Invisalign

[iacas]

Today I got my first set of Invisalign trays. I wonder how long it will take to adjust to the fact that:

• I can't close my teeth together without feeling the plastic between them, particularly in the back. As such my mouth has been more open today and my lips are chapped.
• I can't snack during the day. They call it the "Invisalign diet." It's too much of a pain in the butt to snack, brush, floss, rinse, and put the trays back in, so people eat their three daily meals and leave it at that. Of course, I usually snacked, and then had one meal for dinner, so that's going to have to change. Breakfast, here I come?

I have a very small mouth (yes, the irony or whatever you want to call it is significant). I've had nine teeth removed through the years, including four pre-molars and all of my wisdom teeth. I had the ninth - the bottom, middle-left front tooth, removed recently, so that the other two teeth that were "behind" it could be pulled forward to fill the hole.

I had braces as a kid, but back then, when you were done with about six months of wearing your retainer, you were done. So naturally my teeth went right back to being screwed up.

Four weeks or so from today I get the "attachments" put on. And, oh, about a year or so from now, maybe, my permanent night-time retainer.

On the bright side, they are pretty darn clear right now.

[JetFan1983]

15 minutes ago, iacas said:

I have a very small mouth

 

Interested to see how this goes though for some reason. 

[DeadMan]

I had invisalign done. Overall, I'm glad I did it. I did it mostly to correct some flaws in my bite that resulted in me chipping a tooth because my teeth were grinding together improperly. Now, all I'm wearing is a night retainer, which isn't a big deal at all. Some thoughts for you, @iacas:

• First couple of days were the worst, because I felt like I was lisping all the time. That went away really quickly.
• There was virtually no pain. A little discomfort when I started some trays, but that went away after about a day.
• It's not super noticeable, although some people did notice. But a lot better than having regular braces.
• The one negative is that it took longer than anticipated. It was a while ago now, so I don't remember how long the dentist said it would take. My vague recollection was a 1 year. It was about 1.5 years of invisalign trays, and then I had to wear a retainer on my upper teeth for additional 2 years to ensure everything set in properly. I'd rather do it correctly, so it wasn't that big of a deal to me. But I could see it getting frustrating for some. And I know that the exact same thing happens with braces, too, so that mitigated any frustration.
• I personally didn't change my teeth cleaning habits. I rinsed out the trays and my mouth before putting them back in, but I didn't bother with flossing or brushing before putting them back in all the time. I didn't find it too much of a hassle to take out, although I did lose some weight originally. You'll get used to them fairly quickly.

Feel free to ping me if you have any more specific questions, although maybe your dentist would the right person to ask before me .

 

[iacas]

15 hours ago, DeadMan said:

• First couple of days were the worst, because I felt like I was lisping all the time. That went away really quickly.
• There was virtually no pain. A little discomfort when I started some trays, but that went away after about a day.

Yeah, I'm finding that the only discomfort (it's a 1-2 on the "pain" scale… and a 2 is exaggerating) is when I take the tray in or out. That's partly because they're such a good fit. I'm probably being a lot gentler with them than I will be even a week from now. I can definitely still "feel" the… "mild discomfort" I guess? But I'm still hours away from being 24 hours in.

15 hours ago, DeadMan said:

• It's not super noticeable, although some people did notice. But a lot better than having regular braces.

Yeah, and honestly, I don't know if I cared about the visual aspect of braces (they take less time to move teeth around, but at my age, can achieve basically the same results), but I didn't want to deal with all the other stuff that came with it. Now, if braces had been more than about $500 less expensive, I may have gone the other route, but the "invisibility" is a small perk to me only.

In four weeks (before tray 3), I get the "attachments" on eight teeth to help move things along. They're mostly teeth toward the perimeter. I've heard those can look like little pieces of food stuck to your teeth, but also, only when the trays are out and you're eating.

15 hours ago, DeadMan said:

• The one negative is that it took longer than anticipated. It was a while ago now, so I don't remember how long the dentist said it would take. My vague recollection was a 1 year. It was about 1.5 years of invisalign trays, and then I had to wear a retainer on my upper teeth for additional 2 years to ensure everything set in properly. I'd rather do it correctly, so it wasn't that big of a deal to me. But I could see it getting frustrating for some. And I know that the exact same thing happens with braces, too, so that mitigated any frustration.

Yeah, I figure it's about a year and a half. They said between 22 and 32 trays, and if you wear each tray for two weeks, you're already up to 64 weeks. Then there are a period of adjustment trays, and then of course the nightly retainer for the rest of my life, essentially.

One question: how old were you when you had this done?

15 hours ago, DeadMan said:

• I personally didn't change my teeth cleaning habits. I rinsed out the trays and my mouth before putting them back in, but I didn't bother with flossing or brushing before putting them back in all the time. I didn't find it too much of a hassle to take out, although I did lose some weight originally. You'll get used to them fairly quickly.

I think the only change for me will be brushing 3-4 times per day instead of 2-3. Most days still just three - breakfast, some dinner or lunch, and a snack at night.

Last night I really wanted a Cherry Coke Zero at night. The water simply wasn't doing it for me. But then I thought about how I'd have to brush again, and take them out, and put them back in… and it just wasn't worth the 12 ounces of goodness.

And hey, as I noted above, Invisalign will make me start eating breakfast, because I won't be snacking throughout the day as usual (by snacking I suppose I mean more like "grazing" as it wasn't always bad - I'd eat an apple, a small Greek yogurt, etc.).

[dennyjones]

My son-in-law just finished with  Invisalign and the result were spectacular.    

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

My son-in-law just finished with  Invisalign and the result were spectacular.

How old is he, and how long did he have them in?

[DeadMan]

@iacas - I started when I was 25. I was finished with moving stuff around in my mouth about a year and half later, and then had to wear an upper, day retainer (which was really just an invisalign tray) for additional year and half.

[Lilfrier]

My teeth are pretty crooked, but I don't think I'd ever go for this. That's because of the consumption habits involved. I'm CONSTANTLY chewing gum, and losing that would drive me insane. That, and I know having people in public ask when I take the thing out would be an annoyance.

I know a guy who had it done, and I didn't ever notice the thing on him. I would forget he had it until we ate and he took it out. He was in his late-20s, I'm not sure how long he had it for. If I remember, I'll try to ask him next time I see him. It's just not for me, because I've built too much of a habitual life to make a sweeping change over some crooked teeth, haha. I'm too weak.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Lilfrier said:

My teeth are pretty crooked, but I don't think I'd ever go for this. That's because of the consumption habits involved. I'm CONSTANTLY chewing gum, and losing that would drive me insane. That, and I know having people in public ask when I take the thing out would be an annoyance.

I know a guy who had it done, and I didn't ever notice the thing on him. I would forget he had it until we ate and he took it out. He was in his late-20s, I'm not sure how long he had it for. If I remember, I'll try to ask him next time I see him. It's just not for me, because I've built too much of a habitual life to make a sweeping change over some crooked teeth, haha. I'm too weak.

FWIW if it's in 20-22 hours per day, that's good. But yeah, you would have to change your habits, so… you can always get braces! Still have to give up the gum, though… but you can chew other things.

[dennyjones]

12 hours ago, iacas said:

How old is he, and how long did he have them in?

He is 31 and I'm not sure but I'll ask him.   He had issues after he took them out, his teeth shifted and and he had go back to the last tray.   He is currently wearing a device at night.  His overbite was excessive.  

[iacas]

54 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

He is 31 and I'm not sure but I'll ask him.   He had issues after he took them out, his teeth shifted and and he had go back to the last tray.   He is currently wearing a device at night.  His overbite was excessive.  

Can you get more details on that? The last tray should be basically the same as the retainer, I think…?

[Buckeyebowman]

iacas, good luck with your teeth straightening. I have to admit that when I first read the title of this thread I thought it might have to do with no line bifocals!

My younger brother had braces as a kid, not an adult. His mouth was an absolute horror show! He went through hell getting his teeth straightened out, but it all turned out great! He has nicer teeth than I do, the kid who always had the "perfect teeth". Just stick with the program no matter how long it takes.

[dennyjones]

On 3/30/2016 at 9:05 AM, iacas said:

How old is he, and how long did he have them in?

He said from start to finish was about 18 months.

[iacas]

6 hours ago, dennyjones said:

He said from start to finish was about 18 months.

Thanks.

[dennyjones]

On 3/31/2016 at 10:31 PM, iacas said:

Can you get more details on that? The last tray should be basically the same as the retainer, I think…?

He has/had a habit of pushing his tongue against his front teeth and after the trays were out, his teeth shifted.   I believe he is using a devise at night now.