Visited dentist to check if my crooked teeth can be straightened. He said that I would need fixed braces for 2 years to correct. I wanted Invisalign as I would be self-conscious with fixed braces. He said that we could start with Invisalign, but would probably need to finish off with fixed.
Has anyone else had treatment like this before? How long did you have to have the fixed braces?
My dentist told me that I was a good candidate for invisalign, but I went to the orthodontist for a second opinion. I really wanted invisalign, but the orthodontist told me that it would not fix my bite. He said I could do one then the other but that it would be faster and CHEAPER in the long run to just do fixed braces.
If you are going to end up with fixed backets in the end anyway, why not skip the first step and just start out that way? I would think it would be cheaper in the long run.
Just my opinion!
2 Years 4 months 3 weeks and 4 days in full metal braces!
I'm doing Invisalign with the expectation that I'll be in fixed braces for a bit at the end (though I've got my fingers crossed that everything can be fixed with refinements). My projected treatment time and cost was virtually the same for Invisalign and fixed braces, so I figured the opposite of the previous poster: why not do most of it the easier and more discreet way? I've been really happy with treatment so far.
I have 42L/47U and am on tray 32 now, so I should be wrapping up the Invisalign portion of my treatment in November. If I end up in fixed braces, I should only need them on my eyeteeth and back, not the front four. I'll do ceramic so they're as discreet as possible; I'm young and social and it's worth the extra $300 or whatever to me. I think the total time in fixed braces will only be a couple months.
Lastly, for what it's worth, I had a slightly more complicated case as I had four extractions done and so I imagine that makes the bite more difficult to correct as the gaps close (almost there!).
Thanks for all your replies. They are really helpful. It's great to talk to others who have been in the same situation, and get different perspectives.
I am going back to the dentist in a few weeks so I'll ask him more about how long the fixed braces would be on for, and the cost.
