Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi guys. I'm new here. Im so nervous because I just signed up for invisalign...$4800.. and I'm praying that this will pay off..
So, its 2 am!! and all these scary thoughts come to my head! I keep on thinking it's not going to help and all my money will go for a waste, or it's going to drastically change my look and I'm not going to recognize myself, and now suddenly I feel like my teeth are cute and that I never needed a change. lol. Wow. I need some reassurance that everything will go alright. I promised myself that I will try to wear the aligners atleast 22 hours a day. I still have to wait till I get them..which will take 6-8 weeks..but its going to drive me nuts until I get em!

Does anyone relate? lol

Sounds like you need a stiff drink.

Well, the thought that the results might not be just as you want go through everyones mind. I am slightly worried about certain aspects of my treatment, but it's long process in which a lot may change and one with the option of refinements.

What sort of problem do you have with your teeth, how many aligners, etc?

I have crowded teeth in the front..where my two front teeth look like theyre almost rotated..and the same goes for my bottom two front teeth...so pretty much crowding. Ortho said I'm the perfect candidate for it. Im 24..so my teeth have always been a part of me...it kind of represents who I am..you know? So..I'm worried that it will kind of change who I am.. But if it's going to make me look better then I won't care at all!

Ortho didn't tell me how many aligners I will get but she told me the treatment might be 18-24 months. I just hope it's 18 months, or I'll even be okay with less than 18 months haha

50 aligners seems like a lot to me, but i guess everyone is different.

I have quite rotated front teeth and i have 12 months of treatment. (25 aligners).

The only way my teeth are a part of my personality is as an insecurity.

hmmm...I've never looked at it that way, but I think you're right...It is kind of an insecurity and I've learned to live with it.. like not smiling too big incase everyone will notice my teeth...but I don't have to anymore and I think it's going to feel great when it's all done and over with..yippie can't wait!!
50 aligners seem a lot to me too!! Because as I've been reading the posts, everyone has a lot less than 50.. hopefully it won't end up being that much.

I went back and forth for the past year. I have a gap and was sort of sad to see it go b/c I know that is how everyone recognizes me. I was able to walk into my 10 year reunion and as soon as I spoke or smiled I saw the lightbulb go on in peoples heads. Suddenly they knew who I was! But then I thought, I hate that b/c it is embarrassing! I meet new people and I hate when they stare at my gap.
SO....I start Invisalign on Wed (only took 2 weeks to get my aligners!) and can hardly wait. I am scared to death I will talk funny and that the Invisalign will be extremely obvious through my gap but I am beyond ready for this! I better be because I used my FSA to pay and so will be paying it off all year! lol!

I went back and forth for the past year. I have a gap and was sort of sad to see it go b/c I know that is how everyone recognizes me. I was able to walk into my 10 year reunion and as soon as I spoke or smiled I saw the lightbulb go on in peoples heads. Suddenly they knew who I was! But then I thought, I hate that b/c it is embarrassing! I meet new people and I hate when they stare at my gap.
SO....I start Invisalign on Wed (only took 2 weeks to get my aligners!) and can hardly wait. I am scared to death I will talk funny and that the Invisalign will be extremely obvious through my gap but I am beyond ready for this! I better be because I used my FSA to pay and so will be paying it off all year! lol!

My problem is crowding, and I have two teeth that were severely rotated. As rotated as they can be I guess, looked like 90 degrees! I got 25 trays.

I don't relate to your worries, the only thing that kept me up at night was thinking about how beautiful my teeth were going to turn out and praising the lord for creating invisalign.

anastasia: Heyy you described you teeth and it sounds just like my situation!! The 2 front teeth are almost like 90 degrees rotated..Anyway, I think I've been worrying a lot lately because the real truth is, is that #1...i cant afford it and so my mom and my fiance are going to help me out w/ the payments..which makes me feel really bad b/c its something I *want*, it's not a necessity. #2 some people got sad that Im going to get it b/c theyre like "you're cute why are you gonna get it?" and so it just made me think twice. Anyway..its part of my anxiety that I get every once in a while. But right now, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do this because most people can only correct it with braces and I definitely would not want those metal things in my mouth at age 24!!

ljhanson: Hey I totally relate to you.. I wish you luck with the treatment, hope it goes well! and hopefully you'll keep me updated. I hope mine comes in 2 weeks too!!

Hi there,
I have 17 aligners top, and 34 bottom. This is because I have an overbite, but it is caused by my bottom teeth having been pushed back (by thumb sucking as a child/teenager) not my top teeth being forward.

My clinchecks are on my blog, and even when I look at them I am still really nervous.

I was worried that my lips would change if my teeth changed, but so far they are ok. I figure if I really hate my new teeth I can always just wear my aligners in reverse order to put them back

myhollywoodsmile wrote:Hi there,
I have 17 aligners top, and 34 bottom. This is because I have an overbite, but it is caused by my bottom teeth having been pushed back (by thumb sucking as a child/teenager) not my top teeth being forward.

My clinchecks are on my blog, and even when I look at them I am still really nervous.

I was worried that my lips would change if my teeth changed, but so far they are ok. I figure if I really hate my new teeth I can always just wear my aligners in reverse order to put them back

Lol!! That's so funny!!! I know..I was thinking that worst case I don't like my teeth, I could just stop wearing the aligners and my teeth will naturally go back to their original spots...But I'm sure you will love it and I will too..I mean, how can some1 not like straight teeth? lol
But honestly, I'm afraid that my jaw structure and face and my lips will look different. Has that happened to anyone? I wish I could see some before and after pictures of real people, cuz Im tired of seeing before and after ones on invisalign websites..they just don't feel real.

Have you looked at the blog http://smilingwideopen.blogspot.com/ The lady on there is finished, and her teeth look great. She was one of the people that convinced me to go ahead with it....

I was just looking at your blog...you have some helpful information on that! I definitely will be a regular on your blog site when I start invisalign haha.
And thank you for the website! I like the before and after pictures. Very informative.

I actually have 41 aligners and 16 attachments all together.

I wouldn't worry about the 51 as everyone is different. Also I'm only supposed to wear each aligner for a week so since you also have a higher number maybe you will be a one weeker like myself

I can totally relate to the staying up at night worrying about all this. I wasn't really concerned with the whole "my crooked" teeth are my identity thing. I was more worried that my teeth would get damaged or fall out or that Invisalign wouldn't work for me. I was debating getting braces although I really didn't want to at my age but atleast I knew they worked. Anyway I went ahead with the decision and 4 months in I'm happy with everything so far. I'm just very impatient and it takes a while to see results but once you do it's pretty exciting. I have seen some changes with my face (I have a bit of an overbite) which is quite awesome as my lips look a bit fuller and I have a stronger chin now. Anyway so far so good and I'm sure everything will be fine with you as well.

tizzy wrote: I wouldn't worry about the 51 as everyone is different. Also I'm only supposed to wear each aligner for a week so since you also have a higher number maybe you will be a one weeker like myself

@ Tizzy.

The 50 aligner number was my guess based on a 2 week cycle and on the max 24 month estimate by her ortho.

@ TammyT

You'll know exactly how long your treatment will be when you get your clincheck back. I assume you've had your impressions and head xray taken?