Invisalign Invisible Braces / Braces as an adult?

Dermbet

I've used them for almost 12 months. in my opinion Invisible braces are better than metal braces as they do the smae job without the embarrasment, if u can afford them its a better option.

It works for most orthodontic probs like overbite and crowding but not all. mine wasn't a particularly bad case - If u have teeth which need LOTS of movement u might need metal or combination of both

best peak to an invisalign orthodontist who understands , not onthe process. Ones who dont often often say it doesnt work and recommend metal. Whhen i made enquiries a year ok before choosing plastic, 2 dentists told me they didnt think it it was a good way to straighten teeth. But it works fine.

If you read most opinions from real patients u will see that they do work> The results are not perfect in every case but braces are not a 100% perfect soluytion. Check out independent websites like the clear-braces .org one for opinions other than the manufacturers

I can tell u my opinions based on a year of use (only a few weeks to go now and my teeth are almost straight.


PROS
1) almost invisible braces, so only whoever gets close to u will see them. most people won't
2) really thin plastic- so there's no crowding in your mouth like with metal braces
3) There is no metal cutting into gums
4) You don't have to worry the embarrassment of metal in your moth at every meeting or social occassion u can get on with things.
5) Contrary to some ill advised opinions i've seen on the web, they don't smell or turn a different colour if u clean them properly. A problem with metal braces cos u can't take them out is that u have to eat with them in and therefor bits of food can be stuck in the metal brackets causing bacteria.
6) lightweight and easy to carry round, durable and wont break even if u bite them hard or sit on them ..lol
7) You can remove them out for an occasion such as a date or speech
8) u can speak normally
9) You can eat anything u like cos they come in and out easy

CONS
1) Cleaning them is a right pain sometimes, after every meal, and it is time consuming altho ut can be done with just as tooth brush and water
2) pricer than metal braces by about 30% i think
3) you have to remember to take them with you everywhere cos u have to wear 20 hours a day
4) they do hurt a little ,more discomfort than pain, or irritation possibly. first 2 days of a new set (every 2weeks) is teh worst part, after which teeth have moved and its easy

i have a YouTube video where u can see me wearin them (or not cos invisible lol) but there's some good example there for someone who wants to see what they look like. i cant post a link, but look under "Teethgrinder 3 months in"

they really are great for invisibilty.

tirednewdad

Anyone wants to know what they will look like and if they are noticable, then look at Heston Bloomentiles ?sp? feast programmes on channel 4 on demand.

He's actually wearing them all the time during the filming- my wife never noticed until i pointed them out.

choccyface2006

When my fixed braces come off in the summer I will have a retainer at night for a year, not too bad at all

Sarah x

Nicki

I'm on aligner 15 of 31 on my top set, and sadly mine aren't invisible any more! My teeth are moving faster than Invisalign predicted, which my dentist is happy about, but it means that my aligner is about 3mm too long over the front two teeth, so very clearly visible. I did raise this with the dentist last time and he didn't think it was a problem so long as they fitted securely over the attachments, but as the situation is only going to get worse as time goes on, and the gap gets greater, I'm going to try him again when I see him next week. Apparently invisalign make all the aligners at once though based on how they predict your teeth will move, so they may not be happy, and it may take too long, for them to make the remaining 16 aligners again!

In the meantime, although my teeth are moving nicely and look miles better in terms of the shape of the arch, the too big aligner makes me look and talk like Janet Street Porter!

jugglebug

I don't carry out orthodontics myself, but recently have been looking into invisalign, and the alternative system "clearstep"

It strikes me that both can produce pretty good results, but clearstep is more flexible in what it can achieve at the expense of being slightly more visible.
Still clear aligners but if necessary can be combined with more traditional ortho for short periods.
Invisalign has better availability and advertising!