2 different types of invisalign aligners?

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#1 Post by **ciccolina** » Thu May 22, 2008 10:05 am

hello!

i have just started preparing for my invisalign treatment, however i wont have mine until the beginning of august.

i have one huge question to ask all of you invisalign wearers, what type of invisalign aligners are you wearing?

there are 2 different types if ive been informed correctly. one has fibers that you can see and the other is totally clear. the one with the fibers is also relatively clear, however i feel like it would look a lot more noticable than the other one.

my dr. obvi wants me to do the more intense ones with the fibers...he actually said that the totally clear ones will do "nothing"-although i really dont know if i believe him. perhaps he just wants more money! my sister had those totally clear ones like 5 years ago with with no complaints (except she didnt wear hers enough and ended up wearing them for much longer than she anticipated).

anyway, i cant find anything about this topic on the internet so if anyone could please let me know what they're wearing and if they see a difference between the 2 or whatever i would really appreciate it!

thank you!

#2 Post by **John37** » Thu May 22, 2008 8:52 pm

I thought they were all formed layer by layer so they all ended up with these small lines that you can only see close up. Mine has these fine lines, but they are only on the side touching the teeth. The outer side is completely smooth. You really can't notice the lines when wearing them. There was a short thread about this a few months ago:

viewtopic.php?t=24542

I never heard of there being two different types of aligners and the totally clear ones doing "nothing". What would be the point if they did nothing?

#3 Post by **ciccolina** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:28 pm

thank you so much for that thread! thats really the only thing on the internet regarding the little lines...maybe im thinking they will be a lot more visible than they really will be...my doctors office has ridiculously bright lighting and everything looks worse than it probably is in there!

but yeah, there are actually 2 types... the ultra clear ones i believe are probably just first generation (which my sister had some 5 odd years ago)... but they were so incredibly see thru. and the newer ones have little lines or "fibers" as my doctor called them.

my doctor still has a sample of the super clear ones and you can really tell the difference. but yeah, im sure technology has advanced so much within the company and the little lines are the new standard.

#4 Post by **mcawful** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:39 pm

Do NOT let the little lines fool you!

When I first went in for my impressions, they made me a clear retainer that was supposed to mimic the look and feel of Invisalign, so that I could get used to speaking with the Invisalign in. Obviously the retainer had no lines in it and was completely clear. When my Invisalign finally arrived, I took one look at them and said "Oh my God, these are REALLY opaque".

... They just LOOK that way when they're brand new and DRY. Once they're wet (I always rinse new ones before I put them in), your saliva coats the inside and outside of them and that's what makes them completely clear. Don't worry - I freaked out, but they're way more invisible once you're wearing them.

#5 Post by **Lilypad** » Fri May 23, 2008 2:13 pm

I never even noticed the lines until that other thread was posted! LOL