Aligners; my best act of self-care. Tips from an experienced Invisaligner.

64 of those plastic trays later and I am… done? My teeth are by no means perfect, but such an improvement, and what a difference it has made to my confidence.

As a child, I sucked my thumb, my dentist warned my parents how this may affect my bite and I remember they did everything they could to stop me when they saw it, and painted my nails at night with an ointment that is supposed to taste horrible. I still did it. Skip forward to my teenage years, where half the pupils in my year group had metal braces. I was offered a brace which I declined, because back then, my teeth did not bother me. My year eleven yearbook consistently has comments about me being the smiley-est person they know, and I was nominated in my Sixth-Form leavers awards for biggest smile, (lol). Skip forward another few years when I was at university and realising that in certain photos, my prominent and twisted canines and set-back lateral incisor made me look like I had a tooth missing. I began to feel self-conscious and stopped smiling with my teeth unless I could position myself at a certain angle where that side of my mouth was not showing. In October 2021 at the age of 25, I was fitted with my first aligner, and 64 trays, 20 months, and two sets of refinements later, I am… done?

Wherever you are in your Invisalign journey, I hope this blog will provide some helpful insight.

Before getting Invisalign:

For a bit of context, my teeth were crowded/crooked with two prominent and twisted canines, one set back lateral incisor, one front tooth crossed over the other, an open bite with quite a few of my teeth being high set (needing pulling down), and I have gum recession on my lower set.

Shop around

Book lots of consultations (the free ones) to give you a general idea of what treatment with them may look like. I went to probably 4 or 5 and they all gave slightly different treatment plans and quotes. I have read lots of people successfully use a dentist, however, proceed with caution. I selected a dentist, got an x-ray, paid my deposit, and weeks of waiting and chasing later, he decided that my case was actually too complex. He eventually referred me to an Orthodontist, and I ended up waiting a further 6 months for this appointment. A disappointing start!

Know what your package entails.

During your free consultation, ask lots of questions and gather as much info as you can to weigh up your options. Things to think about are whether there is a fixed/limited number of trays, or unlimited until you are happy, will it include things like shaping, composite, teeth whitening, fixed and/or removable retainers at the end, and any extra or hidden costs to be aware of? What brand do they use? What is the estimated treatment time, how many attachments (more on this later) might you need? What are the payment arrangements, will they accept finance? When selecting a treatment, try to get some sort of contract of what it will include and what it doesn’t. It’s okay if some things will be an extra cost at the end for example for a spare retainer, but it’s good to know these things in advance, to avoid an unwelcome surprise when you finish your treatment. Don’t get too caught up on the brand. I was adamant I wanted Invisalign, but my Orthodontist advised ‘Sure Smile’ because they tend to use less attachments than Invisalign, and the trays cover the gums which he said would protect my already receding gums. I was apprehensive as I had not heard of ‘Sure Smile’ and couldn’t find much about it online, but alas they have worked perfectly for me and I have no complaints.

Costs

If you are seriously considering Invisalign/clear aligners, then you are probably aware that it’s not cheap. Unfortunately, it is not something that is available on our amazing NHS, meaning your only option is to go private. Just to give you an idea, the quotes I got for my top and lower sets were in the ball part of £3800-£4500. In the end, due to my lower gum recession and my Orthodontist advising I would need jaw surgery to resolve this, I just went for my top set- which was fine as these are the teeth that bothered me the most. So here is a break down of the costs:

Consultation- free

X-ray- £50

3D scan and planning- £50

Treatment (my plan included unlimited aligners, all appointments, shaping, a metal wire retainer, one plastic retainer)- £2100 (check)

Optional extras:

Second plastic retainer- £90

At home Philips Zoom Whitening kit- £65

Composite bonding (I did not have this)- £75 per tooth

Total I paid- £2355.

I paid for the Xray, Scan/planning, and £1000 upfront, and then paid the rest of in chunks of around £100 after every appointment.

Be prepared that when they say 12 months, they mean 18…  

I went to probably 4 or 5 different consultations, who all said my treatment would roughly take 9 months, and to expect refinements (most people end up ‘tweaking’ after the first round, hence why an ‘unlimited aligner’ package is very important) taking us up to a year. Luckily, I read the tip online to add 6 months onto what they say… and I actually finished at 20 months! Don’t get too hung up on a proposed finished date, because in all honesty it’s unlikely to be then. This is with cancelled appointments/sickness, trays not tracking, being told to wear them for longer, waiting for refinements to come in etc.

Attachments

Not always seen on Invisalign adverts, but most treatments end up have little teeth-coloured ‘attachments’ stuck to the front of your teeth. These are different shapes and their main purpose are to pull and put pressure on the more stubborn teeth to help with the movement. I quite liked mine and had no issues with them. I had 5 the first round, then 3, then 2. They do of course make things a bit more noticeable, but it seems treatment would take longer without them, especially with stubborn teeth that need pulling down. Orthodontic wax or Bongela may help if any rub on your inner lips.

How invisible are they really?

It’s the answer we all want to know. We have opted for clear aligners to be invisible. Mostly, I think they are pretty un-noticeable. With no attachments I would say they just look like your normal teeth, maybe with a slight sheen on them. With attachments, they are a bit more apparent. I do believe however that when you are a clear aligner wearer yourself, you have the radar switched on full; someone could so much as say ‘hi’ and I think yay Invisalign friend! Whereas my boyfriend and I both chatted to a fellow wedding guest for 20 minutes and when we got home, I said how subtly I thought she took her ‘teeth’ out at the end of our chat and he said he had not noticed she was wearing them at all! So I think some people genuinely don’t notice. Some may notice but pretend otherwise. And some will directly say they have noticed, but only because they are curious, are thinking about getting some themselves, or know someone who is going through it. So perhaps I should revise my statement from no one notices and say instead no one cares (in a good way). Own it.

Pouch/kit

After taking the plunge and deciding to go for it (woo you’re not going to regret it!), get yourself a kit together so you will be prepared and feel ready from day one of your treatment. A little pouch with a waterproof/wipeable lining is ideal. In mine was a toothbrush and cover, toothpaste, mini mouthwash, dental floss, orthodontic wax (you can buy this for a couple of pounds in Boots), paracetamol, Bongela, a chewie, and a pull tool (see ‘taking them out’ below). 

During:

The first few weeks…

Ngl, the first couple of weeks sucked. I would watch Instagram videos of people saying ‘oops I forgot I had my trays in’ and would pop them out in 0.5 seconds with no one noticing and I just didn’t believe that would ever be me. But trust me, it does get better. My first couple of weeks my teeth were achy, I had a new lisp, and I hated having to take them out for eating; one, because I was generally worried I was going to rip my teeth out in the process, and if not take the attachments with it, and two, for all the cleaning faff before putting them back in. All for the sake of eating one biscuit, which wouldn’t even be enjoyable as your teeth feel wobbly (they’re not) and it hurts to bite down. I have seen some people write that they lost weight with aligners because of the inability to snack as often, but I think I saw the opposite. I took my opportunity when they were out and gorged myself, so I didn’t get hungry to do it all again. (Plus, the further I got into it, I could pop them out, shove in a biscuit, swish my mouth with a bit of water or mouthwash and pop them back in again.) I went through a cycle of dreading coming up to lunch or dinner time, painstakingly spending 10 minutes trying to get the suckers out of my mouth, getting panicky and teary thinking that they may actually be stuck in there, before finally managing to yank them out. Eat. Then brush, floss etc. and then click them back in with a painful thud, three or four times a day for a few weeks. Until one day I used my usual technique and oh, they just flew right out, hassle free. From then on it just got quicker and easier (aside from my first week of refinements, although this time I had faith that it magically just gets better, and it did).

Taking them out

On this note, although easier said than done, don’t panic. If they are halfway out and you feel they might be ‘stuck’ and are causing a lot of pain, I found clipping them back in, taking a deep breath, and having another go works better than to keep yanking on them. Everyone will develop their own method, but this is what I found works for me. For top aligners, use your right index finger, or pull tool in your right hand and reach to the inner side of your teeth and unclip the left molars as much as possible. Then, use your left index finger or pull tool in your left hand and unclip the right molars from the inside. So your aligners should now be hanging off both sides and just connected to your front teeth 6-8 teeht. Next, put both of your thumbs in behind your front teeth and push the aligner forward and down and they should come out. If needed push with your thumbs simultaneously as hooking your index fingernails above your canines and pulling the aligners away from your mouth and down. Although my treatment was for my top teeth only, I wore bottom passive trays for whitening. For these I found using my thumb nails on the OUTSIDE of your molars and pushing up simultaneously got them out. They sometimes needed a little extra unclipping and push with thumb nails at the front of the bottom teeth.

Remind yourself why you are doing this

I know. I hated it when I read things saying a few weeks and it will get better, because in the moment, I wanted it to get better now. And when you get annoyed and think I really CBA to take them out and brush my teeth etc. remind yourself why you are doing this. Look back at old photos and think I am doing this for ME.

Compare

Related to the above tip, take lots of photos before and during your treatment. My friends and family probably got bored of seeing my ‘before’ and ‘progress so far’ photos, but I was obsessed! There is a useful app called ‘Trayminder’ which I downloaded at the beginning of my treatment. I stopped using the other features so much, but used the compare photos tool throughout. Don’t worry if you don’t see differences straight away, especially with crowded/crooked teeth like mine, the molars tend to move first to make space. If you are still struggling to notice a difference, keep your first tray and compare each one. When you do start noticing changes, it makes the whole thing much easier and it is exciting to see/envision what your straight teeth may look like.

Put new tray in at night

Sleep through most of the discomfort and put your new tray in before bed, this way the trays would be on a whole 8ish hours before needing to remove. If a tray was particularly tight and sore, I would also take some paracetamol before bed. If you are on 7 day changes and your aligners were fitted at 2pm on Tuesday, the night time of the following Tuesday you would change trays.

Travelling with Invisalign

This is a slightly challenging one to navigate and took me a few holidays to get it right for me. You don’t want your Invisalign to get in the way of your enjoyment, but also you don’t want to throw away the progress you have made so far and risk your teeth not tracking. Take your next tray with you, even if you are not due to change while you are away, just in case, and pack it in a spare tray case or tubware to prevent any damage to it in your bag. Don’t use your holiday as an excuse to not wear them. I made myself a rule that it couldn’t be out for more than 4 hours at a time. Drink clear liquids with them in. Don’t sweat it too much, do the best you can and you can always wear that tray for an extra couple of days to ensure all the movement is complete before moving onto your next tray.

Always ALWAYS store in your case.

This is no joke. Even if you are taking them out for 2 minutes, or your case is in the other room and you can’t be bothered. It is worth it. Trust me. I persistently put mine in my case. Every. Single. Time. The one time I didn’t was when I had covid, because I was living on our sofa bed, desperately trying to prevent my co-habiting boyfriend from also being infected. He kindly brought me lunch… in my fatigue, I just took out my aligners, carefully wrapped them in a tissue and put them in my pocket. I’ll remember they are in there, right? I bet you have an idea of what happened next… completely forgetting I had done this, I went to the loo, thought, “I’d better flush all my tissues to prevent infection…” washed my hands, brushed my teeth, reached for my aligners… and realised the horror of my mistake.

I never did this again.

If this happens, don’t panic, try and contact your Ortho who will probably advise you to just move onto your next tray and wear it a little longer. Unfortunately for me, this was the ‘holding tray’ while I waited for my refinement trays to come in.

Community Support

I would always recommend getting professional advice from your Dentist/Orthodontist and direct all questions to them. However, they are not always available, and some questions like ‘can I realistically have a glass of rose with my aligners in?’ may feel too silly/naughty to ask… There is a group on facebook called ‘Invisalign Support Group’ with thousands of Clear Aligner wearers and Alumni who share their experiences and are onboard to answer questions. I would say though, take it all with a pinch of salt, some people can act quite the expert when they are not trained to be so!

After:

Congratulations!!

Post treatment extras

On attending my final appointment where I was to be scanned for a retainer, I couldn’t help but feel not 100% satisfied with the final look. I think when you spend so much money and time on straightening them, it’s hard not to become a perfectionist. My stubborn lateral incisors had been pulled down as much as they could using aligners, but tbh I thought they still looked a little unsymmetrical. My right one, even though was a bit further down, had a bit of a chip, which made the bottom of the tooth at an angel. I asked the Orthodontist about composite bonding to fill in the chipped part or filing to make it smoother. The Ortho said he didn’t feel it necessary, but I insisted, and I am so glad I did. He literally filed off the tiniest sliver of tooth to make the edge flatter, and what a difference! Make sure to have discussions with your provider, they are your teeth after all!

Retainers- Permanent Vs Removable

Once teeth are straightened, it is a lifetime commitment to keep them that way. I may be preaching to the choir who are here because they did not wear their retainers after metal braces as a teenager…  but the ligaments that hold our teeth in place are intrinsically going to try and pull them back into their original place, throwing away all the time and money spent straightening them. Enter: retainers! These can be either a permanent wire behind your teeth, or a removal plastic retainer, a bit like your trays. I have both. A wire which is glued behind my front top 6 teeth, and a removable tray. I like having both as makes me feel reassured. My Orthodontist said with just the wire, it will keep them 75% in line, but the added retainer will be perfect. I was quite happy to go along with his suggestions. The wire was painless and quick to fix, they pop a tiny bit of glue onto the back of each tooth, attach the wire and then set it in place with a ‘curing light’. I really didn’t enjoy it for the first couple of weeks, as I felt I could just taste the glue and metal in my mouth and couldn’t stop touching it with my tongue which eventually got sore. However, I stopped really noticing it and I am used to it now. If you are worried about cleaning in between your teeth like I was, it is easier to floss than you think as glue is only on teeth, not on the gaps so you can still wiggle some floss in there.

My Orthodontist advised to only wear my retainer at night, which I think is quite rare, but maybe having the wire means I can do this. Still, in my ‘I’ve spent all this money and time’ mindset, I wore it as much as I could in the day for the first couple of months too, mainly just to reassure myself.

Whitening

After the teeth being encased in plastic for x amount of time, they are bound to get a little yellow. Although I have always wanted whiter teeth, I still wanted them to look natural and not *dazzling*. So, it’s completely personal preference, but I thought what’s a better way of showcasing your straight teeth than pearly whites? The Orthodontist offered me the Philips Zoom home treatment for the ‘cost’ rate of £65, something that would usually cost a couple of hundred at least, so I thought why not! I was excited to get started, and the results?… Regret.

Firstly, I have mildly sensitive teeth, no biggy, and I use Sensydone toothpaste which manages this fine. I was advised my teeth may be a tad sensitive, but nothing prepared me for the days of ‘zingers’. This is where you get shooting pain in your teeth and gums, so strong that it can stop you in your tracks. I grinned and bared, used Bongela and paracetamol, with the thought that at least at the end I would have white teeth, right? Well, no. I have heard and seen successful cases, but unfortunately for me it didn’t work so well. It caused my teeth to be very patchy and highlighted any white spots/marks that I didn’t know I had before because they usually blend it. Sadly, it was especially bad on my two front teeth. I had enjoyed the few short weeks of feeling so confident in my new smile, so this was a hard blow for me as I went back to feeling so self-conscious as I felt it made my teeth look unclean. I consulted google, and all of the results said it was due to dehydration of the teeth and after a week of whitening, the rest of the tooth colour will match the white spots and will all blend in. This was not true for me. I gave it another week and finished the course of whitening and contacted the Orthodontist. I was so upset and unhappy. The Ortho said not to worry, 4-5 days after whitening they will be even. Again, unfortunately not true for me. I went to an appointment on the 6th day where he said ‘ah yes this can sometimes happen, it is due to ‘hypocalcification’ and suggested to get some ‘Tooth Mousse’ to help to remineralise the teeth as well as do another course of whitening (wince at the thought of doing another round of whitening). I completed the whitening putting the ‘MI Paste Plus’ on my teeth before whitening and immediately after removing the trays. And have been continuing using this after cleaning my teeth morning and evening. I scoured the internet and concluded that most improvements are not seen until 2-3months of use. I am now about a month in, and the patchiness has definitely reduced! There are still some white marks, but the difference is clearly there so I am cautiously hopeful! I will continue to use the topical cream and will update… watch this space!

Conclusion:

It was expensive, exhausting, frustrating and a lot longer than I first thought with multiple setbacks… but would I do it again? 100%. SO worth it. The improvement to my self-confidence and self-esteem is huge. I went from avoiding smiling in photos and hiding my mouth with my hand when I laughed, to checking out my teeth in every mirror and grinning in every photo. If only adolescence me could see me now…!

If you would like to share your experience, or have any questions, please let me know!

B