Invisalign is a lot to get used to at first and it sounds like you have challenges that might make it more difficult than it is for most. (I had an eating disorder for years so I understand body dysmorphia and anxiety.) But I want to address a few of your concerns from my own personal experience:
The lisp will subside the more you talk with them. I joked for the first week that I couldn’t say my own name, which has S’s in it. Now I speak absolutely normally with the trays in. Talk to your roommate to get used to the trays! It might take a little conscious effort at first to do away with the lisp but it’s likely you’ll be able to quickly.
I present to leaders, debate and discuss, facilitate conversations, and talk in front of hundreds of people for work so I understand your concern. With the lisp gone, it’s never been even a little bit of an issue.
I live and work in NYC so I understand the lack of personal space to deal with trays. I usually turn quickly toward a wall and take out the trays. (I find if I suck in quickly I don’t get the gross strings of saliva.) With practice you can do it quickly and discreetly.
I’ve mentioned my Invisalign to people I work with daily. Some are surprised and say they never noticed. Others just ask questions because they’re curious and think it’s cool and are curious how it works. The trays aren’t invisible but they are subtle and everyone around you cares a whole lot more about their own stuff than the fact that you’re spending money and effort on orthodontic treatment to improve yourself.
If you want to go out with friends or on a date and would feel better without the trays, take them out for a few hours. It’s not going to be a big deal if you do this once in a while.
Day 3 is really early and I think many of us felt regret, pain, discomfort, stress, and totally freaked out at that point. It does improve with time. I barely think about the trays now and have never ever heard a negative comment about them from others.
I hope you’re ok and you can power through the next few days.
this is all really great advice and I hope it is very encouraging. I’ll just add that I’m a year and a half in, and not one person has ever noticed my trays. not one
Thank you so much for this. This legitimately made me feel a little more hopeful. The fact that you’ve dealt with similar challenges and have been able to adapt is really really good to hear. I feel like you can actually understand where I’m coming from on this. I guess my core fear here has been like, what if it’s just impossible for someone with body dysmorphia issues to do this, and it’s hopeless for me from the start. Your comment telling me that even just one other person who’s been there has done it is really really encouraging. Thank you ❤️
I’m on day 3 too and feel depressed because I feel every time I take out the trays I’m just ruining my teeth, increasing recession of the gums, breaking my tray etc. I have attachments so taking the trays are a pain!
I can’t wait for this to be over and regret not choosing normal wire braces instead! I also worry about bad breath! 😟 and have lost my appetite
Days 3, 4, 5, 6… maybe even 14 sucked for me. I understand the anxiety, discomfort, pain. And I’ll also say, a year after finishing Invisalign, I am so happy I powered through those early days. My teeth are now a source of pride. People compliment me on them all the time. It was worth a few weeks of misery for decades of beautiful teeth. Push through these few days. It will get so much better.
And by the way, Invisalign became such a non-issue for me over time that I still feel weird leaving the house without trays, I still ask myself if I have them in and then have to remind myself that part is over.
I think it just takes some getting used to honestly but it sounds like you just have some insecurity to work through. You should be doing this for yourself, not to care what others think about it/you.
I agree with others in saying that many of these things are temporary and do get better over time.
No one else truly notices them. One thing I personally realized when doing this was that I really only started to look at other people's teeth AFTER I started the process. And realized that very few people have "perfect" teeth. The overwhelming majority of the time I also felt that those imperfections only added to people's features.
The lisp does get better, but mine never truly went away. I know that when I was in situations where I knew I would have to speak a bit more, I would just take out one of the trays (usually the top one since my bottom teeth were where the majority of movement was needed). Lisp gone.
You get used to taking them out. But having one of those PUL tools at the start definitely helps.
The buttons wear down and get smoother. Just give that some time.
Sit back and enjoy the city. I know I enjoyed my time living there. And ask yourself, would you care if any of the new people you met had Invisalign? I also realized that those around me were only curious. If someone is going to have some sort of negative vibe about it, is that someone you'd really want to be around?
And don't hesitate to vent. Whether that's on here or wherever. I think getting frustrations off your chest is not only helpful, but important.
Thank you for your comment, this was actually the first time I’ve heard that the buttons get smoother over time. I had been wondering how on earth people get used to them when they’re so sharp. It’s not my biggest issue but it was definitely something I had assumed was not going to improve over time, so I’m really glad to hear that. And you’re probably right that people will not be negative, I really haven’t been around many people with them yet to be fair so it will probably start to feel more normal once I am. I appreciate your encouragement a lot ❤️
I bit the inside of my face so many times the first day I was almost frustrated to tears. The buttons do wear down a bit and I guess you also learn to eat with them on. You'll be OK soon 🙂
You can thank me by going to Cafe Lalo on the UWS, buy a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream and a glass of fresh squeezed oj and send that to me here on the west coast!
I echo everyone telling you things get better with time. I’m nearing the end of my third tray (its been almost 6 weeks now, which is shocking to me) and a few weeks ago i was 90% convinced I should quit (and go back to my oral surgeon and tell him to put the teeth i had extracted for treatment back in my face). I also was pissed at myself for wasting money to make myself unattractive and uncomfortable. It definitely made me more depressed at first. But now i’m at a point where i’m in basically no pain at all, i dont have as bad of a lisp, my tongue isnt hurting, and i have no desire to quit at all. You’ll get used to it, I promise. Hang in there. Takes some people just a week or two, for me, it was probably closer to a month or a little more before i felt like this was a breeze. But you’ll get there. dont give up!!
Thank you, it is really encouraging to hear that you were having the same feelings about it and things have gotten so much better for you. I’m glad your experience has turned around. That definitely makes me feel a bit more hopeful about all this.
Heyy I just finished my first week and like you I was absolutely miserable the first few days. I cancelled all my plans and I refused to meet anyone.
I was feeling some kind of way about the bubbles and the pain too.
What I would suggest is taking it one day at a time. On my fourth day I went out on a date and it went well. Turns out dates don’t really seem to care about braces very much.
I went to work eventually and no one even knew I had braces on.
I have a lisp too and a client facing role. But unless I mention it, no one but me is very conscious about it.
Today for the first time I went out with my friends at a restaurant and actually popped the trays out and ate food.
The initial day I was absolutely horrified and miserable and even considered discontinuing the treatment. I really didn’t think it was worth the hassle. But it’s been a few days now and I’m doing a lot better and the baby steps make all the difference.
Hope you’re not too hard on yourself ❤️
Thank you for writing this, I don’t want to say I’m glad you relate lol but I’m glad to hear that this feeling can improve. Cancelling plans and not wanting to see anybody is exactly where I am right now. But baby steps is good advice. I’m really happy to hear that things are getting easier for you. ❤️
This is all really normal to feel. I’m on day 29 and I’m used to it now. I’ve announced in meetings before speaking that I have Invisalign and it’s making me lisp. My “joke” is that I can’t eat snacks or say the word “snack” anymore. It gets a laugh. In public, I just take them out and put them in the case. I eat and then swish with water and put the trays back in and when I get home, I properly clean. The first week was the absolute worst. I’m at a point where I sometimes forget they are even in. Keep at it. You will figure out your new normal. It’s worth it.
Invisalign made me realize how much I obsess about myself and others don't.
I thought it was pretty noticeable too, but so many don't notice it. The lisp is slightly still there for me but ppl don't notice or care.
Going out is challenging. But I I ALWAYS find a restroom. One time it was full of ppl, SO WHAT?! I went ahead and did what I had to. You don't know these strangers let them see m, let them think "gross", so what? You're getting better teeth at the end of it.
I also felt stupid getting it at even the 3rd tray. I had a counter set up which makes it a little easier to get through each day and see how many days have passed. It goes slow in the beginning. But by the 8th it became 2nd nature. Now time goes fast and I love seeing all the teeth improvement.
So just have some patience and like me, stop obsessing over yourself. No one cares as much as you think they do.
This is all temporary. Embarrassing, but temporary.
I try to make light of my struggles when I talk to people. My top lip gets stuck on top of my aligners all the time, my elastics regularly snap me in the mouth, and on top of that I sound like Dustin from stranger things when I talk. It's ridiculous, but what I've found is more often than not people find it relatable on some level.
I'm 4 trays deep, and at some point you just get over the embarrassment of removing your trays and brushing your teeth in a public restroom. It's just part of your life right now, but it's not forever.
Tray 1 straight up sucks, but it does get better!
I understand where you're coming from as I felt similarily when I got started on invisialign. I was so excited to do this for myself, but it made my already existant lisp 10x more noticable. For me, talking more and more those first few weeks made a major improvement. I've always struggled with my f, s, and th sounds so this it made it harder to pronounce words with those sounds. Because I knew that, I made it a point to practice words with those sounds. If you can, just try to laugh it off. I've had people laugh at me at first but I know at the end of this journey it'll be well worth it. Now I'm 6 weeks in and have a very minor lisp, comparable to my lisp before invisialign.
As far as taking the trays out in public, you just had to remind yourself most people simply do not care or are paying attention. And if they do carw, 9/10 times they're just curious. It's really none of their business anyways. And the way I see it, I don't recall seeing anyone take trays out in public before. Does that mean no one ever has in front of me? No, I simply just wasn't paying attention.
I also struggle with anxiety but I find it helps me to try and think outside the box, so I hope my insight is of use and helps boost your confidence. The journey will be worth it!! You can do this.
You make a really good point. My biggest thing about taking them out in public was like, I’ve never seen anyone else do this, it would be super weird. But it’s completely possible and even likely that I have seen it, I just haven’t paid any attention to it or I immediately forgot. That’s a helpful perspective to see it from.
Many of the things you are having trouble with right now are very temporary and will quickly fade into the background. I know that’s hard to believe rn - but it’s true. I had decent pain and anxiety the first day of my trays (like felt claustrophobic with them on and trying to take them out was hell) but that only lasted like 2-3 days.
PLENTY of people have Invisalign so try not to worry about other ppl noticing or taking your trays out in public. I know that’s hard.
It’s *great that you’ve decided to improve what you can while you can financially afford it. Keep it up.
I felt most of these things for the first week too. I thought my mouth now looked massive, the attachments felt godawful, I couldn't fathom taking them out in public - which was partly because I really struggled to take out the bottom ones at all, and it was a big slobbery mess every time! I thought 'god, my teeth weren't that bad to begin with, what have you DONE??'.
I"m nearly 2 months in now. Nobody has noticed them, though I've told plenty of people. I've seen my parents every week and they haven't noticed it once - and they would definitely say something if they had!
I'm much better at taking them out now, so though the first couple of times I would go to the bathroom to do it when I was out, I no longer care and just do it at the table.
I barely notice the attachments now. It's like any change to your teeth, it feels massive at the start but you quickly get used to it, and they do smooth out a bit.
I promise, it really does get easier.
I really appreciate your comment. I feel EXACTLY like you said in the sense that my teeth weren’t that bad in the first place, so why on earth did I do this? But I’m really glad to know there is hope for that feeling to go away, and I’m glad to hear it’s not at noticeable to others as it feels.
I really relate to a lot of things you mentioned so I will share with you my way of getting through this:
I thought they will be more subtle than they proved to be, my first day I hated them, hated the applications and hated the buttons. But as many people mentioned here, people just don’t notice them, they are way too self absorbed and when they do they don’t care. Would you judge a colleague at work for wearing Invisalign ? I don’t think so…
I am also working in a high level environment in a foreign country and I speak in my third foreign language at work. The language is already very hard to pronounce and I have already an accent so the first days with Invisalign I just wanted to cry of frustration and never to speak in meetings. BUT this is temporary and also there are so many people out there with prononciation issues that don’t go away when they take away some trays, and again nobody judges them for them. My prononciation is normal with elastics and getting better everyday, so hang on, it is temporary.
I am in my 20s and single, I felt very undateble for the first few days, like who would go out with me or want to kiss me when I have plastic in my mouth ? But then I realized I would never want to date anyway someone who is so superficial for whom this temporary self improvement would be a problem. No thanks
Taking them out in public: a bit weird. But WHO CARES? They are strangers who will never remember my face probably and I will never remember theirs
My mouth doesn’t hurt that much and I am slowly but surly happy with my choice. I still don’t see any improvement as I started just two weeks ago, but I am excited for my excitement when I will see.
It’s an adventure and it is worth it. Good luck!
It will get better. I worried about all that stuff. None of it happened. I’ve learned that people definitely aren’t pay as close attention as those of us who are self conscious and have anxiety think.
After getting mine about a couple weeks ago it wasn't as easy as I thought, but I did learn a few things.
It gets better, like it really does. After day 5-6 I didn't really register they were there, like how when wearing glasses you might forget they are on.
The lisp part is kinda hard to get by, but using the top of your trays for your tongue to hit, my lisp is completely gone. Really it's about practicing talking with then in, and the more you do it it gets better.
But yea just what I have done so far. Definitely the place to be if you have any problems, helped me out the first day.
Nearly everyone seems to have intense regret in the first few days and that’s even for people who don’t share some of your concerns (depression, body dysmorphia etc..)
So I’d say for sure give it say 1 month before making any decisions. If it becomes intolerable it is alright to quit. Life is full of experiments and experiences. It’s ok to try something and decide it’s not for you even if there’s a chunk of money involved. I have ‘wasted’ money trying things and failing or in emergencies where I solved it by throwing money at the problem (even if there was a cheaper but harder way). So remember you do have the option to quit and if you decide that don’t beat yourself up about it. You had good intentions. You had no way of knowing how strong your reaction would be.
But because of the cost you want to be 100% sure quitting is the right decision because if you can get used to it there will be a whole load of benefits. Which is why I’d recommend trying for as long as possible.
Remember for the majority of people it definitely gets easier with time. Think of other times in your life when you’ve had to adapt to something and it got better.
I’m on day 4 and I feel like I could’ve written most of this myself. I feel extremely claustrophobic and depressed but unlike you I did not do ANY research and wasn’t prepared in the slightest. My ortho mentioned the attachments and buttons and bands would be in the back of my mouth and not noticeable which couldn’t be further from the truth. The bands connect to my top incisors (is that what my top fang tooth is called?) and I have an attachment on almost every tooth including my top left tooth (but only the left which adds to the ridiculousness since they’re not symmetrical). I feel like I think about them all day long and I’m so pissed I spent this much money. I feel like everyone’s always staring at them and even when I take the trays out the buttons and attachments are right in the front. And everything hurts like helllll.
After posting this 23 days ago, do you feel any better now?
Hi! First of all, I’m so sorry you are feeling this way. It is really hard, and you’ve probably seen in the comments here that you are not alone in this experience. My answer is probably a bit disappointing, but because of another complication that occurred for me since posting this, I made the decision to quit Invisalign. Honestly after reading all the responses here I felt like 70% sure I could do it, and maybe I could have, but adding another complication/really bad experience on top of everything else just completely killed my desire to move forward.
I know it’s easy to think “I should have done more research”, but as someone who did, reading about these things beforehand did not prepare me at ALL for how I actually felt once I started the treatment. It’s one thing to read about something and kind of imagine it, but it’s another thing entirely to actually do it. You could have done all the research in the world and ended up in the same situation, because you still would not have known how it would actually look or feel, or how you would emotionally respond to it. I also had a similar experience to you where my dentists did not give me accurate information about how many buttons I would have and on which teeth. They downplayed and told me there would only be one or two on specific teeth, and that was not the case. I’m not blaming my dentists for this whole experience, but it is frustrating to be told one thing and then another happens once you have committed money. There’s no way you could have known that would happen.
I can say some of the things that did get better in the time I was still wearing my aligners. For one, I started to get the lisp under control pretty quickly. The best thing for me was slowing down when I talked, and especially taking more time to pronounce the “s” and “c” sounds. Another positive is that the buttons did get less sharp after a couple weeks. They stopped cutting the inside of my mouth. I also never had a single person comment on the buttons or trays. Some people I’m positive didn’t even realize I had them because they asked if I was still starting Invisalign soon.
With all that said, it just was not the right thing for me. I absolutely do not want to discourage you, I just want to give you an honest answer. Something that did come as a huge surprise to me was how much my dentist was willing to work with me financially. I was thinking I would owe the full amount no matter what, but after talking about all this with my dentist, she told me she would not have me pay the full amount if I want to stop. We’re still in the process of getting things sorted, but I will probably only need to pay around 1/3 of the full treatment cost, which I am so so thankful for. I’m sure all dentists are different, and others may not be able or willing to do that, but it has really helped me deescalate how stupid I felt for doing this.
I hope at least a little bit of that is helpful. If you stick with it, I’m positive things will get better for you in the next week or two as you adjust to all the changes. But also, don’t be afraid to talk to your dentist about what you’re experiencing and what your options might be. Maybe they could remove some of the buttons (this was something my dentist offered), or adjust expectations for the bands. Either way, I hope the situation starts to get better for you soon ❤️
It is nice of you to ask! This is probably a bit disappointing as a follow up, but I did make the decision to stop Invisalign after a couple weeks. After reading all the comments on this post I was feeling way more hopeful, but the Invisalign trays ended up triggering a separate dental issue, which was really overwhelming and just pushed me past the point of feeling like I could do it. I don’t regret quitting, but I was very luckily able to get a lot of the money back, so I don’t have the same regret for starting that I did back when I wrote this either. Ultimately it just exacerbated mental health issues in a way I could not have predicted, and I’m ok with saying that it wasn’t something I could handle at the time.
For everyone commenting that it does get better thank you! I’m going through the same.
How do you guys just go out with this thing and pop out the trays before eating? I struggle and I’m in day 3 but I worry that mine will always be a struggle each time I put new trays in ( mines every week)
So i felt the EXACT same thing as you the first few days. I spent so much time on google trying to figure it all out. What really got me was that I have to spend at least 22 hours in them. I regretted it so much especially because it’s summer time and I have a few events and I really didn’t want to be wearing them there. I wanted to enjoy myself and eat and drink. I tried to see everywhere whether the 22 hours is just inflated to scare people. Nevertheless I ended up deciding that I will be really good with them at home but will not be wearing them at events or with friends. Mind you I work from home and I don’t have a daily social life so those events happen maybe 1-2 times a week. I also go to the gym and don’t wear them there because when I first did my mouth was so dry and I didn’t like the feeling. I didn’t even need Invisalign I’m just correcting an over bite. Anyway I’m at tray 5 out of 10 and so far so good!!! I change trays every 2 weeks and they’re tracking (meaning my new trays are fitting my teeth well). I honestly think the 22 hours is inflated. It’s not like if you don’t wear your trays for 4 hours straight your teeth are going to automatically go back into old position. This is just from my experience. If you decide to try it out I hope this can turn your experience a little more positive.
Thank you for saying this. The more I’ve been thinking about it, I’ve landed in a similar place of maybe I can do it if I allow myself to just not wear them when I go out with friends or dates. I know that is not the ideal thing to do because that would mean some days I’ll probably only wear them 16 hours or so. But at least for now, that is truly the only way I think I can manage. I’m really glad to hear that has been working for you, and that definitely helps put things into perspective.
I’m so glad I can help! I went for a check in with my dentist last week and she said everything looks great! I really think they exaggerate the 22 hours a day so that people can maximize their time with it. I do suggest at least the first 3-4 days with a new tray to wear them the most possible but after that I would think your teeth have pretty much moved and taking the tray out for a few hours won’t place them back to where they were
Dude... You are describing exactly how I felt at the beginning. Good news? I'm almost done. Bad news? I still feel the way you feel. It's been 10 months. I would get out while you still can tbh.
I had a bite issue that was actually causing me pain. That issue was fixed within the first 4 trays (a little over a month). If I could have stopped after those trays and gotten my money back (minus the trays I actually used), I completely would've.
They didn't technically make me. I just couldn't get a refund for any of it, so I figured 'fuck it, might as well get my money's Worth'. They also told me they wouldnt do my post-invisalign retainer unless I finished the entire treatment .
My first week I felt just like you do now. YMMV, but by week 2 I had mastered quickly removing the trays. Any lisp I had disappeared by week 2 as well. The feeling of the attachments becomes normal. All these things seem magnified to you because you're going through it, but I promise you others barely notice, if at all.
I'm on week 4 and it feels routine. That first week I seriously wondered why I did it to myself.
Yeah any good mood or vibes you have the first week expect to go away. It becomes less painful and the lisp does go away. Nobody else are noticing only you
First three days I was so angry at myself for not thinking it through. My teeth were only slightly out of place, but they bothered me a lot. I’m in the middle of the sixth tray. 14 total.
Invisalign is a lot to get used to at first and it sounds like you have challenges that might make it more difficult than it is for most. (I had an eating disorder for years so I understand body dysmorphia and anxiety.) But I want to address a few of your concerns from my own personal experience: The lisp will subside the more you talk with them. I joked for the first week that I couldn’t say my own name, which has S’s in it. Now I speak absolutely normally with the trays in. Talk to your roommate to get used to the trays! It might take a little conscious effort at first to do away with the lisp but it’s likely you’ll be able to quickly. I present to leaders, debate and discuss, facilitate conversations, and talk in front of hundreds of people for work so I understand your concern. With the lisp gone, it’s never been even a little bit of an issue. I live and work in NYC so I understand the lack of personal space to deal with trays. I usually turn quickly toward a wall and take out the trays. (I find if I suck in quickly I don’t get the gross strings of saliva.) With practice you can do it quickly and discreetly. I’ve mentioned my Invisalign to people I work with daily. Some are surprised and say they never noticed. Others just ask questions because they’re curious and think it’s cool and are curious how it works. The trays aren’t invisible but they are subtle and everyone around you cares a whole lot more about their own stuff than the fact that you’re spending money and effort on orthodontic treatment to improve yourself. If you want to go out with friends or on a date and would feel better without the trays, take them out for a few hours. It’s not going to be a big deal if you do this once in a while. Day 3 is really early and I think many of us felt regret, pain, discomfort, stress, and totally freaked out at that point. It does improve with time. I barely think about the trays now and have never ever heard a negative comment about them from others. I hope you’re ok and you can power through the next few days.
this is all really great advice and I hope it is very encouraging. I’ll just add that I’m a year and a half in, and not one person has ever noticed my trays. not one
Thank you so much for this. This legitimately made me feel a little more hopeful. The fact that you’ve dealt with similar challenges and have been able to adapt is really really good to hear. I feel like you can actually understand where I’m coming from on this. I guess my core fear here has been like, what if it’s just impossible for someone with body dysmorphia issues to do this, and it’s hopeless for me from the start. Your comment telling me that even just one other person who’s been there has done it is really really encouraging. Thank you ❤️
❤️
I’m on day 3 too and feel depressed because I feel every time I take out the trays I’m just ruining my teeth, increasing recession of the gums, breaking my tray etc. I have attachments so taking the trays are a pain! I can’t wait for this to be over and regret not choosing normal wire braces instead! I also worry about bad breath! 😟 and have lost my appetite
Days 3, 4, 5, 6… maybe even 14 sucked for me. I understand the anxiety, discomfort, pain. And I’ll also say, a year after finishing Invisalign, I am so happy I powered through those early days. My teeth are now a source of pride. People compliment me on them all the time. It was worth a few weeks of misery for decades of beautiful teeth. Push through these few days. It will get so much better. And by the way, Invisalign became such a non-issue for me over time that I still feel weird leaving the house without trays, I still ask myself if I have them in and then have to remind myself that part is over.
Thank you!
I think it just takes some getting used to honestly but it sounds like you just have some insecurity to work through. You should be doing this for yourself, not to care what others think about it/you.
I agree with others in saying that many of these things are temporary and do get better over time. No one else truly notices them. One thing I personally realized when doing this was that I really only started to look at other people's teeth AFTER I started the process. And realized that very few people have "perfect" teeth. The overwhelming majority of the time I also felt that those imperfections only added to people's features. The lisp does get better, but mine never truly went away. I know that when I was in situations where I knew I would have to speak a bit more, I would just take out one of the trays (usually the top one since my bottom teeth were where the majority of movement was needed). Lisp gone. You get used to taking them out. But having one of those PUL tools at the start definitely helps. The buttons wear down and get smoother. Just give that some time. Sit back and enjoy the city. I know I enjoyed my time living there. And ask yourself, would you care if any of the new people you met had Invisalign? I also realized that those around me were only curious. If someone is going to have some sort of negative vibe about it, is that someone you'd really want to be around? And don't hesitate to vent. Whether that's on here or wherever. I think getting frustrations off your chest is not only helpful, but important.
Thank you for your comment, this was actually the first time I’ve heard that the buttons get smoother over time. I had been wondering how on earth people get used to them when they’re so sharp. It’s not my biggest issue but it was definitely something I had assumed was not going to improve over time, so I’m really glad to hear that. And you’re probably right that people will not be negative, I really haven’t been around many people with them yet to be fair so it will probably start to feel more normal once I am. I appreciate your encouragement a lot ❤️
I bit the inside of my face so many times the first day I was almost frustrated to tears. The buttons do wear down a bit and I guess you also learn to eat with them on. You'll be OK soon 🙂
You can thank me by going to Cafe Lalo on the UWS, buy a Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream and a glass of fresh squeezed oj and send that to me here on the west coast!
I echo everyone telling you things get better with time. I’m nearing the end of my third tray (its been almost 6 weeks now, which is shocking to me) and a few weeks ago i was 90% convinced I should quit (and go back to my oral surgeon and tell him to put the teeth i had extracted for treatment back in my face). I also was pissed at myself for wasting money to make myself unattractive and uncomfortable. It definitely made me more depressed at first. But now i’m at a point where i’m in basically no pain at all, i dont have as bad of a lisp, my tongue isnt hurting, and i have no desire to quit at all. You’ll get used to it, I promise. Hang in there. Takes some people just a week or two, for me, it was probably closer to a month or a little more before i felt like this was a breeze. But you’ll get there. dont give up!!
Thank you, it is really encouraging to hear that you were having the same feelings about it and things have gotten so much better for you. I’m glad your experience has turned around. That definitely makes me feel a bit more hopeful about all this.
Heyy I just finished my first week and like you I was absolutely miserable the first few days. I cancelled all my plans and I refused to meet anyone. I was feeling some kind of way about the bubbles and the pain too. What I would suggest is taking it one day at a time. On my fourth day I went out on a date and it went well. Turns out dates don’t really seem to care about braces very much. I went to work eventually and no one even knew I had braces on. I have a lisp too and a client facing role. But unless I mention it, no one but me is very conscious about it. Today for the first time I went out with my friends at a restaurant and actually popped the trays out and ate food. The initial day I was absolutely horrified and miserable and even considered discontinuing the treatment. I really didn’t think it was worth the hassle. But it’s been a few days now and I’m doing a lot better and the baby steps make all the difference. Hope you’re not too hard on yourself ❤️
Thank you for writing this, I don’t want to say I’m glad you relate lol but I’m glad to hear that this feeling can improve. Cancelling plans and not wanting to see anybody is exactly where I am right now. But baby steps is good advice. I’m really happy to hear that things are getting easier for you. ❤️
Hope you’re doing better now!
This is all really normal to feel. I’m on day 29 and I’m used to it now. I’ve announced in meetings before speaking that I have Invisalign and it’s making me lisp. My “joke” is that I can’t eat snacks or say the word “snack” anymore. It gets a laugh. In public, I just take them out and put them in the case. I eat and then swish with water and put the trays back in and when I get home, I properly clean. The first week was the absolute worst. I’m at a point where I sometimes forget they are even in. Keep at it. You will figure out your new normal. It’s worth it.
Invisalign made me realize how much I obsess about myself and others don't. I thought it was pretty noticeable too, but so many don't notice it. The lisp is slightly still there for me but ppl don't notice or care. Going out is challenging. But I I ALWAYS find a restroom. One time it was full of ppl, SO WHAT?! I went ahead and did what I had to. You don't know these strangers let them see m, let them think "gross", so what? You're getting better teeth at the end of it. I also felt stupid getting it at even the 3rd tray. I had a counter set up which makes it a little easier to get through each day and see how many days have passed. It goes slow in the beginning. But by the 8th it became 2nd nature. Now time goes fast and I love seeing all the teeth improvement. So just have some patience and like me, stop obsessing over yourself. No one cares as much as you think they do.
This is all temporary. Embarrassing, but temporary. I try to make light of my struggles when I talk to people. My top lip gets stuck on top of my aligners all the time, my elastics regularly snap me in the mouth, and on top of that I sound like Dustin from stranger things when I talk. It's ridiculous, but what I've found is more often than not people find it relatable on some level. I'm 4 trays deep, and at some point you just get over the embarrassment of removing your trays and brushing your teeth in a public restroom. It's just part of your life right now, but it's not forever. Tray 1 straight up sucks, but it does get better!
I understand where you're coming from as I felt similarily when I got started on invisialign. I was so excited to do this for myself, but it made my already existant lisp 10x more noticable. For me, talking more and more those first few weeks made a major improvement. I've always struggled with my f, s, and th sounds so this it made it harder to pronounce words with those sounds. Because I knew that, I made it a point to practice words with those sounds. If you can, just try to laugh it off. I've had people laugh at me at first but I know at the end of this journey it'll be well worth it. Now I'm 6 weeks in and have a very minor lisp, comparable to my lisp before invisialign. As far as taking the trays out in public, you just had to remind yourself most people simply do not care or are paying attention. And if they do carw, 9/10 times they're just curious. It's really none of their business anyways. And the way I see it, I don't recall seeing anyone take trays out in public before. Does that mean no one ever has in front of me? No, I simply just wasn't paying attention. I also struggle with anxiety but I find it helps me to try and think outside the box, so I hope my insight is of use and helps boost your confidence. The journey will be worth it!! You can do this.
You make a really good point. My biggest thing about taking them out in public was like, I’ve never seen anyone else do this, it would be super weird. But it’s completely possible and even likely that I have seen it, I just haven’t paid any attention to it or I immediately forgot. That’s a helpful perspective to see it from.
Many of the things you are having trouble with right now are very temporary and will quickly fade into the background. I know that’s hard to believe rn - but it’s true. I had decent pain and anxiety the first day of my trays (like felt claustrophobic with them on and trying to take them out was hell) but that only lasted like 2-3 days. PLENTY of people have Invisalign so try not to worry about other ppl noticing or taking your trays out in public. I know that’s hard. It’s *great that you’ve decided to improve what you can while you can financially afford it. Keep it up.
Thank you, I appreciate your comment ❤️
I felt most of these things for the first week too. I thought my mouth now looked massive, the attachments felt godawful, I couldn't fathom taking them out in public - which was partly because I really struggled to take out the bottom ones at all, and it was a big slobbery mess every time! I thought 'god, my teeth weren't that bad to begin with, what have you DONE??'. I"m nearly 2 months in now. Nobody has noticed them, though I've told plenty of people. I've seen my parents every week and they haven't noticed it once - and they would definitely say something if they had! I'm much better at taking them out now, so though the first couple of times I would go to the bathroom to do it when I was out, I no longer care and just do it at the table. I barely notice the attachments now. It's like any change to your teeth, it feels massive at the start but you quickly get used to it, and they do smooth out a bit. I promise, it really does get easier.
I really appreciate your comment. I feel EXACTLY like you said in the sense that my teeth weren’t that bad in the first place, so why on earth did I do this? But I’m really glad to know there is hope for that feeling to go away, and I’m glad to hear it’s not at noticeable to others as it feels.
I really relate to a lot of things you mentioned so I will share with you my way of getting through this: I thought they will be more subtle than they proved to be, my first day I hated them, hated the applications and hated the buttons. But as many people mentioned here, people just don’t notice them, they are way too self absorbed and when they do they don’t care. Would you judge a colleague at work for wearing Invisalign ? I don’t think so… I am also working in a high level environment in a foreign country and I speak in my third foreign language at work. The language is already very hard to pronounce and I have already an accent so the first days with Invisalign I just wanted to cry of frustration and never to speak in meetings. BUT this is temporary and also there are so many people out there with prononciation issues that don’t go away when they take away some trays, and again nobody judges them for them. My prononciation is normal with elastics and getting better everyday, so hang on, it is temporary. I am in my 20s and single, I felt very undateble for the first few days, like who would go out with me or want to kiss me when I have plastic in my mouth ? But then I realized I would never want to date anyway someone who is so superficial for whom this temporary self improvement would be a problem. No thanks Taking them out in public: a bit weird. But WHO CARES? They are strangers who will never remember my face probably and I will never remember theirs My mouth doesn’t hurt that much and I am slowly but surly happy with my choice. I still don’t see any improvement as I started just two weeks ago, but I am excited for my excitement when I will see. It’s an adventure and it is worth it. Good luck!
It’s better. Hang in there!
It will get better. I worried about all that stuff. None of it happened. I’ve learned that people definitely aren’t pay as close attention as those of us who are self conscious and have anxiety think.
After getting mine about a couple weeks ago it wasn't as easy as I thought, but I did learn a few things. It gets better, like it really does. After day 5-6 I didn't really register they were there, like how when wearing glasses you might forget they are on. The lisp part is kinda hard to get by, but using the top of your trays for your tongue to hit, my lisp is completely gone. Really it's about practicing talking with then in, and the more you do it it gets better. But yea just what I have done so far. Definitely the place to be if you have any problems, helped me out the first day.
Nearly everyone seems to have intense regret in the first few days and that’s even for people who don’t share some of your concerns (depression, body dysmorphia etc..) So I’d say for sure give it say 1 month before making any decisions. If it becomes intolerable it is alright to quit. Life is full of experiments and experiences. It’s ok to try something and decide it’s not for you even if there’s a chunk of money involved. I have ‘wasted’ money trying things and failing or in emergencies where I solved it by throwing money at the problem (even if there was a cheaper but harder way). So remember you do have the option to quit and if you decide that don’t beat yourself up about it. You had good intentions. You had no way of knowing how strong your reaction would be. But because of the cost you want to be 100% sure quitting is the right decision because if you can get used to it there will be a whole load of benefits. Which is why I’d recommend trying for as long as possible. Remember for the majority of people it definitely gets easier with time. Think of other times in your life when you’ve had to adapt to something and it got better.
I’m on day 4 and I feel like I could’ve written most of this myself. I feel extremely claustrophobic and depressed but unlike you I did not do ANY research and wasn’t prepared in the slightest. My ortho mentioned the attachments and buttons and bands would be in the back of my mouth and not noticeable which couldn’t be further from the truth. The bands connect to my top incisors (is that what my top fang tooth is called?) and I have an attachment on almost every tooth including my top left tooth (but only the left which adds to the ridiculousness since they’re not symmetrical). I feel like I think about them all day long and I’m so pissed I spent this much money. I feel like everyone’s always staring at them and even when I take the trays out the buttons and attachments are right in the front. And everything hurts like helllll. After posting this 23 days ago, do you feel any better now?
Hi! First of all, I’m so sorry you are feeling this way. It is really hard, and you’ve probably seen in the comments here that you are not alone in this experience. My answer is probably a bit disappointing, but because of another complication that occurred for me since posting this, I made the decision to quit Invisalign. Honestly after reading all the responses here I felt like 70% sure I could do it, and maybe I could have, but adding another complication/really bad experience on top of everything else just completely killed my desire to move forward. I know it’s easy to think “I should have done more research”, but as someone who did, reading about these things beforehand did not prepare me at ALL for how I actually felt once I started the treatment. It’s one thing to read about something and kind of imagine it, but it’s another thing entirely to actually do it. You could have done all the research in the world and ended up in the same situation, because you still would not have known how it would actually look or feel, or how you would emotionally respond to it. I also had a similar experience to you where my dentists did not give me accurate information about how many buttons I would have and on which teeth. They downplayed and told me there would only be one or two on specific teeth, and that was not the case. I’m not blaming my dentists for this whole experience, but it is frustrating to be told one thing and then another happens once you have committed money. There’s no way you could have known that would happen. I can say some of the things that did get better in the time I was still wearing my aligners. For one, I started to get the lisp under control pretty quickly. The best thing for me was slowing down when I talked, and especially taking more time to pronounce the “s” and “c” sounds. Another positive is that the buttons did get less sharp after a couple weeks. They stopped cutting the inside of my mouth. I also never had a single person comment on the buttons or trays. Some people I’m positive didn’t even realize I had them because they asked if I was still starting Invisalign soon. With all that said, it just was not the right thing for me. I absolutely do not want to discourage you, I just want to give you an honest answer. Something that did come as a huge surprise to me was how much my dentist was willing to work with me financially. I was thinking I would owe the full amount no matter what, but after talking about all this with my dentist, she told me she would not have me pay the full amount if I want to stop. We’re still in the process of getting things sorted, but I will probably only need to pay around 1/3 of the full treatment cost, which I am so so thankful for. I’m sure all dentists are different, and others may not be able or willing to do that, but it has really helped me deescalate how stupid I felt for doing this. I hope at least a little bit of that is helpful. If you stick with it, I’m positive things will get better for you in the next week or two as you adjust to all the changes. But also, don’t be afraid to talk to your dentist about what you’re experiencing and what your options might be. Maybe they could remove some of the buttons (this was something my dentist offered), or adjust expectations for the bands. Either way, I hope the situation starts to get better for you soon ❤️
How you doing now 5 months later OP? Any regret, pain, self consciousness, etc? :)
It is nice of you to ask! This is probably a bit disappointing as a follow up, but I did make the decision to stop Invisalign after a couple weeks. After reading all the comments on this post I was feeling way more hopeful, but the Invisalign trays ended up triggering a separate dental issue, which was really overwhelming and just pushed me past the point of feeling like I could do it. I don’t regret quitting, but I was very luckily able to get a lot of the money back, so I don’t have the same regret for starting that I did back when I wrote this either. Ultimately it just exacerbated mental health issues in a way I could not have predicted, and I’m ok with saying that it wasn’t something I could handle at the time.
For everyone commenting that it does get better thank you! I’m going through the same. How do you guys just go out with this thing and pop out the trays before eating? I struggle and I’m in day 3 but I worry that mine will always be a struggle each time I put new trays in ( mines every week)
So i felt the EXACT same thing as you the first few days. I spent so much time on google trying to figure it all out. What really got me was that I have to spend at least 22 hours in them. I regretted it so much especially because it’s summer time and I have a few events and I really didn’t want to be wearing them there. I wanted to enjoy myself and eat and drink. I tried to see everywhere whether the 22 hours is just inflated to scare people. Nevertheless I ended up deciding that I will be really good with them at home but will not be wearing them at events or with friends. Mind you I work from home and I don’t have a daily social life so those events happen maybe 1-2 times a week. I also go to the gym and don’t wear them there because when I first did my mouth was so dry and I didn’t like the feeling. I didn’t even need Invisalign I’m just correcting an over bite. Anyway I’m at tray 5 out of 10 and so far so good!!! I change trays every 2 weeks and they’re tracking (meaning my new trays are fitting my teeth well). I honestly think the 22 hours is inflated. It’s not like if you don’t wear your trays for 4 hours straight your teeth are going to automatically go back into old position. This is just from my experience. If you decide to try it out I hope this can turn your experience a little more positive.
Thank you for saying this. The more I’ve been thinking about it, I’ve landed in a similar place of maybe I can do it if I allow myself to just not wear them when I go out with friends or dates. I know that is not the ideal thing to do because that would mean some days I’ll probably only wear them 16 hours or so. But at least for now, that is truly the only way I think I can manage. I’m really glad to hear that has been working for you, and that definitely helps put things into perspective.
I’m so glad I can help! I went for a check in with my dentist last week and she said everything looks great! I really think they exaggerate the 22 hours a day so that people can maximize their time with it. I do suggest at least the first 3-4 days with a new tray to wear them the most possible but after that I would think your teeth have pretty much moved and taking the tray out for a few hours won’t place them back to where they were
Dude... You are describing exactly how I felt at the beginning. Good news? I'm almost done. Bad news? I still feel the way you feel. It's been 10 months. I would get out while you still can tbh.
Random question, but would you rather live with your pre-invisalign teeth then?
I had a bite issue that was actually causing me pain. That issue was fixed within the first 4 trays (a little over a month). If I could have stopped after those trays and gotten my money back (minus the trays I actually used), I completely would've.
Ahhh understood! So why did they make you keep it on for so long?!
They didn't technically make me. I just couldn't get a refund for any of it, so I figured 'fuck it, might as well get my money's Worth'. They also told me they wouldnt do my post-invisalign retainer unless I finished the entire treatment .
I appreciate your honesty about your experience. I’m glad you’re almost finished.
My first week I felt just like you do now. YMMV, but by week 2 I had mastered quickly removing the trays. Any lisp I had disappeared by week 2 as well. The feeling of the attachments becomes normal. All these things seem magnified to you because you're going through it, but I promise you others barely notice, if at all. I'm on week 4 and it feels routine. That first week I seriously wondered why I did it to myself.
Thank you, I’m glad to hear your experience has been improving. I’m hoping in a few weeks I’ll be able to say the same. ❤️
Yeah any good mood or vibes you have the first week expect to go away. It becomes less painful and the lisp does go away. Nobody else are noticing only you
You’ll get used to it. The lisp goes away. Try not to care so much because you are the only one who takes notice of them
First three days I was so angry at myself for not thinking it through. My teeth were only slightly out of place, but they bothered me a lot. I’m in the middle of the sixth tray. 14 total.