How did you choose which orthodontist and which style of brace to go for?

[meli]

Hi guys! So I'm still very confused. I've seen two different specialist orthodontists.

1st one said Invisalign would work great for me (I prefered this orthodontist as she's friendlier and explained things in greater detail)

2nd one said Invisalign definitely would NOT work unless I wore a removable palatal expander for 6 months beforehand and refused to do Invisalign unless I wore it (I asked the 1st orthodontist about this and she said she can widen the arches with Invisalign alone and she doesn't use palatal expanders on adults - I'm 22 yrs old)

Both can do either Damon or Clarity clear fixed braces too but I like the idea of having the control of removing the braces and the comfort of not having wires snapping or cutting you etc. And the idea of being able to eat whatever I want as I'm vegetarian and trying to gain weight (so I wanted to eat nuts etc) BUT I do like that Damon/Clarity have more control and usually people end up with perfect results

Both orthodontists said either option would take 18 months (exc. the 6 months palatal expander time)

I'm completely stuck about which orthodontist to choose and which style of braces to choose! D: I also have anxiety and I'm generally very anxious about the whole thing, esp hearing that some people with Invisalign didn't have perfectly straight teeth at the end of it.

There's also the price difference: Invisalign will cost £4600 and Clarity/Damon will cost £3400 (without whitening which will be £500, xrays, hygienist appointments, etc

Photos of teeth as it's hard to describe them (overbite, crossbite, malocclusion, wide buccal corridor) http://imgur.com/a/cwNQw

[Tyrantblade]

I went with braces as Invisalign probably wouldn't have been an option for me, and even if it was people noticing you have braces isn't a big deal and most of them say nothing.

As far as the Orthodontists, they should be able to explain why they think certain things will or won't work; it's also great if they can show you treatment results of patients that started with a similar case to yours.

I didn't really choose an Orthodontist; I chose a practice with Multiple Orthodontists and a large team with a lot of 5 star reviews from patients and families with multiple children that all went to them.

Your top arch seems pretty narrow, but I don't know how much it could be expanded without surgery or at least a palette expander (which seems to only work sometimes in Adults);

You should probably consult with at least one more Orthodontist to see how their opinion compares to the 2 you have consulted with so far.

[katiedominique]

Hey! Congrats on starting your journey!

I went to 2 different orthodontists and decided on the one I felt most comfortable with. You'll end up spending a lot of time with them so I think it's important to feel comfortable and happy with them.

Personally I got traditional metal braces, because it was £1000 more to get clear braces. To me it wasn't worth it. But I will say that I think it's better to have a fixed brace as you can't take them off which is good because then your teeth are always moving and thus you are moving closer to getting them off! I have also personally seen better end results with fixed braces over Invisalign.

I'm also vegetarian and trying to gain weight! Haha! Harder than people think! After one week of having my braces on I'm having no problem eating and I can eat nuts, small seeds are a bit annoying as they get stuck but as long as you brush your teeth after it's fine.

I know what anxiety is like and it sucks so well done for still getting sesame done! And trust me it will be all worth it once you have a perfect smile!

[claribeary]

Go with the ortho you feel more comfy with. I went for ceramic uppers and metal lowers over invisalign because i was promised great results with them that wouldn't have been possible with Invisalign. Here are some factors to consider!

1) Results
Traditional braces (ceramic/metal) are the best for pulling in an overbite. That was my main issue - so this was a no brainer!

2) Cost
Invisalign here costs almost twice as much as regular braces. :O It's slightly ridiculous. Payment was a lot less flexible with invisalign, i would have been required to put 50% downpayment and there was just no way i could afford doing that.

3) Aesthetics
Obviously invisalign is the more aesthetically appealing option, but if looks is your main concern I'd say don't let this be the deciding factor. Yes it's great that no one will ever notice you're going through treatment, being able to remove the aligners when you eat is great too, but you have to keep them on for at least 20 hours a day, which means you only get like, 4 hours of meal-time a day. I tend to take my time having my breakfast at my desk at work. This bleeds into my next point.

4) Convenience
Any orthodontic device in your mouth is gonna be a pain to maintain. Regular trips to the bathroom after meals to brush, floss and get food bits out are a must, and after you've done all that suddenly whether or not you should eat that chocolate cookie becomes a serious dilemma. I've found that eating with braces in is not a big deal. I was pretty much eating everything by the end of week one. I'm careful around curry and tomato sauce because i have clear ligs on my ceramic brackets and they stain. But I don't have trouble chewing anything, I just need to cut things up to put directly into my mouth because biting things off is a no-no.

I imagine nuts and stuff might be on the naughty list because of how the brackets might break off, but i've eating some pretty hard stuff - beef jerky for one, and that was no problem - just chew slowly? Idk.

5) Pain
Invisalign will be painful too. Yeah, you won't have brackets & wires cutting your mouth up - but all the other pain involved with teeth moving will happen as well. And with trad braces your mouth toughens up after a while. I haven't gotten a single ulcer, just some issues with my tongue getting cut up a little by my molar band cleats, but that didn't last long at all.


It really depends on what you care most about. If it's results, then go for the traditional ones.

[Beckett]

While I'm not a trained orthodontist, I can't imagine being able to widen your narrow upper arch with just Invisalign trays. It appears you've got a lot of big moving to do on your teeth. My advice is go for traditional braces. That way you'll be fitted with all the hardware needed to do everything that really needs to be done.

I've got ceramic uppers and lowers and have never had a wire snap. I've had pokey ends at the back of the last bracket but the assistant can snip those off easily. Invisalign trays can have sharp edges too, and you often have to have "buttons" cemented to your teeth to encourage movement. I've even heard of elastics with Invisalign, so they're not always as discreet as hoped.

[strinder]

I went to the first consultation and was told that Invisalign 6 months probably wouldn't work but Invisalign full definitely would. I then went to a second consultation where I was told that they would refuse to do Invisalign on me. I went with that one because they noticed I had a baby tooth just by looking at me whereas the first one didn't even comment and I trusted them to do the job right.

Also I went for clear fixed braces (they're called ICE). Based on that I'd wanted my braces to be subtle and it was estimated it was going to take 2 years the ortho suggested clear fixed braces called ICE or DAMON. And I'm happy! I've had no sores or cuts in my mouth from the braces and I feel more confident to smile in pictures because if paying a few thousand pounds for something in my mouth people had better see them!

[atrixa]

I would see another ortho and go from there. Some orthos seem very honest about what they can and can't do with invisalign and some seem to push it a lot more (higher price tag, amirite?), although sometimes it's just related to the skills of the ortho you're dealing with.

In terms of aligners over braces, I'm also veggie and I haven't had too many issues maintaining this diet/weight with fixed metal braces. However, if I had to pop aligners in and out and then brush my teeth every time I ate something, I would likely loose weight due to not snacking. I'm a grazer and if you're trying to gain weight, I imagine you will be too. It's much easier to do that with fixed braces, and some people end up with cavities with aligners as they can't maintain the endless hygiene.