Metal Mouth Message Board

hi, am new to invisalign, and my dentist said that my treatment would be about 1 year. but when i recieved my aligners they came in the bag labeled 1 of 10... does that mean that my treatment will only require 10 aligners total (20 weeks) and will be much shorter than my doc had originally said? or am i missing something?

Initially, I was told 18 months treatment time and started with 21 trays thinking 42 weeks would be a breeze. However, I had to have a mid course correction, which increased my total tray count to 31. Now, at 18 months, I'm probably going to require refinements or other treatment, requiring more than the original estimated treatment time. I do have an unusual case, so some of this wouldn't happen with more routine treatment.

I would go with your dentist's time estimate - it avoids disappointment. If things go well and you can finish early, that would be terrrific!!

Some people require refinements after the first set of trays. The 20 week prediction is a good estimate of treatment time; however, if you need refinements or a mid-course correction, your total treatment time will be longer than 20 weeks.

That being said, I am coming to the end of my 7L/12U initial sets of trays, and I will probably have refinements on both arches. Currently, my ortho estimates 2-3 more trays on the lower and 7 more on top. At the appointment prior to the last, however, he estimated 7 more on the lower arch and 12 more on top! It's hard to predict, I think, and as your treatment progresses, you'll have a much better idea if things are progressing as hoped. For me, the final lower tray made huge moves, and this second-to-last upper tray has done a great deal, as well. I simply think it's hard to predict ahead of time, to be honest. My ortho also predicted one year, but now feels I'll certainly be done within 10 months, if not before. Instead of feeling as if I have "fallen behind," I now feel like I am ahead of the game! Works for me...

Do know, however, that after your 10 trays, your teeth will be in a MUCH better position, and for many, the teeth look great after the initial trays! Any refinements - especially for such a short "term" as you have - really are often for tweaking the details in an attempt to achieve "perfection." If you saw my teeth now, you'd say I have the straightest teeth possible, but there are a few little adjustments I'd like to see happen, so I will do refinements at the end of June.

I agree with Wireless... plan on one year as your ortho said, and then rejoice if the treatment time is shorter!

Hope this helps!

thanks for the replies.... definitely helps. i am guessing that i will need refinements as it looks like most people do. but hopefully treatment will be closer to the 20 week prediction than to the 1 year. i will find out more when i go to pick up my next set of trays in two weeks. best of luck phantom and wireless

so i ended up finding out that the trays labeled 1-10 were just the initial set, and that i actually have 16 total upper and 17 total lower. not too bad, couldve been worse. i am currently on set 14. i have posted a couple of pics, two from before i started, and one from when i was beginning tray 14. hopefully will not need refinements. so far happy with the progress.


IMG00036-20100309-2235 by fatlisayumyum, on Flickr


IMG00017-20100418-1939 by fatlisayumyum, on Flickr



IMG00295-20101102-2027 by fatlisayumyum, on Flickr[/img]

That is a dramatic transformation. Can't wait to see the end result, keep us posted!

Glad there getting straight, but dang I don't think I'd ever let a ortho remove one of my lower incisors. They just don't look the same with only three there.

fatlisa yumyum wrote:so i ended up finding out that the trays labeled 1-10 were just the initial set, and that i actually have 16 total upper and 17 total lower. not too bad, couldve been worse. i am currently on set 14. i have posted a couple of pics, two from before i started, and one from when i was beginning tray 14. hopefully will not need refinements. so far happy with the progress.


IMG00036-20100309-2235 by fatlisayumyum, on Flickr


IMG00017-20100418-1939 by fatlisayumyum, on Flickr



IMG00295-20101102-2027 by fatlisayumyum, on Flickr[/img]

trust me, i was extremely nervous about the lower incisor extraction. but they were able to simulate it in the clincheck video before we actually removed it. i was happy with the way the clincheck looked, so i went ahead with it. if i didnt do that, i probably wouldve needed about 2 and half to 3 years of trays because we wouldve needed to move all of the back teeth to make room for the crooked front teeth to fit in. with removing the lower incisor, we really only needed to move the front teeth, which are much easier to shift. so far have been on track at every visit with my dentist. have two more trays to go, just hoping not many refinements (if any) are needed.

My bottoms were minor compared to yours, but in 15-20 months they should go from the first one to the last. I'll keep you updated though.

Hopefully it all turns out for the best.