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My Invisalign Experience – Part 1

July 24, 2014

April Everyday Invisalign Treatment For those of you that don’t know, I started my Invisalign treatment on Tuesday and I thought it would be good to blog about my experience of going through the treatment for anyone that is thinking of starting it or has already started. Just so you know, I’m not being paid by Invisalign to do this, I just want to share my experience.

I first heard about Invisalign through Carrie, and instantly fell in love with the idea of clear invisible braces rather than the traditional ‘train tracks’ that I was offered when I was younger. I wouldn’t say I regret not getting braces, but now I’m getting really self conscious of my teeth that I barely smile in photos and hate being in photos if me or Shane aren’t taking the pictures as I can’t see what I look like. We’re obviously talking about getting married in the future, and photos are a big part of a wedding, so I don’t want to be too paranoid to smile during my wedding haha! So that’s when I decided to go ahead with Invisalign.

I booked a free consultation with my nearest provider and discussed finance options with the dentist surgery (luckily I’m able to pay mine off over the course of 2 years) and that was it. I had to have a full mouth x-ray to make sure my roots were ok, my moulds were taken and sent off to Invisalign and then I went back a couple weeks later for the ClinCheck (where you watch your expected teeth movement on a video). My treatment involves 4 teeth extractions, 18 attachments (they’re little tooth coloured blobs(?) that sit on some of your teeth and clip into the aligners to help them move) and 54 aligners over the course of a little over a year, if all goes to plan. I got my first set of aligners on Tuesday and I get my first two teeth removed next Thursday! (eeep!).

April Everyday Invisalign Treatment April Everyday Invisalign TreatmentSo far, I’ve learned that:
* The constant pressure on your teeth hurts a lot more than I expected, so a well stocked cabinet of Ibuprofen is a must!
* My aligners are so hard to get out, that I end up in more pain after I’ve taken them out than while they were in (though I’ll get used to taking them out so it shouldn’t hurt so much)
* And the fact that my pain tolerance is 0 doesn’t help at all
* Not being able to snack is annoying, unless you want to run to the bathroom to brush your teeth and aligners all day. Also, I don’t like water (which is all you can drink while you’ve got the aligners in)
* It looks like ulcers on my tongue are going to be a constant thing, aswell as the attachments scratching on the inside of my lips while I eat (also, chewing like someone with no teeth because of the placement of the aligners so my mouth won’t fully close together)
but…. I just have to remember the positives to it all too:
* I walked in to work yesterday morning and noone could tell I was wearing them (apart from my slight lisp) which is the whole point πŸ™‚
* You take them out to eat
* I will have amazing oral hygeine by the end of it after brushing my teeth 3-4 times a day
* I will finally have straight teeth and that’s what’s getting me through all of it!

I plan to blog about my progress every month or so, but if you have any tips or questions let me know! πŸ™‚

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  • Reply
    Nikki | The Ginger Diaries
    July 24, 2014 at 6:51 pm

    I love that you are writing these series. I never got braces either, because my teeth are “perfectly” aligned so it wasn’t really necessary. Yet, I do have a rather large gap between my two upper front teeth that I am really conscious about all the time. I don’t like to smile either because of it. I cannot afford braces, and my parents refuse to get them for me, but maybe in a few years I could go for it and I think Invisalign would be a great option as a twenty-something-year-old. I hope to learn from you, haha! My sister has had regular braces, and she was out of pain after a week or two / three she says. Hopefully the same goes for you! xo

    • Reply
      April
      July 24, 2014 at 11:19 pm

      That’s good – hopefully the pain will ease πŸ™‚ I know in the UK we have ‘Invisalign Lite’ (I think that’s what it’s called) which is for minor realignment and is a bit cheaper compared to the full Invisalign, though I’m sure your teeth are absolutely fine πŸ™‚
      Have a great weekend xo

  • Reply
    Jamie Rose
    August 12, 2014 at 8:42 am

    I hope your whole teeth straightening experience is a pleasant one! I had the traditional type back when I was 13 or so and I still remember the pain of the first few months. I’d had an orthodontist consultation when I was younger than that and they wanted to put braces on me immediately even though I still had baby teeth. They said I needed teeth pulled so we did that, ended up moving away, and then the next orthodontist was like, “nope. you don’t need them yet.” So my other adult teeth basically moved into the spot where my one canine was supposed to grow in and kept it from growing in for many years until I got my braces. Then the pain of rearranging my teeth to make room for that tooth. Ugh. I still remember it vividly. Tooth pain is its own unique kind of crappy.

    But anyway, after that I had awesomely straight teeth! You’ll be so happy when it’s all done and you don’t have to feel self conscious anymore. I can’t wait to see the results. Good luck!!

  • Reply
    Karen
    August 17, 2014 at 10:42 pm

    Hi April,
    Hope all going well with Invisalign. I started my treatment at about the same time as you, on 24th July. I have 27 Upper and lower aligners and should be about a year. Strange at first but totally getting used to the aligners now. Have another appt with the orthodontist on Thursday to have 27 attachments added :-0. Good luck with your treatment.

    • Reply
      April
      August 18, 2014 at 9:51 am

      Yep, the feeling of the aligners is definitely a weird one to get used to haha! It took me about a week before I felt comfortable wearing them – I just felt like my lips stuck out so much more, and I couldn’t speak properly hah! I had my attatchments put on at the same time as I got my first aligners and it’s nothing to worry about. I was so worried that it would hurt but my dentist literally put the attachment bonding in my aligner then put my aligners in and I’m not really sure on what he did next but I think it was a UV light he held over the area to make the bonding stick to the tooth then took the aligner off and did it all over again with the next one. πŸ™‚
      Hope it all goes well for you!

  • Reply
    free auto insurance quotes in Los Angeles, CA
    March 25, 2016 at 1:02 pm

    It’s wonderful to have you on our side, haha!

  • Reply
    swethapriya
    October 20, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    I already have an invisalign treatments. So i have a thought like Will I need to wear a retainer after treatment to prevent my teeth from moving again? If i can wear a retainer means What type of retainer should I use? Can you pls reply me.

  • Reply
    mariya
    May 11, 2017 at 8:31 am

    I think Invisalign braces are better than other braces.

  • Reply
    Brett Favre
    February 12, 2018 at 5:39 am

    The discomfort from Invisalign really diminishes over time! I felt bad for my poor Houston dentist the first few months cause I was constantly asking to make sure something wasn’t wrong. Also, look on the bright side of the snacking thing, I lost a few pounds during treatment from not snacking as much!

  • Reply
    Kate
    April 12, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    I’ve just started my Invisalign treatment yesterday and I’m pleased I’ve came across your posts on your experience! It’s a great idea to document how the treatment is going as I find it really interesting to read through πŸ™‚ My reasons for getting them done are exactly the same to your reasons too which is great being able to relate to someone else doing it for the same reasons I am. I feel like I’m not alone in this now πŸ˜€ I also know what you mean about the pain of taking them out and putting them in. Especially where the attachments are, they sting like a b****!! And my teeth are awkward and crowded so if I don’t catch it properly the pain is horrendous πŸ™ I hope that eventually wears off with time and practice though!
    Thanks for sharing your experiences with it and good luck with your treatment and I hope everything is going well for you so far πŸ˜€

    Violet Daffodils

    • Reply
      April
      April 16, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      Oooh, yes the pain of taking them out – I forgot about what that was like when I first got Invisalign haha! I swear it took be about 20 minutes and so many YT videos to get them out as I thought they were going to be stuck in my mouth forever haha! Trust me, it gets wayyy easier and a lot less painful too! I hope your treatment goes well! It’s amazing seeing the progress!
      xo April

  • Reply
    Dr. Jesmine
    June 15, 2018 at 10:52 pm

    Hi April,
    Thanks for sharing, how long are you projected to have this treatment for? Also, as a Cerritos Invisalign provider, has there been any unexpected complications you’ve experienced? Also how would you rate your dentist/provider giving you the Invisalign treatment? As a local dentist in CA and a new Invisalign provider, getting the perspective from a patient’s point of view is great- thanks again!

  • Reply
    Rhonda
    September 26, 2018 at 8:54 pm

    Hello April,
    I am glad to come across your post about Invisalign and appreciate you sharing your journey! I’m a dental practitioner who has plenty of patients who are interested in starting Invisalign but are hesitant to take the leap for whatever reason!
    I believe you’ve made the right decision and will love your beautiful smile πŸ™‚

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