Invisalign Users: What's Your Experience Been Like?

sparkanum on 01/05/2022 - 08:36

Every dentist I've seen in the last 10 years has at some point asked if I'd thought about invisalign. At my last appointment, my dentist made the most compelling case yet to investigate further, and so I was hoping to get some feedback from people who have been through it before or are currently on it.

In particular:

  • Are you happy with it?
  • Are there things you didn't like, or issues/annoyances you've experienced after completing the process?
  • Are there downsides about it that I should be aware of?

I've asked my dentist these questions as well, but would appreciate some feedback from users as well.

In case this helps with context:

  • I'm personally not concerned with the look or feel of my teeth, but I do have crowded teeth and my dentist suggested it would be easier to keep them clean if they were better spaced out. Hence Invisalign.

  • The cost isn't an issue, although I do appreciate the process is expensive.

  • There's no urgent medical need; my teeth are healthy now, so it's more about longer term health/maintenance.

The dentist suggested there were "not really any downsides", but followed that up by saying I'd need to wear a plate once the process finished which sounded like a pretty big downside to me! That, and the process of having the straighteners sounds unpleasant. So keen to know what else I should be aware of or whether people felt it was worth it in spite of that.

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Comments

  • poboy on 01/05/2022 - 09:15
    +4

    FYI the Invisalign patent ran out about a year ago, so there are many other players offering a similar service for less money.

    Teeth alignment is gaining in popularity across the world. You have to wear the aligners for about 23 hours a day.

    It's not an answer to your question, but just providing context.

    • sparkanum on 01/05/2022 - 14:18

      Cheers for the extra info!

  • morse on 01/05/2022 - 09:56
    +1

    I have straight top teeth and slightly crocked bottom teeth. Asked dentist about for bottom teeth and he said the downside is that you’re pretty much wearing a retainer at night for the rest of your life if you want them to stay straight. A lot of people I work who have Invisalign and are very happy. They mentioned that adjustments are life long with whatever plan they are doing so felt it was good value despite the cost.

    If dentists keep mentioning I wonder if your teeth are sufficiently crocked enough that it’s warranted, or if they are getting commission for referrals.

    • bobbieb on 01/05/2022 - 10:32
      +2

      For what it's worth, I went through a fairly major realignment of my top and bottom teeth in the early days of Invisalign . All up, it took just shy of three years and a couple of iterations of the model to do the job, but the result was outstanding.

      Your dentist's comments about needing a retainer for the bottom teeth are a bit strange. I have a permanent retainer wire top and bottom - I was only given a traditional plastic retainer for the top. The need to wear it passes over time. After a decade, I'm down to wearing it maybe once or twice a week… I suspect that I could stop altogether, but the minor inconvenience to protect the investment is worth it in my book.

      • morse on 01/05/2022 - 13:35

        Well that sounds positive- I was kind of surprised by what my dentist said, he is a bit old school, but definitely doesn’t over charge or do unnecessary work which is nice.

    • Tech5 on 01/05/2022 - 12:46
      -1

      Medical professionals don't get referral commissions for anything. At most, I'll get a bottle of wine from our local orthodontist at christmas.

      • morse on 01/05/2022 - 13:43

        Well that’s disappointing for dentists….

        Can’t know for sure in OPs case but I’m sure that Invisalign would do ‘info sessions’ that are catered, may even have the same parent company that owns the dental practice. I know for sure there are incentives for health professionals. It probably can’t be as direct as commissions, but in the same parent company they could definitely give bonuses for ‘identifying suitable patients’. Definitely the medical imaging and pathology companies throw parties for private medical specialists. They’ve cracked down on drug companies doing this, but there’s less scrutiny for things like implants, where you send tests etc,

  • Jameslane on 01/05/2022 - 10:17
    +1

    Perhaps an orthodontist consult would be more beneficial than just the dentist opinion. They do braces and invisalign and can give you some more input.

    You don't need a referral from your dentist to see one.

    I recently had braces put on to correct an overbite on top teeth and overcrowding on bottom. Overbite was too much for invisalign to be an option.

    • sparkanum on 01/05/2022 - 14:14
      +1

      I believe the next step in the process is a trip to the orthodontist, as they need to assess whether Invisalign would even be an option for my case. This carried a fee to even suss it out, which is why I thought I'd ask around to see if it's something I should even consider.

      How was your experience with braces? How long do you expect to have them for?

      • Jameslane on 01/05/2022 - 15:59
        +1

        Good idea asking around, I did a lot of reading before I got mine done and now wish I did it a lot earlier. I thought you were talking about these '6 month smile' things that general dentists fit. A bit dodgy when you read about it.

        Orthodonist gave a lot of info about the process, took some photos and X-rays. Actually braces fitting didn't hurt and was pretty quick.

        I needed to have 4 teeth out first (pre molar from each corner) to make room for movement then braces fitted a few weeks after that. So far it's been fine, I wouldn't have trusted myself to keep the invisalign in for long enough during the day to succeed so braces are great in that they are just there all the time. I paid extra to get ceramic so they don't look as unsightly as the metal brackets and not so tough on the inside of your mouth.

        Completion time is looking at around 1.5 years but depends on making sure you wear the elastic bands when you need to, which invisalign have as well.

      • Fever4shakin on 05/05/2022 - 11:32
        +1

        I got caught out by my dentist with a referral fee when I enquired about Invisalign. I was so grumpy about it plus the consult cost at the place I was referred to, that I ended up doing a couple of free consults for Invisalign that I found online for local places instead.

        I am on my last set of aligners and very happy with how it has gone. Biggest downside has been that you have to remove them each time you eat - it's fine at home but dining out during the pandemic I felt pretty self-conscious about it.

  • jt90 on 09/05/2022 - 21:31

    I'm about 3 months into it with an estimated of 12 months total treatment time to correct a mild to moderate case of crowding with a deep bite.

    Are you happy with it? - So far it has been good. The first couple of days were a bit distracting but became second nature by the end of the first week.

    Are there things you didn't like, or issues/annoyances you've experienced after completing the process? - If you are a person who likes to snack on food or sip drinks that is not water throughout the day then you are going have make an adjustment. You are expected to wear your aligners for 22 hours a day so you only have allocate 2 hours to eating and cleaning your teeth. This was not an issue for me as I don't usually snack or sip but know people who struggled. I think the thing that annoys me most is cleaning the aligners every time before you put them back on. They get quite gross by the 1 week mark. I found rinsing and soaking them in water makes cleaning easier. Soaking the aligners in water with dissolved denture cleaning tablets once every 3-4 days also helps.

    Are there downsides about it that I should be aware of? I was informed that I required buttons or attachments but did not ask how many were required. I ended up with 22 buttons on my teeth. I wasn't really self conscious of them but found them distracting for the first couple of days. I don't think other aligner companies do attachments and they are important for making movements more predictable. You should also be aware of that Invisalign cannot correct large rotations of teeth or significant overbites. Mine is not going to be fully corrected but was good enough for me to do the treatment. Also you will need to wear retainers or have a wire placed in your mouth when you are finished.

    • Youi2018 on 15/05/2022 - 21:35

      Hi how long do you need to wear the retainer? Thanks

      • jt90 on 15/05/2022 - 23:47

        There are removable and fixed retainers, both of which are worn for the rest of your life.

        • Removable retainers are kind of like your aligners but you wear them at night.

        • Fixed retainers is a metal wire placed behind your teeth.

        I'm going with fixed retainers once I'm done because it is just more convenient.

  • Always think price on 19/05/2022 - 12:03

    Jumping in here as you sound like you're in the same boat as me. I didn't need orthodontic work (30 year old male) but it would be better for my dental health. Also it would fix my teeth cosmetically. I was never that concerned about my smile but it would nice to fix it. I have crowding on my bottom teeth too. I visited multiple dentists in Sydney and a couple orthos. The orthodontist was slightly more expensive but I felt the most comfortable with her. In the end the all told me very similar things, except the ortho was the most upfront.

    I could 'fix' majority of the problems within 6-12months, with all dentists but the ortho was saying more likely 2 years. Her view was fix everything and do it properly. I agreed with her here. The cost was about 1k more to go down this path. She let me know I had the choice of either a metal retainer or wearing retainers at night - up to me when we get there.

    I am currently using an RME (expanding my top teeth) and will get Invisalign on next week. My ortho did give me the option of Spark and it would have been cheaper. She also explained the whole invisalign is just a brand. All this being said - she also explained because invisalign is what she has been working with for 10 years. So yes there are other brands but she just hasn't had as much exposure to them, I am sure this will change with time. In the end I went with invisalign because she felt she could get the best results from it.

    Feel free to ask me any questions:) The expander is a nightmare…. just so much slurping, so hopefully you don't have that:) I am sure they would have said by now if it was needed.

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