My experience with Invisalign: Like many of you, I had braces as a teen. For decades my teeth stayed relatively the same. Sure, I’ve had some issues with dental health. In my 20’s I went through a period with...
My experience with Invisalign:
Like many of you, I had braces as a teen. For decades my teeth stayed relatively the same. Sure, I’ve had some issues with dental health. In my 20’s I went through a period with no dental insurance and skipped the dentist for years. At that age, we can see ourselves as quite indestructible. Mainly due to the multiple fillings I received after that period in my life, I’ve had some expensive repairs. But around age 50, something different seemed to be happening.
Teeth clenching
My dentist mentioned my teeth looked like I’d been clenching them . He asked me to consider getting a custom night guard. At my age, I like to think I’m pretty self aware and I told him I really didn’t think I was. I sort of blew it off and tried to really pay attention to see if I was. Then I started waking up with jaw pain. A tooth with a filling cracked and I had to get a crown. I decided I was clenching my teeth at night. I went to the drugstore and got a less expensive night guard and started wearing it every night. But my jaw got worse. It started actually popping and clicking in the mornings when I would eat breakfast. It felt tight and sore all the time. I think I was under more stress than I realized I was, as well. But I was worried.
Teeth Moving
Then I began to notice my teeth were moving. My teeth which had stayed the same for decades, were suddenly moving around. Most noticeably, one of my top front teeth was starting to jut out. I was pretty unnerved now. Maybe it was time to talk about a custom night guard from the dentist. But would that solve my issues? It certainly wouldn’t correct the movement my teeth had already made. And it wouldn’t correct the issues I was having with my jaw. I worried I had Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome. Yes, I googled all the bad things, too.
The next time I went to the dentist I asked if he thought it might be a good idea to see an orthodontist and ask about Invisalign. Surprisingly, he said he thought it would be a good idea. He made a couple of recommendations of offices in the area and I immediately went home and made a free consulting appointment. I wanted to know if the orthodontist thought Invisalign would be able to help me not only with my now crooked teeth but with my jaw pain. Thankfully, he said they would.
Invisalign Expense
Expense is always an issue. Orthodontic treatments are not cheap. But I had a gut feeling that this was the right thing for me. They offered numerous, flexible payment options. Luckily, we had dental insurance and about a third of the total cost was covered by that. I think my out-of-pocket cost ended up being around $3000. And so it began. The orthodontist estimated the length of treatment would be about a year and a half. For a grown-up like me, I knew the time would fly by. They explained I would return for check-up visits about every 8 weeks. Sometimes it was less, sometimes longer. All the while, wearing each set of aligners for a week, for as close to 24 hours as possible, I usually aimed for 21 hours/day. You remove them for eating, obviously and drinking any beverages other than water.
Invisalign Care
It does take self motivation. But as an adult, you’ve made this decision to do this for you. And when you’re paying for the treatment yourself, it’s pretty motivating. I don’t know that I would recommend Invisalign for a teenager. It takes extra work compared to traditional braces. There is the care and cleaning of the trays and most importantly remembering to put them in again after you’ve brushed your teeth from breakfast. It’s a terrible feeling being in the car, out for the day and realizing you forgot your aligners on the bathroom sink at home. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be the nagging mom always checking that my kid had them in and nagging about the care involved. You brush and floss after every bite of food or sugary drink as well as brushing the aligner tray before reinserting.
I carried around a travel toothbrush and floss all the time, so that after eating lunch, I could excuse myself to the bathroom for a quick cleaning. It’s a bit of an adjustment at the beginning, it really is. But like anything else, you get used to it, and it all becomes routine. On the flip side, my gums have never been healthier. I had a great review at the dentist when I went for my first cleaning appointment after starting Invisaligns.
Discomfort with Invisalign
There is some discomfort at the beginning. It brought me back to the soreness you feel when you had braces. I don’t think I ever resorted to pain relievers and the soreness doesn’t last through the entire treatment. In my situation, I did have to have the buttons or attachments put on teeth from time to time. In the beginning those also caused discomfort in the form of sore places on the inside of your cheeks. Mainly during the times when the aligners were out, like during eating. For whatever reason, that discomfort didn’t last, either. It’s like your body adjusts to the foreign object.
photo: I can tell you that only two weeks in to my treatment and wearing the trays, my jaw pain went away. I don’t really know how it happened so quickly but it did. That was a huge relief for me. This was definitely not just a vanity thing for me, but a part of it. Now, a few years after treatment, I don’t have any regrets. I wear my retainer every night. Wouldn’t sleep without it. My teeth are straight and stable and there has never been a return of the jaw popping or soreness I experienced previously. Don’t get me wrong, I hated to spend the money. It’s especially hard to spend money on myself, but I think I made the right decision for me. I hope that I have actually saved myself from the expense, pain and/or hassle of future issues I’ve avoided.
Invisalign for Adult
I don’t know anything about the alternatives to Invisalign that you see advertised now. But if you have any concerns or questions I urge you to talk to your dentist or schedule a free consultation with an orthodontist to get your questions answered. Adults are a fast growing group of Invisalign wearers. I don’t think in any of the visits to my orthodontist I was ever the only adult in the office, at times there were no teens in sight, only adults!
Any questions for me? Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you!
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