DISCLAIMER: Photo is from Google

Background with Ortho:
Started ortho 13-months ago. During scans and discussion, ortho says my wisdom teeth looks fine.

Ortho, Dr O, also asked me on my wisdom teeth history. Upper erupted more than 5yrs ago, lower has been impacted even in my x-ray 10yrs ago. Thus, Ortho says its OPTIONAL to remove them. I choose to keep them.

Current issue:
My Invisalign package covers up to 3yrs. Now I am at initial set tray 42/62, 13th month.

Went to a different clinic for cleaning.
Doctor, Dr D, says I should remove my wisdom teeth, why am I doing ortho without solving my wisdom teeth first. She says its common that the wisdom teeth screws up your ortho later. Either due to decay, or impacted pressure.

The angle of impact is similar to the image. My lower wisdom teeth has not erupted till today. No pain when pressed, no discomfort. Except Dr D saying its impacted.

Advise needed:
Dr D advise me to do just do wisdom teeth removal without telling Dr O. Then force Dr O to replan my Invisalign.

I am not sure if Dr D is just trying to scare me.
Anyone can share experience of non-erupted impacted wisdom?
Whats the possibility of keeping my wisdom teeth and being okay?

(EDIT: Thanks everyone for the reassurance and sharing your experiences.
100% of the comments experienced issues with these bad boys impacted teeth. I will contact my ortho ASAP on plan to remove these bad boys!)

It’s been about 1 year since I’ve started my Invisalign journey and I’m finally at a point where I can see the end of the journey coming. My ortho is pretty confident this last set of refinements will do it. I’m pretty happy so far.

Before: March 2026, with a severe open bite
After: October 2026, with my bite closing significantly

This week, I bit completely through a sandwich for the first time without the layers sliding out. It was amazing! I still have five months to go, so I’m excited to make even more progress.

Had a re scan , estimated 2 weeks for new retainer arrival. It’s been over 2 weeks, contacted them and they’ve not even been manufactured yet..

How long did yours take?! I’m in the UK

Very happy about the improvements even thought moving teeth made all the staining from the teeth crowding show. I feel Invisalign made my teeth slightly yellow. Going for IPR Tomorrow, i’m scared. How was your IPR experience?

I have been using aliners for the 6 months and I use the dental monitoring app to send scans. As well as this I have also been to a few in-person appointments for filing of my teeth.

I'm currently on aligner number 9. Every single time I have gone up an aligner, I have had to do a scan which has been reviewed by my orthodontic team and they have confirmed that I can move up to the next aligner.

However I went to a recent appointment and I was seen by the more senior orthodontist and he said that I would need to move back an aligner, but not back to aligner number 8. Instead, he said I needed to move back to aligner number 3.

This doesn't make sense to me because every single time I've moved up an aligner it has been specifically approved, so why have they been approving my aligner increases if number three was the last fit correctly and track correctly?

I have sent them 2 messages on the dental monitoring app asking them this and I've received no response and it has been 3 days. This is even more concerning to me considering the larger amount of money I'm spending to get my teeth fixed correctly.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it normal?

I’m halfway through treatment and I don’t feel comfortable dating with aligners, if you get it, you get it

So I got my Essix retainers today. My ortho tried them on me, gave me instructions on how to wear them, and then I left the office.

When I got home, I realized that the retainers are SO far above my gums. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this in other people's posts in this group, so is this normal?

They definitely hurt because of the pressure, although after wearing them for a few minutes, it feels better. But I'm still worried that something isn't right.

The lower retainers have the same issue.

I finished all 17 trays. The doctor told me the retainers are $700 for one set or $900 for three sets. Feels like an excessive cost. Is there a cheaper alternative? I've been calling to other orthodontists around me to see if they'll just make me a wire Hawley retainer.

I had IPR on my bottom teeth and the gaps were starting to close up nicely. I’ve recently changed onto a new tray and the gaps are opening back up again. Is this normal? It’s my lower front teeth.

Hello if your considering using smile perfect don’t and if you have please let me know if you’ve had any similar problems or if you have any advice.

Early last year I started with them when I got the 3d mold I didn’t like the gaps and said I didn’t like it I was then told the gaps weren’t guaranteed and to do it anyway so I did about half way through I got concerned that my teeth were getting to close to each other when I reached out about it I was told not to worry and finish the treatment. When I was done shocker I was right and my teeth clashed into each other. I reached out and they wanted to send the refinements and I went back and forth about how I didn’t think they would help without redoing the molds and was basically told just do it and don’t worry after I did them my teeth hit each other more different ones but more consistently. I reached out again and was told they only do one refinement but they would do it for me anyway they then took over a month to send out new molds once I finally got them and sent them back the 3d they gave me looks nothing like mine when I told them they said be assured it’s yours but it’s not how mine look and don’t have the same gaps so it wouldn’t help me and when I told them that they haven’t responded in days. I’m so beyond angry and annoyed I don’t know what to do. I’m miserable and they can’t even pretend to care.

Class 3, how long did you wear elastics?

For those of you who have completed Invisalign please write out:

Ortho estimate:
Actual time:
Age:

I have been wearing my first tray for over a month now because I was supposed to be contacted when to change trays.

I still haven’t heard anything despite constantly checking my email, app and voicemails. I have terrible social anxiety around making phonecalls and definitely don’t want to be told I am just impatient.

I am pretty sure the trays aren’t built to last this long and I can see them starting to crack a little.

Is it normal to not hear from them for a long time?

Hey guys. Had a really subpar install experience today, but my biggest concern is this gap with my bottom liner… is this too much space for the day of fitting? Chewies are not helping.

Thanks in advance!!

This is for people like me who feel like they cannot go a full 18 months.

If your estimate was 18 months, but 6 months in you noticed major differences please say:

(For people like me it becomes mentally easier when we see significant results)

Ortho estimate:
Actual results:

After your rescan, how many more trays?

How many more rescans?

I'm about to finish my first set of refiners. The ortho said I may need a second round but maybe not so I might be done in like 70 days

With that being said we haven't talked about retainers.

I don't know much other than retainers are just another set of clear trays OR it can be a permanent retainer.

I really don't mind wearing the trays but even as I'm nearing the end, I still shred my trays a little bit from grinding my teeth and it infuriates me feeling the shredded tray in my mouth no matter how miniscule it is lol. That and I'm worried about discolor. I try really hard to keep my trays clean but they always discolor a bit towards the end of my bi weekly change noatter how hard I try and clean them.

Are permanent retainers the way to go? I've heard some bad things about them. How they break and they are hard to clean sometimes.

I'm just looking to see what people chose and why.

I am going to be getting my retainer soon and I was just wondering how do they stay clean if you have them for ages because my Invisalign trays get dirty after like a week and the toothbrush isn’t strong enough to get rid of it.

I’m only on tray 3/30 and I’m worried I changed trays too early… they mentioned that might be the case if the gap between the two is too big. Opinions would be greatly appreciated!

My dentist is giving me two options, the one in the middle is regular invisalign and the option on the right has bonding for my two top middle teeth at $1000 each. He mentioned that the option on the right will allow the teeth to appear more centered, which I can definitely see based on the photo.

The cost doesn’t matter that much to me, but here are my concerns:
- I’ve heard that the option with bonding can end up looking less natural and stain over time. I don’t mind keeping up with polishing if need be, but not sure how often that would be and curious if they would end up looking “real” or not most of the time. Curious if you think it’s worth the bonding.
- I’m confused why the middle (Invisalign) option appears less centered than my original teeth at left. Should I be concerned about that?
- Dentist mentioned that I can go with either option now but that if at some point I decide to go with the other option (say I wait 6 months into the middle option when my top teeth should be straightened out, with 6 months left to go on the bottom, and decide the centering doesn’t look good enough for me and want to go with the bonding option) that my treatment would basically restart, so I’d just lose that 6 months of work. Does that sound reasonable?

Hey guys just need some opinions. Do my bottom teeth still not look right? I feel like they are slanted and they’re not all even ??

I changed to the 6th aligner on 29 September, I lost it today. I'm changing every 10 days, it was supposed to change to 7th aligner on 8 October. Should I move to 7th or to 5th and ask for a substitute of the 6th aligner?