Clear braces

[Giggling Squid]

I had Invisalign. 6 months, 12 trays, cost me £2500, including a permanent wire and retainer. I had braces when I was younger but my teeth moved in my 20s. I am so glad I did it!

 

[Deeznutslol]

Yes, they told me it would still whiten with the attachments.

I asked my dentist about whitening during the invisalign treatment and she said there was no way that she would even try to whiten anyones teeth while they had attachments on as they’d end up with a really uneven colour.
Tbh it makes sense as I’m not really sure how the whitening gel would even reach the parts of your teeth which are covered by attachments? If I were you I’d hold off on any more whitening and go back to your dentist and raise it with them because that doesn’t sound good to me

 

[Deeznutslol]

On my second to last tray, my teeth are looking straight af and tbh I would be happy to leave them as they are now, but one of the teeth at the bottom hasn’t rotated as it was expected to, so my dentist says it’s on to the refinements now . Kinda cba at this point, but may as well keep going

 

[Carrie2019]

I’ve just finished Invisalign.

Best thing ever.

 

[judgejohndeed]

Smile Direct does actually have registered dentists overseeing the plans, but you don't get to see an actual person so if something goes wrong with your bite etc they won't be able to fix it. So many things can go wrong with teeth when they're moving, I know it's a lot cheaper but there's a reason for that and I imagine they'll have some waiver in place if something does go wrong. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Honestly, at first it feels like the treatment will go on forever and it feels like a real inconvenience having to take the aligners in and out when you eat. It took me a while to remove my first set too. Like with most things, you just get used to it and after a while it flies by. I did find it annoying that I couldn’t drink anything (other than water) because I’ve always got a cup of tea or coffee on the go.

I'm definitely feeling the inconvenience although it is still very, very early days. The good thing is that my dentist has told me I'm fine to drink warm drinks without removing them as long as they are not very hot. Currently enjoying a nice warmish cup of tea! My dentist is in the middle of her own Invisalign treatment so has advised on the basis of things she's found that are OK. I was so relived about that bit!

 

[judgejohndeed]

Personally I wouldn’t be put off by time of treatment. How long have your teeth bothered you? That time is going to pass anyway, in a year from now you could have almost nice teeth or you child still be thinking ‘should I get my teeth done’. I heard the other day that having good teeth makes you 20% more attractive which was interesting. I do think it’s worth having, my fiancé’s was a year long which was a pain for him but his teeth genuinely look incredible now

Does the tea not stain your aligners? I’m not much of a tea or coffee drinker but I’m very into squash, howevrr I’ve never tried drinking it with the aligners in for fear of staining them purple

I used to drink squash and iced coffee, it does start to stain them but if you stick them in those cleaning tablets daily it’s not that bad. I tried to only drink water the first week of a tray and then had other drinks the second week so it wasn’t too long before I had to change it

 

[it’s not been changed?!]

So I’ve finished my treatment. I’ve had my bonding done and I’m thrilled. I never knew my teeth would look this good!! I’m so happy. Shame it costs so much

 

[Snowjoke]

I think I can see a small change in my teeth already and I’m only on aligner 2!

 

[judgejohndeed]

Hey guys! I’m wondering if any of you could help me x

so I have a small gap between my two front teeth, it’s pretty small but it’s been bothering me and I’ve decided to do something about it. The rest of my teeth are fine! I’ve attached a couple pictures of what I mean (not of me, just similar). Do you think Invisalign is right for me? I know it’s just a gap, but I don’t want to go to the dentist, get ripped off and pay thousands and go through a lot of pain for this small gap, but I’ve heard composite bonding isn’t great and doesn’t last long. Im pretty unsure what to do! Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you x

I have the same gap and I have bonding on it. Who told you it doesn’t last long? My first one lasted over ten years! I think it’s great and only cost me a couple of hundred quid!

Just adding - I had Invisalign on just my bottom teeth which cost £1750. When I had my bonding redone (a while after the Invisalign) they told me they’d want to do Invisalign on the top and bottom again to close the gap, because it might cause bite issues etc. That would’ve cost £3.5k. So I went for the bonding again which was a couple of hundred and only took a couple of hours!

 

[Naataaliiee]

Does anyone have any first hand experience of clear braces? I’ve trawled the internet but can only really the odd bit of impartial advice!

My teeth aren’t horrendous by any means- just a little wonky in places and it has always made me a bit paranoid. I’ve always toyed with the idea of clear braces but never thought about it that much til recently. My dentist offer Invisalign but there’s that many out there, i’m not sure what’s the best!

 

[Dianne]

Honestly, at first it feels like the treatment will go on forever and it feels like a real inconvenience having to take the aligners in and out when you eat. It took me a while to remove my first set too. Like with most things, you just get used to it and after a while it flies by. I did find it annoying that I couldn’t drink anything (other than water) because I’ve always got a cup of tea or coffee on the go.

 

[xx3221]

I'm thinking of getting Invisalign or metal braces but I have struggled my whole life with mouth ulcers, to the point where I have been to hospital for investigations about them and I'm worried the braces will make them worse! Does anyone find they cause more ulcers? Thanks

I think Invisalign will be the best bet. I've had barely any pain and no ulcers at all!

 

[Deeznutslol]

Thank you. I've just taken them out for the first time at home. It took me twenty minutes and I got myself into a right tizz. I was absolutely certain I was going pull a tooth out. I've got a bridge and that's already wobbly just from today so I'm slightly concerned about that and the tooth it's attached to. I really hope it gets easier than this . No idea how I'm going to manage at work tomorrow.

The first few days are grim but I promise it gets easier! I felt the same the first few days I had it, I honestly was terrified to take them in and out because I was convinced I was going to rip out some of my teeth. It gets so much better though

 

[Snowjoke]

I changed to my 3rd aligner yesterday! Time is flying by

 

[Naataaliiee]

Finally finished Invisalign today! 11 months later (3 months longer than planned). Going back in 2 weeks to have my attachments removed and my retainer fitting. Can’t have whitening or bonding until next year as I’m pregnant! Bit gutted it won’t all be done at the same time but it is what it is!

 

[Snowjoke]

Glad to hear people aren’t sticking to totally plain water haha I’m only on my second aligner and with the first one I always felt like I was starving because I didn’t want to take the aligner out to eat lol I’m on my second one now and it’s not as sore as the first one at all which is a relief lol I think I’m going to chance drinking sugar free squash with a straw lol it’s so bad also but I didn’t wear my aligner on a night out because I was scared I’d loose it after a few drinks

 

[Mooordgirl]

I’m really tempted to get Invisalign. As a teenager my dentist told me I didn’t have to have braces as my teeth wasn’t that “bad”. I hated the dentist as a child (we’re talking HUGE phobia, crying, kicking the dentist) and didn’t bother with braces and I’ve always regretted it! I managed to overcome my fear and going the dentist doesn’t bother me too much now.

I don’t like my teeth, my top 2 and bottom 2 overlap and it’s quite noticeable. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not dreadful but I’ve been thinking about getting invisalign for years now. I’m nearly 27 and think well what’s the point? Am I too old now, is there any point?
I’ve also still got a baby tooth and I’m constantly paranoid it’s going to fall out, there’s nothing behind it to push it out

You've got another 70 years hopefully. Feckin go for it!!!

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Waited a month for my consultation only to be told that my teeth are more of a complex case and they would need to refer me elsewhere to an Orthodontist So frustrating, I assumed they would have one within the practice!! Am I dumb for not checking this before? Defo an FYI for anyone going for a consultation - it's worth checking as my teeth are not extreme by any means, just some overcrowding on the bottom where I rejected braces in my teens so I'm really quite surprised.

Waited for ages and paid for a pointless appointment (only £45 so didn't bother arguing it) but now I've got to wait some more and pay again! Life

It might be worth getting a second opinion. Mine is considered a very complex case, including overcrowding on the bottom requiring a tooth removal and my dentist managed to come up with two possible treatment plans for Invisalign.

What is interesting is that when I went to other practices a couple of years ago the first place said they couldn't help at all, didn't even do a scan and the second place, the result they were came up with involved having two teeth removed and was nowhere near as impressive as the projection of the most recent one. I think different dentists/orthodontists have different levels of training or are more up to date with advances in the treatment anyway.

I know how deflated I felt after than first appointment though so I understand your frustration. It's horrible to get yourself geared up for something only to have it halted suddenly. I hope you find a way forward with it.

 

[bcfc999]

Have booked my first appointment for tomorrow to get started with Invisalign!! They're running a promo so only 3k instead of 4k thank god. I'm excited but really nervous too.