Thinking of Invisalign. Would like to know your experience with them please.

[cantdrv55]

My dentist said she needs a 22 hr per day commitment of wearing them otherwise the procedure will take longer. I’m sure I can do that but would like to know what sacrifices you had to make with Invisalign.

[ryans65]

I went through the whole process only because my health insurance at the time covered half. The liners were not the most comfortable thing at first but I got used to them. In the later stages of the process the liners began to not fit quite right so I was refitting approx 2 times and went from there. I walked into the dentist for an appt which I thought was the next step in the process but the dentist, rather unceremoniously handed me a mirror and asked what I thought. I was rather dumbfounded as there was really no time line given up front and my teeth weren't even close to where I thought they should be after all the time and money. I politely asked that the fixtures be unglued from my teeth (which I had to pay for out of pocket) and left feeling like I had been sold some sort of gimmick product. When I moved and subsequently changed dentists my new dentist asked if I had ever considered braces and I told her that I had gone through invisalign and she told me that I was not a good candidate for invisalign due to some crowding and the narrowness of my upper jaw. She suggested braces and oral surgery, I said no thank you. Needless to say what I really needed was a consult with an orthodontist, not a dentist. I'd get a second opinion before you potentially throw a couple thousand dollars away.

[cantdrv55]

Thank you very much for your response, Ryan!

[rcooled]

Invisalign can only do so much...the aligners don't have nearly as much leverage to move teeth around as conventional braces do, and the system won't be able to do stuff like correct a serious over-bite. They can't do anything for the large molars in the back either, but they can effectively straighten up the alignment of the front teeth, if that's all you need.

The aligners are nearly invisible on your teeth and snap in & out easily, so they're not so bad to live with. They do need to be removed every time you eat something. Drinking is OK but it can feel a bit strange when liquid gets behind the aligners. Will definitely cut down on your snacking...

Some very small bosses, or keys, will be semi-permanently fixed to teeth in order to hold the aligners in place, and care must be taken to avoid knocking them off while eating. They get removed after you finish up with the last aligner.

Once the treatment ends, you'll be asked to wear a retainer every night for the rest of your days. And don't dare loose that sucker...ortho told me it'd be $700 to replace it

[masraum]

Originally Posted by rcooled

Once the treatment ends, you'll be asked to wear a retainer every night for the rest of your days. And don't dare loose that sucker...ortho told me it'd be $700 to replace it

My wife had it done. Her retainer is basically a set of invisalign trays. I think she's got a box full of them that get worn until they don't fit well and then she switches to a new one.

[Alan A]

My kids have / had them. #2 is 18 months in.
Costs a bunch. Takes forever.
You swap to a new one every week or so.

Then the eldest refused to wear the retainer so I might as well have saved the $7k or so it cost.
Doesn’t work if you need heavy correction.

So pretty much what everyone else said.

[Rick Lee]

$5800, but I was in that chair so often, I doubt my dentist made any money off of me. I forget for how long I swapped new trays every two weeks or so. I've been on my lifetime trays for a few years now and wear them all the time. Maybe once every other month I fall asleep on the couch and am too lazy to put the trays in. But my teeth move and it doesn't take long without them for the trays to feel snug when I put them back on.

[MBAtarga]

My wife had treatment in the past 3 years or so. She had braces in high school but the teeth had moved around a bit and she wanted them corrected. She wore them all day/night and removed them only to eat/drink - so about the 22 hours they mentioned to you.

She only had them for about 8 or 9 months and the did the job. She still nightly wears the retainers made after the treatment.

[vash]

You will lose weight. All my friends w the things have. You simply quit snacking. Taking them out and doing all the after eating ablutions just isn’t worth it.

[masraum]

I forgot to mention previously, yes, they did work for my wife in the end. The process was a PITA. And it took longer than the original estimate.

I don't remember the specifics, but I think when they were pitched to her, the time required was said to be 2 years or something like that. In the end, I think it took 50% longer or more. But she did get the results in the end.