Invisalign

I got braces when I was 8 and wore them for 5 years, then transitioned to Invisalign for 5 years. Yes, it took ten painstaking years of my childhood to make my teeth pretty. Lol. The first pic was from my Instagram when I finally finished (I was 18). The second pic is now. I really loved Invisalign compared to braces! Almost 5 years later, I still wear my retainer every night when I sleep. The biggest thing is that you shouldn’t eat anything or drink anything other than water when your trays are in. I never had a single cavity until I started wearing Invisalign and then I had a ton of them because I drank sugary drinks while they were in. Invisalign is 100% worth it though, you have made a great decision! And it’s awesome that they will take your buttons off and whiten your teeth for the wedding!! Congrats!!

I'm in the home stretch for finishing my Invisalign treatment! I should hopefully be done this month. I'm just like you and my parents didn't get me braces when I desperately needed them at 14, so I spent ages 14 through 23 feeling self conscious and refusing to show my teeth in pictures. Even faced some bullying due to my smile, but it's not like I had any control over my crooked teeth.

Once I graduated college and got a full time job, I was finally able to take initiative on my own and get braces. I started treatment in April 2018 and they anticipated a 20 month treatment plan, which is about how long it's taken. It has been one of the best decisions, financially and cosmetically, that I've ever made! I am so much more confident and happy and I'm not afraid to smile anymore! My orthodontist is going to whiten my teeth and once that's over, I'll have to wear a retainer of course, but I just can't express how worth the wait this whole process was. I'll be able to actually smile in my wedding photos!!

So for comparison, first picture is me at 17 in 2012 for one of my senior pictures. I definitely didn't want to show my teeth (if you can't tell haha) but the photographer wanted more than a closed mouth smile. Second picture is a picture of FH and I from a concert we went to in October this year.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much!

My sister/ MOH was going to get this because she too was self conscious over her crooked teeth ever after having braces as a teenager. They told her she would have to keep them on for 18 months for her particular case and she was going back and forth on it but decided against it. She was asking for my opinion and I would support her either way. Although she can definitely afford it, I told her it’s a personal choice. If you want to, go for it. You will look amazing and beautiful in my pictures either way!

Congrats on invisalign! You won’t regret it!

I never had braces growing up, so my teeth were very bad. I did not have bite corrections though, just crowding. I started treatment in June 2018, and I too had an estimated time of 18 months. My provider offered me Acceledent as an option for $600 more that would have allowed me to switch trays each week instead of two times a week, so I bit the bullet and bought it a few months into my treatment. I was able to finish my first round of treatment in April/May of this year. We rescanned, and since things weren’t completely perfect, I received my first set of refinements about a month later, all at one week tray changes (no Acceledent needed, as my provider had them switched to a standard of 1 week tray changes across the board). I was on tray 24/28 at my wedding last Saturday, and had my attachments taken off the week of the wedding and had them re-bonded this week after returning from the wedding.

My teeth were cosmetically straight in April/May of this year, but they weren’t perfect. The two front teeth still have a small gap in between. I may have to have a second set of refinements if the two front teeth aren’t touching by the end of refi events, but I’m not too concerned about that since a couple rounds of refinements are already included in my treatment, and cosmetically my teeth appear straight.

I HIGHLY recommend the Invisalign. It really made a huge difference for me.
The first photo is before, middle is during and last photo is when I had them off.
Growing up I hated my teeth. I would never smile for photos.
When I went to the dentist they told me my mouth was so impacted that they couldn't do it but really didn't want to have braces (I HATE metal in my mouth). My dentist made it work, however, I was in them for a little over a year. Depending on the condition of your mouth it shouldn't be that long.
Overall, I would say get it! It's soooo much better than braces and you can take them off to eat. You can only have your retainer off for only a half an hour everyday. As long as you put them back on after you eat and sleep with them on, it'll be easy to maintain.
It made a difference for me and it can make a difference for you! I hope this information helps! If you have anymore questions please ask! ❤

I'm in the middle of invisalign right now! In 10 months, my teeth look basically straight! I did rescans about a month ago and I have 6-8 more months of wearing full time, I think. They become less noticeable as your teeth become straighter, and truly unless I tell people OR they have had invisalign, people don't notice -- and I teach high school students, so they would definitely ask.

Dental did not cover anything, but I could use my HSA to pay for the aligners, so that was helpful.

I'm getting married in December, and I'll be wearing my trays. I'm wearing them in the second picture below! I didn't have any attachments, though.

before invisalign10 months of invisalign (+ a fiance! )

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That's awesome!!! I'm hoping my transformation is a quick one. The rubber bands will be real annoying but my teeth aren't too bad. I'll have to try to keep up with the progress photos!

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That's so exciting!!! I am a big time teeth grinder. My fiance says it's terrible when I'm asleep! Evidently my bite being messed up plays a role in that so hopefully this will straighten my teeth and resolve that issue as well!

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Glad to hear he likes it!! Have you seen a big difference this far?

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That's a huge transformation but they look so GOOD!!! Congratulations

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That's exactly where I am as well. I graduated from college in May and immediately started my big girl job. Now that I'm making some money, I decided to go for it! It was super frustrating to find out insurance didn't cover anything after 18 (thanks a lot mom and dad) but I'm glad that I'm having it done You teeth look so great!!

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I've been back and forth on it a ton because I didn't want to be an adult brace face. I also came into an industry that is very heavily weighted with older (45+) men and have a barrier in not being treated like a child because I'm a 22 year old female. I didn't think adding braces to the mix would make me look an older. lol Oh well.

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They look so pretty My teeth look similar to the way yours were so I'm hoping my smile turns out this good!!!

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They look GREAT!!! How long had they been on when you took the middle photo?

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YESSSS!! Your teeth look so great! Y'all have all made me very anxious to start the process.

View Quoted Comment Ugh, tell me about it. It’s a lot of money but it is totally worth it. I will say, the first few months are a little tough to adjust to. Your mouth is in pain, and at least for me, I had a slight lisp for a few weeks as I got adjusted to plastic in my mouth. 😅

Just take ibuprofen and follow the 20-22 hour rule for keeping them in and you’ll be golden. I also recommend having a kit in your purse with a toothbrush, toothpaste and a braces container so you can easily brush your teeth and braces if you’re at a restaurant or in public. A little awkward at first, but I got over it quick. Best of luck with your treatment and I can’t wait to see your progress!!

View Quoted Comment Hmmmm actually that is a good question! (I've had mine off for 2 years now so it's a little hard to remember). I want to say the middle photo was the halfway point I had it done. I tried using all 3 photos to show you the process 😁

View Quoted Comment You got GREAT feedback! I hope everyone, including myself, helped you!! 😁👍👍

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That's awesome!!! I'm actually going to get them put on today so I'm praying they aren't as terrible as I'm imagining. Trying to just stay focused and see the light at the end of the tunnel!