# Invisalign, anyone?



## Miss Vickie (Mar 18, 2009)

Anyone??? Anyone???

Okay so it's no big secret that I hate the gap between my two front teeth, coupled with my overbite, about as much as a person can hate their smile. To this point, I've been too busy/chicken/poor or all of the above to pursue braces. But now I'm thinking about it because as I get older, it seems to me like it's getting bigger.

So I'm wondering if any of you lovely people have any experiences with Invasalign. I'm married into a dental family so I have dental professions coming out my ass, but I want honest to God opinions from people who have had them. Is it worth it? Do they discolor with caffeine? Were you able to keep them in? What did you love or hate???

I have an appointment next week for a referral, and I want to be prepared with a sense of what it's really like to HAVE these things, versus the pretty pictures they give you.

Lay it on me, baybees. The good. The bad. The ugly.


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## MisticalMisty (Mar 18, 2009)

Miss Vickie said:


> Anyone??? Anyone???
> 
> Okay so it's no big secret that I hate the gap between my two front teeth, coupled with my overbite, about as much as a person can hate their smile. To this point, I've been too busy/chicken/poor or all of the above to pursue braces. But now I'm thinking about it because as I get older, it seems to me like it's getting bigger.
> 
> ...



I don't have them Vicki, but I recently had a conversation with someone who does..and it was really hard to focus.

I'm not sure if it wasn't the right size for her teeth..but they were very obvious and it caused to have a really bad lisp..and you could hear her suck in spit when she inhaled.

I had such a hard time focusing on what she was saying..

I don't know if anyone else has had that problem..and she was a really lovely woman..but having a business conversation was a real struggle.


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## Miss Vickie (Mar 18, 2009)

MisticalMisty said:


> I don't have them Vicki, but I recently had a conversation with someone who does..and it was really hard to focus.
> 
> I'm not sure if it wasn't the right size for her teeth..but they were very obvious and it caused to have a really bad lisp..and you could hear her suck in spit when she inhaled.
> 
> ...



That's one of my worries, Misty. I'm probably abnormally fixated on people's teeth because of what Burtimus does for a living and the fact that we own a school to teach dental assisting. But I don't want to be the person you describe, especially since I work in a profession where I'm VERY visible and talk a LOT.

Thanks for the input!


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## Brenda (Mar 19, 2009)

I did invisalign and am delighted with the results. They did hurt but only for a few days when you change trays. Lisping was not an issue for me. The biggest hassle was not being able to eat with them in which may have been a good thing in hindsight.

Brenda


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## onetrulyshy (Mar 19, 2009)

I didn't try them myself but my best friend did. She had a major overbite that was very obvious. Her teeth are now perfectly straight and it has made such a big difference in her smile and confidence. You couldnt even tell that she was wearing them. She did complain when she had to switch trays (every 2 weeks) for a day or two that her mouth was sore. She also loves to snack and chew gum. She couldn't chew gum at all and as for snacking had to take out the trays every time. To ask her - It was completely worth it and she wishes she had done it sooner.


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## Tooz (Mar 19, 2009)

I want Invisalign.


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## Jon Blaze (Mar 19, 2009)

I had Invisalign for about a month when they had to make retainers for my mouth after I got my braces off. Unfortunately I broke three retainers and have nothing now. 

They were ok, but my dentist said there's only one flaw: Grinding. Over time if there's too much grinding, it cracks sharpened teeth like canines because the invisalign doesn't allow the teeth to actually touch. Plus it can damage the polyeruthane. That depends a lot on you though. 

I may be getting them too, unless I get my teeth funded again. I don't mind getting braces again.


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## Miss Vickie (Mar 19, 2009)

Brenda said:


> I did invisalign and am delighted with the results. They did hurt but only for a few days when you change trays. Lisping was not an issue for me. The biggest hassle was not being able to eat with them in which may have been a good thing in hindsight.
> 
> Brenda



That's right, Brenda. I thought you'd had them. You liked them? They didn't discolor with coffee 'n stuff? What do you have to do to maintain the movement? I'm thinking the not eating thing can definitely be a blessing.  Did they tell you how long you'd be able to have them out at any given time? And also... were you able to sleep with them? I have a bad history of kicking my night guards out of my mouth in my sleep. I worry I'd do that with Invisalign. You know, the dental types know the technical details but they haven't necessarily lived with them.



onetrulyshy said:


> I didn't try them myself but my best friend did. She had a major overbite that was very obvious. Her teeth are now perfectly straight and it has made such a big difference in her smile and confidence. You couldnt even tell that she was wearing them. She did complain when she had to switch trays (every 2 weeks) for a day or two that her mouth was sore. She also loves to snack and chew gum. She couldn't chew gum at all and as for snacking had to take out the trays every time. To ask her - It was completely worth it and she wishes she had done it sooner.



Wow, good to know. Do you remember how long she had them in?



missaf said:


> Some things to consider medically that aren't really advertised for teeth realignment:
> 
> 1- Vitamin D and Calcium -- be sure that when you move your teeth around that you have enough Vitamin D to help restructure the bone that is moving with the teeth.
> 
> ...



Yeah, like I said: I have dental professionals out the ass. My father in law specializes in TMJ dysfunction (or "TMD" as they call it in the biz). He has his own ideas about how I should fix my bite, which requires significant dental work that doesn't involve fixing the overbite or gap, but rather trying to fix my teeth which are wearing and chipping with time. My daughter has a similar bite and I know that when she went through the banding she was in misery with headaches and such. I worry about that, too. Technically, given my bite, it should be "impossible" for me to wear my teeth the way I am. And yet... I am. And since I'm not chewing on ROCKS, it's my teeth grinding on each other. So I've decided that if I'm going to wear my teeth down anyway, I at least want a smile I LIKE.

As for the nutritional stuff, you're preaching to the choir. 



Tooz said:


> I want Invisalign.



Yeah, me too. Except sometimes I don't. I'm just not sure.


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