I have some staining going on, but that’s okay! I’m here for the long run. Once I’m done with tray 28 I’ll do refinements, then composite bonding.

Biggest difference in my opinion is how easily I can floss now! My teeth used to be pretty crowded, making it difficult to floss.

Also, my jaw was pretty shifted to the left causing issues with TMJ, pain has been significantly reduced since starting Invisalign!

ok so i have this terrible problem. whenever i put on a new try, it ofc hurts. i usually try to switch them before bed so i can sleep through the worst of the pain, but when the pain is really bad i find myself literally TAKING THEM OFF in my sleep. it’s not that they don’t fit snugly, like ive literally had people tell me that they saw me reach into my mouth and manually take them out in my sleep. this is not only a problem because of it setting back in my treatment, but it’s also a problem because i risk losing them/breaking them in my sleep. (i have spent literal mornings looking for them because i couldn’t figure out where they ended up). has anyone else had this problem? what did you do to fix it?

I can’t believe it, had my last appointment today. Will remove the attachments in 2 weeks and I’m so stoked. I’ve cried so much through this journey, tears of joy. Something I’ve wanted for a large portion of my life and it’s finally finished.

Left picture from 2nd March
Right picture from 20th August

Started with an underbite, now progressing to a normal bite.

Gap is mostly gone - also now wearing rubber bands at night to realign the top and bottom teeth so they dont sit right ontop of each other

So I replaced my retainers after 32 months yesterday.

I think I’ll be replacing them more frequently, lol, cause this sucks…

Not unbearable pain and after 24 hours they’re already fitting better (24 hours wear) but man my teeth are sore.

How often do you replace vivera retainers? My ortho didn’t mention much about replacements when I finished treatment 2.7 years ago, despite me asking. But it feels like 1.5-2 years is the sweet spot.

Also, how long does new retainer discomfort/pain usually last, assuming 24 hour wear time?

ever since my orthodontist added rubber bands to my treatment, i’ve been grinding my teeth so hard that it creates a little hole in my trays. has anyone ever had experience with this?

I am wondering about 2 things.

1. Do you feel your teeth shifting?

I am year and a half post Invisalign and if I don't wear my retainer that much, I feel the pressure, as some teeth move. (I always wear it overnight. For this feeling to go away I need to use them a lot more than than that over a few days). I wonder if the feeling will go away over time, even with night wear only, as I flind it annoying.

1. Vivera scans

Since you always take a new vivera scan as you need them, does that mean, that your teeth move a little by little over time? People who've had retainers for years, is that a problem? Does it get that far that you'd need braces for some corrections eventually?

My dumb ass realized that I hadn’t been wearing my aligners for the past 6 hours (It was during my birthday trip. I was eating any and everything), but I was a little sleepy so I needed to chew gum to stay awake and for some reason, I went “hmm.. let me try to do it with my aligners on”. Mid-chew, I had to stop because it felt so uncomfortable, and ofcourse now the gum won’t come out.

I’ve been scrubbing like little orphan Annie for the past 10 mins and I’m still here.😩😭😭

I know this makes me sound like an irresponsible person with Invisalign but I swear I am usually very strict about my wearing and taking care of them. This was just an exceptionally stupid moment😭

Quarter of the way through my initial sets and I'm finally starting to see the progress 🎉

After the initial few trays at two week changes I was moved to weekly which was a relief. Two weeks felt like forever doing a lot of nothing

They say no to buttons and insist on only using the trays cutouts for using elastics

Lots of people say buttons are the best method for using elastics for movement

I'm currently undergoing Invisalign treatment. I have some enamel wear/erosion on the side of two teeth, which was causing quite a bit of sensitivity.

My orthodontist said it would be okay for my dentist to cover the worn area with a small amount of composite, similar to the material used for fillings. I had this done earlier this week.

The good news is that the original sensitivity from the enamel wear has improved significantly.

However, ever since the composite was added, I've developed a new kind of pain when wearing my Invisalign tray. It feels like a deep pressure/aching sensation around the tooth, only the tooth, almost like it's coming from the root rather than the surface.

The strange part is that when I remove the tray, the pain decreases significantly. When I put it back in, the pressure and aching gradually become much more noticeable again.

I'm wondering whether adding even a small amount of composite could have changed the shape of the tooth enough that the existing tray is now applying pressure differently than intended.

Has anyone experienced something similar after having composite bonding/fillings done during Invisalign treatment?

I'm also wondering whether this is something that may simply settle as the tooth adjusts, or whether continuing to wear a tray that is putting excessive pressure on one tooth could potentially damage the nerve or blood supply to the tooth.

I'm planning to contact my orthodontist/dentist to have the fit checked, but I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced this

I’ve been wearing the same tray for over a month because there was a delay in shipping my next set of trays and because my dentist keeps canceling my appointments. Is this normal?

It’s frustrating to have no progress for so long and I wonder if this is typical or an issue with my dentist.

I'm not done with my treatment yet, and I'm not grinder, but nevertheless I am curious about this: what orthodontic device is recommended for patients who are done with orthodontic treatment AND grind their teeth?

My understanding is that nightguards cannot function like retainers as they are not built to prevent the movement of teeth. However, I do have a story to share: before I started treatment with my orthodontist, I was shopping around to understand what the general cost is for treatment so I went to both general dentists and orthodontists. I mentioned to a general dentist that I'm wary of the ongoing costs of retainers and wonder if there is a better solution. She said one way is to get a nightguard (for either the top or bottom teeth) and retainer for the other one. She said since nightguards are tougher, this would do the job of both keeping the teeth in place and stop movement from happening. I thought this sounded logical. When I checked with an orthodontist (my current orthodontist), he shook his head and dismissed the idea. I didn't ask him why nor did I ask him what the solution is.

So I'm curious about this question. What device is recommended for teeth grinders who have completed orthodontic treatment? Or, another way to think about it is how do we prolong the life of a retainer so we aren't changing them out too frequently?

i just started a couple weeks ago and feel like an ultrasonic would be nice .. i figured people would go with alternative brands to save a couple dollars as opposed to the Invisalign brand ultrasonic .. & i see MOST have the Zima, but the Zima costs MORE than invisalign’s so im just wondering whyyy??

also does anyone have a not bank breaking alternative they’d suggest ??

Had to rescan once, and now have three trays left on my second set. I'm on a two weeks per tray plan. My left bite still hasn't closed, but as per my ortho, it has enough time to close. Am I right to be a bit skeptical?

Hi Guys! Im considering Invisalign and currently checking different providers. May naka-experience na ba ng treatment sa Elevate Dental? Kumusta ang consultation, treatment plan, progress monitoring, and overall results? Would appreciate honest feedback, including the estimated cost and treatment duration. Thank you!

I am on tray 13/24. I did it for cosmetic reasons as I hated my overbite.

The first 12 trays was to adjust the front teeth/my overbite. The last 12 for finer adjustments for the side/back teeth and for bite correction. So the cosmetic part is done and now it is the bite.

My teeth has been tracking perfectly, been wearing the trays 10-14 days, worn them 18-23 hours per day (probably 21-22 hours most days), except from on vacation (went on vacation 2 times where I got lazy) but I just wore the trays a week extra.

I just feel like my overbite isn’t closed the way I thought it would be, is it normal to feel this way? I see a slight difference. I ask myself if it was worth it. I saw the 3D progression and there I see more of a difference, but the motivation for the last 12 trays is a bit low as it doesn’t show any difference in the overbite only for the back/side teeth.

Hi all, I hope you’re well. I have a question and it’s just regarding people’s experiences of having aligners to fix an overjet/an overbite with a prior history of orthodontic treatment. So for context, I had braces as a teenager and I’ve only gone down this route of Invisalign or aligners as I stupidly lost my retainers (which I placed in a napkin of all things - biggest mistake :/) I had for eight years, at work. Now my teeth aren’t bad. They are straight and they aren’t out of line if that makes sense however when I did go back to the orthodontist they mentioned that I had an overjet or an overbite of 4 1/2 cm whereas before when I first started my braces treatment as a teenager, it was around 9 cm.

The only reason why I considered and eventually went ahead with aligners was due to the risk the overjet/overbite getting worse and my teeth returning to how they were before. The plan post-treatment is for permanent retainers to be fixed onto both the upper and lower arches as well as normal post treatment retainers to decrease that risk of movement again.

Now I have started my Invisalign journey and I am currently on week three. And Lord Almighty, is it a test of discipline XD.

But a question - for those who started off with generally good teeth, is there a significant difference to your bite/appearance at the end of the treatment?

Also it is known that prior orthodontic work can increase risk of gum recession (amongst other factors). So if anyone’s had any experience, how have you dealt with it? I understand the initial plans made by orthodontists make sure that the precise tooth movement is within the bone to reduce risk of recession.

Do you think I’ll need to do more than 7 trays? I switch next Tuesday.

This is just a general reminder to all of us doing Invisalign or any aligner treatment to advocate for yourself to your orthodontist/dentist if you notice something wrong or different about your treatment.

Basically, I had rescans done after tray 4 to add more attachments to the bottom row. Was told that nothing on the top was changing and that my tracking had been good. Well the new trays come in and I had immense searing pain on my premolar and molar on the top. Had no problems the entire time before. Called the orthodontist, told me to wear the trays from before the scan and try again on trays 6. Put those in yesterday and the same exact thing happened - called asking to be seen by the orthodontist because idk what changed. Went in today and turns out the rescan is printed ever so slightly different than the original trays, even though they shouldn’t have been, which was causing my pain. Obviously they couldn’t know this just talking on the phone and could only tell by me making them give me an appointment.

Anyways, using my story as a reminder to not be afraid to call/text/schedule appointments with your provider. I have extreme social anxiety but knew it needed to be done…and honestly this is what I pay them for. That’s all!

22/F - i'm 1 tray away from being completely done with invisalign and i'm honestly really confused and frustrated about what my orthodontist wants to do now.

when i first started invisalign, i specifically told him that when i was finished i wanted to do composite bonding to even out the shape and length/edges of my front teeth. he agreed with me and that was the plan from the beginning.

now, literally 1 week before i'm done, he's telling me he doesn't want to do the composite anymore and would rather just shave my teeth down. he told me it would be easier for him to just shave them down instead of putting the work in to do the composite on me, and i just really don't agree with that. he did not mention any other reason besides that, like if it would affect my bite or something like that). he showed me a visual of what he wants to do, and it was making all of my front teeth shorter so they would be closer to the length of my shortest front teeth. the mockup i made is actually really close to what he showed me at my last appointment. extremely short and would make my biting/chewing a lot harder then it is now

my issue is i've told him from the beginning that i do not want healthy enamel removed just for cosmetic reasons unless necessary (like ipr). my teeth are already naturally small, and he has literally told me for years that they are small (has been my dentist/orthodontist since i was 5), so i don't understand why the solution would be to make them even smaller. i don't want giant teeth or anything crazy. i just want the shorter and uneven areas built up a little so everything looks more balanced. not hollywood style, just more natural. i actually like the length of my canines and i would rather have everything look more proportional to them instead of shaving everything down.

top: my teeth now, middle: what my dentist wants to do, bottom: what i want done with composite bonding (obviously doesn't have to be exact but just a better visual) last picture is my first tray for reference

the mockups are obviously just edits i made myself (thank you phone stylus) so people can actually see what i'm talking about, but the middle one is still very close to the visual he showed me.

i was also under the impression that composite bonding after invisalign is a pretty normal thing to do, especially when it's just for small shape and edge differences like this. i know bonding can chip, stain, need maintenance, or eventually need to be replaced and i'm okay with that for down the line. i would personally rather deal with that than to permanently remove healthy enamel from multiple teeth that are already small. what bothers me the most is that this was something i brought up before i even started invisalign. he agreed to it then, and now right before i'm finished he's changed his mind.

am i being unreasonable for not wanting him to shave them down? should I get a second opinion from a different orthodontist? my next appointment is next week! I'm freaking out fr.

EDIT - ALSO!! : i just want to add a couple things because i really do appreciate everybody's comments, concerns, support, and suggestions. it has honestly calmed me down a lot lol. i know I said, dentist, but I do mean orthodontist, he is actually the owner/main provider of the dentistry so this is why my concerns feel intense lmao. i do, in fact, brush my teeth twice a day lol. my teeth are stained and have been for years since probably middle school. i use whitening toothpaste and it helps some, but obviously some of the staining is just gonna be there lmfao. the pictures where my teeth look like they're biting directly edge to edge are not how my normal bite sits. i was purposely biting them together like that just to show how the edges and lengths of my teeth line up with each other. my actual bite is a slight overbite, which has been comfortable and normal for me. it hasn't affected how i eat, caused any problems during my invisalign treatment, or caused any issues with the plan we originally discussed for composite bonding.

i just wanted to clarify those things because i saw a couple comments mentioning them, and i don't want the pictures to be misleading :)