Invisalign – the invisible braces
Fri, May 9, 2008
We call them “invisible braces”, even if in the end Invisalign doesn’t rely on the regular braces system. There are no wires or ligatures in there, nothing metal, just some clear plastic and some attachments that have the same colour as your teeth have. Invisalign is one of the newest orthodontic treatments that’s got a lot of patients straightening their teeth without others noticing this.
Invisalign works simple: you wear some plastic aligners on your teeth and they do the job. Invisalign doesn’t rely on a fixed system (as the classical braces), but on mobile aligners. You take them out to eat and brush and then place them back.
How does this work?
At first you are given this choice if your orthodontist has a license to use this system and if your case is not that complex. In my case for instance, the teeth were too crooked at first, so I had to wear Damon braces for 7 months (on the lateral teeth, to solve some of the big problems) and afterwards I was able to get Invisalign.
Since I am a 30 year old woman and have also got my own web design firm, you can imagine I wasn’t too pleased to sport a “metal mouth”. The Damon system worked nicely and it didn’t show (since the front teeth weren’t braced) and now Invisalign will finish the job.
Only your orthodontist can know for sure. You can use another system and then Invisalign or just go for the invisible braces, if your doctor advises you to.
In order for your treatment to begin, your doctor will take moulds and these will be sent to Align Technologies. There, these will be used to prepare the treatment in a 3D computerized system and the aligners you’ll wear. Your orthodontist will show you the animation and you’ll be able to accept or decline the treatment. You’ll be able to see your teeth moving till the final step.
Here is a very interesting video I was able to find on youtube: The Invisalign process
After you have accepted the treatment, you’ll receive your first set of aligners. Your doctor will help you put them on your teeth and some attachments might be added. The attachments have the same colour as your teeth and are very discreet. Some orthodontists don’t use attachments, so it depends on your doctor.
You wear a set for 2 weeks. Then another one and another one. All aligners come packed with your name on the bag, the aligner number and the total number of aligners. From this total number you can know how long your orthodontic treatment will be: in my case I have 26 aligners for the upper teeth and 37 for the lower ones (this means 13 months for the upper teeth and 18 months and a half for the others).
You are advised to wear them for 20-22 hours a day. The more you respect this requirement, the better. Take out your Invisalign aligners for eating and oral hygene and then place them back. Some lisp is also possible in the first days, but it does get better.
As a Damon braces patient before I can tell you that Invisalign is a walk in the park compared with the metal braces. I did have some slight pain in the first 2 days, but nothing compared with not being able to eat anything than very soft food for 10 days (as it happened with Damon). Some Invisalign patients consider the treatment to be hard, but I can tell you it’s one of the easiest.
Here are some things to consider:
- you might face problems with taking out the aligners at the first time. You might not be used to this. I find it easier to take the aligners from the laterals (molars) and then from the front teeth. The attachments might prove tricky: I just place my nail under the attachment (take care to not hurt your gums) and lift a bit till the aligner gets “freed” from the attachment. With some experience you’ll be able to take out the aligners fast
- don’t lose them. You have a nice box for the aligners. Try to not misplace them since it would be bad for your treatment. You’d have to wear the old ones and wait for the duplicates. DON’T LOSE THEM!
- you will brush like a maniac. Whenever I eat, I just take out my aligners, eat and then brush and then place back. Never had such clean teeth. Try to also clean the aligners, they’ll smell very bad otherwise.
- you might experience some slight pain. Some people complain about big tooth pains, it all depends on your body in the end. Just take some painkillers if you can’t cope with the pain. It will pass in few days.
- you’ll talk funny for some days. Even if so, you’ll still be able to discuss almost normally, so don’t expect to be too funny. I am a radio DJ and wore my aligners since day one. I did have some slight issues with my diction, but I am getting better.
What are the advantages?
- They are INVISIBLE. All my friends had to take a really good look at my mouth to spot them. If you don’t drink coffe or coke with them on, your aligners will remain clean and invisible for the 2 weeks you are supposed to wear them.
- easy to clean: I just use mouthwash and my toothpaste for them
- they don’t stain (unless you drink something that might do the trick)
- the mouth sores can happen, but we are talking less damage than from metal braces. I recall using dental wax for 3 weeks with the Damon braces, for Invisalign I just had something small, but after 2 days nothing was there.
- you can see how your teeth will look at the end.
Disadvantages:
- it’s costly. The system is not that cheap, and most of the times your health insurance won’t cover it.
- few doctors who can use it. Just go to Invisalign.com and see the doctors in your area.
- if your case is complex, you might not be able to get Invisalign.
- the treatment can be sometimes longer than in a metal braces case
- you need to be VERY serious with your hygene.
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Tags: Invisalign, invisible braces
January 20th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I liked that in fixed braces I could eat and drink whenever (and practically whatever) I wanted. The biggest drawback to Invisalign I think (apart from the fact that it cannot be used to treat all cases, and in many cases will not give such a good result as fixed appliances) is that you need to be dedicated to keeping them in place 20 – 22 hours per day, so there’s no more relaxing for an hour with your morning pot of tea, taking a leisurely lunch, sipping on a large latte to get you through the afternoon, then relaxing with a couple of glasses of wine whilst you spend an hour or tow with a good book in teh evening. To get the recommended 22 hours of wear per day, you need to be disciplined in spending only a total of two hours over all your food _and drinks_, as well as brushing and flossing. This can be a significant challenge to a lot of people.
July 28th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I am a 27 year old female currently on my sixth week of the invisalign and I am still liking the process. My ultimate goal is to have my picture perfect smile with straight teeth.
I will be honest, it is not as bad as people make it out to be… yes it is costly… but you need to ask yourself how bad do you really want it then? Your teeth are with you throughout your entire life.
My treatment is costing me $6,000 and my health insurance doesn’t cover any of it. Its coming out of my own pocket, but well worth the money.
I did find that the first day or so of wearing my new aligners can be tricky trying to speak properly, but back to normal after that.
I currently have 16 attachments in my mouth right now and do find it a little more difficult to take the aligners out before I eat than before. My aligners pop in and out within 30 seconds each.
Just take your time, and take from the inside back side of your teeth.
September 4th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Some people feel ashamed of themselves wearing braces while going out with there friends. I do not think there thinking is correct instead of having irregular teeth we had better wear braces for a period of months. Now days instead of wearing the classic braces most people goes for new braces i.e. invisible braces. For me instead of invisalign I would rather go for invisible braces. Putting invisalign will not hold strong while biting something but putting braces will help it out, braces makes our irregular teeth to be in regular and still have the strength as before. We should be hygienic about what we are wearing.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Invisible braces will be better for a person ashamed of wearing braces. It does not contain wires, metal and many others like other braces it contains clear plastic and some attachments having the same color as the teeth. Its just simple just wears plastic aligners on your teeth and they will do the job. We can just take them out while eating it is mobile aligners. It has different days for the aligners to wear for the upper and lower teeth. Removing the aligners will be difficult at the first time but when days goes on it will be easier. Yeah cleaning the aligners is the main important if not it will be very smelly and it will not be good for your mouth. Experiencing a pain in the tooth will just go after few days and during that time, a painkiller will be enough.
An invisible brace is easy to clean and it gives a better result. Select a better doctor for treatment as few are license to use it.
September 8th, 2009 at 1:47 am
Invisible braces will be better for a person ashamed of wearing braces. It does not contain wires, metal and many others like other braces it contains clear plastic and some attachments having the same color as the teeth. Its just simple just wears plastic aligners on your teeth and they will do the job. We can just take them out while eating it is mobile aligners. It has different days for the aligners to wear for the upper and lower teeth. Removing the aligners will be difficult at the first time but when days goes on it will be easier. Yeah cleaning the aligners is the main important if not it will be very smelly and it will not be good for your mouth. Experiencing a pain in the tooth will just go after few days and during that time, a painkiller will be enough.
An invisible brace is easy to clean and it gives a better result. Select a better doctor for treatment as few are license to use it.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:08 am
I like the idea of the invisible braces as it doesn’t contain wire or ligatures and not even metal as compare with other braces its made of some clear plastic that have the same color with the teeth which other people will hardly recognized the braces until they came closer. Moreover it’s the newest orthodontic treatment which we can straighten our teeth without other notice. We don’t need to worry about wearing once we put the aligner rest they will do the job.
We should be careful while choosing our orthodontist for the treatment as some of the orthodontist doesn’t have license to use some of the system.
For me I would choose invisible braces as it is hardly recognized by other people and while treatment it needs not to be worried once we put the aligner.
I think the drawback to Invisalign is that we need to be dedicated to keeping them in place 22 hours per day. We hardly got time for relaxing with our morning tea, lunch and some times dinner with friends
November 13th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I wasn’t going to comment as this post was written a while ago, but I found myself asking a lot of questions when I read it. I think it is important to find the blogs that you read regularly and stay involved in the discussion in a regular, relevant and timely manner. So I’ll be back and see whether you’ll be answering
).
December 24th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Sounds amazing. I personally know a few people who would love to hear about this device. It is a brilliant solution especially for those who are using the damon braces, after all, no one likes the metal mouth look. Thanks for this article, I will definitely poss this info on to my friends. This can help make a lot of people smile.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:22 am
This was a pertinent post. an interesting and well-written article! I came across your post while trying to find a source for dental-related topics. This is valuable information presented in a clear, concise manner. It’s easy to see that a straight, well-aligned smile looks great. But that kind of smile often means it’s also a healthy smile. So put yourself in a healthy state of mind, and take a look at the many benefits of a properly aligned smile. -Yolanda
March 1st, 2010 at 6:30 am
Wow, invisible braces, I never thought there is something like that. I’m so eager to have one. Time to ask my dentist about it now.