So, I just had my impressions done today! :]

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#1 Post by **Stefanie** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:03 am

That wasn't bad at all! My dentist even took three impressions on my bottom teeth just to be certain they were precise enough.

I'm very excited, yet anxious to start!

Invisalign a decision I've been contemplating for years & I always swore that when I graduated from college & afford it on my own, I would do it. As a traditional braces alum, I've promised myself that I'm going to get it right this time around! So, yay!

With that being said, I have three quick questions:

â€¢ My dentist informed me that my aligners should be in in about 4 weeks. Is that fairly accurate?

â€¢ I will also wear my first set of aligners with a whitening treatment. Have any of you had whitening incorporated into your first set of trays?

â€¢ Lastly, my treatment was estimated to last 13 months--how much did your dentists/ortho's length of treatment estimate vary to the actual length of treatment [according to Invisalign]?

This forum has been VERY helpful thus far. I look forward to reading everyone's posts & updating on my progress.

#2 Post by **Kez** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 2:29 am

Welcome - you'll be delighted you did this in no time.

I didn't have a whitening tray so can't help you with that one. My trays came in within about 3 weeks but I had been advised 4. It depends on a lot of factors but unless there was some sort of delay I'd be fairly sure you won't be waiting too much longer than originally advised.
With the length of time - my otho had advised me 12-18 months for treatment and when my trays came in I realised I only had 13 upper and 11 lower so all going well the initial treatment would only be 6 months. I've since discovered that I'm my othho's first invisalign case. Not sure if that's good or bad. In one sense she'll probably be very attentive of my progress on the flipside I can be the case where she learns from her mistakes. Either way the progress so far has been amazing and I'm really happy with her and invisalign.

#3 Post by **John37** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:18 am

I used whiteners with the first set. I don't think that's uncommon.

Mine took a few weeks to get the clincheck correct and for me to check and approve it. I don't think it can only be 4 weeks from impressions to trays. You should be allowed to check your clincheck and first approve it before they start making the trays. It takes 3+ weeks to make the trays once you approve the clincheck.

#4 Post by **Wobblydeb** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:21 am

Hello and welcome to the club! (I'm another traditional braces alum, looking forward to getting back to my straight-teeth days!)

My dentist split up the sessions between Clincheck (which will give you a precise time span) and getting the aligners. After taking the impressions we left a fortnight before I met him again to look at the Clincheck. We then requested another Clincheck (with a tooth extracted) and I went back another fortnight later to see that. At that session we decided which option to follow and 3 weeks later the liners were fitted.

He said they would come in about 2 weeks, but he wanted to leave 3 to ensure they had arrived.
SO........ your 4 weeks sounds about right.

Didn't do whitening, although it would have worked well with the first tray which was a nice "ease you into it" tray. It didn't have any attachments and didn't hurt too much - although I would still suggest you leave the whitening until the second week when you are more accustomed to the tray. With the 2nd tray came the attachments and I'm not keen to whiten whilst they are on in case I end up with yellow patches where the bleach has not reached!

Lastly ... lol ...... my dentist did not estimate a treatment time - we just waited for the Clincheck to come back. I DID get a second opinion from an orthodontist thought we might get away with 10 trays (20 weeks) for the top set. I've turned out to need 31 trays (14 months) because Invisalign plan to de-rotate an eye tooth that she either didn't spot or didn't plan to change.

Gosh, I have waffled on haven't I?

#5 Post by **PaulInc** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 12:17 pm

I had my impressions taken just last week too.

I am interested if your "info gathering" differed from mine at all. I had the following.

3 full face photos (one from the side)
2-3 teeth photos
red gloop bite alignment impression
two green gloop tray teeth impressions
head xray/CT ?

Do the clincheck techs default plan with a tooth extraction? I did mention in my initial consultation that i didn't want any extractions, but i had a different dentist take my invisalign impressions, so now worry i will go back in two weeks only to see a clincheck with an extraction....

#6 Post by **Wobblydeb** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 2:40 am

Do the clincheck techs default plan with a tooth extraction?

Not to my knowledge. My first Clincheck was without extraction. My dentist then had to request a 2nd Clincheck with extraction. He reviewed both with me (we compared them side-by-side) and together agreed on the non-extraction plan. There will be more IPR but the result is much better in terms of the two arches matching eachother.

I would totally recommend that you are not shy about asking questions. I wrote my dentist a letter asking lots of questions before committing to the impressions and first chunk of money. I also asked for written confirmation of everything included (and specifically mentioned refinement / retainers etc.) within his Â£4k quote. One of the reasons I went with him was because he responded very professionally.

My info gathering was the same as yours, although there was only one impression taken of each arch. The first aligners fitted perfectly though, so I guess they were accurate!

I also had a consultation with an orthodontist who took an additional x-ray which was a side view of the bite. My dentist didn't take that for the Invisalign - just one front view.

#7 Post by **PaulInc** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:12 am

Thanks!

At my initial consultation he did say they didn’t like removing good teeth and would rather use other methods to create room. Arch expansion and IPR.

Retainers are one thing i forgot to ask about! I don’t want to use the last invisalign tray as a retainer as i've read they lose their strength. The question is, which is the best type of retainer if i am left to choose? I like the idea of the hawley type which allow your teeth to make contact. I think i read this was better to help your bite align. I had read another dentist advise against bonded retainers because they can come lose without your knowledge and the first you'll know about it is your teeth are crooked.

#8 Post by **PaulInc** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:54 pm

The Essix type retainer is definately more discreet, but i am not sure how much it matters when i am wearing it at night asleep.

I've always assumed that once your Invisalign treatment is over you only wear retainers at night. I suppose i could always wear the final Invisalign for a few months if that's required, but would really want to get in to the night time only routine as soon as possible.

#9 Post by **PaulInc** » Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:11 am

Then a bonded retainer would seem a much more attractive option.

So you can wear a Essix/Hawley type retainer and also have a bonded retainer? The bonded retainers i've seen only cover the front 6 teeth, is that enough to keep all your teeth straight? Can you have bonded retainers on upper and lower arches, and did you find the feel of the bonded retainer a bit weird or cause any speech problems?

Sorry for all the questions, and apologize if i am slightly hijacking this thread.