Invisalign – reviews, price, pros and cons
The innovative Invisalign orthodontic appliance is used to correct bite, and is used by many people around the world. The treatment consists in wearing specially prepared in 3D printing technology transparent overlays that need to be worn about 22 hours a day.
The overlays are fitted to the specific malocclusion, which is gradually corrected. Each new pair of overlays that is worn for about a week is another shift and gets closer to correct tooth placement.
Article prepared in cooperation with the online magazine Scandinavia.com.pl
Invisalign – opinions
Let’s start with our and other patients’ opinions. The first days with Invisalign bra ces are quite difficult, it is known that braces whether standard or in the form of overlays are nothing pleasant. The most common problems are the sharp edges of the overlays, which can irritate the inner part of the mouth, and the problem of applying rubber bands (the so-called lashings, but more on that later) that correct the position of the jaw, although they are not used for every defect. Well, yes, but first things first, no one wears braces for pleasure only to cure malocclusion, and after the first few days the irritation subsides and you become proficient in applying the elastics.
Another thing you need to remember is that in order to be able to eat anything or drink something other than water – Invisalign trays have to be taken off and therefore you have to brush your teeth after every meal 🙂
Yes, yes, you are probably thinking to yourself that you will finally be able to take care of your diet thanks to regular meals and stopping snacking during the day…. I thought so too. Other than brushing my teeth about 10 times a day, nothing has changed 😉
What won’t your orthodontist tell you about Invisalign?
Well, that’s right, it all looks beautiful but what won’t your orthodontist tell you at your first visit? With my braces, I didn’t find out that in addition to the Invisalign braces themselves, I would have to apply additional “lashings” or rubber bands that would correct the positioning of my jaw.
What does this really mean? First of all, it means that in the beginning braces don’t take 2 seconds to put on, but sometimes even up to about 30 – with two elastics. In the beginning it is very uncomfortable and even annoying – especially in restaurants that do not have bathroom door locks 😉 After about 2-3 weeks, putting on rubber bands becomes a habit and there are no more problems with it. Does everyone need to additionally wear elastics for Invisalign braces? It depends on whether the patient has occlusal disease. It is worth asking the orthodontist about it so that there are no unpleasant surprises later 😉
Another issue is brushing teeth – seemingly a normal thing, but did you expect to do this activity 10 times a day? This means that practically once a month you will change your toothbrush and buy new toothpaste. If someone often stays in several places, for example, girlfriend’s apartment, work, family’s apartment, it’s worth leaving his toothbrush there permanently. This will solve our problem should we accidentally forget to take it with us.
Cleaning Invisalign braces
Well, just how is it with cleaning Invisalign braces? With standard braces you have to brush your teeth thoroughly after every meal. With Invisalign, as we know, the braces are taken off for meals. After eating, it is advisable to thoroughly brush your teeth and if this is not possible – at least thoroughly rinse your mouth. Even using the above recommendations, unfortunately, under 2 days after inserting new Invisalign trays, unpleasant plaque appears, so it is recommended to thoroughly brush the braces themselves to keep them clean.
In addition, the kit includes“Cleaning Crystals” which dissolved in water form a special solution that helps us to keep our braces clean. In case we run out of “Cleaning Crystals” – you can buy Corega Tabs tablets (the same as for dentures) at the pharmacy, thanks to which we will prepare a similar solution. Just drop the tablet into a cup of water, wait a moment and then place the braces in it. As recommended by the manufacturer, after 15 minutes you should remove the braces from the solution and clean them with a soft toothbrush, then rinse them under running water.
The best method to keep Invisalign trays clean is to brush them after removing them and before putting them on your teeth. That is, in fact, several times a day. It’s a good idea to carry a toothbrush with you – at least a medium to keep your braces in great shape at all times!
Some interesting facts and tips and tricks 😉
An interesting addition to the treatment is the ability to view on a 3D visualization the progress of our treatment! This is very motivating to continue wearing – finally we can see why we’re getting so tired, at what stage we are and how much is left. We get access to the 3D visual ization from our treating physician – by email. The second email is a password with which we can log into the Invisalign system and preview our model at will. As for tips and tricks, after half of the treatment I discovered that if there are problems with placing lashings, we can simply bend the cutouts in the braces, so lashings are placed without any problems!
45 overlay – the problems begin….
At the 45th overlay, my lower sixths near the gums began to hurt. It turned out that small holes appeared there…. Unfortunately, I had to go to the dentist and put fillings. The place is very unobvious and unusual for a standard filling so I am convinced that the cavity resulted from wearing braces, especially since the same problem appeared on both sides of the jaw. Unfortunately, that’s not all. A cavity has also appeared on the only tooth! Admittedly, it is a small hole and the orthodontist said that the dentist will be difficult to “patch” it as the cavity is small and it can be left…. Of course I take care of my teeth, I brush about 8 times a day so my theory is that overnight anyway something collects between the teeth and the braces, which unfortunately affects the teeth as you can see. Also, for 2 months I didn’t have visits to the orthodontist due to coronavirus and unfortunately I missed that the braces didn’t put on the last few upper teeth properly and we had to put a lock on 3 teeth…. Now I have one cap cut off and in addition to Invisalign I wear a lock on 3 teeth – a steel wire…. Who is to blame for this? Did I miss it? Possibly but even if it did what would it change – I haven’t had appointments so the pandemic is to blame? Hard to say.
How do Invisalign braces work?
Overlay number 63… and a re-scan
As it turned out, in week 62 the lower teeth did not straighten as the visualization assumed. Therefore, a re-scan of the teeth was performed and overlays will be produced to take this into account. The scan took about 10 minutes and I did not incur any costs for it. I also had the “attachments” taken off, it’s an interesting feeling to have teeth without these attachments and see how the teeth look after so many weeks. As a curiosity I can say that the caps hold very well without the “attachments”. In addition to the scan, an X-ray was taken, which unfortunately I had to pay for, at a cost of PLN 100. However, it revealed a cavity under the filling, so I avoided serious problems in the future. Currently I’m walking around in overlay 63 from the first series and waiting for a new updated one 😉
7 weeks later…
Well, and I lived to see it. Seven weeks after the rescan I came to put on the new attachments and the first overlay from the new set. I’ll tell you honestly that it was fun to walk around for that time without the attachments and Invisalign overlays, but we’re back to treatment. I’m still waiting for the 3D treatment simulation I had with the first set of overlays. I have been wearing and continue to wear a 3-tooth lock all this time, although I don’t see anything moving there. I got the new overlays “trimmed” by the teeth where the bracket is. Simple conclusion – Invisalign does not embrace everything.
It’s been over 2 years…
I just checked when I got the Invisalign treatment simulation email…. 28 Che 2019, writing this on September 21, 2021 : ) What can I tell you interestingly? I still wear the braces, in the place where the break was the largest that is behind the four – the place after the upper five, the break is still there. Has it shrunk? Probably. What else? My teeth are straight still there is a small “gap between the lower teeth but much smaller than at the beginning. I think I just got used to it after such a long time. Certainly the routine of brushing my teeth practically after every meal will stay with me for a very long time, maybe even forever, mouthwash, paying much more attention to oral hygiene. Before it was simply brushing my teeth 2x a day. Now it’s a whole different story. Can I make a definite statement about braces after such a long time? Both yes and no. Certainly, my bite is even and I no longer grind my teeth – one against the other. The gaps continue to level out…. Well, but beware, every case is different in my case it turned out that the body just reacts that way and it takes so long. How can it be in you or your family? I think it is worth asking your orthodontist or dentist…. When will I finish the treatment? This is something that neither I nor the treating doctor know.
Update after 3 years…
Yes, I am still wearing Invisalign trays and it seems to me that this method is just some patent that was supposed to conquer the market but just didn’t work out. I was supposed to wear braces for about 20 months. Three years have passed and the end is not in sight. The largest gap between teeth has shrunk by about half. Smaller at the bottom between three and four – hard to say but definitely still a lot to move. On the plus side, I can say that the bite itself, as I wrote earlier, improved relatively quickly and the teeth no longer overlap, although this is not what I came to the orthodontist with. Cyclical visits included – another plus of wearing Invisalign for more than 3 years. Paying more attention to oral hygiene – brushing my teeth 3 – 4 times a day is the norm. To sum up this headline. If you’re going to buy Invisalign, Clear Aligner, SureSmile, Hello Smile, and any other clear overlays that arise in the meantime – be sure to ask how long the treatment will take. I for one would probably take regular braces with transparent attachments.
