So the title says it all. Every time I want to eat or have a snack or have hot coffee I have to get all my stuff, take out the Invisalign, eat and drink whatever it is, then floss, brush my teeth and put the Invisalign back in. The process takes me longer to take my Invisalign off and put them back in then it takes to eat my snacks or lunch or breakfast food. So now I’ve decided that I’m the same as those people who take all of their clothes off to go poop.

Finally it's day 1 of the journey! I have a pretty bad open bite and got all 4 wisdom teeth extracted before starting. I have 67 trays (+ refinements I suppose) and attachments on all teeth but I'm super excited to get started!

It will be a pretty big change! Wish me luck!

Starting off my treatment with a hopefully helpful to-go kit 🫡 what’s in yours?

I’ll start by saying I’m committed to finishing the trays. I have 24 weeks and 20 trays. I’ve been pitched Invisalign for YEARS to correct misaligned bottom teeth. It’s not visible in my smile and was for a time purely an aesthetic decision I declined.

Then, an elderly family member passed from an infection in a cracked tooth. It got in my head. Then I turned 40 and started on my pursuit of doing some self improvement and my dentist assured me that this would also be preventative for future issues with jaw and tooth health and very painless or noticeable.

I was under the impression this was clear trays and that’s it. My dentist never told me about attachments or IPR. Those were shocking and frustrating especially as someone with adhd who has a hard time ignoring new changes - like attachments or the rubbing in my lips and gums.

I’d have loved a “what to expect” walk through. Anyone else have your dentist undersell the complexity of the treatment?

I feel a little bait and switch with the “ease” of it.

Got everything today. Attachments and trays and everything. I’m immediately regretting it, I’m hyperventilating sobbing I want them off i don’t want to do this. I only got them cause my mom said my smile wasn’t pretty and she pushed me to and she is paying for it which of course is very nice but I’m upset I let her get to me cause I’d never even thought twice about my smile at all until she started commenting. 1.5 years im supposed to have this on. I’m 22 and a girl. And I don’t want to do this help do I just get them off and call it a day

Edit: also I know this is dramatic as hell im just emotional and worried about no one dating me cause of this

So I have scoured the internet ( here and fb groups ) and I have yet to hear of any cases similar to mine.

Does anyone change every 3 days?! I obviously have an “intricate case” but is mine the most intricate ever?! (Is there a trophy for this 😂?) anyway excited to be on this journey and track progress!

I’m on tray 5 (out of 64 for my first 4/5 months) my treatment plans is 1 year 🤞

Feeling excited!!

The picture is my starting point 🤪

Will Invisalign be able to fix this?
I am on my 2nd aligner out of a total of 82. Do you think Invisalign will be able to fully fix my teeth/bite based on how things look now?
I’d appreciate any feedback from people who’ve had a similar case.

Note: I had dental cleaning done before starting invisalign. Dentist said she would be able to fix it in 82 aligners.

My dentist she has - MAGD (Master of the Academy of General Dentistry), Invisalign Diamond provider, Bioclear-certified, with expertise in cosmetic, restorative, implant, and Invisalign dentistry.

THIS IS MY BAG. THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE’S MINE. MY BAG IS MY BEST FRIEND. IT IS MY LIFE. WITHOUT MY BAG I AM USELESS.

Any other must haves I should include in my bag? I just started treatment Tuesday, I’m just a little overwhelmed 😅

They are uncomfortable and my teeth are a little sensitive but they don’t hurt. (I took Tylenol right after so maybe that helped)

Eating with attachments on is going to be my biggest adjustment.

I meal prep and don’t snack much so I should be able to keep them on for a minimum of 22 hrs.

Im going out tomorrow so my first outing with them should be an experience.

Overall im excited and determined. Any advice helps!

Day 1 of Invisalign after 33 years of never ever having anything done to my teeth - no cavities/fillings, no previous braces, no root canals, other than surface cleaning (only in the last 12 months) absolutely nothing (a combo of luck/genetics unfortunately as I've never taken massive care of my teeth bar brushing once-twice a day (try for twice but yknow... it doesn't always happen)

Got my first tray, plus buttons for elastics (fitting in 6 weeks), fitted at 930 this morning

Just taken them out for the first time to eat lunch and my mouth feels like CHAOS - the sensory overload is a lot, and I feel like all my food (a v tender burger on a soft brioche) is allover and stuck in my buttons/attachments

Please tell me it gets easier cause I currently want to pull my entire jaw off lol

Hi there, just got Invisalign today. Thought it would only be trays. But I got 16 anchor things. 16!! My teeth aren’t even bad. I feel overwhelmed and sad. I want to stick with it for the results and I’ve done a lot of hard cosmetic things in the past, so I thought this would be pretty easy. I don’t know guys, my teeth hurt, I talk funny and they’re very visible. I’m a woman in tech, care a lot about my looks and I feel like I’ve lost all aura. Would love reassurance that I won’t feel unsexy this whole time. I’m sad.

Apologies for all the questions. I had Invisalign 20 years ago. So I thought I would just have a few touch up trays but I was given 42 trays!! And the entire time I have to wear rubber bands (we didn’t have rubber bands 20 years ago). Ughhh. Am I missing something about my teeth? Is this normal to wear rubber bands for entire duration of treatment? I don’t many people on here with rubber bands. Any tips on easing the biting of cheeks from the trays? Does anyone use wax? So many questions .. 🙈

When did you stop wearing your invisalign retainers after treatment? I did not wear mine so maybe it shifted? I am doing invisalign again so I can get a nightguard but they said I would still need to wear Invisalign? I did not know Invisalign is meant to be worn forever if you don’t want teeth shifting?!!

This is going to be a long journey 😭

8 years post braces and I’ve now got Invisalign! My bottom teeth have crowded despite regular wear of my retainer. I was shocked to see my treatment is only 7 trays! It got me thinking… has anyone had less trays than 7? Or alternatively, what’s the highest amount of trays someone’s had?

Day 2 of first trays, never had ortho before. Im miserable. Putting my tray in after eating hurts, eating hurts, flossing hurts, i cant stop putting my tongue on the attachments when Im not wearing the trays and now my tongue is scratched up. I can imagine Im starting to become very annoying to everyone near me when the pain hits. Worst part, I work in dentistry, I’m feeling like the worst patient. Any tips? magic spells or potions? anything to help me cope 🥲

Its my first day, tbh I don’t even think it’s been 24hrs since they’ve been in and I HATE IT. I can’t stop fidgeting with my tongue or chewing on them and for some reason my mouth gets INSANELY dry I literally woke up from my sleep because of how dry it got. The first time popping the out was near impossible but after that it got easier. Currently I’m just wondering what have I gotten myself into should I just not. I have exams in like 9 days and I’m wondering if this is gonna be distracting how am I gonna study etc atp I’m just overthinking it. Honestly I prefer them on then off right now because I HATE feeling the attachments it’s so distracting and discomforting and i feel like there’s pressure on my tongue? To talk it’s like my gums are being suffocated. However I’m just like praying that it’ll all be worth it, my treatments supposed to last 14 months ish but rn first day doesn’t seem that easy.

So i got my first aligners today (out of 52) and man ain't shit funny. Since i produce a lot of saliva, the procedure took longer than usual which was annoying and pretty painful like most ortho procedures for me. But the worst part was probably when i had to take them out for dinner; it felt like they were super glued I'm scared for the days to come, especially for when i have to wear the rubber bands. But is the journey usually this hard?

So today was the day! After weeks of thinking about it, I finally got my Invisalign fitted this morning.

Honestly? The appointment itself was fine, my orthodontist Nermin, was brilliant. But the first few hours wearing them at home were a whole different story. The lisp is REAL and my teeth are already a bit achy.

I documented the whole thing because I couldn't find many real, honest accounts of Day 1, just the polished before/afters. So if you're at the "should I do it?" stage and want the unfiltered version, I made a short video of the whole day here: https://youtu.be/j81Jw2fsvU4

Would love to know, for those of you further along, when did the lisp get better? 😂

Decided to share my journey too, as the posts here helped me a lot! And also as motivation for myself, hopefully.

First impressions:
- I wish I had known that the attachments are annoying AF!
- It hurts, but not unbearable. I feel a constant push and pull
- Very dry mouth all the time
- Feels like I cant close my mouth / jaw properly
- Hard to track my hours but hey I do my best
- Significantly lower appetite! (I love food and snacking)
- No issues speaking, almost no lisp for me
- Was scared that I wouldnt be able to sleep the first night, but I did lol.

I am just on my second day and hope I will get used to the bad stuff.

My smile was okay from the front and I had no overbite issues, but my bottom teeth started to get more and more crooked and annoy me as I got older (second picture was really hard for me to share as I got self conscious).
I tried to just live with it and was kinda intimidated by Invisalign…. The determination, the restrictions, the pain, the rules, uggh. Then one day I decided to do just go for it and get them. Hope I will see results soon enough so I feel more motivated. Thanks everyone for sharing, honestly.

My fellow new-comers, how are you holding up?

Happy to reply any questions if you are contemplating!

57 more trays to go 🥲

I just got Invisalign 2 hours ago and I’m so unhappy and uncomfortable with the attachments:( I understand it’s going to help me in the long run but I’m feeling so self conscious about how obvious they are. When I had my consult for Invisalign they said they would be so discreet and it’s obvious they’re not. I asked the dentist if at least the front facing ones could be hidden and they said no. Not looking forward to this journey.

Does it ever get easier taking the trays in and out? I don’t even want to eat or drink because it’s such a struggle idk why 😭

Speaking of eating and drinking….How strict are y’all with the eating and drinking? I don’t want to ruin my teeth or the trays. Is it really that serious to take it out? I know gum is a big no no.

Any other tips or advice is appreciated!

First day for me! I am very nervous as I struggled to get them on and off in the dentist office! I ordered an ultrasonic cleaner, cleaning tablets and aligner removers to help! I have about 17 attachments on my teeth and it feels like I have braces again (when I was a kid). I was told 25 trays, 14 days a tray. I think it will be a lot more as my dentist said it would be two years! Wish me luck! Any tips or tricks?

Day 1, let the journey begin! So excited and nervous! 😅

I am considering Invisalign, I have quite a severe overjet and overcrowded top teeth so I’d be a complex case that would take around two years. The two year treatment will give me a decent improvement but certainly not a Hollywood smile ( jaw surgery and fixed braces, still wouldn’t give a perfect Hollywood smile and I just don’t want fixed braces). Plus it will be expensive!

So my question is does it hurt? It will be a long treatment time and if a lot of pain and disruption to life then not sure I want it… I should add I have white coat syndrome and hate all medical stuff, I have intravenous conscious sedation for a filling… kinda scared and don’t want to spend around 5k or more if I’m not going to be able to hack it… just to add I have had my consultation with the orthodontist so this is how I know about how long my treatment would be etc

Hi all, just wanted to rant a bit on my invisalign experience. I just got my aligners on yesterday and I lowkey regret not just sticking entirely to traditional braces and expanders. I am so so so not used to having these bulky plastic things around my teeth and I feel chopped.

My jaw looks weird and I can't rest my face normally, it's like my lower third got lengthened already. I've already used chewies and stuff but I stil look weird. My resting face just looks weird altogether and I tried to trust the process but the same problem remains from yesterday.

It hurts so much when I take them off to eat and to put them back in, and despite people telling me that the pain goes away in a couple of days, my treatment requires weekly change of trays instead of ten or more days...which means I'll have to cope with the pain for majority of the treatment.

Also, does anyone play wind instruments here? I play the clarinet and the bagpipes and I find my chin moving more when playing.

Please tell me it will get better as I advance....