Smile, You're On Camera

I had braces as a kid. For years, it seemed. And when they came off, did I wear my headgear and retainer as directed? No, I did not. And, over the decades, my teeth have crowded forward, making my smile irregular and to me, not very attractive. My teeth are not as bad as they were before orthodontic treatment, but they have tried to return to where they were.

For several years, I have considered going back to an orthodontist and having my teeth straightened again. But other things were prioritized and it never happened. Until this year. 

I have embarked on a teeth-straightening journey with clear teeth aligners. The brand that is probably most well-known is "Invisalign". My dentist prefers a brand called "Clear Correct", which is what I am using. I got my first "trays" today. The "trays" are the plastic molds that you fit over your crooked teeth. You are to wear them 22 hours per day. No, that is not a typo. 22 hours a day. You only take them off to eat and brush and floss. That is it. Every two weeks you get a new set of trays that move your teeth a teeny bit more toward the final goal.

My program is supposed to last 10 months, so that's a lot of hours wearing those things on my teeth. Supposedly my case is straightforward and should proceed well. As a bonus, I fully expect to lose weight on the Clear Correct Diet, since it is such a pain to take the darn things off to eat, then clean your teeth again and return the trays to your mouth. I will probably be tempted to skip meals just to avoid the fuss of cleaning my teeth and the apparatus afterward.

I am super excited to see some results. Have any of you had clear aligners to straighten your teeth? I'd love to know your story. Was it successful? What was hard about the journey? Please share in the comments!

 

Comments

[Mary]

I have two daughters who have gone this route, and they seem happy with the results. The first one to try these told her sister that the trays come off easier over time; I hope that works for you as well. Best of luck with this; I'm sure your smile was beautiful, and you were the only one who noticed.

[Patty]

I am 9 months into using the clear teeth straighteners called Sure Smile. It is the same regimen as yours, wearing them all day except for eating. I (and my dentist, who I see every 6 weeks for a check) have seen quite a bit of progress in moving my teeth. I have about 4 months to go. I take the trays out in the morning, while I get showered/dressed and through breakfast and then back in, they go. You are allowed to drink during the day if using a straw. When the trays are new, they are tight and sometimes somewhat difficult to pop out in the morning. Over the course of the two weeks, they become easier. At times, they can make my teeth a bit achey…I usually change my trays right before bedtime. Let me know if you have any “real wearer” questions.

[Patty]

Oops…and I should have mentioned.. I am 67 years old and never wore braces previously..

[Jan]

I had braces & headgear at the same time when I was a kid in the '60's. I had a retainer afterwards that I'm not sure whether I wore very often or not...probably not. But, for whatever reason, my teeth have pretty much remained straight. If not, I'm thinking this 'modern' method would have been on my to-do list, too!

[Kathy Czuprynski]

I started with my “trays” in December. The first 2 weeks were very painful but I used a medicated mouthwash. Mine get changed every week. I might be half way through. It gets easier to remove them as the week goes on. Quite the pain as I had braces for over 8 years as a kid. I also put the new ones in before bed. I can tell that the teeth have moved quite a bit.

[Annie Olson]

I wore braces for all my jr high and high school years, and a retainer for years after. I’ve had some shifting over time. My doctor boss had very crooked teeth and finally did Invisalign in his late 60s. He called them his InvisaGrill😛

[JackiesStitches]

My son went with the trays too. His outcome has been great, however, he had to wear the trays far longer than what was originally communicated even though he was compliant.

[Ina]

ugh. I had braces as a kid. I remember so clearly how much it hurt after each tightening session. also, sleeping with the neck gear hurt. a lot.

hopefully, this adventure will not be painful like braces. do they even put braces on kids anymore?

[Bridget]

My kids are going the metal brace method but one has significantly more orthodontics than the other. On the last visit the orthodontist showed me told me she is wearing Invisalign because her teeth moved over time...and in her business she needs straight teeth! lol

[Christy Johnson]

I, too, had braces twice and while I used my retainers periodically, they’ve moved and I’m getting my first trays next week. Mine will last 10 months as well. I never thought I’d do orthodontics in my mid 50’s but here I am. I can’t wait to hear how you adjust to them.

[Suzanne]

I didn't have braces as a kid but needed them after my wisdom teeth caused some movement shortly after college. So, I had Invisalign in 2001-02, pretty much when they first came out. They were great! They definitely cut down on snacking, as you've already guessed. It took 9 months, and my teeth were perfect. In fact, I still wear the retainers every night and so my teeth still look exactly the same as they did 21 years ago when I finished my course of treatment :)

[Dawn]

Nicole, you will be so glad you did this! I got Invisalign braces in 2020 shortly after my 70th birthday. Eight months later my teeth were straight and my overbite corrected. I wear my maintenance trays almost every single night to keep my teeth from going back to the way they were.

I have to say I was never able to go the 22-hour route. I averaged 16-20 hours a day. I told my dentist my two hours in the morning of drinking coffee while reading the papers and catching up on my email, blogs, and Instagram were sacrosanct.

[Maureen]

At the age of 80 I decided that I really needed to have my teeth straightened as food was getting caught in my crooked teeth. My teeth had moved forward with time and were starting to overlap each other. The dentist suggested that we use Invisalign. What an improvement! I've never had such straight and aligned teeth in my life. All of the brushing and cleaning has been worth all of the effort. I now wear retainers to ensure that the teeth do not move back into their former positions. You will be so happy with the results.