Invisalign and/or Orthoclear braces

[shoegal87]

KatieD i've had invisalign on the top and finished wearing it, my teeth are perfectly straight but i didnt need a lot of work up there, i had to wear only 7 of them. On the bottom, i've been VERY LAZY (shame on me i know) so i've been wearing them on and off, i re-started wearing them about a month ago and i'm at stage 9 (i will be finishing at 17) and i must say from stage 8 to 9 im noticing great improvements..
I recommend it to everyone! None has ever noticed me wearing it unless i told them.
You may suffer a little in the first 3 days(everytime you change aligner) but you will get used to it.
Now i need to wear a retainer on the top at night for the rest of my life but you will get used to that too, it's not a problem really!
If you have any other question im here

 

[shoegal2183]

well, was tomorrow better? I'm considering getting them and have found this thread very informative. If any of you who've posted here earlier could give us any follow-up stories, that would be cool!

Invisalign really gets easier as you go. My dentist explained that at the beginning you are moving the teeth and loosening the roots as well. Once the roots are loosened the teeth move easier. I have about 3 months to go..had a minor set back by losing one set of retainers...but things are moving along nicely. I really recommend this to anyone who would like some orthodonic work without the metal braces!

I would be happy to answer other questiong as well

 

[mellowdrama]

So my teeth turned out wonderfully, but like the rest of the country/world, I've been flat broke and haven't paid my dentist for the $1000 or so worth of post-invisalign bonding he did. I feel bad about it, but I am straight-up broke living in a Stalag-17-type HUD-housing barracks on a rapidly-sinking artificial island. The block of flats next to me are all fenced in with "WARNING!--RADIATION" symbols on them. Cesium!--in my soil! I have great teeth.

I couldn't finance the veneers, and the prep-work for them scared me, anyway. So, bonding it was. They look amazing, l have patrician teeth now. I smile at the other nice-toothed people and think, "They don't know I am not one of them." A serviceable ruse if I don't speak.

It just so happens an emergency oral surgeon who's friends/colleagues with my dentist came in for a massage at the health club where I work. I am a massage therapist. Somehow the topic of teeth came up. The surgeon's this tough old Vietnam vet, and I'm fearing my new teeth will get repossessed if I don't soon pay up.

Actually, I never paid the first, Rush Limbaugh-listening dentist who ripped out my wisdom teeth in his basement den, either. So there might be two or more dentists colluding against me at this point. They have an association, you know. I've read as much on a tube of toothpaste.

My only consolation is that there's only one two-lane road on and off this doomed island, and also my roommates' large pit bull who guards our front door. My teeth, come and get them. I dare you.

So, yeah, Invisalign's great. I'm living the fabulous life of the harmoniously dentitioned, as well as a life of danger and intrigue as one who does not make good on her debts.

I swear I will pay my dentists.

 

[getpalmd]

I'm so drooling over Invisalign, too bad that my budget is limited right now, so I have to wait.

We got our first Invisalign certified dentist to Finland this year, but because he seems to be the only one, and does not have any competition yet, the prices are from €4000 to €8000 depending on the treatment.. salty price, what do you pay for your treatments?

 

[lucy92]

my parents never shelled out for braces when i was a child. their "second opinion" told them i didnt need it.

i have moderate crowding in my mouth.

luckily, i have an orthodontist in the family! he suggested that i need to remove 4 teeth to aleviate the crowding and get invisalign or some other system.

is orthoclear similar to invisalign?

tom cruise had braces...which kind did he have?

 

[mellowdrama]

Orthoclear was a cheaper version created by a doctor who used to work for Invisalign. Invisalign sued for patent infringement and won, and all the then-current Orthoclear patients had to switch to Invisalign mid-treatment. From what I read, the Orthoclear aligners were clearer plastic, with a thinner profile, that were worn 3 weeks per aligner as opposed to the 2 weeks per aligner of Invisalign.

Here are my insane, would-be rich lady teeth, if the Enforcer doesn't come and punch me in the mouth:

 

[HYZE]

What's bonding?

 

[katieo]

I just finished my invisalign. Overall, I'm happy with the whole thing, didn't have much pain, they were easy to manage, and now my teeth look really good.

My only issue was the attachments, which are tooth-colored "bumps" physically glued to the teeth, which help the plastic trays to grip to each tooth. Not everyone needs them, but I had to get them on my 5 front, top teeth and they were definitely noticeable. Having them on teeth that are further back isn't bad, but with 5 of them, all on front teeth, it almost looked like I had regular neutral-colored braces.

I went back and basically insisted that the front 2 be removed, and once the 2 were gone, I looked a lot better. It took some time to stop feeling self-conscious about the 3 I still had, but I eventually realized that no one even noticed them. The only reason I was so pissed about it was that my orthodontist hadn't said anything about the possibility of the attachments, it was all pictures of pretty, clear trays and talk of them being "invisible".

It was worth it in the end... but that's my long-winded "warning" that they aren't always as unnoticeable as advertised. I'd still recommend them, just be prepared.

 

[mellowdrama]

What's bonding?

Bonding is tooth-colored enamel-type putty that's used to fix chipped teeth. The dentist slaps it on, molds it into a toothlike shape, and hardens it with UV light. It's got a nasty, epoxy-like odor to it. It's not as long-lasting as veneers and is more opaque and artificial-looking than the new veneers ("Lumineers"?) on the market. That said, it's also cheaper than veneers and requires less of your own enamel to be removed to affix them to your teeth.

I consider these my "starter" teeth. Eventually, I plan to have dazzling white, frightening Hollywood teeth, with which I will rule the world, just as soon as I pay off my dentist and escape this rapidly sinking artificial island. Hope this helps...

 

[matchstickgirl]

i've got invisaligns, and they are bloody expensive (about 6000$, and i only have a treatment time of 9 months!) ... we've got health insurance and all, but the insurance won't pay more than like, 600$ for such a specific, 'fancy' kind of braces..
i never had problems.. they never hurt and i'm happy i actually got them!

my sister, however, who is 16, started her treatment in june and she was almost crying when she got her first pair.

i'd definitely do it again!

 

[HYZE]

I've been for a clin-check and they said I would need 15 aligners top and bottom. I was surprised really, I didn't think I'd need that many. It'll take at least 8 months and my dentist is talking about adding more to the bottom arch... does that sound about right? I was disappointed...

 

[matchstickgirl]

yes, it definitely sounds right!

don't be disappointed. it would definitely take a lot more time with normal braces. it would've taken me at least 1.5 yrs! this way it only takes me 9 months.. plus, a school colleague of mine only realised i was using invisaligns after 2 months of already using them! they really aren't that visible!

 

[HYZE]

Yes, after reading around I'm a bit more re-assured... Although for one tooth, they want to make it stick out more while they move others round, then make it go back in! I am worried that all that movement (in the wrong direction!) will damage the root and make it drop out or something!
Has anyone else had to do that?

 

[matchstickgirl]

well, they did it with one of my teeth too, but now it's being placed back in!

 

[shoegal2183]

What did you all do with the liners when you were done with treatment? I have a small bag of them taking space in my closet. I feel weird throwing them away, but that's what I should do right?!