Metal Mouth Message Board

I have terrible body image, and was so unhappy when my orthodontist told my I would need to have treatment (especially seeing as my teeth look fine at the moment and the treatment is to prevent future damage).

When I found out that I could be treated with Invisalign I was a bit happier, because although they are not invisible they are so much less visible than conventional braces. I was looking at picures of people wearing their aligners on the internet and was so pleased that they really were sublte.

Then my orthodontist told me I would need attachments, and the worst thing is that they are on my four top front teeth. She said they wouldn't be visible, but when I got home and looked at them on the internet they really seemed obvious I'm absolutely gutted. I'm really scared I'll look ridiculous.

So...just how visible are your attachments? And does anybody else have them on their front teeth?

I don't have attachments on my front teeth. I think it depends on how much of your teeth show when you smile. People usually won't notice if they are 3 or more feet away. They just can't focus on your teeth well enough. Also, if you are not in a bright area people won't notice.

I'd say don't worry about it until you get them. If they are really noticeable you can just not smile too much when someone is very close to you. But I bet they will be less visible than you think they will be!

Thanks for both those comments

My step-daughter had attachments and I never noticed. One day I was asking her if she new what they were and that's when she told me she had had them.

i have 9 attchments, 1 on a front tooth & the rest on the side teeth.
i was pretty concerned with the look of the attachment on the front tooth not unlike yourself.
Once it was on it seemed quite noticable to me, though that was only due to the hype i caused myself thinking about it & continually staring at it.
no one ever notices and the tooth its on at the front always shows when i laugh/smile. i dont think about it anymore as no one ever picks up on it.
you'll be fine.

To be honest, from up close they are slightly noticeable, but not in a bad way. I've had invisalign for about a month and a half and noone has noticed them until I've told them. At that point I always get the "Nuh Uh" reaction and then they get right up in my face for a closer look. So I do an awkward smile that shows my bottom teeth and that's when they're able to tell I have them, simply because I only have attachments on my bottom teeth. On my first clincheck there were attachments on all four of my top front teeth. I was irritated because I talked this over with my dentist ahead of time so he decided it would be fine to go ahead without them. However, now that I see what they look like I'm kind of regretting that I didn't just stick with the original clincheck because I would rather there not be any problems with the plan. I've attached a picture to show you what they look like with my aligners on (I have three total on the bottom teeth). Sorry the picture is so big!

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what are these attachemnts for?

I think if people are "teeth conscious" they might notice them. Usually that includes us who have been in some sort of braces. Even my close friends who knew i was doing Invisalign questioned whether I had the alligners in at times. I had to actually point out my attachments for a little sympathy.

Very few people noticed I have something on my teeth. I thought they are more noticeable, but Invisalign is pretty .. invisible in my case. The attachments are not as visible either ...

I have 18 attachments, 4 on my upper front teeth. They are only visible for you, when you are looking in the mirrow and asking yourself if someone could see them.

Well, I really can understand that you are a bit scared, I was it too. I asked my husband 1000 times if he can see the attachements, the aligners, ... After 1.5 years I can tell you: almost no one will see them. Don´t be afraid, it is much easier as you are thinking

I always thought mine were pretty visible.

Actually I thing people can notice them but some are too polite to ask us about it. The best of invisalign is not that they are 100% invisible but that they aren´t ugly even when they are noticed. You are not going to be less atractive because of them.

I feel mine are only noticeable because my teeth are unfortunately more yellow than the attachments. If I had whitened my teeth before treatment I'd feel better about them. But ah well, I consider myself lucky to think that the attachments are the worst of my treatment.

Only one person noticed mine the whole year they were attached to my top 2 teeth adjacent to the front teeth.

By they way, from what i've seen on here, most orthos will not tell their patients ahead of time that attachments will be part of their treatment, unless the patient specifically asks. Mine did not, and believe me, I was pissed, but now i realize he did it because he wanted me to go through with the treatment. Granted, he probably just wanted my money, but I am happy it was not mentioned, because I, like you, would have seriously considered not going through with the treatment as a result.

My teeth are not perfectly white by any means, and they blended in nicely, not even showing up in semi close up photographs, so don't worry!

And remember, attachments, noticeable or not, are far more discrete in appearance than any metal braces or ceramics.

There is no excuse for not explaining the full procedure and especially things that will cause distress like attachments! You should have been shown the attachments on the clincheck before you approved treatment too.

I found out about attachments in the course of assessing my own options, it definitely put me off, but it's far better i know about it and get over it now than have a shock after i've already paid for treatment.

It actually annoys me people don’t do their homework before doing something as serious as body modification. A dentist/ortho explaining everything can only tell you so much. You must research and read on your own. I find myself doing this to a fault and then finding the actual consultations rather uninteresting as i already know everything he going to say.