Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello Everybody Im a newbie, im hoping that you can help me get together some facts about Invisalign. I went for my consultation yesterday, it went great and my ortho said that I was a good candidate for this, my next appointment will be for an xray and moulds. I know, I have a while to go.. but I need to put my mind at ease with a few things. First, Attatchments. I asked my ortho, because I'll probably need to have them, she said that they rarely do the small round attachments anymore, she said the type of attachments they will give me will be either small vertical ones, or horizontal ones.. I think she said rectangular? is it? or more of a small line? I dont know. Has anyone else had these? Im guessing they've brought this shape in so the aligners have less of a bulge.. Any experiances with this? is it any less visable? Thank you.

Sorry, also.. I was just wondering about Invisalign in general? Such as:

Can you drink alcohol? (even if its through a straw)
Is it hard to brush your teeth because of the aching?
Do the attachments stay on till the very last day of treatment?
Do you have to change eating habbits? Too painful for certain foods?
Can the attachments be glued onto the back of your teeth?
- or is this something only some orthos do?
(because my ortho didnt mention it, I might ask at my next appointment)
Does Invisalign effect your speech?
- if so does it effect speech a lot? and for how long?
How many months on average till you see a slight result? just curious lol
and last but not least, is Invisalign comfortable even to a certain level?

I cant really think of any other questions at the moment, if you know the answers to any of those questions please reply it'll be much appreciated. Also if theres anything else I should expect?

Im so exited to get them its unreal, im finally doing something about my teeth, which iv been self concious about since secondary school - im now almost 18. For years and years iv never smiled for a picture, and when I have iv deeply regret it because it reminds me how crooked they are compared to my friends.. I dont even let them take pictures of me. Whenever I smile, I turn away or cover my mouth with my hand, Im sick of hiding away all the time, Id love to smile with confidence like my friends do. It would be a massive boost for my confidence because at the moment my self esteem is so low.. and its mostly because of my teeth. I just cant wait to start my treatment Thank you.

hey congrats on making the plunge. I just had my clincheck today and approved it. Now, I get my invisalign in 3 weeks!!! Take the time to browse the topics, all your questions are answered. The attachements look like small pieces of rice. There's some pics in the threads.

Haha thank you and thank you for your reply also! wow thats awesome! I cant wait to see my clincheck, I bet its amazing to see your teeth slowly moving into place, knowing they'll look like that when your finished. Invisalign in three weeks.. I bet your so exited! And yeah iv done absolutly looads of looking around for answers, iv been reading about invisalign religiously for over a month now haha! My ortho even noticed because I was finishing her sentences lmao! But yeah, those questions im still a bit uncertain about and would like to know more experiances.. if anyone has any information id appreciate it a lot. When you get your Invisalign (if you have the time of course) maybe update every now and then, id be really interested to see how your doing!

I think the shape of the attachment has to do with giving better grip and the type of movement required. Attachments are a bit visible, but usually they're only on the sides of the teeth and not on the front, so they're hard to see. If you have attachments on the side and K9s, unless you pull a very big grin i doubt anyone will ever notice them or the fact you have invisalign.

I have 4 top and 5 bottom, some vertical, some horizontal. I'll need one on my front central tooth about half way through treatment to help rotate the tooth more. I expect it to be visible, but not too bad, and certainly not unattractive or scary looking like train tracks. If you met a nice girl/guy with attachments on his front teeth, i think you'd have to be pretty shallow to be put off.

The thing you have to prepare yourself for is the first day you get the aligners, you WILL think they're much more visible than they are. Give it a week and you'll get used to them and realise they're hardly noticable to anyone else but you. Just be prepared to feel bummed out, because its just panic and irrational worry due to over inspection of your own mouth.

The next thing you need to be prepared for is attachments, they suck at first, they make aligner removal a scary and very difficult task. Important to relax, get an aligner hook, and there's tricks to get them off easier without killing yourself.

Can you drink alcohol? (even if its through a straw)
- I drink beer for about 5 hours on a weekend with them in and give my mouth and aligners a good wash when i get home. I wouldnt drink anything that can stain, like coffee, yellow rice, curry, or some purple pop drinks. I've also had the orange iron brew alcho pop which didnt seem to stain, and some other similar alcho pops. Otherwise i avoid everything containing sugar and always brush as soon as possible. Aligners do get a bit darker after 2 weeks, even with regular cleaning, but it's not noticeable. If they do stain, it's only till you switch to the next set.

Is it hard to brush your teeth because of the aching?
- Isnt for me. Aching on a scale of 1-10, so far is 1. Nothing to worry about.

Do the attachments stay on till the very last day of treatment?
- As far as i know. Technically they could be added or removed at any time if the treatment plan calls for it.

Do you have to change eating habits? Too painful for certain foods?
- Dont eat very hard stuff that could break an attachment. Hard toffee might be out. My upper teeth hit a lower attachment and i could bite it off if i am not careful.

Can the attachments be glued onto the back of your teeth?
- Yes, but i think this is not common or best way for them to work.

- or is this something only some orthos do?
(because my ortho didnt mention it, I might ask at my next appointment)
-- You'd have to ask, but i wouldnt bother unless you had them all on your front teeth and he was confident it would work the same.

Does Invisalign effect your speech?
- if so does it effect speech a lot? and for how long?

- - Not for me, not even a bit. Even right out the dentist.

How many months on average till you see a slight result?
- Totally depends on the case. Look at your clincheck video for an idea.


Is Invisalign comfortable even to a certain level?
- Umm, yea not bad. Feels a little strange at first but you get used to it quickly.

Also if theres anything else I should expect?
- See what i wrote above about what to expect day 1 and how attachments can be tricky.

Im so exited to get them its unreal, im finally doing something about my teeth, which iv been self conscious about since secondary school - im now almost 18. For years and years iv never smiled for a picture, and when I have iv deeply regret it because it reminds me how crooked they are compared to my friends.. I dont even let them take pictures of me. Whenever I smile, I turn away or cover my mouth with my hand, Im sick of hiding away all the time, Id love to smile with confidence like my friends do. It would be a massive boost for my confidence because at the moment my self esteem is so low.. and its mostly because of my teeth. I just cant wait to start my treatment Thank you.
- Dont worry, you're not alone.

One thing you should ask about, IPR or Inter Proximal Reduction.

If they need to make space for your teeth to move, they file down the gap between your teeth. I promise it sounds MUCH worse than it really is.

They take a small VERY THIN piece of metal strip and file it down between certain teeth. It's done by hand, doesn't hurt AT ALL, but it sounds like you wont have a tooth left. If it's a skilled dentist, you wont even be able to see what they did. I looked in the mirror afterwards and i couldnt even see what was done, even tho he filed right down between my middle teeth. I was amazed and very happy, so dont worry about that.

The IPR is set by Invisalign and it's visible on your clincheck if you ask to see it. Ask to see your attachments and your IPR info at your clincheck appointment. Ask him/her to explain the IPR. You get IPR done each time you pick up a new set of aligners, depending on if it's required. The aligner packets are printed with the IPR information for your dentist to read.

Ask for your clincheck video from a couple of different angles, and have them email it. I took a USB memory stick and my dentist put the videos on there for me.

Thank you very much PaulInc! That information is very useful and exactly what I wanted to hear! Scary, but good.. but in that case she better have a steady hand haha! I have a 4mm overbite you see. But my ortho told me if I wanted the perfect bite, id have to get two extractions. If not, then I can just get my six front teeth straightened out and she'd use IPR to create more space. Im very happy I had a second option because I dont see the point in taking out perfectly good teeth, and my ortho said the same! So I got lucky on that onee. Again, thank you for your reply!

PaulInc! I didnt realise you posted that massive message till I sent my last one sorry about that! Thank you soo much for answering all my questions you have certainly put my mind at ease! All the information you've given me is very helpful, I wasnt expecting everything I asked to be answered! Your a star haha! And your right, even if Invisalign and the attachments are slightly noticable, its obviously not as noticable as metal traintracks! - I didnt think of it that way! Its not really the fact that im wearing a brace that im bothered about, because I'll probably just end up telling people about it, I just didnt want it to have an impact on the way I look, Im going for job interviews and i'll be 18 soon, I dont want to be walking round with traintracks! I suppose im wanting to get the first few weeks over with.. im guessing that'll be the hard part, ill feel really self concious and probably uncomfortable during that time, but your right ill get used to it, and every week is a week closer to having the teeth iv dreamed of having! It will all be worth it in the end, thank you SO much

I'm done with Invisalign and I will tell ya.....ALL of it is SO worth it!

Feel free to look at my comments regarding the first day, week of invisalign. I had speech problems, cut up tongue and other annoying things to deal with. But, if you want straight teeth, which you and I both do, then you have to deal with it. I have had more problems, I guess, than some people, or maybe people forget what it was like at first, but again, if you want straight teeth... I have 9 attachments and they are all pretty visible, and some people have noticed, but I find the most interesting thing is that I no longer care! I have come to realize that it doesn't have to be kept such a secret that I am improving my teeth/ appearance. I tell people all the time that I have invisalign, maybe to get sympathy when I am sucking down water like there's no tomorrow, or struggling with a cut up tongue , but still no one really cares if you have them, job hunting or not. You'll be so happy in the long run and you are so young, not like some of us old people who are finally taking the plunge. So, don't fret! Get excited and don't let the discomfort of it, if you have any, bring you down. Congratulations!

Hello there

- I usually take my aligners out to drink anything. VERY rarely I will leave them in if I am meeting up with a fried for a couple of drinks .... and they get a thorough clean when I get home.

- I worried in the first week about brushing my teeth because of the aching, but it was fine. Since then, none of my trays have made my teeth ache too badly (I had stocked up on pain killers remembering fixed braces when I was younger, but didn't need them after the first tray).

- I think the attachments stay on to the end. Have a look at your clincheck - you'll see them as red blobs. I've got both long ones, and round ones. The round ones are on my incisors - not sure why the combination, whether it is to do with different types of movement or because the round ones are smaller.... I don't think either shape is more or less visible.

- I haven't changed my eating habits at all. I lost a couple of attachments in the first few days for other reasons. They were glued back on and haven't come off since

- Invisalign affected my speach for about 3 days. I lisped a little bit, but after that was fine.

- I started noticing a change at about tray 3 or 4. I have (had!) one lower incisor jutting forward a long way, and that moved really quickly. There is other movement going on, but it is less noticeable.

If you go to the WWW button in my signature it will take you to my story page on this website, and you'll see a couple of piccies which will give you some idea of what to expect

Thank you VERY much Meryaten, Lilypad, Lomdogs and Wobblydeb! I really appreciate you posting me your advice and experiances its very kind of you! I can now see that more problems can occur to some people than others, but at the end of the day you just have to be patient, because its not forever - and every new set of aligners that you attach to your teeth means they've moved just that little bit more!

Meryaten - haha im almost 18 but ah yes I see that the drinks may be a problem (not just alcoholic as you've stated) which is a shame because all I seem to drink nowadays is cranberry juice! and cider at the weekends! But as you said, If I 'must' drink other beverages, then a good idea would be to rise my mouth out every now and then with water - thats a good idea I didnt think of that. Attachments - I think I'll leave my ortho put the attachments on the front, If im going to do this, I should do it properly. Thank you. and Lilypad I cannot wait to be at the stage your at now, a finished treatment and beautiful teeth, keep on smiling

Lomdogs - I will definatly take a look at your comments from your first day, that would be very interesting, I like to hear from different peoples point of views because everyone seems to have slightly different experiances! Yes, I have heard that the aligners can be quite sharp around the edges and can cause irritation to your tongue, some people have said they've used nail files haha. I was expecting you to say the attachments are visible, but after a while, I can understand why you wouldnt care. Especially because if you think about it, they arnt THAT visible, its not like theres metal glued to your teeth and most people probably wont notice because personally, I never look at peoples teeth when im talking to them! And obviously the person wearing the attachments is aware they are there, so might find they are more visible than they seem. Yes I am very exited, slightly nervous like anyone else would be, but you've certainly taken off 'the edge' Thank You.

Wobblydeb Hello ahh I see, I think id be too scared to take my aligners out for a night out during treatment! I normally go out for a long time you see, normally around 6ish till about 2am, so for me that probably wouldnt be a good idea eh *sighs* I want this so I'll just have to suffer the consequences! And thats good to hear that your teeth dont ache TOO much, because thats one of the things im worried about, not being able to eat very well, or brush my teeth properly, but I think it'll be best to have some painkillers on hand just incase haha! Yes, I cant wait to see my Clincheck, I'll have a clearer idea of whats going to be happening throughout my treatment, where my attachments will be and how long I'll have them for - even if it IS till the very last day. Im also relieved to hear that your speech went practically back to normal after the first few days, im just hoping im not one of those people who will take a long time to recover from that. Wow that sounds like a really quick change! I bet its an energy boost too that Invisalign starts making changes straight away (gradually) and you can feel them working! I will certainly check out your personal story, Thank You!

I dont know what i'd do without all your advice, for the past month iv just been dwelling on certain questions making myself more and more nervous. I was hoping you'd help me with this - I was reading other storys yesterday, from quite a while back on this message board, and one invisalign user said he noticed quite a gap inbetween his back teeth? I was just wondering if any of you had experianced gaps? My six front teeth are crooked, thats baisically what im straightening, you dont think id get gaps inbetween those teeth do you? Im pretty worried now.

Regarding leaving aligners in or taking them out while drinking, it's a good question.

I go out once a week with friends, i dont drink a great deal, but i drink pretty consistently for at least 5 hours (I am 26, so no legal worries). I too wondered whether to leave them in or take them out? I decided leaving them in would be the better idea. I figured, even with them out i would have beer swilling all over my teeth constantly, any ability my saliva has to neutralize the acid is going to be a bit diminished, and having the aligners out for 6-7 hours (including for dinner, etc) seemed to be more of a problem.

You can go to the bathroom and wash your mouth out to help keep the PH down. I do this quite often during the night even if i dont take my aligners out. Swish water around the mouth, and suck it around the aligners. It's not ideal but it's better than nothing. If you really want to be good, you can take a travel brush and some toothpaste and give them a gentle clean every few hours. You better explain to your friends first, they might think you've borrowed their toothbrush and not be best pleased, lol.

The most important thing, i think, is not to fall asleep with all that sugary crap on your teeth, as that will ruin your teeth faster than anything. Make sure you give them a good cleaning before you let yourself collapse. If you're so drunk you cant operate a toothbrush, a) You've had a good night. b) You've drunk waay too much and need to drink much less in future!

All this sugary beer over many hours isn't the best thing for the teeth with aligners in or out, but we're all human, imperfect and we cant preserve our bodies in perfection condition for ever (however much i'd love to stay young forever), so we may as well do our best and have a little fun on the way.

Certain types of alcohol might be better on teeth than others? Perhaps Vodka might be better? Not sure about that. There might be some problem with the plastic aligners and strong alcoholic beverages too.

It's fun answering questions for other people, it make you think about my own problems/questions from a different perspective, which can be constructive.

PaulInc: Thats interesting! And I totally agree, during treatment if I wanted to go out and have a drink with my friends every so often, it would be best to leave the aligners in, that way I wouldnt be effecting the process of straightening my teeth. Theres so many people using Invisalign, some for 10 months, some for over a year, the orthos cant expect everyone to not consume any alcohol during that time, but they arnt exactly going to encourage it either.

If we took the aligners out, for around 6 hours every weekend, plus the average 2 hours including meals/snacks and soft drinks per day, it would be a hell of a lot of time and that might show at the end of our treatment. However, rotting our teeth is not a good option either, but we can easily prevent that by rinsing our mouth out with water, as well as the aligners every so often whilst we're out. As you said we're only human, most things we do arnt exactly healthy anyways!

And your right, there might be certain types of alcohol that get along better with the aligners lol, I was thinking vodka too. But then I thought.. the mix. So that pretty much throws any sort of alcohol out the question, because theres almost always a mix haha! Best thing I can do is just keep washing my mouth out with water during my nights out I suppose!

How long have you had your aligners for and how long will your treatment be? You havnt experianced any gaps by any chance, or do you know if this is a common thing? Im freaking out about that haha. I always think the worst about things, such as if this makes my teeth worse - im so silly! Would you like the explain why you dont like your teeth also? Its interesting to find out about other peoples treatments

The only gaps I've got at the moment are thanks to IPR! Honestly, my teeth are so crowded that creating gaps is the issue!

I have noticed on my Clincheck that I will get small gaps (not quite Madonna!) between three of my upper incisors for a few months - basically while my teeth moved slowly along to creat space and get the midline correct. The Clincheck shows the teeth closing together at the end though, so I am taking comfort in the fact it is all in the plan....