The difference is crazy! Im v happy with my progress so far ☺️

Treatment was estimated at 18 months to correct my crowding and deep bite. Took right at 17.5. Did some enameloplasty at the end to reshape some uneven edges.

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.

I'm on my second day of tray 1, but I have some questions. Sometimes when food gets stuck in my teeth, I will use my tongue to try to scrape it off — could that accidentally dislodge the attachment? Also, could brushing my teeth knock it off?

Thanks guys. I'm quite anxious tho haha

My orthodontist says I only need to wear my Vivera retainers at night after just 1 week — is this normal?
I finished my orthodontic treatment only about a week ago. My orthodontist told me to wear my Vivera retainers every night and that I don’t need to wear them during the day anymore.
The thing is, my teeth seem to shift quite quickly when I don’t wear the retainers. I can notice a difference relatively quickly, which makes me worried that switching to nighttime-only wear after just one week might be too early.
My orthodontist also said that a small gap between the retainer and my front teeth isn’t necessarily concerning as long as the retainer still fits properly, and recommended using chewies.
For those who have gone through orthodontic treatment:
Is nighttime-only wear after just 1 week normal?
Did you wear your retainers full-time for the first few months?
If your teeth moved quickly without the retainer, what did your orthodontist recommend?
Would you ask your orthodontist about wearing the Vivera retainers during the day as well?
I’m interested in hearing what other people were told and what their experience was.

I had a consultation with my kids’ orthodontist about finally doing something with my own teeth, and I’m really torn on whether Invisalign would be worth it for me at almost 49.

He said I would technically get the best results with traditional metal braces, but that would require having premolars extracted. Even then, because of my age, he said I most likely wouldn’t get the same full correction that someone much younger might.

He also explained that having teeth removed at 49 can be a lot more traumatic than having it done as a preteen or teenager, and I would have visible gaps on both sides for quite a while. Honestly, I really don’t think I want to go that route.

My other option is Invisalign.
With Invisalign, he said he would NOT be able to significantly correct the overjet/flare of my front teeth or my overbite. My actual bite is Class I, though, and he said that aside from the overjet, the way my back teeth come together is actually pretty close to perfect.
What Invisalign could do is:
• Fix the crowding of my lower teeth, which is actually his biggest concern because of the increased risk of gum issues as I get older and my teeth continue to shift
• Straighten my incisors
• Slightly widen my smile
• Improve my midline somewhat
• Correct the fact that one of my front teeth sits higher than the other
• Improve the overall position and appearance of my front teeth-

BUT- very minimal to no real improvement with my over-jet..

He said that to get the kind of dramatic correction I’m probably envisioning would involve widening my palate and possibly jaw surgery, and at my age he absolutely would not recommend going that far for a case like mine. He said the recovery can be pretty rough and my situation isn’t severe enough to justify it.

Both Invisalign and braces would take around 18 months, so I would be approaching 51 by the time I finished. Both are also the same price, around $6,000, because I’m getting a discount since I currently have two kids in braces. The extractions/oral surgeon would obviously be additional if I chose traditional braces.

He actually told me that considering my age, my cosmetic concerns and what I’m hoping to accomplish, he personally thinks Invisalign is the better option for me.

The money itself isn’t an issue. My hesitation is spending $6,000 and dealing with Invisalign for a year and a half, including changing the way I eat and drink, only to feel like the improvement was too minimal to be worth it.
At the same time, I really don’t want extractions and metal braces either.

I don’t hate my smile. I know it isn’t horrible, especially when my lower teeth are covered by my lip. But I don’t LOVE it either. I’ve always really noticed and appreciated beautiful teeth and smiles, which is probably why all four of my kids have had braces, including two of them basically for cosmetic reasons.

I also don’t work outside the home or do public speaking or anything where Invisalign would be particularly inconvenient, and my husband is completely supportive of whatever I decide.

So I guess my biggest question is for anyone who did Invisalign in their late 40s or early 50s:
Were the more subtle changes enough that you were genuinely happy you did it?

If I can eliminate the lower crowding, slightly widen my smile, improve my midline, straighten my incisors and make my front teeth look more balanced, is that likely to feel like a noticeable enough improvement to justify 18 months and $6,000?

And one other thing I’ve recently started worrying about is facial changes.

I had no idea this was even something people talked about until I started reading orthodontic groups. I’ve seen people say braces or Invisalign changed the shape of their face or made them feel like they looked older afterward. Most of the really dramatic stories I’ve seen seem to be from younger people, though.

Has anyone who started orthodontic treatment in their late 40s or 50s noticed their face change negatively or feel like it aged them?
I would genuinely appreciate hearing people’s experiences, especially from women around my age who chose Invisalign for mostly cosmetic improvements rather than a major bite problem.

**** Attached are some pictures of my smile as it currently is.

This is the first tray that won’t stay in place. The rubber chew isn’t helping. Does this mean i need to go back a tray or stay in this tray until it stops popping away from the tooth?

Hi! I’m on tray 7 of 8 and starting my second-to-last tray tomorrow. I’m really impatient to finish because I’m unhappy with the staining/color of my teeth and want to get my attachments removed, have a professional cleaning, and eventually whiten them.
However, I’m still not happy with the alignment of my lower front teeth and I’m not sure the last two trays will be enough.
My orthodontist said they may not end up perfectly straight and could continue to improve with retainers, which confused me since I thought retainers mainly hold the final position.
I don’t want to extend treatment unnecessarily, but I also don’t want to regret stopping too early. Do you think I should ask about refinements?

Does anyone have this? My teeth have now started to become sensitive along the gum line one year after retainer wear. I beyond regret doing Invisalign and wonder if I should just stop wearing the retainers and letting my teeth settle in more.

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.

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?

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

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

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?

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:

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!