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In preparation for making an orthodontist appointment, I've been researching braces and Invisalign.
I also looked into the Smile Direct club, which seems like Invisalign, but without an in-person orthodontist overseeing your treatment. From some things I read & watched, it may be more likely to result in problems with your bite. Something I hadn't realized before was that to give crowded teeth more room, they may be pushed outwards as part of the treatment. But if you push your upper teeth outwards, for instance, you may also need to push your lower teeth outwards too, depending on how good or not-so-good your bite was to begin with.
At first, Invisalign sounded like the obvious choice. I don't want anything glued to my teeth. I don't want metal and wires in my mouth*. I want to be able to floss my teeth like normal. And it sounds like Invisalign generally takes half the time to correct teeth as braces do. Plus, you don't need to have appointments as often, etc.
*I had my teeth wired shut once for about 6 weeks, for a fractured jaw to heal. It was awful. But most of the awfulness was in how it pressed my teeth together so tightly, and in not being able to brush the insides of my teeth. The wires were probably unpleasant, but that's not the part I remember.
With Invisalign, every time after you eat, you're supposed to brush your teeth and the aligners. At first, that seemed like a minor thing. But the more I think about it, the harder it sounds. I'm used to eating whenever I want, and I snack a lot in the evenings. Having to remove the aligners, brush my teeth and the aligners, and put the aligners in each time would be a hassle. And having toothpaste aftertaste in my mouth each time... meh. Some people say it made them eat less, and they lost weight. I don't need to lose weight though, and I worry about being hungry and not being able to fall asleep.
Secondly, I'm not sure I'd like the feeling of the plastic aligners against my tongue. With braces, the metal would at least only be on the outside of my teeth, so shouldn't bother me as much. My mouth should feel normal from the inside.
With Invisalign, sometimes they have to put "attachments" on the teeth, which may be as bad or worse than the glue of metal braces. I doubt I would need that, but until I speak to some orthodontists, I won't know.
So now I'm leaning towards metal braces possibly being the better option.
I also looked into the Smile Direct club, which seems like Invisalign, but without an in-person orthodontist overseeing your treatment. From some things I read & watched, it may be more likely to result in problems with your bite. Something I hadn't realized before was that to give crowded teeth more room, they may be pushed outwards as part of the treatment. But if you push your upper teeth outwards, for instance, you may also need to push your lower teeth outwards too, depending on how good or not-so-good your bite was to begin with.
At first, Invisalign sounded like the obvious choice. I don't want anything glued to my teeth. I don't want metal and wires in my mouth*. I want to be able to floss my teeth like normal. And it sounds like Invisalign generally takes half the time to correct teeth as braces do. Plus, you don't need to have appointments as often, etc.
*I had my teeth wired shut once for about 6 weeks, for a fractured jaw to heal. It was awful. But most of the awfulness was in how it pressed my teeth together so tightly, and in not being able to brush the insides of my teeth. The wires were probably unpleasant, but that's not the part I remember.
With Invisalign, every time after you eat, you're supposed to brush your teeth and the aligners. At first, that seemed like a minor thing. But the more I think about it, the harder it sounds. I'm used to eating whenever I want, and I snack a lot in the evenings. Having to remove the aligners, brush my teeth and the aligners, and put the aligners in each time would be a hassle. And having toothpaste aftertaste in my mouth each time... meh. Some people say it made them eat less, and they lost weight. I don't need to lose weight though, and I worry about being hungry and not being able to fall asleep.
Secondly, I'm not sure I'd like the feeling of the plastic aligners against my tongue. With braces, the metal would at least only be on the outside of my teeth, so shouldn't bother me as much. My mouth should feel normal from the inside.
With Invisalign, sometimes they have to put "attachments" on the teeth, which may be as bad or worse than the glue of metal braces. I doubt I would need that, but until I speak to some orthodontists, I won't know.
So now I'm leaning towards metal braces possibly being the better option.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-02 07:01 am (UTC)From:So until your orthodontist takes all the...casts and films, I think it's called...it's probably hard to say what making room for your teeth to sit correctly might require.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-02 07:51 am (UTC)From:I mentioned it before, but I think only one tooth of mine has a significant problem; it didn't have enough space so it got pushed inwards and has a crossbite. Ie., it's a top incisor but goes behind the bottom teeth instead of in front. I'm hoping it won't be difficult to fix, and that I can get by with basic braces (or Invisalign) without needing any of the more scary (or horribly uncomfortable / inconvenient) sounding things I read about.