Invisalign Braces

Lao Lao

Hey,

Has anybody here ever had Invisalign Braces? A mate of mine is due to get them next week and he is just curious if they are any good. From reading a bit about them, they seem to be almsot too good to be true?

Thanks

Roro4Brit

Lao Lao wrote: »

Hey,

Has anybody here ever had Invisalign Braces? A mate of mine is due to get them next week and he is just curious if they are any good. From reading a bit about them, they seem to be almsot too good to be true?

Thanks

Hi,

I have them in now I'm on my second last set - 9 upper aligners 9 lower aligners. Will probably need refinements in the end - maybe 2/3 more aligners...but dentist seems to think I'll be ok, but I'm not happy with how they are now and one more set won't get my teeth to where I want them to be---so I'll be demanding refiners even if he suggest otherwise.

Anyhow all in all they're pretty great. My teeth do look nice, although they were pretty good to begin with - I just had an obsession with 2 teeth in particular.

They cost me €4400 - pretty fricken expensive considering there's only 9 on top and bottom, but apparently the price doesn't vary depending on duration - so 30 aligners costs the same as 9

• They really are invisible - nobody notices until I tell them.
• You have a lisp for 2 days - then your mouth adjusts and it goes
• Cleaning is a pain - brushing / flossing after ever meal. I wont lie, there's many times I eat and just whack them back in after without brushing:P. Scummy I know - but brushing 6-8 times a day is not as easy as it sounds.
• They hurt like a bitch when you put each new set in. Varies from aligner to aligner. When I put number 7 in they hurt so bad for 48 hours, but the pain goes after 2 days.
• They may need to file between teeth to make space for movement. I needed this in 6 places, just feels like a regular cleaning so no probs there.
• They also may need to put 'attachments' on - these are tooth coloured little buttons that click into spaces in the aligners in order to move/rotate teeth. I have 3 - they're invisible and I don't mind them at all.

I won't know for a while about my final results - but my teeth do look good now. I'm not as happy with them as I thought I would be - they're not perfect, but my treatment isn't over yet so I'm hoping they can refine my teeth to perfection. After paying over 4k I'll be really pissed if I'm not happy with the end result.

Any more Q's?

kkth0360

Invisalign (and other aligner systems) works fairly well in many cases, but the result is never as good as can potentially be achieved with fixed appliances. The movement of the teeth is much less predictable with aligners, and fine control of individual tooth positions is impossible.

I always discuss these limitations with patients considering aligner treatment, and explain that the trade-off for not having to wear fixed appliances is likely to be a "good, but not perfect" result. Many patients are happy to go ahead on that basis, but for those who desire the best possible result I would always recommend fixed appliances, or a combination of aligner treatment first, followed by a short (3-6 month) stint in fixed appliances for final finishing. The other option for those wanting to avoid conventional braces entirely would be lingual appliances, such as Incognito.

Aligners are not suitable in all cases, and certain types of tooth movement are very difficult or impossible with these appliances. If such a case is attempted with aligners the outcome can be very poor indeed.

I'd advise you to make sure that whoever is carrying out the Invisalign treatment also offers a full range of treatment options and not just aligners: As Fitzgeme has pointed out in the past ""if your only tool is a hammer, all your problems will become nails".

btkm8unsl0w5r4

kkth0360 do you find that oral maloudour is a problem with lingual braces...

Roro4Brit thank for the good post. Make sure you are totally satisified before the end of treatment, that a lot of money you paid.

doriansmith

kkth0360 wrote: »

Invisalign (and other aligner systems) works fairly well in many cases, but the result is never as good as can potentially be achieved with fixed appliances. The movement of the teeth is much less predictable with aligners, and fine control of individual tooth positions is impossible.

I always discuss these limitations with patients considering aligner treatment, and explain that the trade-off for not having to wear fixed appliances is likely to be a "good, but not perfect" result.

Interesting you say this cos my orthodontist insisted that the results with Invisalign would be identical to the results with a fixed appliance. I had originally intended getting regular braces but he recommended Invisalign & so I went with it as he said the results would be the same but it would work quicker. I wouldn't have gotten Invisalign if I'd been told what you said above.

In hindsight I wished I'd gotten regular braces. Don't get me wrong, my results were great but Invisalign is a major pain in the ass. I hated having to constantly take them out & brush every time I ate, it's a lot harder than people think, especially if you're a big snacker. I reckon braces would have been a lot less inconvenient (and they're cheaper)

kkth0360

Isaac White Porcupine wrote: »

kkth0360 do you find that oral maloudour is a problem with lingual braces

I can't say that I've noticed any particular problems with this in my (comparatively limited) experience with lingual appliances. Patients opting for these braces tend to be extremely highly motivated, with excellent oral hygiene, and I haven't come across anyone who developed a halitosis problem after having them fitted.

doriansmith: I'm glad that you're happy with the results of your Invisalign treatment, as indeed the the vast majority of patients are. However, a small percentage of patients tend to be extremely particular about even minor imperfections in the alignment of their teeth, and these patients may not be completely satisfied with the quality of result that aligners can offer.

To enable people to make an informed decision about what type of appliances to choose (assuming that their case is suitable for aligners to be offered as an option) I believe it is essential to make sure they are aware of the advantages and limitations of all the various options.

It is certainly not true to say that Invisalign can produce identical results to fixed appliances (in the right hands). However, very good results can usually be achieved in suitable cases, and obviously there is the major aesthetic advantage of not having to wear fixed appliances. It's swings and roundabouts but, at least for the time being, nothing can match fixed appliances for quality of result.

Incidentally, people with fixed appliances have to brush after every meal too!