Clear braces

[sweetpaprika]

I considered Invisalign, but my Orthodontist said in my case it would take much longer, be more expensive and not give a best result. The alternative they gave me was a fixed, ceramic brace which is much clearer compared to a traditional train-track brace. With the ceramic he said it would take slightly less time (circa 18 months), be cheaper (I think a £700 difference) and give a much better and tailored result.

I opted for a ceramic fixed brace instead and not going to lie, my mouth is SO sore. I have these extended brackets which feel like razers in my mouth and have led to a cut in my mouth. I'm not sure if they can file them down as it's not the actual wire. I'm only on the first week, but so far haven't been able to bite into food so my dinner has been consisting of soup, cottage cheese (which I have to fish out from my brace) and water.

I know if I was wearing Invisalign - I would have already removed them due to the pain. At least in this way, while it is uncomfortable and YES I have cried a lot today - they are on my teeth and I can't be tempted to take them out.

However saying all this, I do wish I had chosen to get braces at the start of the year as I'd already be half-way through my brace journey - but oh well!

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Is anyone happy to share how much theirs cost? (Invisalign)
My dentist quoted me £5k for up to 12 months which was more than expected

3.5K including tooth removal, bonding, metal wire retainers top and bottom and 3 sets of Vivera retainers. Tooth whitening was also included in this price but I didn't have that done.

Mine was quite a complicated case and I had been quoted nearly 6K by somewhere else, just for the alignment process without the extras, so it's worth getting more than one quote.

 

[Greencatfysh]

To clean I use those dissolvable tablets meant for dentures - think I read about them on this thread!

Retainer Brite is your friend!

 

[Dianne]

Are the invisalign hard to adapt to? I am going for my consultation the end of the month and am on the fence between invisalign or clear tracks?

At first they feel tight and uncomfortable, and I had some blistering from the plastic catching. It takes a bit of getting used to talking without a slight lisp (for me anyway). I had fixed metal braces as a teenager and I preferred Invisalign. Fixed metal braces I’m sure will have improved since I was a teenager though.

 

[Scorpihoe]

Good luck with your first couple of weeks! Does it hurt? I'm getting mine next month and keep trying to talk myself out of it ,

Doesn’t hurt it feels uncomfortable more than anything and I feel a ‘pressure’ on my teeth. My voice has changed a bit as well but it’s not painful really

best of luck!!!

 

[Snowjoke]

I’m all finished up with the aligners as of last week!! Just have to wear the retainer at night time. It’s so weird without them now lol never thought I’d say that

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I think so many are in the same boat. I had a tooth removed when I was 13 just because it was a bit thin. Had braces for three years and a bridge put in. Wasn’t told anything about the long term! Fast forward 20 years and I need to pay out for an implant and braces to fix my teeth again. I’m on my last tray so will start the implant bit soon. Really not looking forward to it!

+1 for this! Also… the impact of wisdom teeth. I had 3 years of braces as a teen leaving me with gr8 teeth, then a mega wisdom tooth came through in my early 20s and despite promptly having it removed, sadly it caused minor crowding that I’ve just done an 11 week course of Invisalign to correct.

It’s super frustrating, idk what the alternative is as it’s not as if they can do anything to stop them coming through! Fucking teeeeeeth

 

[Deeznutslol]

I wont mind wearing a retainer at night when my teeth are done tbh, I’ve always had a major issue with grinding my teeth at night and since wearing my invisalign at night, I’ve really noticed an improvement in that

 

[Shoequeen91]

Has anyone done this with crowned tooth? Just wondering if it’s possible? (I know I should speak to my dentist and/or a dentist that works with Invisalign )

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Can someone please tell me what would class as a complex case?

Mine was complex. I needed a tooth removal, cross bite correction and had to work around an implant on a bridge and a veneer. I think it cost 3K in the end including 3 sets of Vivera retainers which was a much better price than my first quote of 5k min ( with tooth removal and retainers extra).

I needed almost as many trays in the 'refinement' stage than in the main treatment itself and it all took about 18 months ish but it was absolutely worth it for the difference it's made to my life.

 

[Delihla]

Just secured a place to proceed with Invisalign, beginning next Friday (scans etc) as my local centre has a £1000 off currently.
My only worry now is that I naively thought it would only take a couple of months, however i’m going on a 2 week all inclusive holiday next May and I want to spend my days drinking all the cocktails has anyone had a similar issue?

Have you had your initial consultation? For me, scans and X-rays were appointment 1, but I didn’t get my aligners to start treat my until appointment 3! Time frame will very much depend on how many trays you need from there

 

[HarJR289]

Having read the whole thread and the plenty folks that didn't commit to the teenage braces (can't blame you as I wouldn't last an hour myself) ...

What would you recommend for a young teen? Bottom teeth perfect, just the upper front 4 or maybe 6 that flare out since she got her adult teeth.

For a teen, defo fixed braces, I enquired about Invisalign for my son (he’s 11 now but his teeth are terrible, he had a supernumerary tooth in the middle of his top 2). The dentist said fixed are just superior when it came to the movement in children and even though he is highly competent in Ortho he would not consider treating children as it’s more complex due to the jaw growing. Invisi is great, just not for kids.

 

[EasterEggs]

I have no experience with Smile Direct but the not seeing the dentist at all for the whole treatment was a concern for me too. It’s not that much cheaper than Invisalign so I would rather pay a bit more for peace of mind! Maybe it would be ok if your teeth only needed small adjustments though.

 

[Favourable.wind]

Yes don’t worry, your first aligner is going to be horrible for the first few days but soon you will be popping them in and out with ease!

Thank you! I've had 2 meltdowns already but reassuring to know that it will get easier!

 

[OldTT]

I got my Invisalign on Monday. So exciting, though the novelty is def wearing off already.

I’ve not had any pain luckily but I’m surprised at how noticeable the attachments are. I’ve got two on one of my front teeth and one each on my pointy cainines which make them look a really weird shape. Definitely not invisible!

 

[Scorpihoe]

Can I ask did you ladies go with a dentist for your invisalign or an orthodontist?

 

[Deeznutslol]

Saw the orthodontist the other day (end of my sets) and she suggested a few more to make some minor improvements - hoping it's not many more and no more attachments! I've now had my current one in for three weeks and got at least another week of it til my new ones come in, it feels gross!

I had my old one in for over a month before I got my refinements and it’s the worst! The retainer was sooo stained by the end hang in there!

 

[xx3221]

I got mine today!! They are grand when they are on but oh my word taking them off I will 100% be loosing weight will defo cut down my snacking lol

I took mine off to have dinner this evening and it was a lot less painful. still painful, but less!

My dentist said they could get a perfect result with fixed braces and 80% with aligners and that the difference would only be noticeable by professionals. I'm 39… so the thought of metal braces isn't fun. But the thought of subsisting on water for 6 months is not good either. I'm borderline underweight as it is. If it's painful to remove the aligners I'd just not eat for days. I have to weigh the pros and cons and ask the orthodontist a lot of questions next week.

I would suggest getting advice from your orthodontist for sure. Vanity isn't worth jeopardising your health x

 

[101d]

It’s been suggested I may need composite bonding once I finish my treatment (not even started it yet!). As if Invisalign isn’t expensive enough, then I have to pay more for bonding…

It is expensive as hell but it does make a big difference!! I only got it on my top 6 teeth to keep costs down, but had whitening too

 

[Giggling Squid]

How many attachments did everyone have on their teeth? I finally had my first appointment for invisalign today to get all of the images and impressions and my dentist told me I’m probably going to need quite a few

I had 12, just on my top and they were only moving 4 teeth