Invisalign teeth straightening

[sarah84]

Does anyone have any experience of this? I don't have the confidence for braces and have been put off veneers.
I've looked at the website but it doesn't give any indication of price, or whether its something a regular dentist would do.
It also doesn't say how straight your teeth have to be to begin with. I have four of my top teeth that need straightening, two lean very slightly forward, one leans very slightly back and one leans back a lot more.
I've emailed a local dentist but got no reply, any advice would be very appreciated!

[Toothsmith]

I would call in at the dentist rather than emailing.

Do you have a regular dentist?

Are you in the habit of going to a dentist regularly?

If you're not then I would forget about anything too technical and whizzy until you get into a habit of regular care.

Make your priority finding a general dentist who you are happy to be looked after by over the long term. Once you've been a couple of times, and are sure that everything is in a good stable condition, then you can ask him about orthodontic work/Invisalign.

In truth, invisalign is only really suitable for quite minor problems, and it's quite expensive for what it is. There are a whole range of less-visible orthodontic solutions out there though, so I'm sure you'll find something suitable.

[moomin_white]

Originally Posted by sarah84

Does anyone have any experience of this? I don't have the confidence for braces and have been put off veneers.
I've looked at the website but it doesn't give any indication of price, or whether its something a regular dentist would do.
It also doesn't say how straight your teeth have to be to begin with. I have four of my top teeth that need straightening, two lean very slightly forward, one leans very slightly back and one leans back a lot more.
I've emailed a local dentist but got no reply, any advice would be very appreciated!

my dental practice does Invisalign, it's quite a good alternative to regular braces and much better (and cheaper in the long run than veneers). It depends on how long the dentist has been doing Invisalign on how complicated a case they can do. Best thing is phone up the practice and ask if they do free consults to tell you whether you are suitable and give you a quote.
I can't remember exact prices but at my practice it's approx £3000 for 1 arch or £4500 for both arches. So it's definatley more expensive than normal braces.
There are other benefits such as not having brackets stuck to your teeth, so they're easier to clean. Downsides include having to take them out every time you eat/drink.

Like Toothsmith says, there is an alternative which is lingual/palatal braces which are put on the inside of your teeth (again though, more expensive than conventional braces)

[sarah84]

My teeth are in good condition, although my dentist is very old fashioned and wasn't helpful when I asked about solutions other than metal braces and made me feel quite vain and silly. I was afraid invisalign was for minor problems, in that case I don't think it would be suitable for the one tooth. I'm grateful for the information that there are other less visible braces, you can't see that I need my teeth straightening unless I smile widely and you look very closely, hence why I don't want very visible braces.
I'll look into the lingual/palatal ones, thankyou both for the help

[Toothsmith]

There's old fashioned and there's Luddite!!!

I consider some of my views a bit 'old fashioned' in that I hate this modern trend towards wall to wall porcelain and Yankee smiles!!!

But - Someone wanting to go the slow, but far more healthy way to a nice straight smile - That is by moving around what she has into a better place rather than chopping it all to bits and replacing it with false stuff - should be encouraged!

Assuming your quite happy with him in other ways, I would just try and be a little more assertive (It's often very difficult when you're not quite sure if what your asking for is sensible or not) and say that you would very much like him to refer you privately for an orthodontic opinion.

If you're not happy with that dentist in other ways, it might be time to look around for another.

I cant see the initial consultation costing any more than £100ish, and it will probably be cheaper than that.

You will then get to see someone who knows all about tooth straightening, and will be able to give you all the options, costs, and treatment times.

Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you need further help/advice.

Be aware though, that some problems are so minor that they really aren't worth fixing! If that's the case, I would take any advice to leave things well alone quite seriously. Sometimes, we can become a bit too hung up on things that other people really don't notice. A lot of damage can be done by looking too hard for perfection!!

[sarah84]

I would leave them alone if it wasn't for the one that leans back. Its not that they're majorly crooked, just that luckily they aren't highly visible as my bottom and top two front are straight. I'd just like to be able to smile on photos without keeping my mouth closed lol. Yankee smiles aren't my cup of tea, natural and neat will do! Thankyou for the advice, its been very helpful :-)

[davetaylor]

Hi, I had a consultation yesterday for Invisilign. My Dentist reckons it will cost around £4000.00!!!!!!!

With most things in life, I would want to have a goos search around to try and get it cheaper, however, in this case, I have no idea where to begin. Can anyone help?

[Toothsmith]

You wouldn't really save that much.

It's best to go to the specialist that your dentist recommends, as he'll be the one that the dentist knows and trusts.

I would consider it rather dodgy if someone was offering Invisalign for much less than that.

[davetaylor]

Ok, well that has put my mind at rest. Are you a Dentist Toothsmith, if so, would you recommend invisalign?

[Thepopster]

your in the same position as me i want a brace a fixed one.. my dentist says it will be around 1k..which i thought was a hell of a lot for some metal.

and ages ago i looked into invisalign 3-4k its soo expensive.

i dont think theres any cheaper alternative is there?

[Toothsmith]

Yes - I am.

Invisalign is good if the treatment you need is one of the things it can treat, and you REALLY don't want people to see you with conventional wired brace on.

Personally, I can always 'see' an invisalign brace (but I do notice teeth!!)

You would probably save yourself about 2k if you went 'wired and proud' and let the world see your braces.

The CEO of Denplan has just completed 2-3 years of ortho work, and he was proud to show off his braces.

It just depends how much you want to hide it!

[Thepopster]

is 1k about right for a fixed brace though? I used to have one on the nhs when i was in secondary but didnt wear my retainer(which is exact same as invisalign) so my teeth went back to where they were..what a waste of time... so learning from mistakes as a kid..

and apparantly its being classed as cosmetic for my teeth now. I NEVER smile i hate it.. im not too bothered about invisalign would be nice..

i dont know how to go about getting a brace though I think my dentist does it but i need to know a good price?

[fluffyb]

If you shop around and do a search on the internet you should be able to find dentist who does an initial free 'smile makeover' where options are discussed with you.

I did this myself recently

I opted for 4 veneers. This was a top notch cosmetic dentist who only used the very best stuff and I was treated like a Queen on every visit. I ended up spending about 4k but that was for 4 teeth and my confidence has been boosted so much.

If it is only one tooth that bothers you, veneers may be the best option, but you should be able to get an initial free smile makeover like I did

Best thing I ever did and I wish I'd done it years ago!

[Toothsmith]

The problem with veneers is that you take teeth that are essentially healthy, and could probably last you the rest of your life with little maintenance - and you turn them into things that will need regular maintenance, and replacement throughout the rest of your life.

I'm sure the dentist will have discussed this with you, and you are prepared to spend this much on your teeth every 8-10 years, so for you it's the right option.

Although it's slower though, to get nice straight natural teeth will be much easier to maintain throughout the rest of your life.

[Toothsmith]

Originally Posted by Thepopster

is 1k about right for a fixed brace though? I used to have one on the nhs when i was in secondary but didnt wear my retainer(which is exact same as invisalign) so my teeth went back to where they were..what a waste of time... so learning from mistakes as a kid..

and apparantly its being classed as cosmetic for my teeth now. I NEVER smile i hate it.. im not too bothered about invisalign would be nice..

i dont know how to go about getting a brace though I think my dentist does it but i need to know a good price?

It really depends exactly what you need doing.

As a rule of thumb, I tend to tell my patients a course of ortho treatment will cost about 2k.

[Ems1982]

Hi ive just been reading some of the posts on here. Ive signed up to get my teeth done and its costing me £2500 in Liverpool thats for top and bottom. The dentist am going to works in i think he said 5 different dentists and he said this is the cheapest one. Ive took it out on the payment plan and over 2 years i will have paid £2900 so its only £400 interest which i think is good compaired to a bank loan.

I would recommend visiting metal mouth message board its really really helpful there is loads of information on there and its extremely helpful.

[cavarama]

Hi Ems1982.
I'm looking to get some Invisalign treatment in Liverpool - could you let me know which practice you're using? I've been ringing around, and some of the prices are terrifying!

[Nicki]

I started doing invisalign at the beginning of September. I also worried that my teeth were too crooked to be suitable, but when I spoke to my dentist, he said they would be classed as a "moderate" case by invisalign, and when he sent off the impressions, I was accepted. The final result (if their CGI diagram is correct!) will be pretty good - about 98% perfect in fact, which I'm very happy with, as I'm not a big fan of the fake american look either. If they looked now like my projected after picture, the thought of orthodontics would never have crossed my mind!

I'm on aligner 4 now (of 21 at the bottom and 32 on top) and I'm really pleased with them. My teeth are moving as expected, and no one (not even my husband) has noticed that I've got them in. That was important to me as I'm 40 now, so would feel a bit silly in metal braces! My OH says he can tell a little when he kisses me, as my teeth feel very smooth(!) but he can't see them, and my speech isn't affected. It was a slight pain to start off with taking them out to eat and drink but I'm used to it now and it doesn't bother me at all. And my teeth are becoming a lot whiter too as well as straighter as I brush and floss every time I eat and drink now. Even after just 8 weeks I can notice some movement on my teeth, though clearly I've got some time still to go.

I actually like the feel of the braces in my mouth, and prefer to have them in, than out. My OH had metal braces when he was a child, which he said could be quite painful and uncomfortable, and limited what he could eat too, so its nice not to have those problems either.

The other bonus is that when I first looked into having my teeth straightened (before invisalign were around) I was told it would take about 3 years using conventional metal braces, but my invisalign treatment will only take just over a year.

Mine is costing £3,500 in central London but this doesn't include the final retainer which will be extra.

Hope this helps anyone considering it. I'm really pleased I finally decided to do it.

[Stephb1986]

I've been looking at this for a while there is a local private dentist which is costing £3000 for it and then about 5 miles away from that practice at my practice they are charging £2300 for it.

I've not made my mind up yet as I was considering crowns as its my top 4 front teeth so would only need a small brace.

Steph xx

[Misssunshine]

Hi Steph B, I bit the bullet, no pun intended and started Invisalign last week. It took me months to save up the £2600 (Cardiff) but I think it'll be worth it.

They take lots of casts and pics of your teeth then generate a small video of how your teeth will transform over the course. I was soo excited to see MY teeth beautifully straight. It's going to take 10months and my wedding is in 7 months but at least they'll be better! I'm more confident already, knowing I'm doing something about it.
It was really scary trying to take them off for the first time. They clip onto tiny catches fixed to your teeth and I thought I'd never be able to get them off, but i did and I'm getting the hang of them. Even when I show people they can't see them.
So go on, join me and have them done...