rejected for invisalign :-(

[florencegal]

Hi everyone - having considered getting braces for a good few years, I've decided it's now or never! I'd done loads of research on Invisalign and decided it sounded like something I could deal with really well (the visibility issue is a very big one for me) but I had my first ortho consultation a couple of weeks ago and was told Invisalign wouldn't be suitable for me as my overcrowding is a bit too bad I was just wondering if anyone here originally got "rejected" for treatment with Invisalign by one ortho but then had another one say that invisalign would be suitable? Is it even worth me checking with another dentist to see if I could get Invisalign or should I just accept it's not an option for me and stick with this first dentist I've seen and the ceramic braces she's recommended? (she was super super nice and I think I'd like treatment with her - really sweet and considerate!) And if anyone here with invisalign did at first get told it wasn't suitable, are you now getting good results with the aligners?

I know the best way in all cases is to get several consultations first anyway but all the orthos round here (central/south-west UK) charge £100+ for the consultation and that soon adds up!

Thanks for any advice you can give me

[Cor1]

Your not alone, when I first heard about invisilign, my dentist was just getting into at their practice, so I asked him if I would be a candidate for it, and unfortunatley no can do, I also have too much crowding goin on up in the old chew factory!!!

So almost 3weeks ago, I have full upper and lower metal braces!!!

But they are your teeth so if you want to get another opinion, to make your mind up go for it................it's what makes you feel good about you!!

Cor1

[jennielee81]

I'm also a reject...by 2 orthos by the way.

I was pretty devistated. I rebounded and got ceramic uppers and Damon 3 lowers. I've been quite happy.

My biggest fear (like you) was the visibility but that's not been an issue. Nobody really cares that I have braces except my close friends and family.

Do what you think is best for you...a great orthodontist will get you into and out of braces as quickly as possible.

Your end result will be worth what ever you choose.

[Dawna]

Maybe you could see her again, and ask about the possibility of using normal braces for part of the treatment, and invisalign for as much as possible? I've read about people doing this. Look on the bright side, it's much better to hear it now than to have a sales oriented ortho who says yeah yeah yeah and then halfway through you're out tons of money and don't get the results you were expecting....

[nvrsaynvr]

My husband was rejected for Invisalign and went with metal braces.
I was given the "approval" for Invisalign and got Invisalign.

Cant remember why hubby was rejected. (over a year now)

But doc said I was a perfect candidate for Invisalign and I have to say, they are working great.

BTW - I didnt have a bite issue in the beginning. Just crowding.

[diehard]

being a brit myself i understand the situation of finding the right ortho and the costs involved are obscene i dont think americans realise how lucky they are braces on adults over here is very taboo u didt say how old u r im almost 28, if possible try taking some pictures im sure someone will say there crowding is that bad and they use invisalign

1 example of how bad things are in uk below:

Knives Being Used as Floss

Thought you’d seen it all? A survey by the British Dental Health Foundation has found that more than 60% of people use whatever comes into their hand to clean food debris stuck in between their teeth. Items like screwdrivers, scissors, earrings, needles and knives are commonly used. Worse yet, 23% leave food stuck in between their teeth, giving rise to oral health problems and bad breath. The foundation is launching an educational campaign to promote the use of dental floss.


americans mock us for having crap teeth and us brits used to mock the americans for being obese but i guess the uk is fast catching up

also how about this recent fact:
The world now has more overweight people than hungry ones There are more than a billion overweight people in the world and 800 million who are undernourished, he said at the Gold Coast convention centre near Brisbane. The world population is estimated at about 6.5 billion.

how is this for a reality tv program which are popular these days u have heard of wife swap how about ethiopian swap

[hippyhippo]

I wasn't rejected completely. The orthos that I consulted with told me that invisalign could straighten my teeth, but wouldn't fix my awful bite. They didn't recommend my getting it for this reason, but I could have gone that route had I chosen it.

I decided that my bite was what was more important, so I'm getting a "metal mouth". And I'm actually glad for it, having read how so many people have had a lack of success with invisalign. Then, the only person I met in real life with Invisalign wasn't happy either, as her treatment is going to take twice as long as originally thought (she keeps having to get he trays remade). That's not to say that Invisalign doesn't work, just that it seems like you really need to be an ideal candidate to get great results. And I was far from that.

This board has really shown me that metal braces really aren't a huge deal. And the more I look around me, the more adults I see with metal braces. I'm sure that people with braces were always there, but I just never noticed it before. Which tells me something I should have always known: people really don't care about your teeth!

I definitely don't want to discourage you from getting invisalign, but just realize that metal braces aren't some horrible fate.

[sharonm]

I originally wanted Invisalign too.I was told I wasn't right for it.I was a bit disappointed because I went to their website and my teeth aren't as bad as some of the people on it.Thinking it over though,I am kind of glad I am suitable for it because I would probably forget to wear them anyway.I was also worried about how effective they were anyway

[diehard]

Cor1 why in gods name have u got a picture of bunny boiler nikki from uk big brother don`t tell me uv been watching it in canada, surely u should be a richard fan

[invisagirl]

The ortho I consulted when Invisalign first came out said I wasn't a candidate so I did nothing. A few years later after having my wisdom teeth removed I saw the top Invisalign ortho in my city and he said I was a candidate. So I hopped on board the Invisalign train and 2.5 years later had to switch to traditional braces cause Invisalign just couldn't do what needed to be done. So in the end things took twice as long and cost twice as much as if I'd just gotten traditional braces to begin with. I'd say get a few more consultations but since that is cost prohibitive and you really liked this ortho maybe think it over. No rush after all your teeth aren't going anywhere

[florencegal]

Thanks everyone for the replies - I know you're all completely right about this and I have to admit that I have heard some less positive things about Invisalign too. As I really got a good vibe from this ortho, then that's the most important thing and I guess I can trust that if she says I'm not suitable then I'm not and it's best to accept I'll get the best results and probably quicker treatment with traditional braces.

You're right hippyhippo - I've learned from reading these message boards that traditional braces aren't the sorry fate for those who can't get invisalign. Far from it! They're a great positive choice for great results and heck, they do look cute! You've just gotta wear them with the right attitude and the happiness that comes from within of knowing that you're doing something wonderful for yourself. Everyone on these forums looks great with them so I have to trust that I will too!

invisagirl : so sorry to hear about your troubles and delays - I hope you got the beautiful smile you were hoping for in the end?

diehard : hi there fellow Brit! Nice to meet you - I'm 25 and have been thinking about getting braces for a good 4 of those years. Luckily I got a very generous scholarship for doing my Masters last year of which I managed to set aside £3k. I'm hoping this should just about cover my treatment - I was quoted a rough figure of £3100 at my first appointment and should get a more precise figure when I go for my next consultation. I forgot to ask last time but I've seen on websites that a lot of orthos give quite a good discount (often 5%) if pay for everything up-front. Fingers crossed!

I'm not sure that braces on adults are quite taboo here but I'm sure you definitely get more adults in the US making this positive choice. Now I think of it, I've definitely not seen any adults in braces here in a good few years! Us Brits as a nation are just too lazy about oral health and also seem to feel there's something sinful in doing something like this that takes so much time and money "just" for your appearance.... What a stupid attitude! I remember a teacher in high school who was in her 50s got braces and I thought at the time that she was really cool, doing something like that for herself.

[diehard]

good luck whatever u decide to do brace wise

[jeni]

I realize that this is probably coming a little late. But, I had a consult a couple of weeks ago with an ortho. He rejected me for Invisalign because I am what he considers a borderline case. I appreciated his honesty when he said that he did not feel that he had enough experience to treat me with Invisalign. I live in an area with loads of orthos to choose from and he was toward the middle of the experience list on Invisalign's website. He referred me to a couple of other orthos in the area that are more experienced with Invisalign (one is the most experienced provider after the "premier providers"). I went to go see the more experienced with Invisalign of the two last week and was told that I am a perfect candidate. So, here is the scoop. Ortho #1 quoted price for only braces was $300 more than the price I was quoted for Invisalign from ortho #2. I was also quoted 3 months less treatment time from ortho #2. Ortho #2 specializes in clear orthodontics and was very thorough in explaining everything to me and even said that I will probably need an attachment. Of course, my general dentist also said that I was a perfect candidate, but didn't explain anything to me about any attachments, complications, etc. and gave me a quote $500 less than ortho #2.

Which would you choose? It is a no-brainer for me. Ortho #1 who wants to charge the most and give me a mouth full of metal for 18 months, general dentist who apparently does know anything about orthodontics and said that no one has gone over 9 months treatment (has the same amount of experience as ortho #1 according to Invisalign's website), or ortho #2 who had the most experience, charges less, explained issues the best, gave me loads of pictures of my mouth to refer to after treatment is over and to assist with the diagnosis, took a full head x-ray to assist in the determination of if I am a candidate, and gave me a 15 month treatment time all with a free 1 hour consult? To add some frosting to the deal, ortho #2 offered free teeth whitening at the end.

Here is my advice for what it is worth - go visit the most experienced Invisalign provider in your area and get the opinions of at least 2 orthos. That will assist in determining if both really know what they are talking about. You don't want to go to a provider just because they say that Invisalign will work for you. Make sure that the provider is competant. My insurance doesn't consider ortho #2 a provider, but they will pay the same benefit anyway for the out-of-network provider. That was holding me back from visiting a more experienced provider.

[bbsadmin]

"Can I get Invisalign" was the one of the first questions I asked my ortho.

With my open bite and crowding, I was definitely NOT a candidate for that. I was disappointed at first, but of course I moved on and got ceramics on top and metal on the bottom.

The ads make you think that anyone can get results with Invisalign, but that's not true. Only a percentage of people are "ideal candidates" for it.

[lionfish]

Invisalign was what got me into braces, so in a sort of weird way I'm thankful it came along. I saw the ads, got sucked in and went off for a consult. Fortunately, the ortho I was referred to also does lingual and traditional braces. He explained that invisalign wouldn't fix my problems (open bite issues being the main one), so I went for the compromise: lingual uppers and ceramic lowers.

I've come to terms with wearing braces and I know that at the end of the day, they will do the job.