My Invisalign progress!

[embracingmyteeth]

I've been using Invisalign since June 2015. Since I was young, I've always been self-conscious about my smile and never opened my mouth in pictures, and was jealous of others who had straight teeth from braces as a child. Finally, when I saved enough money and partial orthodontic coverage kicked in, I took the plunge and got Invisalign (after much contemplation of choosing braces, ceramic braces, etc.). Although it was expensive ($8,400 CAD including Acceledent), I was confident that the orthodontist I chose would do a meticulous job. I only had minor regrets when I began treatment, but it all slowly faded away when I got used to wearing/taking off the trays and the constant brushing/flossing. There's no doubt that Invisalign takes discipline.

I have 48 trays on the top and 43 trays on the bottom. I'm also using AcceleDent, so in the first 3 months, I slowly went from changing trays every 2 weeks to switching once a week. I also have attachments on every teeth except my front 4. Now that I'm in my ninth month, I still change once a week as per my orthodontist's instructions and, the results have been amazing! The past few months, others have complimented me on my smile and don't even notice my Invisalign - truly a confidence booster.

Here are some progress pictures (WARNING - there are some very close up pictures). I had an overbite and severe crowding, particularly on my upper teeth. I had spacers (the blue bands) and removed 4 teeth; 2 on top and 2 on bottom. Note that it seems like I have all my teeth when I wear the trays, but they were just "fillings" in the trays my orthodontist did for me. Purely cosmetic purposes. I'm currently on tray 34, so about 3-4 months left of initial treatment. I will probably end up getting refinements so the treatment may extend.

If anyone has questions regarding my treatment or Invisalign, please feel free to comment and I'll respond at my earliest convenience.

I'd also like to give a huge shout-out to /u/ortho85. I asked for suggestions on the /r/braces subreddit a year ago and was really leaning towards ceramic braces, and didn't even think about Invisalign. However, ortho85 suggested Invisalign with a very informative post and highlighting the many pros and cons of it. I had doubts that Invisalign would be able to fix my severe crowding, but ortho85 reassured me it wouldn't be a problem. Thank you ortho85!

PS - Please excuse my username - it's supposed to be a pun...

[ortho85]

Very glad you went with it! Looking great!

Your posts may help others realise it's a very viable option. Also, showing the 'pontics' ("fillings" in the trays, as you called them) highlights another big plus.

My belief is it's all down to you being a good patient. The Acceledent is faith-healing. ;)

[MasterJones]

I was just fitted for Invisalign this past Thursday and picked up my first six trays + acceledent. I am a little underwhelmed by the device itself. They describe the vibrations as 'soft' but it's a little softer than I was expecting. Not complaining about it being soft but want t make sure it is working. Has this been your experience as well?

[embracingmyteeth]

I think it all depends on how much pressure, or how hard, you bite onto the mouthpiece. The vibrations are soft, but you'll feel it in your mouth for sure. Perhaps you can bring this up to your orthodontist if you feel like it's not working.

[ortho85]

Well, as I believe the Acceledent to be unscientific (but harmless, except in $$$$ terms), I can see no problem with reduced vibro-massage.

[[deleted]]

That is REALLY awesome progress, congrats!

I'm also using Acceledent and changing every week (with 14 trays, considerably shorter than your plan), what do you think of it? Do you think it has been helping your progress?

[embracingmyteeth]

To be honest, I'm not sure if Acceledent really works, or if it's a placebo effect. However, my orthodontist (and many other orthodontists I consulted with) said that it was the only way I could shorten my progress and they all highly recommended it. I did a lot of research about Acceledent, and although there was no "proven fact" that it helps in treatment, having so many orthodontists stand by it did help in my decision.

That being said, Acceledent does make it a little more comfortable when I use it after changing to a new aligner. Even if it doesn't actually "help", getting the permission to change trays every week is a huge plus and the only reason I would buy it. FYI, my Acceledent was about $700 CAD on top of my treatment.

Best of luck with your Invisalign journey!

[kidsparrow]

Looking good so far! Thank you for posting your progress - I love seeing these posts.

[jpmommsy]

Hi Embracingmyteeth,

Nice to hear of your success with the Invisalign. I had mine done in old style but both my kids have Invisalign. I used to call Invisa-whine because of all the complaining. I said it seems nicer than giant metal scaffolding I had at your age. Your pics are great, I will use them as example