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A Shout Out for Invisalign before the world ends

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 9, 2013
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6,246
I am not going to gross you out by posting my before & after photos, but wanted to share that Invisalign really works.
I never thought braces were for people of a "certain age", but they are! I went from teeth which had turned sideways over the years, to beautiful straight teeth in about a year. At first is was sort of a pain wearing the trays and feeling self-conscious, but I am still amazed that wearing little plastic trays could move teeth so easily.
I just wanted to be encouraging to anyone who wants straighter teeth, and I'm happy to answer questions.

Even though the world ends soon, what better way to spend your last days than at the orthodontist!
 

bbziggy

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
461
Hi Jimmianne,
I am glad you has such a great result from your invisalign! I also finished my invisalign treatment about a year ago after teeth had shifted over the years. I wore braces as a kid. I ended up with a very loose lower incisor from the invisalign in the beginning months. This can happen when the teeth are moved too quickly in a person with thin bone that surrounds the root of the teeth. Probably more common in older patients especially women who might have osteopenia or osteoporosis. We had to slow the treatment and change trays less frequently. When finished they put a permanent bar retainer behind my lower teeth to see if the tooth would tighten up. I just had it removed for a removable retainer. The tooth did tighten up for the most part but is a bit darker and I hope the tooth doesn't die. Just a warning to those of you in your 50s or older who might be thinking of invisalign. Ask your dentist if you can do the treatment at a slower pace :) Overall I am happy with the result. My teeth are straight again and I only wear retainers at night.
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
Nice to hear! I'd love to be able to do it. I had braces and wore my retainer for the year they told me to. But they didn't tell me to keep wearing it at night basically forever or they would shift back. So, now I have a few teeth that are crooked again. Not as bad as when I was younger, but enough that it bothers me.
 

tyty333

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
27,199
I have a Brother-in-law and a close friend who have used them. Both their smiles look great now! If I needed braces (or need
them in the future) I would definitely look into them.

Edit ...oh never mind...I can't make it to the dentist before the world ends on Monday! :lol:
 

telephone89

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 29, 2014
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4,223
is it quite expensive? Does your insurance cover it?

My lower teeth have shifted over the years and are crooked. Not terribly so, but not how I'd like. When I was looking at invisilign, the first thing that turned me off was that I'd have to get BOTH upper and lower, even though my uppers are still fine. Seems like spending twice the money and only getting half out of it. So I didn't go in for the full consult and have no idea the pricing haha.
 

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 9, 2013
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6,246
It was about $5000 and included everything. There are a lot of short appointments just to check progress, and with my ortho, if he and I don't care for the results, a second series of trays is free. I paid in advance and got a discount.
I assume they have to do top and bottom because even though the uppers may be fine, when the lowers are corrected, things won't fit as they should. It is a computerized system...
Every tooth is moved, not just the obviously crooked ones : )

I don't have dental insurance, so I don't know : (
 

telephone89

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 29, 2014
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4,223
I guess that makes sense, to have everything fit. Its just such a minor adjustment (dentist suggested), so when I was looking into it I assumed i'd just need the bottom done. Thank you for sharing! Glad you're happy. Smiling > Not smiling
 

JDDN

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
2,339
Jimmianne, I'm so glad you had such a wonderful experience with Invisalign! I bet your smile is amazing :bigsmile: . A couple of friends my age had great success with it too. I on the other hand HATED it! It was either invisalign or traditional braces and who wants braces, especially as an adult?!

When I got Invisalign I had to have small pieces of resin or whatever material it is glued to my teeth so the trays would move my teeth a certain way. Those things sheared the shit out of my mouth, much like brackets of braces would. Not to mention they looked pretty silly, like I had gobs of food on my teeth. But that wasn't what pushed me over the edge. As you know, the more you wear the trays the faster the treatment. I think they recommend wearing them for 22 out of 24 hours. Well, I'm a grazer and I liked to drink coffee on my commute into work (about 45 minutes). I also like having a glass of wine before dinner, etc. I was getting all stressed out because the trays were always out! I was also really inconvenienced having to bring a toothbrush and toothpaste where ever I went so I could find a public bathroom and brush my teeth before putting the trays back in. I'm a very non-fussy person and I hate "extra" things to have to do. I guess it just wasn't for my lifestyle. So I switched to regular braces and while it took a couple of months to get used to them, I was much happier. And actually I think Invisalign would be better for my lifestyle now compared to before, but I've never regretted getting traditional braces. Luckily I had the "clear" braces that didn't stain and they weren't that bad. :))
 

azstonie

Ideal_Rock
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Joined
Jul 1, 2014
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3,769
That is great, Jimmianne!!!!

DH had braces at 32, some of the best money we've spent. No invisalign back then, although he did require revamping of his bite as well as straightening the teeth.

Go forth, JA, and smile like crazy!
 

HegemonyCricket

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Dec 20, 2014
Messages
282
I did Invisalign several years ago and totally agree -- it's great! Congrats!

FWIW, I also highly recommend LASIK, which I recently had. Modern medicine is amazing!
 

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
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Dec 9, 2013
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6,246
HegemonyCricket|1443233257|3931948 said:
I did Invisalign several years ago and totally agree -- it's great! Congrats!

FWIW, I also highly recommend LASIK, which I recently had. Modern medicine is amazing!

Good to know!
by the way, I'm loving your avatar : )
 

AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jul 17, 2008
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13,234
Good for you! Does insurance cover it? Depends. Some people have 50% lifetime, some have $1500 maximum, some only till 19, some not at all. Call your ins company to verify. We have LOTS of adult patients who are very happy they did it!
 

tyson567

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 30, 2015
Messages
1
Jimmianne, it’s good to hear you had great experience with your invisalign! After reading all the comments here I’m also planning to get invisalign braces from Thornhill smile centre in my locality (Thornhill) but before that I just want to know how much does it all cost? I know it’s expensive, I want to know the exact cost. I know they will extract four teeth (2 from top and 2 from down) but I’m really afraid of tooth extraction. How was your experience with tooth extraction? Is it really painful? I would be grateful if you could explain it in more details. Thanks!!
 

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
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tyson567|1443590466|3933388 said:
Jimmianne, it’s good to hear you had great experience with your invisalign! After reading all the comments here I’m also planning to get invisalign braces from Thornhill smile centre in my locality (Thornhill) but before that I just want to know how much does it all cost? I know it’s expensive, I want to know the exact cost. I know they will extract four teeth (2 from top and 2 from down) but I’m really afraid of tooth extraction. How was your experience with tooth extraction? Is it really painful? I would be grateful if you could explain it in more details. Thanks!!

tyson, from the research I did beforehand prices vary. Mine was around 5k with a discount for paying up front. I am on a bone density drug and they said if my teeth would not move well, I would get a refund. I have a very good and caring orthodontist. They should give you a free evaluation to see not only if you want it, but if your teeth would be helped by this particular method. There were no extractions in my case.
So, I paid upfront and that included everything that needs to be done from start to finish. I have 33 trays and it all takes about 18 months. I see the guy quite often for check ups - - - and his staff are all bling-freaks, so I LOVE going there : )
At first I was sorry I had started because it seemed like a lot of fuss, but after the first few trays they just became part of life. No problem, and I am so happy with the results so far. I would do it again.
 

manderz

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
1,539
HegemonyCricket|1443233257|3931948 said:
I did Invisalign several years ago and totally agree -- it's great! Congrats!

FWIW, I also highly recommend LASIK, which I recently had. Modern medicine is amazing!

I had my LASIK about a year ago, and love it! I'm so happy!! Though I thought the surgery was terrifying, it was only something like 9 minutes, start to finish. I can handle anything for 10 minutes!
 

HegemonyCricket

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Dec 20, 2014
Messages
282
Jimmianne|1443615308|3933421 said:
I see the guy quite often for check ups - - - and his staff are all bling-freaks, so I LOVE going there : )

Haha, now I know exactly what to look for in an orthodontist's office! ;-)

manderz|1443667019|3933682 said:
I had my LASIK about a year ago, and love it! I'm so happy!! Though I thought the surgery was terrifying, it was only something like 9 minutes, start to finish. I can handle anything for 10 minutes!

So true! My husband would really love to get rid of his glasses/contacts, but he's petrified at the thought of LASIK (he refused to watch through that window where you could watch the procedure). I'm trying to convince him that he can handle it, because I'm totally curious and want to watch an actual live procedure now!
 

packrat

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
10,614
JD had Lasik done the August before last and he has been over the moon thrilled w/not having glasses. I had a consult w/the eye Dr and she thought my eyes were juuuuust short of it being worth while-she said to give it a few years, come back when I'm 40 and she'd look at my eyes again. I said-um, I'm 40 in a month-will my eyes get bad enough by then? hahahaha.

ETA I wouldn't have watched it either-eye stuff makes me want to vomit..I can't even stand to watch people put contacts in. When I had my consult they did this thing where they numbed my eyes and she put a wand thing on my EYEBALL. My hands and feet were instantly sweating, just w/the thought of what she was doing even tho I couldn't feel it. JD found it hilarious.
 

telephone89

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
4,223
Jimmianne|1443615308|3933421 said:
tyson567|1443590466|3933388 said:
Jimmianne, it’s good to hear you had great experience with your invisalign! After reading all the comments here I’m also planning to get invisalign braces from Thornhill smile centre in my locality (Thornhill) but before that I just want to know how much does it all cost? I know it’s expensive, I want to know the exact cost. I know they will extract four teeth (2 from top and 2 from down) but I’m really afraid of tooth extraction. How was your experience with tooth extraction? Is it really painful? I would be grateful if you could explain it in more details. Thanks!!

tyson, from the research I did beforehand prices vary. Mine was around 5k with a discount for paying up front. I am on a bone density drug and they said if my teeth would not move well, I would get a refund. I have a very good and caring orthodontist. They should give you a free evaluation to see not only if you want it, but if your teeth would be helped by this particular method. There were no extractions in my case.
So, I paid upfront and that included everything that needs to be done from start to finish. I have 33 trays and it all takes about 18 months. I see the guy quite often for check ups - - - and his staff are all bling-freaks, so I LOVE going there : )
At first I was sorry I had started because it seemed like a lot of fuss, but after the first few trays they just became part of life. No problem, and I am so happy with the results so far. I would do it again.
How long per day do you wear it? I know you're supposed to wear it the majority of the day, only taking it out for eating. But that seems like A LOT.
 

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Messages
6,246
At first I was extremely diligent, now I usually only wear the trays at night, but I wear them 3 or 4 weeks instead of two.
It seems to be working. What you can consider is that it's only a temporary issue to get nice teeth.
You will have to wear a retainer at night indefinitely. It all just becomes part of life after a while.
 
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