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[Drama Llama]

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Edited October 27, 2021 by Nothingtoseehere

[Slache]

My 30 something pastor who had metal face as a teen has invisiline now and says it's totally awesome. Less pain, more comfortable, easier to brush and cheeper. He said he will choose invisiline for all of his children given the option. I asked lots of questions because my kids look like extras from Deliverance and I think it sounds great.

[Tap]

DD did regular braces as a young teen, but then had to stop wearing her retainer. At 19 we put her in Invisalign to correct some teeth that shifted back. She isn't one to lose things but can be a bit forgetful sometimes. I just figured that she would lose a certain amount of them over time, so we always kept all the previous ones incase of emergency. The one she lost was close enough to the next set, that she just put her next tray in early instead of going backwards, and then having to wait for a new tray to be made. I will say tho, she was doing a very minor correction so that worked for her. 

[Storygirl]

My four kids have had seven rounds of braces between them 😬. DD16 was the only one who got to use Invisalign, and it worked perfectly for her. I bought an extra case for her to keep in her lunch box, so that she always had a place to put her trays when she was eating. Technically, she was supposed to rinse them off before reinserting, which meant a trip to the bathroom at the end of each lunch period, and I suspect that she didn't bother to do that. I know she also didn't clean them as often as suggested with the special cleaner tablets, and it was all still fine.

There were guidelines for what to do if you lost a tray. I can't remember if you were to put in the previous week's tray, or if you were to advance to the next week's, but they gave guidelines for that. They give you a while bunch of trays at one time -- something like 18 weeks -- so you always have the ones on hand for the next week.

[klmama]

My teen has a bright colored case to make it easier to keep track of them. 

[JennyD]

Following this thread.  One of my sons definitely needs braces but there is just no way that he will be able to cope with the level of discomfort that my oldest went through with his standard braces.  I've been wondering if invisalign might be a more feasible option.    I was under the impression that it is more expensive, though.

[NewnameC]

When two of my kids were getting braces, at least one orthodontist quoted both traditional and Invisalign, with Invisalign a little more. we went traditional.

Another two missed the traditional braces time, so we went the Invisalign route. Through SmileDirect it was less expensive than the traditional braces had been. YMMV as the older ones needed less work than the younger kids. 

It is working as one of the older kids had a crooked tooth that was out of place and it is now in a different place, not quite right yet, but getting close.

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, JennyD said:

Following this thread.  One of my sons definitely needs braces but there is just no way that he will be able to cope with the level of discomfort that my oldest went through with his standard braces.  I've been wondering if invisalign might be a more feasible option.    I was under the impression that it is more expensive, though.

https://alftherapy.com/  My ds is doing this right now. Almost no pain. There was pain the first 2 days when first installed, but it was controlled with ibuprofen. Next adjustment the pain was controlled with just a mcdonald's smoothie. And his teeth are looking better. 

The wire pushes against the *bone* not the teeth, creating the space they need for things to align. We had already done phase 1 orthodontics a few years ago and the teeth had gone back to being a train wreck. The myofunctional SLP referred us for this wire system instead. The idea is that they retrain the mouth with how it uses the tongue, which pushes on the wire as it finally is moving correctly, which fixes the teeth. 

So I don't know if it works for every problem, but if you want minimal pain it's at least that. 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, JennyD said:

Following this thread.  One of my sons definitely needs braces but there is just no way that he will be able to cope with the level of discomfort that my oldest went through with his standard braces.  I've been wondering if invisalign might be a more feasible option.    I was under the impression that it is more expensive, though.

Invisalign wasn't any cheaper when I looked into it 2 years and got quotes for my oldest.   It was an option for my oldest.  Not sure if it will be for my other kids.  This is making me consider it more now.  

[Drama Llama]

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Edited October 27, 2021 by Nothingtoseehere

[Spryte]

Invisalign was a success here. Same price as regular braces. Doc recommended it over traditional.  And it took less time, too.

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, Spryte said:

Invisalign was a success here. Same price as regular braces. Doc recommended it over traditional.  And it took less time, too.

Why did your doc recommend it?

[Drama Llama]

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Edited October 27, 2021 by Nothingtoseehere

[Spryte]

2 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Why did your doc recommend it?

Our orthodontist said that while most teens intend and try to keep things very clean with traditional braces, he often sees that they struggle.  He felt that with Invisalign teens had an easier time keeping everything very clean.  

[mommyoffive]

Just now, BaseballandHockey said:

Did you end up deciding on traditional braces?

We went to a consult before Covid.  Oldest need to lose a tooth and have the adult one fully come in before going forward.  Then Covid.  We are just going back this month.   So this is a timely thread.  

[klmama]

It costs a few hundred more here for aligners, but I think it's worth it for the reduced level of pain and the ease of caring for the actual teeth.  Brushing and flossing are as easy as before; this reduces the likelihood of forming new cavities or needing to whiten teeth after traditional braces come off, both of which would add to the cost. And I don't think we can underestimate the psychological benefit of not having uncomfortable, ugly things attached to a teen's teeth for over a year.  With aligners, the improvements are visible to everyone as they happen, and the positive reinforcement from that encourages conscientious usage.

[livetoread]

My teen was the same, compliant but forgetful. She did great with them. It was the same price as traditional, and we were allowed three lost sets before we were charged for more. She only lost one set - much better than I had anticipated she would do. I had both and Invisalign are much less painful except for the first week when you are figuring out how to get them out easily. Much easier to keep your teeth clean, too.

[Dmmetler]

We couldn't do invisilign for L because of the bite correction needed. Apparently, if you need something more than rubber bands, it's just not possible to be completely removable at this point. However, now that braces are done,  I paid out of pocket to get the invisilign retainers. The cost to get four sets was about the same as getting ONE retainer replaced (as I discovered after a wire broke), and the chance of a teen living away from home finding an orthodontist locally to get a retainer replaced seems highly unlikely, compared to just pulling another out of a box. 

 

In 20/20 hindsight, I kind of wish we'd switched to the trays after the state that required the appliance to bring the top jaw back was completed, because L has been so self-conscious about braces (mostly due to the feeling that they scream "I'm not really a college student"). But that wasn't mentioned as an option, since orthodontists seem to either focus on the invisilign type of trays OR braces, not both, and the price quoted was for the full treatment cycle. 

 

 

 

 

[zimom]

First 2 were in traditional braces.  Youngest was evaluated for braces and we were priced for traditional and Invisalign.  We moved to a MUCH higher COL area and traditional and Invisalign were about 25% LESS.   I opted for the Invisalign for her for several reasons (which again, was so much cheaper than even traditional braces at our old home).   Can not even begin to stress how much easier they were for her.   In hindsight I wish I had used them on all of my children (although my oldest may not have been a candidate).   After she finished her Invisalign I finally treated myself to Invisalign since I did not wear my retainer in college.   

In talking to parents now, I always strongly suggest they consider Invisalign if it is a possibility and they have a fairly compliant child.  .   

[Clemsondana]

My husband is using invsalign at the same time that the kids are finishing/just finished traditional braces.  The kid who finished with braces uses an invisilign retainer that they had to wear full-time for the first several weeks before switching to nights-only.  From what I've seen...some problems are better corrected with one type vs another.  One kid had a way-out-of-line tooth that had to be 'fetched', which works better with traditional wires.  Spouse had some inverted teeth where the top teeth were behind the bottom ones and spacing was an issue, and apparently the trays are much better for at least one of those problems.  Spouse has complained more than the 2 kids combined, but I don't know if it's because it's harder for adults to adjust to things, if the device or the specific issue being fixed is more annoying, or if spouse is just a complainer.  🙂  The biggest issue that I've seen with spouse and with kid during the time of full-time retainer use is that it's ideal to brush your teeth before putting the trays back in, especially if the spacing of the teeth means that food gets stuck between them.  If your kid snacks frequently (or eats on the go a lot, like between school and ball practice), or drinks juice or gatorade (or, in spouses's case, coffee) over the course of the day, it can be a pain to brush their teeth before putting the trays back in.  

[mommyoffive]

Do you go in for less appointments with invisalign?  How does that work? 

[prairiewindmomma]

In our family we have had two in Invisalign (including our elementary aged kid currently) and two in traditional braces. We prefer Invisalign, but if your child has significant jaw alignment issues needed double banding or the like, Invisalign can’t handle that. 

[Soror]

Listening in-- ds was telling me yesterday that the dentist told him that they are going to start doing Invisalign in their office. Ds didn't care much about his teeth before but I'm getting the impression he might be wanting to get them fixed now. They aren't too bad but certainly not perfectly straight. I always heard Invisalign were a lot more but if not that might be a good option.

[prairiewindmomma]

Someone above asked about spacing of appointments. Yes, Invisalign appointments are spread further out. Another great thing about Invisalign is that you don’t have bracket or wire emergencies.

We had one kid in traditional braces when covid hit and he couldn’t get in for an adjustment for three months because all non-emergency medical closed down here for a while. When another kid finished time in a palate expander, we went to Invisalign to reduce exposure and avoid emergencies. 

[Drama Llama]

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Edited October 27, 2021 by Nothingtoseehere

[mommyoffive]

I think I am convinced.  Total 180.   I think one of my kids won't probably be able to do it.  I mean we are going for a consult soon so I can ask.  But maybe they can do some braces for the bigger issue and then Invisalign for the rest? 

[mommyoffive]

16 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Thanks everyone,

You are all very reassuring.  I am still a little worried about them getting lost, and cleaned.  The invisalign website I went on said you're supposed to clean the trays and brush your teeth every time you take them out, but I have trouble imagining him making it to the bathroom to brush after every meal, snack, instrument practice, etc . . . during a busy school day. Do people just ignore that guidance?  

Also, if your kid plays a sport where they wear a mouth guard, how does that work?  Does it come out for that too?

No real advice about invisalign.  I just got a night guard made by my dentist that looks like invisalign.  They told me that they don't want people to brush it because it scratches it.  They said just soap and water was the best way to clean it.

Edited July 9, 2021 by mommyoffive

[Drama Llama]

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Edited October 27, 2021 by Nothingtoseehere

[Amy in NH]

My oldest had regular braces, and my two youngest now have Invisalign.  It is much easier to fully clean teeth with Invisalign.

My kids only brush/clean their Invisalign before bed and first thing in the morning.  They rinse their mouths with water after meals and it's fine.  They're only wearing each tray for 10-14 days, so it doesn't have time to get nasty in that amount of time with 2x/day cleaning.

It's not a big deal to take it out during sports - it really won't set them back if they're wearing it the rest of the time (except meals).

Remembering to change to the next tray is a bigger challenge.  I had them set an event w/ alarm on their calendars at 2 week intervals so they don't forget.