What It Is Really Like To Have Invisalign Treatment as An Adult

As a child with crooked teeth, perhaps you were a little self-conscious throughout your school years. Perhaps because of the cost, or the inconvenience, you just didn’t get your teeth straightened.

Maybe you had braces as a child (like the gentleman below), but stopped wearing a retainer.

Now you’re an adult, with a bit of disposable income, or maybe Dr. Mike at Inside the Smile has noticed some issues with your bite, you’ve finally made the decision to get those pearly whites in order. But…you really don’t want the hassle of those metal brackets and wires.

So what’s it like to wear these invisible braces in the adult world of corporate meetings and parent-teacher conferences?

Meet Steven, your average male who like yourself made the choice to get his teeth fixed. Let’s hear from him in his own words.

A few years ago, I remember how insecure I felt whenever I smiled. My misaligned teeth had bothered me for a while but one day, the girl I was dating asked me why one tooth of mine was higher than all the others.

My cheeks turned red as a tomato. (it wasn’t because of the cold Chicago air!) The true reason why that one tooth was higher than the others is that I didn’t wear my retainer after I get my braces off when I was a teen. I told her that and tried to mask my immense embarrassment. From that point on, my insecurity about my smile was greatly intensified.

I enjoy smiling at people and being friendly, but I found myself doing it less and less. Even in those rare moments when I did smile, I would keep it small and subtle to avoid showing too much. I knew that straighter teeth would boost my confidence and killing any insecurities that I might have.

 

Metal Braces – not for ME!

There was no way in hell that I’d ever wear metal braces again. It was settled, I’d be stuck with an embarrassing mouth for the rest of my life — or so I thought. One day, I read an article about Invisalign. The article was targeting teens more than adults, but I wanted to see if they had anything more suitable for my age (27) as well.

I thought to myself “it’s impossible that a successful company like Invisalign would limit their product to the teen market.” Surely enough, I was right. Invisalign not only offered treatment options for adults, they also guaranteed equally good results.

 

Invisalign – a long but worthwhile journey

I started Invisalign treatment and now, two years later, it’s nothing more than a distant memory; a completed goal that I’ll be reminded of whenever I look in the mirror. I wanted to write this article so that people would know what it’s really like to undergo Invisalign treatment when you’re an adult.

I decided that this was the right time since I’m getting close to 30, once I hit that point, my ancient mind will struggle to remember the fine details of my experience. Invisalign is the perfect choice for adults because you can take them off if you need to and then just put them back in later on.

 

Meetings with Clients and Eating Lunch

This may not seem all that significant, but you’ll appreciate the choice of taking them off when you secretary calls to inform you that you have an important meeting with a client… OVER LUNCH.

You can take your aligners off before the meeting, brush your teeth after lunch, then put them back on. Refrain from taking them off during the meeting as dripping saliva is quite the appetite killer.

 

Business Travel

If you tend to travel with your job, it can be a bit of a hassle making it to see Dr. Mike on a regular basis. That’s where Invisalign comes to your aid. Since you receive sets of aligners over a period of time, you can order your next set, and begin to wear them wherever you might be. We have also written a blog post from an Invisalign patient who needed to travel with her kids while keeping up with their orthodontic treatment.

 

(Almost) Invisible

Unless somebody takes a really good look at your mouth, no one will ever notice the near-invisible aligners. My experience with Invisalign isn’t one that I’d call painful.

After going through the hell that is metal braces, my mouth had become desensitized to foreign objects that get too close for comfort. There was some annoyance during the first few weeks while my teeth adjusted to the idea of wearing an aligner.

I ended up switching retainers at night time so that I would be asleep during the transition period and wake up feeling well-adjusted. I hope my story helped and motivated you to take that leap towards the perfect smile. Happy brushing!

 

Calling Adults in Cook County

As you heard from Steven, it’s never too late to take care of that irregular smile. You don’t have to worry or be embarrassed any longer. Dr. Mike and his Oak Lawn dental team at Inside the Smile frequently see adults for orthodontic treatment. It’s no longer a social drag to get those teeth straightened when you have the Invisalign option right here in Oak Lawn.

 

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Traveling with Invisalign

When you leave the comfort of your own home, travel to another city or even another country, Dr. Mike’s Oak Lawn dental clinic won’t be so convenient any longer. You probably won’t think of these things before you leave, so we asked a mom of an Invisalign wearer for some tips when travelling.

In her words “Today, I want to share a different part of our experience, the goal to get straighter teeth while traveling. The things that we learned in our experience can help anyone else who has a crazy schedule that’s filled to the brim with activities and vacations/business trips.”

The Pain of Traditional Braces

When my other daughter, Maggie, was using traditional braces, she would avoid smiling because she was ashamed of all the metal on her mouth. The amount of time we had to spend at the dentist was also very annoying.

The worst part was the fact that her treatment time would be extended each time we would miss an adjustment appointment because we were out of town.

 

Teenage Girls and Braces

Keeping your braces on longer than you thought can be very upsetting for anyone; this is especially true for teenagers. I was really happy when Ashley decided to go for Invisalign. It would allow her to straighten her teeth without having to go to the dentist as often as Maggie had to.

We would be able to continue traveling just like we had scheduled and we wouldn’t have to stay in town for extended periods of time just to go to all the dentist appointments on time. What we quickly found out was that Invisalign treatment could give Ashley the perfect smile that she always wanted without infringing on the freedom to live our lives to the fullest.

 

Multiple Aligner Sets Means Fewer Dentist Visits

You’ll get multiple aligners throughout the treatment period. You’ll get a batch during each visit so that you can switch aligners at home rather than having to go to the dentist every time you need a new one.

Traditional brace adjustments need to be performed by the dentist in his office which is far more time-consuming. That adjust-it-yourself system made it possible for us to gradually straighten Ashley’s teeth while traveling to countries like Mexico, Jamaica, and even the island state of Hawaii.

Even families who don’t travel as often as us will appreciate the self-adjustment capabilities of Invisalign. Not having to miss school or sports practice to meet the dentist every week is a big plus.

I myself used traditional braces to straighten my teeth as a kid. Now, as an adult, I tried Invisalign out for myself — having seen the great work it did with Ashley — and I can say for certain that it’s far less painful than traditional braces are.

 

Fast(er) Results Even When Traveling

Invisalign is even twice as fast as it used to be which allows us to switch aligners weekly as opposed to bi-weekly. As a parent who went through the hell of traditional braces all those years ago and now using Invisalign, I can tell you that Invisalign is the CLEAR choice (get it?)

Teens today have more choices than ever when it comes to straightening their teeth.

Just a few decades ago, metal braces were practically a rite of passage into adulthood. Now there’s an easier option that doesn’t force discomfort and embarrassment on our kids by placing metal contraptions in their mouth.

If you’re worried about cost, don’t be, Invisalign prices are comparable to that of traditional braces. Don’t let your kid miss out on the virtue of a perfect smile, but don’t put her through an iron hell either, just contact the friendly dental team at Inside the Smile. You’ll have that perfect smile in no time.

There are a couple of things about the treatment experience you may not realize, so we gathered a few tips that have been relayed by real-life patients.

 

Straightening Your Teeth While Traveling on Vacation Outside of Chicago

If you’re planning on taking trips away from home, and you’re concerned about missing your orthodontic checkup and adjustment, Invisalign may be what you need. Get in touch with our local Oak Lawn dentist for more. As you heard from this mom of two teenage girls, carrying around an extra set of aligners means you can keep your smile on schedule!

 

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Experiences from an Adult Invisalign Patient

When you make the decision to opt for those invisible braces called Invisalign, it’s all plain sailing…right? It usually is, but you might run into some situations you could never anticipate. While Oak Lawn dentist Dr. Smith and his staff will give you all the direction and advice needed, there’s always a few unexpected experiences along the way. The following is an actual story from a patient who went through an Invisalign procedure.

Crooked Teeth – An Alternative to Ugly Metal Braces

Whenever I see someone open their mouth only to reveal a set of perfectly straight teeth, I can’t help but feel envy for their good fortune and feel sorry for myself because my teeth are more crooked than a corrupt politician.

This year, my dentist told me about a new treatment; an alternative to “ugly” metal braces, and one that I wouldn’t feel ashamed to use as an adult.

Invisalign, he told me, could straighten my teeth and correct my bite without having to go through surgery or wear eyesore braces. Invisalign moves teeth using custom aligners that are made from clear plastic.

This makes them more inconspicuous in comparison to braces. I immediately agreed to treatment, but looking back, I feel like I should have done more research first. While I’m only a month into the program, and rather happy with the results thus far, I’d like to share some things I wish I knew before jumping in head first.

 

More Attachments

Newer Invisalign procedures might include attachments (or enamel-colored ridges) that stick to your teeth like the brackets of braces. These attachments are fitted to the aligner to help them move teeth more efficiently.

When you’re not wearing your aligners, the attachments are barely visible, but when you do have your aligners in, it looks like you’re wearing a set of clear braces. My dentist told me from the getgo that I’d have two attachments, but I ended up getting a total of 20.

 

Losing Weight During Orthodontic Treatment

Due to the fact that you have to wear the aligners for 22 hours every day, you only have two hours each day to eat your meals. Of course, you could just take the aligners off whenever you feel hungry, but prying them off your teeth can be a hassle for a quick snack…especially when you’re on the go or traveling.

I tried eating super large meals during my daily two-hour eating periods but that still left me hungry most of the time. I lost weight during the first month but was able to return to my normal weight by adding protein smoothies to my diet.

 

Kissing is Awkward

Guess who’s back in high school. Yes, it’s true, trying to kiss with Invisalign is like learning to kiss all over again.

Some people online have said that Invisalign killed the romance in their relationship, but those claims are likely just trolls looking for a reaction or broken-hearted human beans (yes, I said beans instead of beings, hilarious) who are exaggerated the role that Invisalign played in their breakups to help themselves cope.

Try to make out during your eating periods though, just to be safe.

 

Closing Thoughts

While there are certainly some unexpected drawbacks to using Invisalign, I’m determined to see the treatment through. I’ve already seen a difference in my bite. The biggest being the fact that I can now chew using six molars.

My teeth definitely look straighter than they were when I first started treatment. My self-conscious views about my teeth are all but gone and I now give wide smiles, like, very wide smiles, maybe even creepy wide smiles.

While it’s certainly a struggle, it’s comforting to know that I’ve finally taken measures to reach the perfect teeth that I dreamed of having for as long as I can remember. With the results I’m getting, all the effort is worth it, and I don’t care if I have to sacrifice for a few more years, I’m definitely gonna complete the program.

 

Invisalign – the Traditional Braces Alternative in Oak Lawn

Well there you have it – a few unexpected experiences from an adult patient. Probably the biggest issue Dr. Mike sees with his Invisalign patients is the commitment to wearing the aligners for 22 hours a day. Yes, it’s a bit inconvenient, but you’ll get used to it. Request an appointment and visit our Oak Lawn dentist office if you want to opt for Invisalign usage.

 

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