For those of you with Invisalign, do you recommend it?

[TLHB70]

Are you completely happy with your Invisalign?
DD just had her ortho consult. It is time for braces. Her orthodontist highly recommended Invisalign. He said that the price is the same, and it works faster than traditional braces. She is a very mature 14 1/2 year old. I think she will follow directions and do what is expected. I guess since I had traditional braces I am just a bit nervous about it. Is Invisalign really better?

 

[mamamary]

My DD (10) just had her ortho cons. and Invisalign was over $1,000 more (so now I don't need to make that decision ).

 

[blana]

Dh used invisalign and was happy with them. But in his case, it was more an issue of it not being noticible at work. I don't know I'd pay the extra for a high schooler. JMHO.

 

[lewdyan1]

MY DD's ortho uses invisalign as a retainer after traditional braces. My DD now has them and I am always after her to make sure she wears them, but it's a pain because every time she eats or drinks they come out and she snacks a lot!!!

 

[LindaR]

YOU need to do some research and not just go along with what the ortho is "selling."

Correcting teeth "faster" has some permanent negative consequences, just as wearing braces for too long! Root reabsorption. Research it.

 

[Kimickey]

I will say this, I'm 32 and in braces now. My ortho told me point blank that invisalign and the ceramic braces were more expensive than the traditional braces. Guess what I picked...traditional braces. For me it was logic. The end result will still be the same...straight teeth. I couldn't see spending the extra 1k -2k just so "other's" don't have to see the silver brackets! I wear my tracks with pride and smile all of the time.

I would do research, I researched before settling with one ortho. Pricing will vary by different otho's, however invisalign was always at the top as far as cost.

 

[maelstrom]

I wish that I could've had Invisalign. I had braces for three years, all through junior high, and it was terrible. I know that the pain of moving teeth can't be helped, but those metal brackets just tore up my lips and the inside of my mouth. My teeth were probably too crooked for Invisalign anyway, but it wasn't even an option then. Also, most people have their braces off by high school. My friend had her braces all four years of high school and she did get made fun of sometimes. Invisalign wouldn't be as noticeable as metal braces, so that's something to consider.

 

[golfgal]

Our neighbor girl has them, has had them for a year now and her teeth have not moved a bit because she never has them in long enough to do any good. Her parents didn't like the look of braces so they went this route.

 

[foxysilver]

I had invisalign when I was in high school. They were very painful and uncomfortable, so I used to take them out all the time. Needless to say they didn't make much of an impact. Looking back now that I'm older, I wish I would have gotten braces so that I couldn't have taken them out.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i've heard that it's only for people who have large gaps in their teeth, and not crowding. anyone know if that's true? i've been thinking about getting them, myself

 

[TLHB70]

Thank you for all of your replies.
I had the traditional metal braces for close to 4 years. I got them in 8th grade and had them through most of high school. It did not bother me as far as looks. I hated the way they tore up the inside of mouth, gums, etc. as maelstrom mentioned. DD has not brought up being concerned about the look of it, as far as the wires go. She is concerned about her teeth being stained, and the Invisalign comes with a whitening treatment since the tray is "perfect for whitening." (What the assistand said.)
I am a bit more concerned after reading here. I think we will go for a few more opinions. DH read the Inisalign web site and has been sold on the idea. I am just a bit skeptical.

 

[TLHB70]

i've heard that it's only for people who have large gaps in their teeth, and not crowding. anyone know if that's true? i've been thinking about getting them, myself

I am sorry that I cannot answer you. I just know that DD has one area with a gap. Her teeth are not that bad except that one main area.

 

[mamamary]

i've heard that it's only for people who have large gaps in their teeth, and not crowding. anyone know if that's true? i've been thinking about getting them, myself

My son had crowding and invisalign was never discussed. My daughter (who just went) only has some gaps and invisalign was brought up so maybe you are correct.

 

[missypie]

My poor 8th grade D still has two baby teeth. I fear that she'll be in braces for most of HS. I think there is too much work to be done for invisilign but it is appealing - she does competitive cheer and gets kicked in the mouth on a regular basis. Braces will just make the cuts worse.

 

[Imzadi]

I wish that I could've had Invisalign. I had braces for three years, all through junior high, and it was terrible. I know that the pain of moving teeth can't be helped, but those metal brackets just tore up my lips and the inside of my mouth.

I had metal braces in high school, too, and it tore up my mouth. I was forever having to get my ortho to grind down sharp points at appointments. But, in between, my mouth would still develop cold sores & cuts.

In my forties now & my teeth have been shifting & crowding (from not wearing my retainer enough back then.) My perfect teeth alignment from the braces is totally gone. I got laminates a few months ago to cosmetically cover a couple teeth and correct the alignment. The dentist gve me a retainer to stop the teeth from further shifting and moving.

It turned out to be an Invisalign retainer. I love it! For me, I only have to put it in a few nights a month, when I feel my teeth start to crowd & shift. If I get a couple thousand dollars, I may go for real Invisalign to push my teeth back into place and correct the crowding already done.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Thank you for all of your replies.
I had the traditional metal braces for close to 4 years. I got them in 8th grade and had them through most of high school. It did not bother me as far as looks. I hated the way they tore up the inside of mouth, gums, etc. as maelstrom mentioned.

Today's traditional braces are much better than the braces I wore in HS many moons ago! They have doors and such to hold the wire in place. No little wires to attach them anymore. I still have scars inside my cheeks. The wire is so much better too in how it works. They can go longer between appts with these new braces.

DD had too much work trying to get some molars out of her gums for invisalign to even be an option, but she does not mind her braces at all. She has had spacers, springs, and rubber bands too. She is hopefully near the end of treatment.

 

[maelstrom]

My poor 8th grade D still has two baby teeth. I fear that she'll be in braces for most of HS. I think there is too much work to be done for invisilign but it is appealing - she does competitive cheer and gets kicked in the mouth on a regular basis. Braces will just make the cuts worse.

I had my remaining baby teeth pulled the summer before sixth grade so that I could have my braces put on. I would absolutely NOT want to have metal braces on whilst doing cheerleading... that sounds so dangerous. I'm a flyer and I've been punched in the mouth before, getting caught coming out of cradles and such, and it hurts enough without braces, I can't imagine what it'd feel like with a bunch of potentially sharp metal in there.

 

[TLHB70]

Today's traditional braces are much better than the braces I wore in HS many moons ago! They have doors and such to hold the wire in place. No little wires to attach them anymore. I still have scars inside my cheeks. The wire is so much better too in how it works. They can go longer between appts with these new braces.

DD had too much work trying to get some molars out of her gums for invisalign to even be an option, but she does not mind her braces at all. She has had spacers, springs, and rubber bands too. She is hopefully near the end of treatment.

I am so happy to read this. I did not know about it.
Yes, I, too, still have scars inside my cheeks from my braces. I had the springs, rubber bands, and even head gear. It was bad.

 

[swanmom]

Don't know if this will help but it's a different perspective. My DD does a lot of theater and TV. She goes on auditions frequently. When it was time for braces, I assumed that I would have to 'bite the bullet' and pay the extra for Invisalign so she would not be at a disadvantage in her field. Surprisingly, her manager said she would prefer the regular braces. She said she would rather my DD lose an occasional job if they didn't want a kid with braces than use the Invisalign because the correction isn't as good and doesn't last as long. She said she had many clients who used Invisalign and she never felt the results were as long-lasting or worked as well for kids with crowding. She said when she considered the long-term benefits when they were older teens vs. the short-term convenience, she preferred regular braces. This is from a woman who loses money if her kids don't book jobs - she still preferred they do metal braces.

 

[CruiserMom]

Invisalign is not an option if there is too much work to do. My DD11 just had her consult and was very interested in getting Invisalign. I only wanted it because I didn't want her to get cavities from not being able to remove the traditional braces for brushing. But she has an overbite, a crossbite, and some crowding, so she will be getting traditional braces. I hope she is able to keep her teeth clean! She has never had a cavity, so we will see! Also, I've seen kids with stained teeth after traditional braces. I guess if that happens, we will pay for her bleaching! Dr told her it would take 2 1/2 years, so hopefully she will be done before high school.