Notes From a Year In (UPDATE: 2 years)
Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:22 pm
I'm a few weeks shy of being a year into my Invisalign treatment (22/42U and 46L) and I thought I'd offer up some of my thoughts and experiences for those who are still considering or just beginning.
I was a borderline case for Invisalign; my ortho was leaning towards a traditional treatment because I would need four extractions (the teeth behind my canines), but I really didn't want metal braces (I'm vain), and so she agreed. I probably will need traditional braces for a short while after Invisalign to finish aligning my bite, but I'm really glad to have chosen Invisalign to do the bulk of the treatment - it's so much easier, and I've only had one person notice (or at least, who said something something) who I didn't tell outright. My ortho says that so far, everything is going perfectly - I'm getting really excited, as the trays I'll put in around Christmas show really noticeable closure in my extraction gaps compared to the trays I have now.
I honestly think very little about having my trays in; you really do get used to them and I barely notice they're in, except the first couple days of a new tray. I remember being pretty sore from my first tray, but they don't bother me as much anymore when I put them in - they're tight, and harder to get out at first, but my teeth aren't really sore. I do try harder to keep my trays in as much as possible the first day or two, as it makes them easier to put back in. Also, putting them in the night before really helps - that way you'll have a good 8 hours of uninterrupted wear.
As for eating and drinking, my ortho told me I can drink pretty much whatever I want with them in, as long as I rinse with water periodically and stay away from super-hot beverages that could melt or deform the aligners. I regularly drink water, beer, wine, and mixed drinks with them in, and milk and juice more rarely (I'm not a soda drinker). I try to brush as soon as possible afterwards, but sometimes it's a couple hours if I'm out. I've had two dentist appointments in the last year, one of them last week, and I was told my teeth looked perfect at both of them (I had one small cavity last week, but it was at my gumline and unrelated to Invisalign). I do take the trays out for eating.
I brush 3-4 times a day, flossing about half of those (depending if I've eaten something fibrous), and I usually run my toothbrush through the trays as well with a bit of paste to clear out any gumminess. I soak the trays in Efferdent at least every other day, which helps to freshen them quite a bit. I've never noticed any clouding, though the new trays do look clearer than the ones I discard. Not by much though, and it's not noticeable when they're in.
I generally wear the trays at least 22 hours a day, though sometimes towards the end of a set I get a little more lax, though not by much. I think having them in makes the extraction gaps less noticeable, so I tend to want to have them in. Plus, my teeth feel kind of naked without them.
I'm really satisfied with my treatment so far, though I've gone in knowing I will probably need to finish with traditional braces (which I'm not thrilled about, but I'll probably get ceramic). My teeth were really pretty crooked, and it's great to see them starting to straighten. I can't think of too much else, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
I was a borderline case for Invisalign; my ortho was leaning towards a traditional treatment because I would need four extractions (the teeth behind my canines), but I really didn't want metal braces (I'm vain), and so she agreed. I probably will need traditional braces for a short while after Invisalign to finish aligning my bite, but I'm really glad to have chosen Invisalign to do the bulk of the treatment - it's so much easier, and I've only had one person notice (or at least, who said something something) who I didn't tell outright. My ortho says that so far, everything is going perfectly - I'm getting really excited, as the trays I'll put in around Christmas show really noticeable closure in my extraction gaps compared to the trays I have now.
I honestly think very little about having my trays in; you really do get used to them and I barely notice they're in, except the first couple days of a new tray. I remember being pretty sore from my first tray, but they don't bother me as much anymore when I put them in - they're tight, and harder to get out at first, but my teeth aren't really sore. I do try harder to keep my trays in as much as possible the first day or two, as it makes them easier to put back in. Also, putting them in the night before really helps - that way you'll have a good 8 hours of uninterrupted wear.
As for eating and drinking, my ortho told me I can drink pretty much whatever I want with them in, as long as I rinse with water periodically and stay away from super-hot beverages that could melt or deform the aligners. I regularly drink water, beer, wine, and mixed drinks with them in, and milk and juice more rarely (I'm not a soda drinker). I try to brush as soon as possible afterwards, but sometimes it's a couple hours if I'm out. I've had two dentist appointments in the last year, one of them last week, and I was told my teeth looked perfect at both of them (I had one small cavity last week, but it was at my gumline and unrelated to Invisalign). I do take the trays out for eating.
I brush 3-4 times a day, flossing about half of those (depending if I've eaten something fibrous), and I usually run my toothbrush through the trays as well with a bit of paste to clear out any gumminess. I soak the trays in Efferdent at least every other day, which helps to freshen them quite a bit. I've never noticed any clouding, though the new trays do look clearer than the ones I discard. Not by much though, and it's not noticeable when they're in.
I generally wear the trays at least 22 hours a day, though sometimes towards the end of a set I get a little more lax, though not by much. I think having them in makes the extraction gaps less noticeable, so I tend to want to have them in. Plus, my teeth feel kind of naked without them.
I'm really satisfied with my treatment so far, though I've gone in knowing I will probably need to finish with traditional braces (which I'm not thrilled about, but I'll probably get ceramic). My teeth were really pretty crooked, and it's great to see them starting to straighten. I can't think of too much else, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
It's always nice to hear how things have gone for others. In the few months I've had them, my experiences have been pretty similar to yours. Good luck with the rest of your treatment. The traditional braces aren't too bad. I have them on the bottom, and I barely notice them most of the time.
Unfortunately, for the sesame little Iowa City I'm staying now, I don't have that many choices for Invisalign carriers. Even though I'm so close to the U of Iowa College of dentistry, they don't even carry Invisalign, and the chair of the ortho department even blatantly claim Invisalign would not work for me, while the fact is they don’t have it! I’ll wait to ask my ortho and if he says no, I might have to drive 40min to a slightly bigger city further away but with a preferred carrier.