The downside of Invisalign
October 27th, 2007
Invisalign, which offers a series of removable trays to align the teeth, has become a widely popular alternative to traditional braces. Invisalign trays are nearly impossible to detect, making them especially popular among adults who don’t want the adolescent look of braces. Rather than being cemented to your teeth like traditional braces, they can be removed entirely when eating or brushing your teeth, so you no longer have to worry about abstaining from certain foods or not being able to floss properly. While Invisalign offers considerable benefits, there are negatives as well which should be considered. No one told me about these reasons to not get Invisalign. I offer them now so that other people can make more informed decisions:
- Although it is easier to brush and floss, any bacteria not removed from your teeth and gums will spend 20 hours a day locked inside the Invisalign tray. Your visits to the dentist may turn up more gum pocketing and plaque build-up than you are used to as a result. There can sometimes be a bad taste and odor from wearing the tray, particularly first thing in the morning.
- Every time you eat, you need to thoroughly clean your teeth and your Invisalign tray before putting it back in your mouth. For frequent snackers (like me), this can be quite a hassle, and may require you to adjust your eating schedule. On the other hand, this can be an added incentive for those trying to break bad eating habits or lose weight.
- You must be very disciplined and organized; leaving your tray out for more than 4 hours per day, even occasionally, will reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. If you often find yourself running to work or school in a hurry after breakfast, and have a tendency to leave things behind, you may want to think twice about Invisalign. Going without it out for an 8-hour workday is not an option. Also, even disciplined patients have a tendency to slack off over time. This will inhibit the effectiveness of Invisalign. Consider the length of your treatment when deciding which method to choose. I consider myself very disciplined but toward the end I got very sloppy. As a result, my last two trays didn’t fit exactly right.
- The treatment process for many people includes “shaving” your teeth down to create more space in your mouth for the teeth to move. This shaving is uncomfortable, but there is no lasting pain from it. If you have fillings in the areas needing to be shaved, the process is significantly more cumbersome and uncomfortable.
- At the end of your treatment your teeth may not be perfectly straight. The orthodontist can do nothing about it except take all new impressions and get a new set of trays, which can add months onto your treatment plan. With traditional braces, the orthodontist can make a quick adjustment to fix any misalignments.
- Although not scientifically studied, some people have complained about allergic reactions to the plastic used in the Invisalign trays. Allergy symptoms complained of include sore throat, cough, nausea, or constant throat clearing which goes away when the tray is removed. I did not experience any problems like this personally.
- Once the treatment phase is over, and you enter into the retainer period, you have to wear the Invisalign tray every night, indefinitely. If you’re already experiencing problems with allergies, gum disease, or tooth decay, this can be a serious issue. You may be able to work with your orthodontist to use a traditional style retainer, instead of the Invisalign tray. I have been wearing my retainer tray now for 2 years and I am completely sick of dealing with it.
Whether to go with traditional braces or Invisalign, will be dependant on your lifestyle, habits, and personality. While there are pros and cons to every option, don’t let that deter you from going forward with orthodontics. If crooked teeth are annoying your or preventing you from smiling and feeling great about yourself, then the benefits of orthodontics will far outweigh the downsides.
Even though the Invisalign braces were a big hassle, I am so happy with the way my teeth look. I smile a whole lot more than I used to and I never cover my teeth anymore.
Have you had positive or negative experiences with Invisalign? I’d love to hear about it!
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October 4th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
So is invisalign vegan approved?
October 5th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Well, I don’t think it’s made out of anything from animals since it’s all some kind of space age plastic, so it gets my “seal of approval.”
April 27th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
so would you rather wear this or proper braces ?
April 27th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
It’s a tough call. The idea of cementing brackets to my teeth is not appealing (I’ve had that done too when I was a teenager). But the trays were a hassle in their own way and I find putting that tray over my teeth and gumline all the time is a little gross.
I still have to wear it every night forever, which I don’t like. I am concerned that it is harming my gums. I plan to go to an orthodontist and get a traditional retainer just as soon as I can afford it.
If I had to do it over again, I think I would opt for the regular braces. I really do think it’s a tough call. But for me, I’m not convinced the benefits outweigh the negatives.
My teeth aren’t perfectly straight (but they do look great and I’m the only one who can probably tell) – I could have gotten another set of trays to make my teeth perfect, but I wasn’t willing to wear these trays 20 hours/day for another 8-12 weeks. I believe they do more harm to your teeth and gums than the orthodontists let on. But regular braces do too, so it’s not like either one is a way better solution than the other.
Again, I don’t regret having my teeth straightened at all. I am much happier now.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Thanks for your blog. I have a question for you on the way that you found your trays to fit. I’m on my 3rd set (5th-6th week) of trays, and I’m finding that they are pushing into my gumline, leaving VERY noticeable indentations and marks. I’m even noticing that, in some places, it seems to be pushing my gumline *back,* ever-so-slightly (the edge of the tray is jammed up against the gumline). I’m not sure if this is “normal” or not. I didn’t notice this with the first set of trays, which my orthodontist examined and said looked fine. I just started noticing it wiht my 2nd set of trays, and I’m starting to wonder if this is the way it’s supposed to be. Did you have the same experience? Thanks.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Judes – I didn’t have that issue. It sounds like a problem. I’d talk to the orthodontist about it. I hope he can do something for you.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:06 am
I just started this treatment like 2 weeks ago and I have to say a couple of things:
1. The aligners are not completely invisible. In fact, if I smile everyone could see I have something over my teeth, especially since the edge of the tray is clearly visible. Also the attachments – small points of cement fixed on the teeth – are visible too.
2. I never remove the retainers while I’m eating. I can eat almost everything without any discomfort at all, as long as the food is not excessively hard to bite on or very hot. The trays are extremely resistant for this, no issue whatsoever. After every meal, or every soft drink, a walk to the restroom to clean the plastics and wash my mouth. I’ve noticed that I can’t properly eat any food anymore without the trays, since the teeth are not properly aligned and have shifted.
3. I’m only worried about one think : would the upper teeth be properly aligned with the lower teeth at the end of the treatment ? This is critical for proper mastication.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Radu,
Thanks for the feedback.
As for your question (#3), that is something that your orthodontist should have kept in mind from the beginning of your treatment and most likely did. I know mine did. You could ask your orthodontist to make extra sure, if you are concerned.
July 14th, 2009 at 3:50 am
[...] (there are many positive aspects to invisalign) so I wrote them out a while back. In case it helps: http://www.vegangirl.com/the-downside-of-invisalign.htmlReferences [...]
September 21st, 2009 at 6:51 am
[...] (there are many positive aspects to invisalign) so I wrote them out a while back. In case it helps: http://vegangirl.com/the-downside-of-invisalign.htmlReferences [...]
December 11th, 2009 at 7:50 am
I am on my 5th set of trays. I am 50 and have three crowns on back molars. On the third set of trays one of the molars abcessed requiring extraction. After two weeks of recovery, I had to restart the process. Evidently this could have been averted had better xrays of back teeth been obtained prior to treatment. I mention this as many “more mature” patients opt for invisalign and this was not discussed as a potential problem when I was making my decision to use Invisalign. (It does stand to reason that if you have a root canal that is twenty years old it may not want to be moved) Does require frrequent cleaning, which you should be practicing already. It has cut down on the snacking, too much trouble to clean, so that is a plus. When time to change trays, I start at night with a dose of Advil on board and it seems to make the transition to the new tray easier. Overall, I am pleased with the Invisalign and am pleased with the changes I see.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:11 am
One day after using invisalign my throat started hurting and the next day it seemed like all my tastbuds tripled in size. It felt like my tongue had a hundred tiny paper cuts. I took the tray out for two days and the symptoms went away. I think that having plastic in my mouth can’t be all that healthy, especially with what is coming out about the dangers of plastic leaching into drinks from supposedly safe bottles. I am 30 so I didn’t want braces and my dentist really pushed the invisalign but looking back I would have done braces in the back of my teeth.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Thanks for sharing Legacy Leader. I had a problem recently after getting a crown replaced. My retainer tray no longer fit over my teeth at all. My dentist tried adjusting it a few times but it never fit. I had to find a new orthodontist (because I’ve moved across the country) and get a new one made. I wish I had known this in advance – I would have set up an appointment ahead of time. As it was, I went almost 3 weeks with a retainer that fit poorly.
Daniel, I did not have this problem but have seen frequent references to it from others who have had invisalign. Sounds like an allergy. I’m sure you’re right that having plastic in your mouth is probably at least somewhat toxic to everyone, but some people respond noticeably to it. On the other hand, the plastic used for invisalign is much higher quality than what they use for drink bottles and food containers.
January 6th, 2010 at 2:35 am
I am on my third week of treatment and just switched to my second tray last night. When I placed my second tray in the edges on the inside of the trays in the back of my mouth were cutting me. This didn’t happen with my first tray. Anyway, I molded the pieces myself and they seem to be fine now. I did not experience any pain or migraines with the switch last night.
I love the fact that I can take them out to eat. I am not a snacker or big eater to begin with so it’s not a problem for me to keep them in about 23 hours a day.
I do have a problem with my one button. It’s longer and shaped differently then the bottom one. When my tray is out it hits my gum line and tickles me! I can’t stand it. LOL
I have a 15 month treatment plan and I am hoping my teeth are as straight as the computer showed me. I can hardly wait to see the end result and really hope I made the right decision going with Invisalign.
January 30th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
I started my treatment on Monday (25th Jan). I found that I had slight discomfort about 4hours after first having the attachments and aligners fitted. After that period, which lasted for around 4more hours, I didn’t really have any more pain. Once I had slept on it and got to Tuesday morning, the pain was gone and I was used to wearing the aligners. On Tuesday when I went to have my breakfast, I took the aligners out and started to eat. It felt weird at first when eating but I became used to it.
Its now Saturday and I feel no pain what so ever. I have to have around 35 aligners on both top and bottom. I do feel slightly de-motived having to have all those aligners and take up to 17months of my life up, but I guess its worth it in the long run.
I cannot wait for a year to pass, as by then my teeth with be straight. The extra 5months is for tightening the teeth and finishing them off.
Just a quick question, once I finish the treatment and have the retainer in, do I have to have that in for the rest of my life, or just for a set period of time?
January 30th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Tom – I was told to wear my retainer (final aligner) every night for the rest of my life. I wish I had been told that at the beginning, but oh well. As you get older, your teeth tend to get more crowded, so if you stop wearing your retainer, your teeth will not stay straight.
I actually still have a retainer wire that is bonded to the back of my lower teeth from when I had braces as a teenager. My orthodontist at that time (a different one) told me the same thing – that I should keep the wire for as long as I can stand it.
However, I recently moved and had to get a new retainer made by a new orthodontist who also does invisalign after a new crown caused my old one to not fit anymore. He told me that I do NOT have to wear it every night. He said that since I’d been wearing it for 2 years now that I could try switching to once every 3 nights. He said that if I put it in and it feels tight, as though my teeth have moved, that I could wear it more frequently.
Recently I have been trying to wear it for the 4 hours or so between when I eat dinner and when I go to bed, rather than at night. If it feels really tight, I leave it in when I sleep. It seems to be working out well.
February 1st, 2010 at 2:02 am
I just put my second invisalign tray of 20 in tonight – I’m excited about this process! Vegangirl, I’m wondering if you had an experience with the tray not seating all the way over your teeth initially and having to gnaw on an ‘aligner chewie’? I have a small gap between aligner and tooth at one of my front teeth with both the first and second trays. I chewed that chewie like crazy with the first tray but the gap never went away. With this second tray, when I chew the chewie, I feel the edge of the aligner digging into my gums a little bit. Maybe the gap is supposed to be there.
Any experience with gaps? Thanks!
February 1st, 2010 at 7:18 am
Very interesting Sara. I did not have that issue and was unaware of “aligner chewies”! Makes it sound sort of fun. My trays fit quite well over my teeth except for the last couple, which were off – I think because I got sloppy during one and didn’t wear it like I was supposed to.
Hopefully if someone reading this has had a similar experience they will share it with us.
March 19th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
I am on my third set. No problems. A little sore this time. My question…has anyone else started chewing on them all the time? I have a nervous twitch anyway, always have to be moving, but I find myself chewing on them constantly. Is that bad for them?
April 8th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Hey There,
I am on my 3rd set of rays ( out of 30 ) and I seem to constantly notice them in my mouth! I seem to bit down on them a fair bit and rub my teeth together. It’s like I need to! LOL.. I wonder if it’s because “unconsciously” the teeth fee like they need to be in a different place through the pressure of the aligners so the we chew to help them move quicker. My first and second sets seemed to move my teeth quite quickly. i.e became loose after only a few days. It has been nearly a week with this one and it is still tight and it didn;t seem to fit as tight as the first two when I put it on. I have noticed results already.. and love it
BUT I must say, they do annoy me a little as I am fairly aware that they are there! I hate the morning with them.. They taste yuk and the first thing I need to do is spit out the gunk. I suffer from peridontal disease and thought this may have been a problem, but it seems to improve my gums as I have to brush/flosh and mouthwash after every meal. My teeth overall look and feel so much better! I just can;t wait until the process is finished and I can finally get my three veneers and my teeth whitened 
)) ( Have been suffering with three front fillings and bucked teeth since I was 8 years old! I am now 35 years old and SOOOO excited! I do hope it turns out like the clincheck.. They looked FANTASTIC! As for traditional braces, what I have read, invisalign is for me, less pain, no teeth removed, gentler teeth moving, out to eat!!! LOVE IT!!!
April 9th, 2010 at 6:14 am
Hi Leish,
Congratulations on getting your teeth straightened! I know I felt sooo much better after getting mine straightened. I never wanted to smile before and now I do all the time.
I tend to bite down on my aligner (now my retainer at night) as well. Not sure what can be done about that. For some reason I feel a compulsive need to make sure it’s in all the way.
As far as the “yuck” in your mouth, that is within your control to some extent. I am guessing that your diet is very mucus-forming. Maybe you eat a lot of processed foods or cheese or gluten? Is your tongue always covered in a white film in the morning?
My diet is pretty clean and healthy and I still suffer from a little bit of that disgusting feeling on my tray in the morning. But it’s definitely improved over the last few years as I’ve gotten the unhealthy foods out of my diet. Mucus-forming diets can also contribute to teeth and gum problems (something else I suffered TERRIBLY from my whole life until recently).
May 23rd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
[...] vegangirl.com » Blog » The downside of Invisalign » [...]
June 2nd, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Hi,
I’m approaching the end of my Invisalign treatment and now considering retention options.
I’ve read about some Invisalign wearers using their final tray/aligner as their retainer. Is this something you did?
Removable Vivera retainers (made by the makers of Invisalign) seem to be the popular choice recommended by most doctors. If wearing your last Invisalign tray as a retainer does the same job its a shame that some orthodontists advise patients to stump up an extra few hundred £$ especially as Vivera’s subscription lasts for only one year then you would need to renew to get a new set of retainers.
Does the fixed/bonded retainer last for years? Have you encountered any problems with them?
p.s. I too wasn’t told about the lifelong commitment for retention – I wonder why? mmm…
June 2nd, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Melissa,
I did use my final tray as my retainer for about 2 years. This was what my orthodontist recommended as far as I remember. At least, he definitely did not try to push some other option.
I had to get a new retainer made when I got a crown replaced and my final tray no longer fit. I got a new retainer made by a new orthodontist (I moved across the country) and I really hate it. I can’t close my teeth properly with it in and I’m sure it’s causing jaw problems, headaches, and everything else. The orthodontist told me that was normal, but I think he just is a lousy orthodontist. I should really go somewhere else and fork out another $250 to get a new one but I haven’t gotten it together to go and do it.
I have had a bonded retainer wire on my bottom teeth for over 20 years and I am soooo glad. My bottom teeth have remained perfectly straight and I’ve had no problems with it, other than a slight hassle with flossing. I haven’t ever heard of getting a retainer wire on the top teeth, but maybe they do that.
My dentist told me that many women have allergy problems with metal in the mouth. Specifically with nickel or with having multiple pieces of metal. He takes a holistic approach to dentistry that most others don’t, which I appreciate but not everyone will. I followed his advice and did not ask my orthodontist about getting second retainer wire for my top teeth.
June 8th, 2010 at 4:04 am
have performed invisalign procedure on many clients the aesthetic qualities are certainly much better than traditional braces.
July 4th, 2010 at 6:28 am
Hi there,
I have written a full account of my Invisalign experience. I am currently in the middle of treatment and actually have 88 lower aligners in total!!! Can you believe it. I think perhaps this is an all time record!
Glad to see that you are thrilled with your final outcome. I am actually already thrilled with my teeth and I still have a long way to go.
great blog
August 18th, 2010 at 9:00 am
I am nearing the end of what must be my 10th order treatment of invisalign. Treatment was supposed to take 9 months for a relatively simple problem and it has been 3 1/2 years now. Because the treatment isn’t in-house they can improve your teeth but they won’t be perfect and infact the teeth I had that were straight invisalign moved them so they were crooked or had gaps inbetween them and then they in return had to be fixed. its been a long frustrating process. Most of my bottom front teeth have small spaces inbetween them now which is frustrating because I wonder why they had to shave them in the first place. Very disappointed with the result. If I had my time over again I’d wear the traditional braces on my lower teeth and leave the top alone. My top teeth had on rotated tooth in the back so thats why they put invisalign on, turns out invisalign cant fix rotated teeth anyway and then invisalign made my front teeth crooked. it took over 2 1/2 years to sort the top out. Bottom line is they can only do so much with invisalign, get the traditional braces and it will take less time in the long wrong and save yourself a lot of unhappiness.