Has anyone used Invisalign??

[MelissaRB]

I've got quite crooked teeth (but not crooked enough to go free on the NHS ) and was thinking about getting Invisalign? Anyone used it before and got any advice?

 

[Psylocke]

I had crooked teeth which I never got corrected as a kid, too. I asked for Invisalign because I was in my late teens and dreaded the thought of having braces but not a single orthodontist recommended getting Invisalign. I'm not sure if that is just because there's not much to do for a orthodontist when you get Invisalign (ergo, they wouldn't make much money off you) or if they really don't like it.
A friend of mine had Invisalign braces for two years. Her teeth were only very slightly crooked and if she had gotten normal braces she probably wouldn't have had them for longer than half a year so I thought that was quite pointless. Plus, you can totally see the aligners anyway and it looks kind of weird, IMO.
I went for normal braces but with transparent brackets in the end but they look really ugly and aren't as strong as metal braces either so I think I should have just opted for the normal metal ones. They're most effective and since people who talk to you will always notice when you have braces anyway you might as well go for the ones that don't look like you have nasty plaque on your teeth
If your teeth are only slightly crooked then maybe removable ones that you will only wear at home and at night could be an option too. And there's also the possibility of lingual brackets that can be attached to the back of the teeth.

 

[MelissaRB]

Oh thank you Psylocke

I dread the thought of having braces, especially because I wear glasses too I will keep an open mind about them... I never knew Invisalign was so obvious, I thought it was pretty much invisible! I guess I need to do some more research on braces lol

 

[Psylocke]

You're welcome! I have this really weird obsession with teeth and braces so I'm always glad if my knowledge is ever of use

The thing with all these supposedly invisible braces is that they are only pretty much invisible once your teeth are straight. As long as they're crooked and not even the braces usually look really weird.
With Invisalign it's not like people from afar can tell that you have braces but they will notice there is something on your teeth. And depending on what sort of corrections you need they stick these little yellow attachments on your teeth that look just disgusting Not everyone that has Invisalign gets them though. So I'd say since metal braces are the cheapest and fastest option it's always worth considering just getting them instead of opting for an expensive alternative that you'll have to wear for much longer and won't look all that great either.

 

[MelissaRB]

You're welcome! I have this really weird obsession with teeth and braces so I'm always glad if my knowledge is ever of use

The thing with all these supposedly invisible braces is that they are only pretty much invisible once your teeth are straight. As long as they're crooked and not even the braces usually look really weird.
With Invisalign it's not like people from afar can tell that you have braces but they will notice there is something on your teeth. And depending on what sort of corrections you need they stick these little yellow attachments on your teeth that look just disgusting Not everyone that has Invisalign gets them though. So I'd say since metal braces are the cheapest and fastest option it's always worth considering just getting them instead of opting for an expensive alternative that you'll have to wear for much longer and won't look all that great either.

Ah right! I realised my teeth look a bit like Cheryl Cole's before they had the "Hollywood" treatment except I've also got an overbite

I wonder how she got her teeth done?? Anyway, what with the overbite, I'll probably have to save up for proper braces like you suggest so it'll be a year or two before I can get them and hopefully by then I'll be able to wear contact lenses (I can put them in ok but can't take them out, so the opticians won't let me wear them yet lol) Do braces hurt?

 

[MACsarah]

Cheryl cole might of gotten veneers, as its a very popular treatment for quick results and cosmetic purposes.

 

[Psylocke]

Cheryl Cole's teeth actually look cute before she had anything done, IMO I agree that she probably got veneers, like most celebrities who didn't have perfect teeth when they became famous. Veneers don't really make sense for us normal people, they're ridiculously expensive (I heard around $500-2000 for one tooth?!) and they will only cover imperfections and only slightly correct them.

You're right, if you also have an overbite then Invisalign might not be the right thing for you anyway since the treatment would probably take several years and the result might not be optimal unless you combine the Invisalign treatment with surgery.

And yes, sometimes braces do hurt. But that's only after the orthodontist changed the wire or did something else, that's when you feel tension in the teeth that are moving. And I often had problems with my mouth being all sore. But it's all bearable. The thing I had the biggest problem with is how wiggly your teeth get when they're being moved Not that anything could possibly happen, but I'm such a phobic when it comes to wiggly teeth.

 

[purplethistle]

Psylocke: You seem to be suggesting that invisalign is better if your only trying to change minor things like small gaps, right?

Because I've been thinking of fixing my teeth for some time now. But I've felt that braces were a bit extreme/invasive for my 'needs'. All I want is to get rid of the small gaps since my one crooked tooth is a wisdom tooth that no one's going to see anyways.

 

[Psylocke]

Psylocke: You seem to be suggesting that invisalign is better if your only trying to change minor things like small gaps, right?

Yes, that's what several oral orthodontists and oral surgeons told me. Invisalign won't help much with malocclusions and jaw deformities (like overbites, underbites, overjets, etc) but when you only have slightly crooked teeth it's a very soft and decent way of getting your teeth fixed. Personally I'm not convinced by the concept of Invisalign because as I understand they will make models and take pictures of your jaw, the computer generates the movements that need to be done and then you get between 15-40 different aligner trays of which you'll be wearing each for a few weeks. But if there's a tooth that doesn't move the way it should (and I for example had several teeth that wouldn't move at all for a while or were otherwise very problematic) chances are none of the remaining trays will fit. I've read some progress reports where people mentioned this happening to them and it's annoying because you usually pay for the trays that you won't be able to use, too. So I'd rather use a system that involves a real person fixing my teeth instead of a computer.

But usually gapped teeth are very unproblematic and can easily be fixed with Invisalign. I know people who only needed 8 trays to get their gaps closed and in that case Invisalign was even much less expensive than normal metal braces. And as I've said before, when your teeth are already straight Invisalign can be almost invisible.

A good example for that: Justin Bieber even wore his Invisalign braces on the red carpet

cocoperez

 

[purplethistle]

Got mine to day. Doesn't hurt to much, just an even pressure on all my teeth. But they are hell hard to take out when I want to eat. I feel like I'm going to break my fingernails. When I finally got them out and started eating it was a bit weird as they had to add some glue the attachments. The main thing is I was with one of my friends and they didn't notice that I was doing anything with my teeth or that fact that I had developed as minor lisp.

 

[Jazzeh]

Got mine to day. Doesn't hurt to much, just an even pressure on all my teeth. But they are hell hard to take out when I want to eat. I feel like I'm going to break my fingernails. When I finally got them out and started eating it was a bit weird as they had to add some glue the attachments. The main thing is I was with one of my friends and they didn't notice that I was doing anything with my teeth or that fact that I had developed as minor lisp.

a few of mine used to hurt!

i had the regular braces when i was really young, around 11. got them removed when i was 13. by the time i was 17, my teeth had slightly shifted back to what they used to be. i went to the dentist when i was 19 wanting braces again (i have no shame, it wouldn't have bothered me) and he recommended it. i've finished mine but i'm still paranoid they will move back! my teeth are RELENTLESS

 

[moirla]

A friend of mine is currently using this system, you can barely notice they're in. It seems like a great option for adults who want something subtle yet effective.

 

[D A N A]

I got invisilign, it worked well for me, and absolutely no pain or discomfort.

 

[helloearth]

I actually had normal braces but once I got them off my orthodontist gave me invisalign retainers as opposed to those normal metal retainers. They honestly were wonderful but after wearing them for 2 years (mostly at night) I decided to stop wearing them all together last summer. However; now I've been noticing that some teeth are starting to shift and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get invisalign..as I feel it'd be a far easier and much more quick option to get my teeth back on track. I was told that orthodontist will typically recommend normal braces to you if you need extensive work, but for small or minor changes...invisalign is highly recommended.

Honestly the hardest thing is..finding an orthodontist that is trained and equipped to use invisalign since not all orthodontist use them.

 

[MulletProof]

^ same here, I was given invisalign retainers after getting my braces off, but I probably wore them for a week or two.. I just found them so gross, obviously my teeth started moving for not wearing them so every time I'd do wear them overnight, taking them off was gross and painful too .. the closeup of Justin Bieber's teeth above is the reason why I found them gross.. 2 words: saliva storage.

I'm dreading the idea of going back to them maybe next month as I'll get my wisdom tooth removed some time next week and my teeth do need a bit of order. Ugh.

There was this girl in my old job, in her late 20s with crooked teeth and she had surgery and her teeth looked commercial-ready afterwards. Not sure how that's done and who qualifies for it but it looks pretty good!