Opting for braces instead of Invisalign

[nauna28]

As the title says, has anyone opted to get braces instead of Invisalign?

My first orthodontic consultation went better than expected, and he informed me that I am a candidate for Invisalign. I went home and did a lot of thinking, and decided that I would rather get braces because this way I can't forget to put them on, or anything like that.

I am not concerned about the look of braces, in fact I like how they look.

If you had the option of both and picked either or, please share your stories with me! Thanks!!

[JillD]

I was devastated when I was told I was not an Invisalign candidate because I didn't think I could live with about two years with ugly braces on. And then two other ortho told me that I could go with Invisalign but the result might not be as good as I desired. But I decided to go for braces because I didn't want anything less than the result I desired.

Now that I finished my braces and am wearing Essix retainers 24/7, I don't think I was able to handle Invisalign over a year. I think wearing Essix reatainers 24/7 is similar to wearing Invisaline. Not being able to eat or drink anything other than water with the retainers on kills my social life. OK, retainers are more forgiving than Invisalign because one is supposed to wear Invisalign for 21-22 hours a day and I don't feel I need to wear my retainers that many hours a day. It still limits my social life in many ways. I cannot wait until I can wear my retainers only at night.

In the end I am glad that I opted for braces.

[nauna28]

Thanks for your reply JillD:

One of my deciding factors was also that I feel like the results with braces are a little more predictable (since they've been used to correct teeth/bites/etc for much longer than Invisalign).

Unfortunately I am not quite ready for braces, as I would still like to meet with some other local orthodontists for their opinions, especially regarding my jaw and bite, since I was told I would need surgery when I was younger, and the ortho I saw last week said I didn't.

I, like you, want the best result possible, especially if I'm going to be shelling out 100% of the cost out of pocket.

[plugnickel69]

At my first consults I was told I was not a candidate for invisalign. At my 4th consult I was told it could be done with invisalign and that braces would be overkill in my case. I, however, realized that to get the most stable result I needed to go with braces and needed more than a cosmetic fix. I know invisalign works great for certain cases but does have limits. Braces were a clear choice for me.

[nauna28]

Thanks, plugnickel69.

I feel the same way about braces being the clear choice for me, despite what the first ortho said. I have a few more consultations coming up. I am not even sure if these orthos do invisalign so I think that will be good for me.

[plugnickel69]

Nauna, make sure you can relate well to the ortho you pick. You should feel no fear in discussing your treatment and bringing up your concerns. You want someone you have confidence in, has the proper credentials, with whom you can work. The cost is important, but shouldn't be the determining factor.

[nauna28]

Hey plugnickel69:

I know that I want to have a good rapport with the ortho I choose. I didn't really connect with the first ortho (the invisalign one) so I will likely not go with them. I have still have to wait for my other consults to see if I connect with them better. The price is important to me, but obviously I want the best possible result with a treatment plan that I am comfortable with (even if that includes surgery)

[alec6542]

I would go with braces because I wouldn't have the discipline to wear the trays 24/7. If you get braces, you are pretty much guaranteed to succeed, because whether you like it or not, the braces stay ON 24/7.

[Matilda]

I'd recommend braces over Invisalign, any day. And to name only a few of the many Invisalign disadvantages? Treatment time (longer), cost (more expensive), speech (lisp), attachments (visible), inconvenience (removable aligners), not suitable for all movements (bridges, crowns, crooked teeth, jaw problems, overbites).

[kathydell]

Me too. I could have gone Invisalign, however, it wouldn't have yielded a great result because I had a lot of rotations and it doesn't really work well for that. It also would have taken a lot longer. So, shorter time in braces and a better result seemed a better way to go even though I had my heart set on invisalign. I have to say, 6 months in, I'm really glad I made that choice. My results with ceramic uppers & lowers have been phenomenal. I made a post recently with pictures called "6 months progress" if you want to see to help you decide.

[nauna28]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

You have definitely helped me realize that opting for braces is not as silly a choice as I was thinking it was.

You are rock! And I hope you're all well!

[xanidu2012]

Invisalign for me wasn't an option and for me that was ok because I doubt I would have changed them out like you're supposed to plus with $$ coming right out of pocket I wanted the best I could get which I have. BIG difference between when I first started and now. Whooo-hoooo

[nauna28]

xanidu2012:

that's how I feel too. I probably wouldn't be totally compliant with the treatment plan, plus I'd be scared to just forget to wear them, or something. There are no obvious user errors that I can imagine with braces.

[xanidu2012]

Nauna28
I know I would forget. I have packages of elastics everywhere just to remember to put them on they are at my mom's house; in the glove boxes of my 3 vehicles; in each of my pocketbooks so I have no excuse not to wear them

[nauna28]

xanidu2012:

haha, I am sure I'd do the same thing! I've said this somewhere above (I think), that I am not quite ready for braces, as I am still in the consultation process (next appointment is next week - YAAAAAAY).

I can't wait to get this all started though!