Ive never had braces but invisalgin did me solid over the nearly 2 years I had them. It's very nice being able to take them out, so long as you have the discipline to put em back in. They do really hurt at first but after about the 5th tray it's only the first day of the new one and they progressively get easier. Due to the more gradual nature of them verses braces was part of what drew me to them. And for me they were cheaper.
I asked the same and that's exactly what he told me. I have a unilateral class 2 bite so most teeth are moving on one side. Towards the end more teeth will move to close my open bite according to my clincheck.
I had regular braces as a teen and now I'm 38 and just finished invisalign. My braces took 2 years and invisalign took about 10months. I do a lot of public speaking for my job and I felt less self conscious with invisalign. Flossing is much easier than regular braces. There's obviously pros and cons. If you're more likely to be a stickler, invisalign is very convenient but some people don't wear them enough and it slows down progress. I remember there being pain with braces as well which you have to get tightened every month. The pain I had from invisalign was really more in the first couple months and after that it was not hugely painful for me. Of course everyone's pain tolerance is different.
I would go invisalign again but only bc cost wasn't an issue for me and the aesthetics and flossing were huge in my decision. Maybe you can make a list of pros and cons for each and try to decide that way
I'm 24 and currently on my second tray of Invisalign. The process has been quite painless and comfortable, without affecting my daily life. In fact, Invisalign has helped me schedule my meals better.
While I've heard many people experience tremendous pain with traditional braces, some also say they have discomfort with Invisalign.
So I think the biggest advantage is that Invisalign is nearly invisible, so most people don't even realize I'm undergoing treatment. If you're conscious about your appearance, I think Invisalign is a better choice.
Invisalign has been like a second job and it can be annoying and inconvenient. The lisp has never gone away for me and I still struggle to speak clearly. I eat only one meal a day and don’t eat or snack at work just because I don’t want to be bothered with having to take them out and keep up with them and clean up and put them back.
However, they have worked very well and much more quickly than was projected with braces. I’m seven months in and started with significant crowding, and I’m already in refinements with only a few more weeks projected until completion.
So I guess if I had to weigh it all out, I’d rather deal with more inconvenience over a shorter period and would probably choose Invisalign again.
I had braces as a kid and Invisalign as an adult. I remember braces being a very frustrating experience and Invisalign was never beyond a mild nuisance. Granted it's hard to compare the frustration tolerance of a 10 and 34 year old but if I had to do it again 100% Invisalign. The ability to take the things out and have a small break was huge. I don't recall the attachments being a bother after the first couple weeks.
I have Invisalign. One of my daughters has braces.
If you can be diligent with keeping your trays in, I think Invisalign is the way to go. It’s easier to floss and maintain hygiene.
If there is any chance you are likely to not meet the wear time, or if you are prone to losing things- go for conventional braces.
My daughter never wears her elastic bands. It has significantly slowed down her progress with her braces.
I have invisalign with elastics and definitely not wearing the elastics will slow down your progress too. I think for me having attachments on every tooth and elastics adds a lot of complexity to invisalign. It's hard to take the trays off even with the tool to pull them out. Putting them back on is also tricky. It's a minor annoyance but something that is tilting me to think ceramic braces would have been slightly easier. Still I belive invisalign is awesome and I will finish faster than with braces.
It definitely gets easier as you go through treatment though. I had attachments on every tooth and even two attachments on some of the front teeth and by the 6th or 7th week I didn't need the pul tool anymore and popping them in and out was no longer a massive ordeal.
Thanks! Good to hear, even if I still need the tool I am slowly getting used to and it doesn't feel as much work..
Btw not sure if it helps but i found two things that helps making elastics easier: 1) push through the first few days and wear them all the time, if you stop your teeth will be sore when you put them back on. 2) change them often so the force is constant otherwise your teeth will be sore again when you change them.
I currently have invisalign but did braces as a teenager. After 2 weeks with them, for my case, with 28 attachments and 1 elastic I would have done ceramic braces.
I answered a similar question here with pros and cons for both: https://www.reddit.com/r/Invisalign/s/DCO8iYm6QI
Short answer: if you need a lot of attachments or elastics do ceramic braces instead. Otherwise invisalign is better.
I had braces as a teen and now have Invisalign. I went to the same orthodontist for both treatments. In fact, he’s done all my orthodontics throughout my life (expander, 2 plates, braces and now Invisalign). I told him I just wanted my open bite fixed and he recommended Invisalign.
The thing that I liked better about braces was that there’s no user error on my part. I didn’t have to worry about taking them in and out, didn’t have to worry about wear time etc. In a way, they’re more passive than Invisalign. Invisalign is definitely more effort.
Invisalign visually looks a lot better and so far I cant fault the results. My teeth are looking excellent. Invisalign also don’t cut up my mouth the way my braces did.
Price-wise, my braces were $1000 more than my Invisalign and my braces were from the early 2010’s, I’d imagine the cost would be more now.
One of the things that I love about Invisalign is not having to go into see the orthodontist much. When I had braces, I was in and out of the clinic pretty often.
I honestly would choose braces if I had to do it all over again. Posterior bites are a way more common problem than was ever explained to me and there doesn’t seem to be a very efficient way to treat it. I also thought Invisalign would be a more streamlined process but having to be scanned for refinements and wait minimum 6 weeks before the next set comes in is a lot of wasted time. I’m older and wasn’t particularly concerned about the aesthetics of it all.
I'm only on Day 3. I know things will get easier, but I've already regretted not getting braces instead. I have a lot of attachments so it's very noticeable; I think braces would've been a better look than these attachments. I hate having to worry so much about not losing my attachments too.
Had attachments on 20 teeth, started a relationship and she didn't even notice until I pointed them out 6 months later.
Braces are far more noticeable than attachments are.
They're only noticeable to you because you're looking in the mirror and brushing your teeth 4 times a day.
Nobody in the real world said anything about mine during my 18 months of attachments. Literally went to 3 funerals and nobody noticed until I took out the aligners to eat food at the wake after talking to people for hours beforehand.
Also why are you worrying about losing attachments, they just stick them back on. I lost 4 in 18 months. It's nothing to worry about at all.
Trust me it gets easier over time. I was constantly worried about that too but those suckers are on there strong. Mine lasted thru all 40 trays. I had 11 attachments overall.
Because then I’d have to go in to get it replaced. I also had one fall out the day they were putting them in when they had me practice putting them on and off 😬
I'm on Invisalign for 16 months now. I hate attachments, people DO notice them, no matter what this sub says. And I need to eat frequently so removing them is so bothering.
I would go with braces but lingual on top and classic on bottom. The best solution for me.
I agree. Just because people aren’t saying anything to you doesn’t mean they don’t notice you have Invisalign. I’ve noticed others with it and have never said anything to them. I hate the look of them compared to braces.
I would do traditional braces. I have a newborn and a toddler and it’s very easy for me to forget or not have the time to put the trays back in during the day.
My biggest regret is not having done Invisalign sooner . I’ve always been conscious of what it will look like with braces in a professional setting , and delayed getting Invisalign thinking it would be the same .But it’s so unnoticeable that I wish I had done this earlier on in my 20s .
I am wrapping up my Invisalign next month. And I think regular braces might have been easier in a sense. I have adhd and issues around food. And I struggled so bad with putting them back in after I ate. And when to eat and the joy of my mornings was sucked dry because I like to luxuriate over my coffee.
If you worry about aesthetics invisialign is the way to go. Even people that know I have it dont notice it and forget im wearing it until I take it off to eat.
I had braces as a kid and it was way more painful, also I needed to go to the ortho every month and it would take ages each time. I hated it. Now the "power" is in my hands, I see the ortho every 2 months and it doesnt take long.
The only downside I can feel is the hastle surrounding it. There will be days that you wont have the power to continue cleaning and brushing your trays and teeth but if you know you are a person with discpline then i would definitely use invisalign. good luck!
I had braces 15 years ago and then recently finished invisalign.
My problem with invisalign (and this is a somewhat common problem) is that now my back teeth don't touch. I would have just gone with braces if I knew this was going to happen. My front teeth touch first, so they are getting damaged. I clinch when I am wearing invisalign so my back teeth separated. To try to fix this issue, I started getting masseter botox to help with the clinching, and now my face looks weird, saggy. Whole can of worms I would have rather not opened.
My only problem with traditional braces would be that it's so hard to floss. Of course, they are ugly and maybe hurt a little more, but the pain for me was not a big deal.
Invisalign because it means I have less appointments
With braces, the only way to progress is going in to the office and getting them adjusted so that your teeth move
With trays, I change weekly by myself and only need to go in every couple of months for checkups
So as long as I keep myself accountable (daily wear time, chewies, hygiene) invisalign is more convenient
I've had em both and I would choose invisalign 100% of the time if given the option. You get more frequent and more controllable adjustments and they aligner are BY FARRRR less irritating. You get to eat without half the crap getting stuck in your teeth. You don't have to dread going to the ortho to get the literal screws turned on your braces. Invisalign is not without its pain and annoyance, but IMHO braces were by far worse. Aligners can alter your speech for a while as you get used to them, the attachments are sharp when you dont have your aligners in, and it is annoying to not be able to eat without taking them out, then going through the whole cleaning process to put them back in. I still drink basically everything except tea when them in and that works for me. Braces were so bad I basically told my parents they are coming off early, I dont care if its not complete, i'm done. But here I am 30yrs later getting things redone LMAO. But I just recall being absolutely miserable with those dang braces.
It’s really a very personal decision that you can only make with the help of your orthodontist. I had traditional braces at 27 and now have Spark Aligners at 57. I agree, both have pros and cons. Spark, for me has been a great experience so far.
Research and ask lots of questions, trust your orthodontist and don’t believe everything you read on the sub. Everyone’s experience is so different.
Best of luck on your choice.
I hated Invisalign but I loved what it did for me.
I imagine I would have hated traditional braces much more.
As vain as it is, I’m an adult and I would have been embarrassed to have traditional braces.
I had traditional braces twice (at age 12 and age 21) and now in my 50’s I’m
On aligner 5 of Spark clear aligners which I change every 10 days. (My ortho offers both Invisalign and Spark.) Without a doubt the clear aligners have been much easier for me to deal with. The overall pain is significantly less than what I experienced with metal braces and I love being able to eat what I want and clean my teeth easily without working around arch wires and brackets. I feel like my dental hygiene is better than ever as well since I do not ever skip brushing and flossing before putting my aligners back in. In 2 months I have noticed a lot of tooth movement, which surprised me since it hasn’t hurt nearly as much as my prior orthodontic treatment. For reference I have a deep bite, crowding and one rotated tooth. I will absolutely wear my retainers this time!
Since I'm in my 40s I opted for invisalign because I feel too old for traditional metal braces. They just stand out more once you're out of your teens, I feel like.
I've had both and would never choose braces unless my teeth had severe issues. I would wake up with my inner lip embedded in the braces and would often have open sores. Your lips will protrude and mine were always chapped because my lips wouldn't naturally close at rest from the added bulk. Several times my ortho didn't cut the wire close enough on the back molar and I would have a wire gouging me and my mouth would bleed before I could go back. Not to mention all that metal is unsightly.
Ive never had braces but invisalgin did me solid over the nearly 2 years I had them. It's very nice being able to take them out, so long as you have the discipline to put em back in. They do really hurt at first but after about the 5th tray it's only the first day of the new one and they progressively get easier. Due to the more gradual nature of them verses braces was part of what drew me to them. And for me they were cheaper.
I told my ortho, I had no preference just whatever she recommended. And she said she prefers Invisalign bc she has more control over the movement
I asked the same and that's exactly what he told me. I have a unilateral class 2 bite so most teeth are moving on one side. Towards the end more teeth will move to close my open bite according to my clincheck.
Really? I’d figure braces would have more control.
right i thought the same especially since invisalign is like 90% the work you put in
I had regular braces as a teen and now I'm 38 and just finished invisalign. My braces took 2 years and invisalign took about 10months. I do a lot of public speaking for my job and I felt less self conscious with invisalign. Flossing is much easier than regular braces. There's obviously pros and cons. If you're more likely to be a stickler, invisalign is very convenient but some people don't wear them enough and it slows down progress. I remember there being pain with braces as well which you have to get tightened every month. The pain I had from invisalign was really more in the first couple months and after that it was not hugely painful for me. Of course everyone's pain tolerance is different. I would go invisalign again but only bc cost wasn't an issue for me and the aesthetics and flossing were huge in my decision. Maybe you can make a list of pros and cons for each and try to decide that way
I'm 24 and currently on my second tray of Invisalign. The process has been quite painless and comfortable, without affecting my daily life. In fact, Invisalign has helped me schedule my meals better. While I've heard many people experience tremendous pain with traditional braces, some also say they have discomfort with Invisalign. So I think the biggest advantage is that Invisalign is nearly invisible, so most people don't even realize I'm undergoing treatment. If you're conscious about your appearance, I think Invisalign is a better choice.
Invisalign has been like a second job and it can be annoying and inconvenient. The lisp has never gone away for me and I still struggle to speak clearly. I eat only one meal a day and don’t eat or snack at work just because I don’t want to be bothered with having to take them out and keep up with them and clean up and put them back. However, they have worked very well and much more quickly than was projected with braces. I’m seven months in and started with significant crowding, and I’m already in refinements with only a few more weeks projected until completion. So I guess if I had to weigh it all out, I’d rather deal with more inconvenience over a shorter period and would probably choose Invisalign again.
I thought I was the only one who avoided eating to avoid taking them in and out. 🤣
Sizing up food and being like, “is this worth it…? Nah,” and then just deciding to do without!
I had braces as a kid and Invisalign as an adult. I remember braces being a very frustrating experience and Invisalign was never beyond a mild nuisance. Granted it's hard to compare the frustration tolerance of a 10 and 34 year old but if I had to do it again 100% Invisalign. The ability to take the things out and have a small break was huge. I don't recall the attachments being a bother after the first couple weeks.
Invisalign!
I have Invisalign. One of my daughters has braces. If you can be diligent with keeping your trays in, I think Invisalign is the way to go. It’s easier to floss and maintain hygiene. If there is any chance you are likely to not meet the wear time, or if you are prone to losing things- go for conventional braces. My daughter never wears her elastic bands. It has significantly slowed down her progress with her braces.
I have invisalign with elastics and definitely not wearing the elastics will slow down your progress too. I think for me having attachments on every tooth and elastics adds a lot of complexity to invisalign. It's hard to take the trays off even with the tool to pull them out. Putting them back on is also tricky. It's a minor annoyance but something that is tilting me to think ceramic braces would have been slightly easier. Still I belive invisalign is awesome and I will finish faster than with braces.
It definitely gets easier as you go through treatment though. I had attachments on every tooth and even two attachments on some of the front teeth and by the 6th or 7th week I didn't need the pul tool anymore and popping them in and out was no longer a massive ordeal.
Thanks! Good to hear, even if I still need the tool I am slowly getting used to and it doesn't feel as much work.. Btw not sure if it helps but i found two things that helps making elastics easier: 1) push through the first few days and wear them all the time, if you stop your teeth will be sore when you put them back on. 2) change them often so the force is constant otherwise your teeth will be sore again when you change them.
I currently have invisalign but did braces as a teenager. After 2 weeks with them, for my case, with 28 attachments and 1 elastic I would have done ceramic braces. I answered a similar question here with pros and cons for both: https://www.reddit.com/r/Invisalign/s/DCO8iYm6QI Short answer: if you need a lot of attachments or elastics do ceramic braces instead. Otherwise invisalign is better.
Invisalign purely because flossing with braces is a pain.
I had braces as a teen and now have Invisalign. I went to the same orthodontist for both treatments. In fact, he’s done all my orthodontics throughout my life (expander, 2 plates, braces and now Invisalign). I told him I just wanted my open bite fixed and he recommended Invisalign. The thing that I liked better about braces was that there’s no user error on my part. I didn’t have to worry about taking them in and out, didn’t have to worry about wear time etc. In a way, they’re more passive than Invisalign. Invisalign is definitely more effort. Invisalign visually looks a lot better and so far I cant fault the results. My teeth are looking excellent. Invisalign also don’t cut up my mouth the way my braces did. Price-wise, my braces were $1000 more than my Invisalign and my braces were from the early 2010’s, I’d imagine the cost would be more now. One of the things that I love about Invisalign is not having to go into see the orthodontist much. When I had braces, I was in and out of the clinic pretty often.
Braces. Invisalign screwed up my perfect bite and I regret it every time I eat
As an adult I would choose Invisalign. If I was a teen, braces
I honestly would choose braces if I had to do it all over again. Posterior bites are a way more common problem than was ever explained to me and there doesn’t seem to be a very efficient way to treat it. I also thought Invisalign would be a more streamlined process but having to be scanned for refinements and wait minimum 6 weeks before the next set comes in is a lot of wasted time. I’m older and wasn’t particularly concerned about the aesthetics of it all.
I'm only on Day 3. I know things will get easier, but I've already regretted not getting braces instead. I have a lot of attachments so it's very noticeable; I think braces would've been a better look than these attachments. I hate having to worry so much about not losing my attachments too.
Had attachments on 20 teeth, started a relationship and she didn't even notice until I pointed them out 6 months later. Braces are far more noticeable than attachments are. They're only noticeable to you because you're looking in the mirror and brushing your teeth 4 times a day. Nobody in the real world said anything about mine during my 18 months of attachments. Literally went to 3 funerals and nobody noticed until I took out the aligners to eat food at the wake after talking to people for hours beforehand. Also why are you worrying about losing attachments, they just stick them back on. I lost 4 in 18 months. It's nothing to worry about at all.
I guess for me, it’s more about losing them and not realizing it. I don’t even know how many I have to be honest. 😬
Trust me it gets easier over time. I was constantly worried about that too but those suckers are on there strong. Mine lasted thru all 40 trays. I had 11 attachments overall.
Why are you worrying about losing your attachments ?
Because then I’d have to go in to get it replaced. I also had one fall out the day they were putting them in when they had me practice putting them on and off 😬
I'm on Invisalign for 16 months now. I hate attachments, people DO notice them, no matter what this sub says. And I need to eat frequently so removing them is so bothering. I would go with braces but lingual on top and classic on bottom. The best solution for me.
I agree. Just because people aren’t saying anything to you doesn’t mean they don’t notice you have Invisalign. I’ve noticed others with it and have never said anything to them. I hate the look of them compared to braces.
I would do traditional braces. I have a newborn and a toddler and it’s very easy for me to forget or not have the time to put the trays back in during the day.
My biggest regret is not having done Invisalign sooner . I’ve always been conscious of what it will look like with braces in a professional setting , and delayed getting Invisalign thinking it would be the same .But it’s so unnoticeable that I wish I had done this earlier on in my 20s .
INVISALGN. I hate how food would get stuck in my braces when I had one for a year as a kid for one tooth, and I hate how they look as an adult
I am wrapping up my Invisalign next month. And I think regular braces might have been easier in a sense. I have adhd and issues around food. And I struggled so bad with putting them back in after I ate. And when to eat and the joy of my mornings was sucked dry because I like to luxuriate over my coffee.
I had both and prefer Invisalign. AMA
If you worry about aesthetics invisialign is the way to go. Even people that know I have it dont notice it and forget im wearing it until I take it off to eat. I had braces as a kid and it was way more painful, also I needed to go to the ortho every month and it would take ages each time. I hated it. Now the "power" is in my hands, I see the ortho every 2 months and it doesnt take long. The only downside I can feel is the hastle surrounding it. There will be days that you wont have the power to continue cleaning and brushing your trays and teeth but if you know you are a person with discpline then i would definitely use invisalign. good luck!
My Ortho said she's done a lot of corrective work with Invisalign with people who had come to her after regular braces
I had braces 15 years ago and then recently finished invisalign. My problem with invisalign (and this is a somewhat common problem) is that now my back teeth don't touch. I would have just gone with braces if I knew this was going to happen. My front teeth touch first, so they are getting damaged. I clinch when I am wearing invisalign so my back teeth separated. To try to fix this issue, I started getting masseter botox to help with the clinching, and now my face looks weird, saggy. Whole can of worms I would have rather not opened. My only problem with traditional braces would be that it's so hard to floss. Of course, they are ugly and maybe hurt a little more, but the pain for me was not a big deal.
Invisalign because it means I have less appointments With braces, the only way to progress is going in to the office and getting them adjusted so that your teeth move With trays, I change weekly by myself and only need to go in every couple of months for checkups So as long as I keep myself accountable (daily wear time, chewies, hygiene) invisalign is more convenient
I've had em both and I would choose invisalign 100% of the time if given the option. You get more frequent and more controllable adjustments and they aligner are BY FARRRR less irritating. You get to eat without half the crap getting stuck in your teeth. You don't have to dread going to the ortho to get the literal screws turned on your braces. Invisalign is not without its pain and annoyance, but IMHO braces were by far worse. Aligners can alter your speech for a while as you get used to them, the attachments are sharp when you dont have your aligners in, and it is annoying to not be able to eat without taking them out, then going through the whole cleaning process to put them back in. I still drink basically everything except tea when them in and that works for me. Braces were so bad I basically told my parents they are coming off early, I dont care if its not complete, i'm done. But here I am 30yrs later getting things redone LMAO. But I just recall being absolutely miserable with those dang braces.
It’s really a very personal decision that you can only make with the help of your orthodontist. I had traditional braces at 27 and now have Spark Aligners at 57. I agree, both have pros and cons. Spark, for me has been a great experience so far. Research and ask lots of questions, trust your orthodontist and don’t believe everything you read on the sub. Everyone’s experience is so different. Best of luck on your choice.
I hated Invisalign but I loved what it did for me. I imagine I would have hated traditional braces much more. As vain as it is, I’m an adult and I would have been embarrassed to have traditional braces.
I had traditional braces twice (at age 12 and age 21) and now in my 50’s I’m On aligner 5 of Spark clear aligners which I change every 10 days. (My ortho offers both Invisalign and Spark.) Without a doubt the clear aligners have been much easier for me to deal with. The overall pain is significantly less than what I experienced with metal braces and I love being able to eat what I want and clean my teeth easily without working around arch wires and brackets. I feel like my dental hygiene is better than ever as well since I do not ever skip brushing and flossing before putting my aligners back in. In 2 months I have noticed a lot of tooth movement, which surprised me since it hasn’t hurt nearly as much as my prior orthodontic treatment. For reference I have a deep bite, crowding and one rotated tooth. I will absolutely wear my retainers this time!
I had braces in high school. For Invisalign as an adult bc I didn’t want them again lol. Just needed to fix my alignment.
If invisalign can fix your issue, invisalign all day.
Since I'm in my 40s I opted for invisalign because I feel too old for traditional metal braces. They just stand out more once you're out of your teens, I feel like.
I've had both and would never choose braces unless my teeth had severe issues. I would wake up with my inner lip embedded in the braces and would often have open sores. Your lips will protrude and mine were always chapped because my lips wouldn't naturally close at rest from the added bulk. Several times my ortho didn't cut the wire close enough on the back molar and I would have a wire gouging me and my mouth would bleed before I could go back. Not to mention all that metal is unsightly.