.
Keep your eye on the end result. My teeth are lovely, the straightening lasted and it was worth the aggravation. It was also the best diet I had ever been in - so thin at the end due to no snacks. Pity that didn't last!

Hey Op, Dd currently has Invisalign-week 8 so just ahead of you. Initially she had loads of ulcers and we couldn’t understand why… but then we realised she had an allergy/intolerance to the toothpaste that was supplied as part of her pack! Gone back to our regular toothpaste and they instantly disappeared. Have you switched your toothpaste also?

Scared now.
I just paid for Invisalign on Tuesday. I did have a go at the cheaper online
trays but the predicted results were bad and I got refunded. They hurt, got ulcers and I could only eat soft food.

My worry is I might have got a crap orthodontist. He’s only moving the front not back teeth and not correcting the bite properly ( because he doesn’t think my test will take too much movement). A previous orthodontist could do all teeth and bite but adding on 9months and 2 grand.
I want to hear success stories too!

I am two years down the line - one of the best things I’ve ever done!

7 weeks in I didn’t have ulcers or anything like that (pretty sure that was all done by week two!). Have you been using wax or cream to help the buttons not cause an issue? I’d definitely mention that to the dentist, it shouldn’t be making your life an issue. Not snacking was the dream for me, it’s given me better eating habits now 😂 I found that keeping disposable toothbrushes in all of my handbags helped, it made it easier to do a quick brush after lunch.

It’s given me so much confidence and I would always recommend it to people! It just needs patience and sticking to the process.

I would be concerned about an orthodontist only moving the front teeth and not fixing the bite either. I can understand additional cost being a concern but don’t let an extra few months cloud your decision. I hated having mine for so long but I always trusted that the orthodontist was aiming for the best possible outcome in terms of bite and long term health not just aesthetics. I’m not an orthodontist but moving just your front teeth is going to change your bite again and possibly not for the better?

I’m not sure what the elastic band buttons are -mine finished about 4 years ago so maybe the treatment has changed? It was like little hard buttons on my teeth for the liners to click onto but there was no elastic involved. I didn’t have any issues with ulcers but always had a day of tightness with a new tray. I did unfortunately have terrible morning sickness at the start of my treatment but I stuck with it and I’m so glad I did.

I had Invisalign for 9 months and the difference to my teeth is amazing. I got it because of a genetic quirk (born without certain adult teeth) causing issues with my canines but my whole bite and bottom teeth were done as part of the treatment. I look back at old photos of my smile and my entire teeth were so spaced out, my front teeth were very odd looking because of how everything had shuffled forward to fill the gaps, my bottom teeth were off-set… I could go on. It was money very well spent.

It had Invisalign a couple of years ago and honestly it's been the best thing I've ever done for myself. My teeth did seem to start moving a lot quicker a couple of months in (I only needed them for 9 months), and by towards the end I was only wearing the retainers at night and everything was moving along nicely. Hang in there, it will be so worth it in the end.

These messages have cheered me up no end! I have these extra bumps to attach elastics to at night and they are causing all the problems - two are on the inside and rub on my tongue, and six on the outside, two up and four down. This is gross but my cheek kind of gets caught on the back ones - I seem to have a kind of ridge forming. They all rub if I do any amount of talking. I think when I started I read some threads on here which all said "after two weeks it was easy" and I was concerned because that hasn't been my experience, but it's so lovely to hear the great results people have had. Gives me the boost I need, so thanks all!

Finished my Invisalign treatment a year ago. Amazing difference for me. I look at old photos and think why didn’t I do it sooner. Yes it was annoying not snacking and the constant cleaning and pain occasionally but now everything is great! Wish I’d done it years ago!

It's a huge pain. I was inadvertently 'lucky' to have them during the pandemic when I could brush my teeth easily etc though.

Either way it was worth all the hassle in the end. So pleased I did it.

I am coming to the end of what was meant to be 12 weeks but has now become 28. I can't stand the staining, cannot wait to have them gone. But I am flabbergasted by how many people pay for the treatment and then forget to wear the night retainer and it all goes back to square 1!!!

Update on this - my treatment has now been paused as I've been re-scanned and they are making me a complete new set of aligners. Seems my teeth weren't playing ball and hadn't moved as they should. More frustration as the fitting appointment isn't for four weeks, but I'm really pleased that the system is working and they've stepped in to fix it quickly. It does mean that after 2.5 months I'll still effectively be on tray 5... Beginning to wish I'd just opted for a fixed brace! Still appreciate all the great outcomes listed here though!

It is frustrating but worth it. I had a delay of nearly a year getting my bottom bracket on due to lots of issues. Here’s my before and after a to help with the motivation!

Amazing! You must be thrilled - they look absolutely perfect.

I’m on my last aligner now.
Mine are Suresmile, which I think is the same as Invisalign.
I have attachments on my teeth but no elastic bands, and haven’t heard of friends with Invisalign having them?
You shouldn’t be having any discomfort at all: that’s not normal.

I had mine 9 years ago and it was the best thing I ever did, Both top and bottom teeth needed to move - as an adult I couldn’t do everything I wanted but the end result is fantastic and transformed my confidence and smile. I have a fixed retainer wire top and bottom to stop things living back into place. i did have the button and elastics and used dental wax on sore sections for a bit. Do persevere - it is so worth it!

I had really wonky teeth and used to get shooting pains in my back teeth because of my bite being so bad. It took ages for my Invisalign treatment due to Covid but my teeth are much better now (not completly 100 per cent as one tooth at the front is slightly too high but you can’t see it to the untrained eye). I no longer get pain and they are much easier to clean and I think have really helped me look younger.

It really depends on what needs doing - my 13 yo had SureSmile and needed elastics nearer the end, but the plan was to have them sooner - but her teeth were progressing better than the ortho anticipated. Apparently.