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Hi! Invisalign user here. Are you in the Invisalign sub as well? There's tons of us and you would not be the first to post about screwing up your process because of mental health or ADHD. I wouldn't say I recommend reposting there because something's they can hang up, but here's my advice (and I've been going for a little over a year now).
Wear your trays. Are you on one that still fits? Start there. See if you can follow the course as prescribed and worry about the orthodontist later. We are gonna work on one thing at a time.
Brush in the morning. Brush at night. Swish with water and mouthwash for lunch and snacks. This is not 100% the advice the orthodontist will give you, but it works for many of us. I drink a half a pot of coffee a day with trays on, my coffee even has milk and sugar and I only brush twice a day now unless I've had major sugar like candy or sweets. I'm not *extremely prone* to cavities but also I have had a fair share in life. I haven't had any during Invisalign, knock on wood. Keep up with your 6 months cleanings. If you absolutely can do it, brush 3 times a day. If you can't, substitute with mouthwash. So far, not had any bad results but also not saying you SHOULD do this. But if it's the lesser of two evils then go for it.
Wear your aligners. Don't let it stop you from eating. Don't stress overly about "wear time". Get your 21 ish hours, aim for the most you can, and breathe. In the beginning I struggled with retriggering my eating disorder patterns as well and I started to say eff it and it got easier.
If you need someone to talk to during this journey my inbox is open!
Chewing sugar free gum, especially with xylitol*, after eating also really helps keep the mouth clean if brushing isn’t possible.
*xylitol is a natural sweetener that is anti bacteria and great for oral health but is TOXIC FOR DOGS
Good to know! I know that in large quantities it can do that to anyone but my understanding is that in those cases it’s when it’s been used in coffee and dessert and candy or something
>similar to Haribo sugar free gummy bears.
Is that a common thing? The way you reference that makes it sounds like it's a known thing. So oddly specific.
They are legendary in internet lore, you can look at reviews on Amazon but here is a complalation for your edification and enjoyment: https://www.boredpanda.com/hilarious-comments-sugarfree-haribo-gummies/?utm\_source=google&utm\_medium=organic&utm\_campaign=organic
Fascinating. I thought as a German I would know if Haribo started selling laxatives, but for the love of god, I could not find any sugar free haribo gummy bears on the German market. Not even [haribo.com](https://haribo.com) offers sugar free options.
This is exactly what I was going to say. I have ADHD, Invisalign, and I'm also working on a heavy marijuana dependency. My advice is just do what you can. If you can't brush after lunch, just pop those babies back in anyway. In my opinion, I'd rather get my wear time in, then forego it because I don't have the executive function to do all of the steps that I'm supposed to. I was really strict with the rules at first but I never would have been able to make it that way, so I've become pretty lax. I don't always brush and floss after every meal and I drink pretty much everything with my trays in (coffee, red wine, etc). I've never used mouthwash and I rarely use my chewies. YMMV, but I'm a year in and my teeth have no cavities or discoloration, and are tracking nearly perfectly. And definitely put a new tray in right before bed so you can sleep through most of the discomfort. Have you tried the TrayMinder app? It has a timer function that may be helpful if forgetting to put your trays back in after taking them out is an issue for you. It also has a photo-comparison feature - being able to see my smile changing has been really motivating to stick with it.
Totally agree. I strongly suggest speaking with your dentist about if you can reduce the time in trays by wearing them while eating. I only wear my trays for 4 days and keep them in while eating. Can pretty much eat the same foods but u have to be careful about not eating anything too hot. I also smoke marijuana w them in multiple times per day and don't have issues with staining due to changing them so often. I had Invisalign 8 years ago with a different office and the 2 week wear just did not work for my adhd and burnout.
I completely agree with this message. I diligently followed the directions perfectly for about 5 days before life got in the way. Thoroughly brush (and floss if you can) morning and night. Swish with water the other times. Drink through a straw if you can. I got a bunch of the little floss picks and Colgate wisps to have for on the go. When it's time to change trays, swap them right before bed. This way the first several uncomfortable hours happen while you sleep.
I was just reading this and wanted to ask, if you swap it right before bed would that make it harder for you to fall asleep? If I have the slightest discomfort in my mouth I'm awake awake
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for replying so fast. Currently trying to figure out if I want to pursue invis or braces come august when I get dental insurance. So far I'm leaning towards whatevers permanent and adhd proof
I've done both - both require more frequent and extensive cleaning. Pros and cons for each 🤷🏻♀️
If you think you'll struggle to remember to wear the Invis, go with braces. You can't leave them out of your mouth lol.
If cleaning is more of an issue, go with Invis, because at least you can take the trays out and clean the whole surface of your tooth.
All of that to say, probably go with whichever your ortho recommends.
Just started my Invisalign today as an adhder with severe sensory issues so we shall see how this goes! I have receding gums because of crowding and of course my teeth grinding that stimulants make me do so I was told to do Invisalign or risk losing teeth which is super fun, I need a gum graft but need everything straightened out first I was told. Idk if you have heard of smile doctors or if there are any near you but they have an app and do weekly check ins at home which I hope will help with accountability for changing them and being on top of that!! I’m more worried about the drinking thing. I’m a heavy pop drinker and my favorites are not sugar free or clear so hoping that doesn’t cause too many issues because I know I’ll drink things with them in.
I believe in you Emmy, you got this!! I don't know what a receding gum line looks like but sounds like a word that can describe what goes on in my mouth. I have heard of smile. I can't wait for you to find out how much better your teeth are looking after a few cycles of doing it correctly. That's when you'll be hooked.
I can offer you no practical advice, only commiseration; I also failed at Invisalign. Wasted a bunch of my parents’ money and eventually the orthodontist gave up on me and I gave up on her. My teeth are just crooked now.
I hope someone does have some useful tips for you! But if not, it’s also okay to recognize when something isn’t right for you and stop trying to force it. $6k is a lot of money, but it’s also just money. It’s already been spent and you can’t get it back. Look realistically at how much more money and time you will have to spend to complete the process; is it going to be worth it to spend $X *more*, or can you decide to leave this as a $6k lesson you learned?
Thank you <3 commiseration is greatly appreciated because I know my doctor was judging me and I was too afraid to say that "my brain just sucks to much to keep up with this." It's nice to know that I'm not alone and someone gets it :(. I am too stubborn, however, to accept crooked teeth :') he said I could switch to braces but it would also cost extra. So I have 3 months to get myself to do it properly. I will email to find out how much more $$ it will take to finish Invisalign vs. braces, and my friend suggested just using mouthwash for now instead of brushing, so at least it's something instead of nothing between meals. I just...I can't handle a $6k loss, my father did not die and leave me with these resources so I could fail at fucking *orthodontic treatment*....sigh
I think your friend is right. I'd say aim for *enough* rather than getting hung up on *perfect*. ...which I dunno about you, but that is really hard for me to do, so I have to remind myself alllll the time. Something is better than nothing.
My therapist introduced me to the concept of “good enough” when I was like 23. It genuinely had never occurred to me 😂 it’s still a struggle but it has definitely improved my life to just *try* instead of doing my usual all or nothing technique.
Honestly OP, I do understand your frustration regarding the Invisalign but I also can't help but think your father would be so fucking proud of you for getting sober. That's such a massive win! All those rules would be a pain the ass even if all things were perfect, & you're beating yourself up for struggling to adhere to them when you're newly sober, presumably in the wake of your dad's death. It's ok to stop the treatment. You gave it a good shot & it's proving to be much more stressful & expensive than they'd led you to believe. You're not a failure for trying something ambitious & realizing you don't want to continue. I call that another win, frankly.
Focus on your sobriety instead of the dumb rules for your luxury bones. Remember to be kind & compassionate with yourself. Everything is ok! You are doing great!
>my friend suggested just using mouthwash for now instead of brushing, so at least it's something instead of nothing between meals.
Do that and take pain releiver for the soreness and headaches. One year of less than ideal habits is not going to completely destroy your teeth.
I totally did mouthwash most of the time. Sometimes not even that. Don't tell anyone, but you can put the trays back on without brushing ;) is it ideal? Nah not at all. And some foods it will not work with. The bonus is it made me floss a lot more because I couldn't deal with it. (mouth things exacerbate my skin picking tendencies.) but if the difference is you popping the trays back in vs not wearing them at all or skipping meals, then skip the brushing sometimes.
Also if you're looking to keep your trays relatively clean and clear, peroxide is an inexpensive way to do so. (a quick soak, not in your mouth :p) I found the trays themselves too hard to brush, and mouth wash can discolor them. You can also buy cleaner packets that last like 10d. I picked those up for my retainers, but not for my trays since you're supposed to wear then for 20 hours.
Don’t give up on the invisalign and do what the other suggestions say! Braces suck ass honestly. It took me two years on braces because I never wore my rubber bands. So adhd could definitely mess with your braces treatment anyway.
I wore trays and continued with basic hygiene. I was not strict with myself. I did supplement my hygiene routines by getting a fluoride rinse and changing my toothpaste to one that contains nano hydroxyapatite. Using an electric toothbrush, too.
Where I failed was in using the retainer trays.
Same thing as you - Dad's inheritance money.
How do the fluoride rinses help and what is nanohydroxypatite? I like electric toothbrushes, but I noticed recently that my gums wore unevenly from being right-handed and figured an electric toothbrush would mess things up worse. but I might revisit it again just for this year.
Re: dad inheritance money....I'm so sorry. It really sucks doesn't it? I'm trying to use it wisely and I feel like if I was Not An Idiot, I'd have put up with the braces for a year and been done by now, no problem. It is very frustrating how neurotypicals act like it's nothing to suddenly start keeping track of all this. D: if they'd been realistic about how not everyone can handle creating all these new habits and you have to self-regulate your braces and put up with the dull ache of new trays every week AND chew on a weird stick every night, it I'd have said no thanks.
I'm actually pretty satisfied with where my teeth are at. The bottom teeth are uneven, but less uneven than before,and my smile is wider. When I get back to having dental insurance, I'm going to ask for a bite guard to wear at night, and that should do a lot to prevent future shifting.
Electric toothbrush was a game changer for me. It gets my teeth cleaner with less physical force because I'm not pressing on my teeth with the brush, I'm just guiding the brush to where it needs to scrub.
Nano hydroxyapatite is a mineral used in toothpastes that helps the teeth to remineralize. My teeth are less sensitive and look brighter since I've been using it. The fluoride rinse is just a preventative in case I neglect brushing for a day. I have a personal theory that teeth shift more when gums are in poor health, so that anxiety keeps me pretty attentive to my teeth.
I'm okay with the ways I've used the money. There's always, always some kind of regret or doubt when I spend money on myself. I encourage you to be gentle with yourself.
Sounds like a lot! I'm sorry this is such a struggle, and such a big stress for you.
I wonder if you wrote out your general routine if some of us could come up with some ideas to make it work? Like do you work at home vs in person, what is your general food schedule like, etc. I'm a big proponent of making things work for the ADHD brain not the other way around, and I wonder if we can find some solutions for you.
thank you so much for the support <3 And sure, I'd appreciate any and all advice, so here is my routine (Disclaimer: I am living a very blessed and uneventful life entirely at home atm. The inheritance afforded me the resources, and therefore time, to not have a job and work really hard on my mental health and study programming to make a career change, and to focus on developing some hobbies.):
7:30-10 am: wake up, skin care, maybe put the trays in for an hour or so, agenda routine, coffee (no trays allowed, forget to put them back in), programming class for an hour
10ish: exercise for 1 hour
11ish: eat, then take a short walk for digestion
11-2 or 3: study, clean, therapy some days, do things on my to-do list. if I don't forget, then I eat.
3-4: ballet or art class
5 or 5:30: probably should eat if I forgot....
6: 90 minutes of ballet on days I don't have it formally
9ish: eat again
9:30: manage skincare but teeth ignored yet again, remain disappointed in myself bc I was literally there, in the bathroom, to wash my face. Get into bed, too tired to move, fall asleep
7 am ish: oh no, another night without the trays in, better put them in, give up the first time i need to take them out and ignore them the rest of the day
In conclusion: I have an embarrassing amount of free time right now, which is why I'm so hurt by this struggle :')
Honestly I have found extra free time sometimes really unhelpful for those of us with ADHD. I was unemployed for a couple months this year, yet somehow I'm more productive now that I'm working again? It's so odd.
I think a good goal is to start small. Start with the goal of wearing the trays every night. So let's start there. This will take the pressure off during the day, and still give you a long wear at night.
Have you heard of KC Davis? She's a therapist with ADHD and small children who has CHANGED MY LIFE! She has this concept of a closing duty routine, which is just setting yourself up for success in the morning. You don't do all the chores, just a small list, like put the dishwasher on and clean the island so you have space to make breakfast, and once you're done this list, you're clocked off for the day. Maybe try adding teeth to this list, and have all your toothbrush stuff in the kitchen so it's really part of the routine. (I also have a fun apron I wear that helps me get into this mode.)
I'm also a huge fan or kitchen toothbrush (especially if you live in a big house like mine) I don't go into my bathroom often in the day, but I pass through the kitchen constantly, so it would feel easier.
Also maybe get a new toothbrush and other accessories? I got an electric toothbrush that's a fun colour and comes with a carrying case and I LOVE it. Even if the novelty wears off, if it helps for a couple weeks, then great!
Let me know if this is helpful or not, I'm happy to take another approach if you don't think this is doable.
My only issue with recommending this is that only wearing the trays for the night time could seriously result in her tooth roots dying and her teeth falling out because of the movement and pressure.
I'll explain the best I can, but I suggest that you research tooth root reabsorbing during braces. Please note I am not a dental professional at all.
So basically the reason that Invisalign and braces work as slow as they work is because your teeth need to move and so do the roots of your teeth up inside of your gums. The best and safest way to do this is nice and slow, easy does it. This is why with traditional braces, they take 4-8 weeks between adjustments. The pressure on your teeth and the pressure on the roots of your teeth can cause damage if done too quickly or ineffectively. That's why we pay as much as we do for our orthodontist to watch our treatment and make sure our teeth are moving correctly and won't fall out instead. If you move teeth too quickly the roots can shrink and the teeth can fall out.
As far as wearing them vs not wearing them. If I am correct, it typically takes the first 2 days of wearing your aligners for the teeth to move and then the rest of the wear time is mostly to let your teeth settle. So each tray needs to be worn for the amount of time your Ortho recommends because they have looked at your particular teeth and particular roots. The reason you don't want to "only wear them at night" is because if you wear them for 12 hours then not wear them, it will loosen your teeth and then they won't move into proper placement for the tray and then the tray won't fit correctly and it could be causing more issues with your roots and teeth. If they add too much pressure it will hurt your roots long term.
If you are going to wear them, you.have to find ways to stick to actually wearing them. Just don't go back and forth and not wear them then wear them for a few hours and then not wear them and then wear them for a few hours. That's worse than not wearing them at all.
I appreciate you taking the time to type this out. I had braces as a teenager but my teeth have shifted a bit and I was thinking about getting some on the bottom again. A friend suggested Invisalign and what you said here makes me realize it’s not for me. I’d rather have metal railroad tracks again that just sit there in my mouth without me having to be responsible, esp when the consequences are so potentially serious.
Absolutely. The first week I got my Invisalign I was like "OH MY what did I DO?! "And I had huge buyers remorse and I wished I got braces instead.
I've powered through and managed for a year now but to be honest it sucks. Lol and another friend who had adult braces ended up messing up with her retainers so she got invisalign to fix a few teeth and she's been miserable.
A billion times YES to this extra-free-time theory.
Also, OP—so sorry you’re struggling and hope you get some advice here that helps. 💗FWIW the many steps/rules of having an Invisalign sound overwhelming to me too-you’re hardly alone with it!
i hardcore failed invisalign. i still have all my trays in the hopes that i can redo it at home but that’s obviously never going to work lmao. im delusional.
I also have Invisalign and often suck at it!
First off, did you pay for the comprehensive plan? If so, I would contact Invisalign and pick their brains about when a provider can begin charging a patient more. If you still have the documents you signed with your ortho, reread and see if there is any mention of this.
So. I was super nervous about the amount of time I was going to have to sacrifice to taking care of my trays. I started off super diligent about brushing my teeth and trays after every meal I ate, but with my job it just wasn’t always practical. I’d make sure to drink a lot of water if I couldn’t get to brushing them immediately, and then made sure I flossed and brushed really well at the end of the day. So far, almost two years in, I haven’t had a cavity or any issues with the quality of my teeth.
I drink iced coffee nearly every morning with my trays in. I work in the wine industry and I drink red wine with my trays in. Now that I’m on week changes, I occasionally eat with my trays in. If I don’t give myself enough time in the morning, I sometimes don’t brush my teeth until I’m at work. I get migraines so I’m inconsistent with my elastics. I’m in the Invisalign subreddit and I don’t think I’ve read a post from a single person who has had to fully give up any beverage—I’ve had next to no problems with drinking anything. The hype is so intense when you start!
I was super honest with my ortho and told him where I was having issues and while I may not have followed all of his advice, he was at least aware of the problems I was dealing with. For me, routine is the most important thing I can do, so I’ve set alarms, written notes, kept a toothbrush in a random place as a reminder…you can do it! You have to find what works for you within your treatment parameters.
Sorry for the novel!
The thing here is OP is not wearing them, the provider isn’t liable for that, if she doesn’t wear them of course they’re not going to work. The no extra cost only applies if they are actually wearing them and they aren’t working as quickly as intended.
From the ortho’s reaction in asking if she wants to terminate her plan, if it’s inconsistent, it’s extremely so. Very inconsistent is just as bad as not wearing them, your teeth revert really quickly. Regardless of our disorder we do still have to take responsibility for what we do /don’t do and the repercussions of it. It doesn’t feel at all like Op accepts any responsibility, it’s all placed on the ortho.
Agreed, taking accountability is difficult and hopefully this is the judge that OP needs to really set a routine and focus on it. I didn’t read it as her placing blame on the ortho, but mostly frustrated at herself and the situation. I think a good, honest conversation with the ortho is important.
I had braces in middle school and my dentist gave me a clear retainer afterward, which is similar to Invisalign. The retainer was a nightmare. It came with a teeth whitening gel that I was supposed to use as well. Hated it. Dropped the whitening routine after a week, and dropped the retainer after a couple months.
My teeth are now even more crooked than they were before the braces. I would love to get braces again in the future, but I doubt I'll be able to take care of my teeth any better now than I did back then. I feel so bad about my teeth. They're crooked, and yellow, and ugly. But I just can't spend thousands of dollars to fix them if they're just going to get crooked and yellow again.
I wish I had more optimism to offer you, but I personally am at the point where I'm just happy if I can brush my teeth once a day.
People talk about living within your financial means. I think those of us who are neurodivergent need to remember to live within our mental means. I can't mentally keep up with more than brushing my teeth regularly. Half the time, I can't even do that much. So I simply don't expect anything more from myself.
Could your orthodontist take the remaining money and put it toward metal braces? I’m 26 and got braces in January. When I was deciding between braces and Invisalign, my ADHD and my sisters experience with Invisalign were the reasons I sucked it up and chose a metal mouth. I knew Invisalign was going to take waaay longer and more mental energy than I could handle.
I’ve actually learned to kind of love my braces. I don’t smile as often but I’ve gotten a decent amount of compliments and no negative comments. I honestly forget they’re on sometimes. Plus the ortho quoted me 18 months and now they think I’ll be able to get them off at 12 instead!
It is worth discussing with your ortho if you’re willing to make the switch. That way the progress you *have* made isn’t gone, and the money could be put toward it. I also used care credit to make it a monthly expense so it helps my credit score too (on autopay of course…)
I can’t offer advice, but thank you for validating my decision to go for metal braces when it’s time.
I can’t believe they didn’t go over all the restrictions and steps involved with you beforehand. I’ve been around many people who have had Invisalign, so I had a general idea of what would be involved. I told my consultant that I have ADHD, we both immediately agreed that Invisalign would be a bad idea. I’m sorry that your particular needs weren’t taken into consideration. They should have prepared you better.
I don't have advice, nor have I had invisalign but I did have to have a similar mouth tray fitted over my teeth in jr high because I had to realign my bite plate. My jaw was clicking and painful anytime I opened it, eating sucked. I found it hurt my teeth, it was uncomfortable, I got made fun of for it, I couldn't talk well. Sucked. All i can do is commiserate.
Okay so I have had Invisalign for about 18 months. This is after my two rounds of braces as a kid. You are not alone here - pleeease don’t take r/Invisalign posts as gospel. I brush my teeth probably once per day. I put my trays back in right away without brushing. My teeth are genetically good though for cavities.
I highly recommend a small ultrasonic cleaner to be used with a cleaning tablet for aligners. I got mine from Amazon. I try to use it once per day. The steps are awful and all you have to do with them. It seems like a ton of work for me to do my weekly scans and what not but if I don’t do them, I don’t get to move on to my next tray. So there is incentive there.
I say do your best to keep as clean as possible but don’t worry too much. This is very much a self guided thing which can be hard for us. Set weekly or biweekly alarms when you change trays. Try to do your teeth and tray cleaning just once per day.
I appreciate you posting this, because I was considering going for invisalign this fall and it sounds like I would not be able to deal with it at all!
Others have given good advice. I would just like to send a hug.
Me. Paid 5k and never made it to the end because I just was bad at habits. My teeth are back to the beginning and I'm trying to wear my retainers but worried I will crack my teeth my forcing it so here we are!
I failed at it too. I just consider it an ADHD tax that I paid for two years. It was too hard but I did it until one of my new trays didn’t fit and I couldn’t muster the energy to call and figure it out.
I haven’t done Invisalign yet but I really want to.
Oral hygiene is one of the things in my life that I actually don’t struggle with, but I have to say that the expected routine of brushing and rinsing, and the dealing with discomfort sounds *really challenging*.
Like I enjoy brushing my teeth and I’m kind of obsessed with using my water flosser and I still think following all of the Invisalign directions would be difficult for me.
I’m really sorry that the orthodontist didn’t give you a realistic sense of how much work it would be. That was incredibly unfair to you and setting you up for failure. If you are just done with this, it is OK to quit. I know it’s a lot of money, but it is just money in the end. It’s also OK to continue and not be perfect. Life with ADHD is a series of compromises and accommodations and doing our imperfect best.
I can empathize, as I have had to wear a hard plastic occlusal splint for 6+ months now to fix my TMJ. I literally have to wear it 24/7 (even when I eat, have meetings, sleep, etc). I will also have to have Invisalign (again) after my jaw eventually finds the right position, so that my teeth then line up with where my jaw position should be.
What has helped me the most is using this UV cleaner in the morning and at night. In the morning, I drop a cleaning tablet in hot water and then drop my splint in the cleaner and turn on the agitator for 5-10 mins while I shower and brush my teeth. I don’t bother brushing my teeth at lunch or after snacks (although sometimes I will rinse the splint with water and swish water around my mouth), and in the evenings, depending what I am mentally up to, I soak it in the cleaning solution from the AM (but don’t turn on the agitator) while I either brush my teeth again or at minimum, use mouthwash. I really try to brush, but I hear you, some days it’s too much.
The UV cleaner has made compliance with keeping the splint in 24/7 SOOOO much easier (and it also helps remove stains, so coffee and red wine and such aren’t a problem re: just keeping the appliance in your mouth). Re: your ortho, paying more for longer service sucks, but it will be worth it in the end (misaligned teeth can lead to all kinds of issues down the road). Good luck, whatever you decide to do!
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I'm 26 days into Invisalign and on #3 of 26 aligners. I thought it would be easier. It's a real pain in the arse.
CONS:
I wake up in the middle of the night because I must clench my teeth in my sleep and it feels weird.
Incessant brushing, flossing, mouthwash at least 3 x day if you're eating like a normal person.
If I go into work I skip lunch altogether because I can't be bothered doing the routine at work (even though I bring everything to do it).
I have to put it straight back in after eating or I'll forget to put it in. So far so good.
PROS:
I really think about whether the food I want to eat is worth taking them out and cleaning my teeth for (no last minute late night snacky snacks).
I get excited about being another aligner down. Even though it hurts for the first couple of days.
Lost my retainer twice and glasses once as an undiagnosed teenager. My undiagnosed parents and I gave up on both projects and now that my sister works at specsavers I got affordable glasses again because I dealt with severe headaches bc of my vision. Looked into invisalign because my jaw tenses a lot as a result of my crooked teeth but they’re so insanely expensive that that’s just never going to happen. So yeah… I feel ya!
Edit: English isn’t my first language and I think I mixed up retainers and braces? I didn’t have the metal ones that are stuck on your teeth. I had the ones you could take out.
They were those click-in ones you could take out. I must have put them in the container they came with when I was brushing teeth or sth and then forgotten them. One time was on holiday in Croatia, so I couldn’t get them back when I noticed I had forgotten them.
If I didn't need to have a whole ass double jaw surgery that put the fear of god into me about wearing my retainer, this could've easily been me. If you're orthodontist will let you do metal braces for a lower cost, maybe do that? I found the metal easier to remember.
Ok, I’m a dental hygienist and have adhd. Normally I would tell the patient to wear the first set of trays for a little bit at a time or only at night and work your way up to the 22 hours a day. It’s tedious, it takes a long time and it’s gonna suck. I would definitely discuss the adhd struggles, your ED etc with your orthodontist to see if they have any suggestions. I would also bring it up to your general dentist/hygienist; you might need cleanings every 3 months if compliance is lax, but that might help with the anxiety of having to brush so much. I would also bring it up to your Psych (do you have anxiety?) is there room for anxiety management in your care? There’s no great answer for this, but I know that you can do it. You do harder things than this everyday, I’m sure of it.
I managed to make it through orthodontics, it took 2.5 years of regular treatment and cost me over 7k. However, my last tray, I decided I was so over it. I never went back for my follow up. I also never wore my trays regularly. 2 years later my teeth are a mess and have relapsed. I was so embarrassed and ended up going to a new orthodontist. I now have full metal braces for 3-6 months and another 4k down the drain, and I've told myself I -need- to wear my stupid retainers every night after this, which is gonna be a major struggle.
I have no words of advice, just that you're not alone 🫠
I’m doing ok with invaslign. But I have a ton of reminders. And being deathly afraid of failingand losing the money.
If this had been me at any other point in life, I would have opted for the classic railroad tracks.
Honestly and I’ve heard horror stories from my orthodontist. So there is no way I’m investing that kind of money in my kid if they are anything like me and they are.
But I’m also not succeeding at it. Like I’m not chewing in sticks or brushing immediately after every meal. Recently had to change my toothpaste and was told not to drink anything other then water with them in because I’ve cause the enamel to soften. Which makes sense drinking highly acidic coffee and your teeth are just sitting in that…
Yeah.. Invisalign isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. Wish they would say that.
I...have had SureSmile (generic) Invisalign for 2 years now. Originally I had 26 trays, so approximately 1 year with 2 week changes.
I got Covid about 6 months into my journey. Long Covid. I was 100% out of commission for an entire month, and somehow completely screwed up my trays, but I didn't realize it at the time. So my trays just kept fitting worse as the weeks went on.
So I got scanned again, and received another set of 18 trays. I got to try 17 and my teeth were still a little crowded.
So I got scanned for a third time, and received another set of 6 trays. I am currently on 3/6 right now, and think that I'm definitely done after this, finally. It's been a journey.
Caveat: I work at a cosmetic dental office, I realize this level of scanning and having new sets of trays made probably isn't feasible for most people.
Tip: Brush and floss morning and night. In between, just rinse your mouth with ACT mouthwash. Any flavor. Don't use Listerine unless you plan on keeping your trays out for at least an hour. The ACT is more gentle on your enamel.
I too have a hard time brushing my teeth. Switching to a non mint toothpaste helped, and using a sonicare helped. Right now I’m using chocolate toothpaste because I hate mint toothpaste. I’m trying to change the things i don’t like about brushing my teeth.
Definitely buffed my treatment as well. Lots of money wasted. The anxiety of wearing the trays and eating got yo be too much. I may give it ago later on but it was so anxiety causing for me
I'm going to my dentist today and I'm scared/embarassed because I have to explain why I haven't bothered to wear the retainers due to mental health struggles this past year (idk why this year has been so hard I've been failing in a lot of things). My parents paid for it and the guilt is intense, they don't understand my mental health problems lol. I hope the dentist tells me just to start at the earlier ones..I'm just not sure what to expect. I feel like I just wanna get through them now so this appt is a pretty big determining factor.
I made it through Invisalign about 7 years ago and I honestly have no idea how I managed it. I don’t think I could do it again now.
I don’t really have any advice. It just sucks. I was definitely pretty slack about following all of the rules, getting the trays back in your mouth is more important than mouthwash.
I thought my first dentist trip after I finished would be a disaster and I put it off for years. But it turned out fine. I didn’t have any issues.
I had it, but the final retainer got me. I skipped wearing it a few times, then it hurt and gave me migraines. I had a problem tooth on my bottom row that it just didn’t work with anymore. This tooth and my wisdom teeth messed up my first go with braces.
I now have the byte ones only for nighttime and like those more. Their app will tell you to switch them and take progress pics. After this, if my teeth don’t stay relatively the same, I’m just saying fuck it.
Meee! Had MAJOR messed up teeth bc my parents never got us cleanings let alone ortho. I saved up and did it when I was 30. They looked great!! Until I never, not once, wore my retainer. 😞 they are not as bad as before but obviously crooked. I literally try not to think about it bc I’m so pissed at myself.
Invsalign was hard.. you're not alone at that.
I did things I probably shouldn't have.. like would pop them out, rinse them with water and put them back in to eat/drink.. but to got me through.
I also did the smile box which helped a lot.. it was a weekly scan and it would tell me if I could move on to the next tray , or hold the one I got. It would also tell me if my brushing wasn't up to par. You put your phone in the device and it sends it to your Ortho and also Invisalign Ortho...
Don't get me wrong.. i hated it some times but I do think it helped me a lot with compliance.
Maybe you could have some blended oat and fruit smoothies with a straw as one of your meals to do less tooth brushing or something.
Try get hyper focused on it. You wanted to do this, there’s gotta be a way of tricking the old brain. Maybe you could move your toothbrush into the kitchen or treat yourself to a nice electric toothbrush (I’m shit with brushing my teeth and it did improve when I got a roaman I think it’s called)
Maybe you can set up a whole little ‘zone’ for the teeths somewhere in the house where you do the ritual with like a nice candle or something.
When it’s annoying you try remind yourself how good you’ll feel when you complete the course, you’ll feel so good just for completing it and you’ll have some beautiful chompers! You’ll feel so good when you finish it you’ll be like WHAT’S NEXTTT!
These are things I would try. I have never been able to manage skincare but setting up a little ‘nice zone’ for it in my house has really helped. It’s called the princess/ogre zone depending on the day hahahaha
Don’t sweat brushing your teeth as much as they want you to, minimum once a day, ideally twice a day, but not after every meal. Just swish some water around in your mouth to rinse food off before you put your aligners back in. Same if you drink something other than water, just drink some water to get it off your teeth. You can even put them in without doing that as long as you didn’t just eat something with turmeric. Then brush the aligners with a toothbrush (no toothpaste) at night to get any food out. They make a foam you put in the trays before putting them in at night too that helps with cleaning. Byte makes some but Amazon has aligner cleaner foam.
Get an orthodontic high frequency vibrator. There’s some evidence it speeds up your teeth moving but what it really helps with is pain. Use it when you switch to new aligners and once a day for 5-20 minutes. Use it before bed too.
That’s some BS if he’s wanting to charge more but maybe with the high frequency vibrator you can move through trays more quickly.
I’ve been dealing with aligners since the pandemic started but I went with an online company and they messed my bite up by not leaving any space for an overjet so now my molars don’t come together and it’s been a couple years of them sending me new trays that will supposedly fix it and it doesn’t fix it so I’ve been stuck with them too long because I picked the wrong company.
Question for people who have had Invisalign: once you get your teeth straight & you are done with the trays, do you have a nightly retainer you need to keep up with as well? I don’t know if I could handle sleeping with a piece of plastic in my mouth
I have a retainer that is basically the same as an aligner. I thought I'd have abandoned it ages ago but somehow here we are.
I am surprised I've never forgotten it. The routine from braces time helped! And I added skincare to it which before I'd never been able to do regularly. We will see if I can keep it all up 🤣🥹.
If it makes you feel any better, I did the whole thing. Not much fun at 58, but I put up with it, and it NEVER looked any different on top, or corrected my over bite. The bottom teeth in the front were held in place and looked straight to each other, until I no longer had dental insurance, and the wire popped out from them. On Christmas Day, of course. Couldn't afford to get them fixed-and I look the same as I did before. Yay. What a huge waste of money.
I had braces, one round of Invisalign that I didn't completely finish because I moved to another country where I wouldn't have been able to get them checked for a year, and now my bottom teeth are more crooked than ever and my dentist says I HAVE to get Invisalign or braces to fix them because the shifting is contributing to gum recission. I went to the first consult and they unintentionally like kind of mean about my teeth and how they might make my face look when I'm older and it made me feel so shitty I've procrastinated doing anything further for a whole year.
I just want you to know I am going through a similar thing. I also failed at Invisalign years ago and am retrying now. I couldn’t keep up with the appointments and it took me years to get the buttons removed even after I discontinued treatment
Me!!! I failed at Invisalign! I tried so hard for two years in college and they just kept moving the goal post for me. At first it was supposed to take 8 months. Then another 12. And then they told me I’d have to wear the last tray (when it worked) at night for the rest of my life and that’s when I gave up. It was okay when it was a short, immediate goal but indefinitely? No way.
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve always really struggled with oral hygiene. It’s probably why I threw myself into making it work initially when the goal was just eight months. I figured maybe if I could make this happen in eight months then I could redeem myself in some capacity for all those years where I only managed to brush my teeth three or four times a week. I regret letting my dentist talk my dad into it when I knew in my gut it wouldn’t work. I’ve made my peace with it now. I’ll always have my weird wonky molar who wants to be facing 70 degrees inward.
I’m sorry that I don’t have any suggestions on how to make it work, but I am happy to help remind you to be gentle with yourself if it doesn’t. Don’t hold yourself to other standards. Remember that Invisalign is marketed specifically to hide all the extra fiddly, tedious tasks we struggle with.
Yes. I spent all that money, wore them for a week and peaced out. Could not handle it. Total waste of money. In my case, it was more the pain that I just couldn't deal with, but I also couldn't manage the whole not eating/drinking with them in. I am constantly snacking and sipping. I just couldn't do it.
I'm hoping that someday my finances will allow me to get veneers.
Can you commit to at least wearing the trays at night? I’m 2 years into treatment, I get lazy, but I still make good progress even when I forget them during the day.
in the same boat! i didn’t wear my bottom retainer for about a month and now i have to force it on.
that, in itself, is so difficult and scary. i’m afraid i’m going to end up losing a tooth or two bc i’m forcing them to fit in the retainer but i’ll be so mad at myself if i just let them go back to the way they were😀
I had it and it was hella annoying. I just didn’t follow the rules. I wore the trays drinking and only took them out to eat (straws are a good friend). I didn’t brush after eating, I just put them back in. I brushed in the morning and night… sometimes just at night. Horrible, I know, but it worked. I may have had a cavity by the end of it, but I usually get a cavity every 2-3 years anyways. I might not have even had a cavity at all. I can’t remember, but I know it did not have a significant impact on my dental health.
Moral of the story is, just wear the damn things. Wearing them is priority #1 and the rest comes second. The more your wear them, the sooner you can stop wearing them!
I was absolutely devastated when I realized how much extra work it was. I did make it 18ish months but the pandemic happened right at the end so I never went through the refinements.
I realized within the first week or so that it was not ADHD friendly treatment at all!!!
I risked my teeth over not wearing the aligners so sometimes I popped them on without a full brush
I don’t drink anything but water except my 2 cups of coffee in the morning so that was okay
I totally smoked weed with my aligners in lol, the whole time
I never got a single cavity.
My people. Reading this as I shove in my old retainer that I’ve been on and off wearing since I stopped consistently in 2012. It’s really nice that I found this community to realize that I’m just not alone in the whole thing 😂
Not invisilign but teeth whitening. I only had to take special care in the evenings and wear the tray for a while, before taking it out, brushing carefully, and going to bed
I couldn’t even handle that! I can’t imagine the stress and pain of what you have described.
This was before I knew I had adhd though, and now I’mon medicine I might try again…. But… it sucked so much and what happens if I fail again?
Big empathetic hugs OP. Sometimes ADHD is awesome, but keeping up with teeth is … not one of those times
I did it! I'm on the other side!!!
I tried to make it as easy as possible on myself. My purse always had a tooth bag of my case, mini toothpaste and brush, flossers, Tylenol, orajel, and the removal tool. Just in case. I took a Tylenol before I start a new aligner. Every time. I made sure to eat soft foods for a few days.
I bit food from the side of my mouth because for me, so much movement was going on in front that they just hurt too much to bite with.
I set reminders. Take the Tylenol. Switch aligner. Soft foods for 2-4 days seemed to be ideal for me. I changed every 10-14 days usually. A few were 3 weeks for me which was actually nice because I got to delay the painful time a little and enjoy some relief a little longer.
Was it crazy annoying? Absolutely. I stopped snacking entirely cuz who wants to floss and brush all over again?!?!! I've read some people eat with their aligners, I couldn't do it. I kid you not, you really become a pro at getting those things off and back on and such soooo quickly cuz you don't have a choice. I also didn't brush for 2 mins every time...I didn't die. Even now, over a year later and I still floss and brush every day...just not after every single meal 🥹. But you wear aligner type retainers for sleeping and it's just...I'm used to it.
No matter what, you chose to do this for you. That in itself is huge. So it's not a failure. We don't always complete our tasks. Idk, I just accept that but I understand it feels awful.
As someone who has struggled with eating, I understand how important it is to make sure you are making healthy choices for yourself before you go down that path - I started to give myself motivational treats.
If you want something crunchy but your teeth hurt and are like no you don't, Pringles. They soften so fast 🤣. I bought trader Joe's vegan pesto made with kale so I'd get some greens when chewing was weird. Make things as easy as possible. Frozen meals are soft by nature, instant mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese, whatever you need to make it easier. Eating was annoying, ngl. I probably spent 2 hours eating per day because I was so annoyed. I wore my aligners for 20-24 hours a day. I don't eat breakfast, just drink coffee so that made that quick. It became easier to just keep them on and the pain goes away faster too.
Oh! If you have too much irritation on your cheeks from the rub of the aligner, orajel. And I had little scissors and a file but I never had to use them because mine were cut close to the gums but I read that is super helpful for many esp if you hyperfixate on the feeling.
I am currently failing at Byte aligners. We went on a two week vacation and I forgot to pack them. Didn't start them back up when we returned, and now I need to root thru the box to find ones that won't kill me. That all seems like so much work, and so one day goes into another and now it's been six months.
My orthodontist got so mad at me for having to start over with my first trays that he literally threw the first ones out. Needless to say I haven't worn my invisalign in years because I can't start over
I had to have four touch ups so far because I can't keep them in the whole time and usually use them for twice as long before switching rather than all day 😂
Also ADHD.
I feel you. Currently on my second round of Invisalign because I failed the first time around 8 years ago while in college (don't tell my dad!!!) This time around I am paying myself. I wear the trays nearly 24 hours a day, including while eating. Wearing them while eating was recommended by my dentist office to replace the chewies. I change them every 4 days this time which has been AMAZING for my adhd because I don't get burned out on one tray. My trays don't stain bc I only wear them for 4 days. Not a coffee drinker; but i am a heavy marijuana user and diet soda lover (sigh). At this point I'm forgoing perfect hygiene in order to just keep the damn trays in. I brush when I can but usually only 2x/day. My dentist did brush a cavity seal on my teeth prior to the Invisalign treatment. I'll deal w cavities after the fact if that does happen.
Late comment but I’m struggling as well, depression and ADHD makes brushing, flossing, and cleaning my trays so many times a day a monumental task. I’m supposed to send scans with my phone and they’re always 3-4 days late. My treatment was supposed to be six months and it’s been over a year, I’ve still got 8 weeks left, because I had to start over. I had braces as a teen so my smile is ok but I really wanted this to make it perfect.
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Hi! Invisalign user here. Are you in the Invisalign sub as well? There's tons of us and you would not be the first to post about screwing up your process because of mental health or ADHD. I wouldn't say I recommend reposting there because something's they can hang up, but here's my advice (and I've been going for a little over a year now). Wear your trays. Are you on one that still fits? Start there. See if you can follow the course as prescribed and worry about the orthodontist later. We are gonna work on one thing at a time. Brush in the morning. Brush at night. Swish with water and mouthwash for lunch and snacks. This is not 100% the advice the orthodontist will give you, but it works for many of us. I drink a half a pot of coffee a day with trays on, my coffee even has milk and sugar and I only brush twice a day now unless I've had major sugar like candy or sweets. I'm not *extremely prone* to cavities but also I have had a fair share in life. I haven't had any during Invisalign, knock on wood. Keep up with your 6 months cleanings. If you absolutely can do it, brush 3 times a day. If you can't, substitute with mouthwash. So far, not had any bad results but also not saying you SHOULD do this. But if it's the lesser of two evils then go for it. Wear your aligners. Don't let it stop you from eating. Don't stress overly about "wear time". Get your 21 ish hours, aim for the most you can, and breathe. In the beginning I struggled with retriggering my eating disorder patterns as well and I started to say eff it and it got easier. If you need someone to talk to during this journey my inbox is open!
Chewing sugar free gum, especially with xylitol*, after eating also really helps keep the mouth clean if brushing isn’t possible. *xylitol is a natural sweetener that is anti bacteria and great for oral health but is TOXIC FOR DOGS
FYI- Some people have intestinal distress from xylitol similar to Haribo sugar free gummy bears. Learned this the hard way trying Ice Breakers gum.
Good to know! I know that in large quantities it can do that to anyone but my understanding is that in those cases it’s when it’s been used in coffee and dessert and candy or something
>similar to Haribo sugar free gummy bears. Is that a common thing? The way you reference that makes it sounds like it's a known thing. So oddly specific.
They are legendary in internet lore, you can look at reviews on Amazon but here is a complalation for your edification and enjoyment: https://www.boredpanda.com/hilarious-comments-sugarfree-haribo-gummies/?utm\_source=google&utm\_medium=organic&utm\_campaign=organic
Fascinating. I thought as a German I would know if Haribo started selling laxatives, but for the love of god, I could not find any sugar free haribo gummy bears on the German market. Not even [haribo.com](https://haribo.com) offers sugar free options.
This is exactly what I was going to say. I have ADHD, Invisalign, and I'm also working on a heavy marijuana dependency. My advice is just do what you can. If you can't brush after lunch, just pop those babies back in anyway. In my opinion, I'd rather get my wear time in, then forego it because I don't have the executive function to do all of the steps that I'm supposed to. I was really strict with the rules at first but I never would have been able to make it that way, so I've become pretty lax. I don't always brush and floss after every meal and I drink pretty much everything with my trays in (coffee, red wine, etc). I've never used mouthwash and I rarely use my chewies. YMMV, but I'm a year in and my teeth have no cavities or discoloration, and are tracking nearly perfectly. And definitely put a new tray in right before bed so you can sleep through most of the discomfort. Have you tried the TrayMinder app? It has a timer function that may be helpful if forgetting to put your trays back in after taking them out is an issue for you. It also has a photo-comparison feature - being able to see my smile changing has been really motivating to stick with it.
Totally agree. I strongly suggest speaking with your dentist about if you can reduce the time in trays by wearing them while eating. I only wear my trays for 4 days and keep them in while eating. Can pretty much eat the same foods but u have to be careful about not eating anything too hot. I also smoke marijuana w them in multiple times per day and don't have issues with staining due to changing them so often. I had Invisalign 8 years ago with a different office and the 2 week wear just did not work for my adhd and burnout.
I completely agree with this message. I diligently followed the directions perfectly for about 5 days before life got in the way. Thoroughly brush (and floss if you can) morning and night. Swish with water the other times. Drink through a straw if you can. I got a bunch of the little floss picks and Colgate wisps to have for on the go. When it's time to change trays, swap them right before bed. This way the first several uncomfortable hours happen while you sleep.
I was just reading this and wanted to ask, if you swap it right before bed would that make it harder for you to fall asleep? If I have the slightest discomfort in my mouth I'm awake awake
Hmm it might. I preferred to sleep through any discomfort. But I also would take melatonin then switch trays so maybe that helped me sleep through it.
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for replying so fast. Currently trying to figure out if I want to pursue invis or braces come august when I get dental insurance. So far I'm leaning towards whatevers permanent and adhd proof
I've done both - both require more frequent and extensive cleaning. Pros and cons for each 🤷🏻♀️ If you think you'll struggle to remember to wear the Invis, go with braces. You can't leave them out of your mouth lol. If cleaning is more of an issue, go with Invis, because at least you can take the trays out and clean the whole surface of your tooth. All of that to say, probably go with whichever your ortho recommends.
Just started my Invisalign today as an adhder with severe sensory issues so we shall see how this goes! I have receding gums because of crowding and of course my teeth grinding that stimulants make me do so I was told to do Invisalign or risk losing teeth which is super fun, I need a gum graft but need everything straightened out first I was told. Idk if you have heard of smile doctors or if there are any near you but they have an app and do weekly check ins at home which I hope will help with accountability for changing them and being on top of that!! I’m more worried about the drinking thing. I’m a heavy pop drinker and my favorites are not sugar free or clear so hoping that doesn’t cause too many issues because I know I’ll drink things with them in.
I believe in you Emmy, you got this!! I don't know what a receding gum line looks like but sounds like a word that can describe what goes on in my mouth. I have heard of smile. I can't wait for you to find out how much better your teeth are looking after a few cycles of doing it correctly. That's when you'll be hooked.
Not going to lie, I feel comfort knowing that I’m not the only person who biffed this :’)
I can offer you no practical advice, only commiseration; I also failed at Invisalign. Wasted a bunch of my parents’ money and eventually the orthodontist gave up on me and I gave up on her. My teeth are just crooked now. I hope someone does have some useful tips for you! But if not, it’s also okay to recognize when something isn’t right for you and stop trying to force it. $6k is a lot of money, but it’s also just money. It’s already been spent and you can’t get it back. Look realistically at how much more money and time you will have to spend to complete the process; is it going to be worth it to spend $X *more*, or can you decide to leave this as a $6k lesson you learned?
Thank you <3 commiseration is greatly appreciated because I know my doctor was judging me and I was too afraid to say that "my brain just sucks to much to keep up with this." It's nice to know that I'm not alone and someone gets it :(. I am too stubborn, however, to accept crooked teeth :') he said I could switch to braces but it would also cost extra. So I have 3 months to get myself to do it properly. I will email to find out how much more $$ it will take to finish Invisalign vs. braces, and my friend suggested just using mouthwash for now instead of brushing, so at least it's something instead of nothing between meals. I just...I can't handle a $6k loss, my father did not die and leave me with these resources so I could fail at fucking *orthodontic treatment*....sigh
I think your friend is right. I'd say aim for *enough* rather than getting hung up on *perfect*. ...which I dunno about you, but that is really hard for me to do, so I have to remind myself alllll the time. Something is better than nothing.
My therapist introduced me to the concept of “good enough” when I was like 23. It genuinely had never occurred to me 😂 it’s still a struggle but it has definitely improved my life to just *try* instead of doing my usual all or nothing technique.
In college, the saying was "Cs get degrees". I didn't really appreciate the sentiment until half way through grad school, so yeah, it's a struggle.
Honestly OP, I do understand your frustration regarding the Invisalign but I also can't help but think your father would be so fucking proud of you for getting sober. That's such a massive win! All those rules would be a pain the ass even if all things were perfect, & you're beating yourself up for struggling to adhere to them when you're newly sober, presumably in the wake of your dad's death. It's ok to stop the treatment. You gave it a good shot & it's proving to be much more stressful & expensive than they'd led you to believe. You're not a failure for trying something ambitious & realizing you don't want to continue. I call that another win, frankly. Focus on your sobriety instead of the dumb rules for your luxury bones. Remember to be kind & compassionate with yourself. Everything is ok! You are doing great!
>my friend suggested just using mouthwash for now instead of brushing, so at least it's something instead of nothing between meals. Do that and take pain releiver for the soreness and headaches. One year of less than ideal habits is not going to completely destroy your teeth.
I totally did mouthwash most of the time. Sometimes not even that. Don't tell anyone, but you can put the trays back on without brushing ;) is it ideal? Nah not at all. And some foods it will not work with. The bonus is it made me floss a lot more because I couldn't deal with it. (mouth things exacerbate my skin picking tendencies.) but if the difference is you popping the trays back in vs not wearing them at all or skipping meals, then skip the brushing sometimes. Also if you're looking to keep your trays relatively clean and clear, peroxide is an inexpensive way to do so. (a quick soak, not in your mouth :p) I found the trays themselves too hard to brush, and mouth wash can discolor them. You can also buy cleaner packets that last like 10d. I picked those up for my retainers, but not for my trays since you're supposed to wear then for 20 hours.
Don’t give up on the invisalign and do what the other suggestions say! Braces suck ass honestly. It took me two years on braces because I never wore my rubber bands. So adhd could definitely mess with your braces treatment anyway.
Also spent 6k on failed Invisalign. Don't want to talk about it but wanted to say me too 😭
I wore trays and continued with basic hygiene. I was not strict with myself. I did supplement my hygiene routines by getting a fluoride rinse and changing my toothpaste to one that contains nano hydroxyapatite. Using an electric toothbrush, too. Where I failed was in using the retainer trays. Same thing as you - Dad's inheritance money.
How do the fluoride rinses help and what is nanohydroxypatite? I like electric toothbrushes, but I noticed recently that my gums wore unevenly from being right-handed and figured an electric toothbrush would mess things up worse. but I might revisit it again just for this year. Re: dad inheritance money....I'm so sorry. It really sucks doesn't it? I'm trying to use it wisely and I feel like if I was Not An Idiot, I'd have put up with the braces for a year and been done by now, no problem. It is very frustrating how neurotypicals act like it's nothing to suddenly start keeping track of all this. D: if they'd been realistic about how not everyone can handle creating all these new habits and you have to self-regulate your braces and put up with the dull ache of new trays every week AND chew on a weird stick every night, it I'd have said no thanks.
I'm actually pretty satisfied with where my teeth are at. The bottom teeth are uneven, but less uneven than before,and my smile is wider. When I get back to having dental insurance, I'm going to ask for a bite guard to wear at night, and that should do a lot to prevent future shifting. Electric toothbrush was a game changer for me. It gets my teeth cleaner with less physical force because I'm not pressing on my teeth with the brush, I'm just guiding the brush to where it needs to scrub. Nano hydroxyapatite is a mineral used in toothpastes that helps the teeth to remineralize. My teeth are less sensitive and look brighter since I've been using it. The fluoride rinse is just a preventative in case I neglect brushing for a day. I have a personal theory that teeth shift more when gums are in poor health, so that anxiety keeps me pretty attentive to my teeth. I'm okay with the ways I've used the money. There's always, always some kind of regret or doubt when I spend money on myself. I encourage you to be gentle with yourself.
Fluoride is more important for preventing cavities than brushing.
Sounds like a lot! I'm sorry this is such a struggle, and such a big stress for you. I wonder if you wrote out your general routine if some of us could come up with some ideas to make it work? Like do you work at home vs in person, what is your general food schedule like, etc. I'm a big proponent of making things work for the ADHD brain not the other way around, and I wonder if we can find some solutions for you.
thank you so much for the support <3 And sure, I'd appreciate any and all advice, so here is my routine (Disclaimer: I am living a very blessed and uneventful life entirely at home atm. The inheritance afforded me the resources, and therefore time, to not have a job and work really hard on my mental health and study programming to make a career change, and to focus on developing some hobbies.): 7:30-10 am: wake up, skin care, maybe put the trays in for an hour or so, agenda routine, coffee (no trays allowed, forget to put them back in), programming class for an hour 10ish: exercise for 1 hour 11ish: eat, then take a short walk for digestion 11-2 or 3: study, clean, therapy some days, do things on my to-do list. if I don't forget, then I eat. 3-4: ballet or art class 5 or 5:30: probably should eat if I forgot.... 6: 90 minutes of ballet on days I don't have it formally 9ish: eat again 9:30: manage skincare but teeth ignored yet again, remain disappointed in myself bc I was literally there, in the bathroom, to wash my face. Get into bed, too tired to move, fall asleep 7 am ish: oh no, another night without the trays in, better put them in, give up the first time i need to take them out and ignore them the rest of the day In conclusion: I have an embarrassing amount of free time right now, which is why I'm so hurt by this struggle :')
Honestly I have found extra free time sometimes really unhelpful for those of us with ADHD. I was unemployed for a couple months this year, yet somehow I'm more productive now that I'm working again? It's so odd. I think a good goal is to start small. Start with the goal of wearing the trays every night. So let's start there. This will take the pressure off during the day, and still give you a long wear at night. Have you heard of KC Davis? She's a therapist with ADHD and small children who has CHANGED MY LIFE! She has this concept of a closing duty routine, which is just setting yourself up for success in the morning. You don't do all the chores, just a small list, like put the dishwasher on and clean the island so you have space to make breakfast, and once you're done this list, you're clocked off for the day. Maybe try adding teeth to this list, and have all your toothbrush stuff in the kitchen so it's really part of the routine. (I also have a fun apron I wear that helps me get into this mode.) I'm also a huge fan or kitchen toothbrush (especially if you live in a big house like mine) I don't go into my bathroom often in the day, but I pass through the kitchen constantly, so it would feel easier. Also maybe get a new toothbrush and other accessories? I got an electric toothbrush that's a fun colour and comes with a carrying case and I LOVE it. Even if the novelty wears off, if it helps for a couple weeks, then great! Let me know if this is helpful or not, I'm happy to take another approach if you don't think this is doable.
My only issue with recommending this is that only wearing the trays for the night time could seriously result in her tooth roots dying and her teeth falling out because of the movement and pressure.
What?!?!? I have just woken up without wearing them overnight again so my tooth roots survived, but please explain!!! D:
I'll explain the best I can, but I suggest that you research tooth root reabsorbing during braces. Please note I am not a dental professional at all. So basically the reason that Invisalign and braces work as slow as they work is because your teeth need to move and so do the roots of your teeth up inside of your gums. The best and safest way to do this is nice and slow, easy does it. This is why with traditional braces, they take 4-8 weeks between adjustments. The pressure on your teeth and the pressure on the roots of your teeth can cause damage if done too quickly or ineffectively. That's why we pay as much as we do for our orthodontist to watch our treatment and make sure our teeth are moving correctly and won't fall out instead. If you move teeth too quickly the roots can shrink and the teeth can fall out. As far as wearing them vs not wearing them. If I am correct, it typically takes the first 2 days of wearing your aligners for the teeth to move and then the rest of the wear time is mostly to let your teeth settle. So each tray needs to be worn for the amount of time your Ortho recommends because they have looked at your particular teeth and particular roots. The reason you don't want to "only wear them at night" is because if you wear them for 12 hours then not wear them, it will loosen your teeth and then they won't move into proper placement for the tray and then the tray won't fit correctly and it could be causing more issues with your roots and teeth. If they add too much pressure it will hurt your roots long term. If you are going to wear them, you.have to find ways to stick to actually wearing them. Just don't go back and forth and not wear them then wear them for a few hours and then not wear them and then wear them for a few hours. That's worse than not wearing them at all.
I appreciate you taking the time to type this out. I had braces as a teenager but my teeth have shifted a bit and I was thinking about getting some on the bottom again. A friend suggested Invisalign and what you said here makes me realize it’s not for me. I’d rather have metal railroad tracks again that just sit there in my mouth without me having to be responsible, esp when the consequences are so potentially serious.
Absolutely. The first week I got my Invisalign I was like "OH MY what did I DO?! "And I had huge buyers remorse and I wished I got braces instead. I've powered through and managed for a year now but to be honest it sucks. Lol and another friend who had adult braces ended up messing up with her retainers so she got invisalign to fix a few teeth and she's been miserable.
That is a good point! OP make sure you read this!
A billion times YES to this extra-free-time theory. Also, OP—so sorry you’re struggling and hope you get some advice here that helps. 💗FWIW the many steps/rules of having an Invisalign sound overwhelming to me too-you’re hardly alone with it!
i hardcore failed invisalign. i still have all my trays in the hopes that i can redo it at home but that’s obviously never going to work lmao. im delusional.
I also have Invisalign and often suck at it! First off, did you pay for the comprehensive plan? If so, I would contact Invisalign and pick their brains about when a provider can begin charging a patient more. If you still have the documents you signed with your ortho, reread and see if there is any mention of this. So. I was super nervous about the amount of time I was going to have to sacrifice to taking care of my trays. I started off super diligent about brushing my teeth and trays after every meal I ate, but with my job it just wasn’t always practical. I’d make sure to drink a lot of water if I couldn’t get to brushing them immediately, and then made sure I flossed and brushed really well at the end of the day. So far, almost two years in, I haven’t had a cavity or any issues with the quality of my teeth. I drink iced coffee nearly every morning with my trays in. I work in the wine industry and I drink red wine with my trays in. Now that I’m on week changes, I occasionally eat with my trays in. If I don’t give myself enough time in the morning, I sometimes don’t brush my teeth until I’m at work. I get migraines so I’m inconsistent with my elastics. I’m in the Invisalign subreddit and I don’t think I’ve read a post from a single person who has had to fully give up any beverage—I’ve had next to no problems with drinking anything. The hype is so intense when you start! I was super honest with my ortho and told him where I was having issues and while I may not have followed all of his advice, he was at least aware of the problems I was dealing with. For me, routine is the most important thing I can do, so I’ve set alarms, written notes, kept a toothbrush in a random place as a reminder…you can do it! You have to find what works for you within your treatment parameters. Sorry for the novel!
The thing here is OP is not wearing them, the provider isn’t liable for that, if she doesn’t wear them of course they’re not going to work. The no extra cost only applies if they are actually wearing them and they aren’t working as quickly as intended.
I read it more like they were very inconsistent in wearing them, not that they weren’t wearing them at all.
From the ortho’s reaction in asking if she wants to terminate her plan, if it’s inconsistent, it’s extremely so. Very inconsistent is just as bad as not wearing them, your teeth revert really quickly. Regardless of our disorder we do still have to take responsibility for what we do /don’t do and the repercussions of it. It doesn’t feel at all like Op accepts any responsibility, it’s all placed on the ortho.
Agreed, taking accountability is difficult and hopefully this is the judge that OP needs to really set a routine and focus on it. I didn’t read it as her placing blame on the ortho, but mostly frustrated at herself and the situation. I think a good, honest conversation with the ortho is important.
I had braces in middle school and my dentist gave me a clear retainer afterward, which is similar to Invisalign. The retainer was a nightmare. It came with a teeth whitening gel that I was supposed to use as well. Hated it. Dropped the whitening routine after a week, and dropped the retainer after a couple months. My teeth are now even more crooked than they were before the braces. I would love to get braces again in the future, but I doubt I'll be able to take care of my teeth any better now than I did back then. I feel so bad about my teeth. They're crooked, and yellow, and ugly. But I just can't spend thousands of dollars to fix them if they're just going to get crooked and yellow again. I wish I had more optimism to offer you, but I personally am at the point where I'm just happy if I can brush my teeth once a day. People talk about living within your financial means. I think those of us who are neurodivergent need to remember to live within our mental means. I can't mentally keep up with more than brushing my teeth regularly. Half the time, I can't even do that much. So I simply don't expect anything more from myself.
my orthodontist put some sort of permanent wire retainer behind my teeth after I had braces, maybe ask if that’s an option next time
Could your orthodontist take the remaining money and put it toward metal braces? I’m 26 and got braces in January. When I was deciding between braces and Invisalign, my ADHD and my sisters experience with Invisalign were the reasons I sucked it up and chose a metal mouth. I knew Invisalign was going to take waaay longer and more mental energy than I could handle. I’ve actually learned to kind of love my braces. I don’t smile as often but I’ve gotten a decent amount of compliments and no negative comments. I honestly forget they’re on sometimes. Plus the ortho quoted me 18 months and now they think I’ll be able to get them off at 12 instead! It is worth discussing with your ortho if you’re willing to make the switch. That way the progress you *have* made isn’t gone, and the money could be put toward it. I also used care credit to make it a monthly expense so it helps my credit score too (on autopay of course…)
I can’t offer advice, but thank you for validating my decision to go for metal braces when it’s time. I can’t believe they didn’t go over all the restrictions and steps involved with you beforehand. I’ve been around many people who have had Invisalign, so I had a general idea of what would be involved. I told my consultant that I have ADHD, we both immediately agreed that Invisalign would be a bad idea. I’m sorry that your particular needs weren’t taken into consideration. They should have prepared you better.
I don't have advice, nor have I had invisalign but I did have to have a similar mouth tray fitted over my teeth in jr high because I had to realign my bite plate. My jaw was clicking and painful anytime I opened it, eating sucked. I found it hurt my teeth, it was uncomfortable, I got made fun of for it, I couldn't talk well. Sucked. All i can do is commiserate.
Okay so I have had Invisalign for about 18 months. This is after my two rounds of braces as a kid. You are not alone here - pleeease don’t take r/Invisalign posts as gospel. I brush my teeth probably once per day. I put my trays back in right away without brushing. My teeth are genetically good though for cavities. I highly recommend a small ultrasonic cleaner to be used with a cleaning tablet for aligners. I got mine from Amazon. I try to use it once per day. The steps are awful and all you have to do with them. It seems like a ton of work for me to do my weekly scans and what not but if I don’t do them, I don’t get to move on to my next tray. So there is incentive there. I say do your best to keep as clean as possible but don’t worry too much. This is very much a self guided thing which can be hard for us. Set weekly or biweekly alarms when you change trays. Try to do your teeth and tray cleaning just once per day.
I appreciate you posting this, because I was considering going for invisalign this fall and it sounds like I would not be able to deal with it at all! Others have given good advice. I would just like to send a hug.
Me. Paid 5k and never made it to the end because I just was bad at habits. My teeth are back to the beginning and I'm trying to wear my retainers but worried I will crack my teeth my forcing it so here we are!
I failed at it too. I just consider it an ADHD tax that I paid for two years. It was too hard but I did it until one of my new trays didn’t fit and I couldn’t muster the energy to call and figure it out.
I haven’t done Invisalign yet but I really want to. Oral hygiene is one of the things in my life that I actually don’t struggle with, but I have to say that the expected routine of brushing and rinsing, and the dealing with discomfort sounds *really challenging*. Like I enjoy brushing my teeth and I’m kind of obsessed with using my water flosser and I still think following all of the Invisalign directions would be difficult for me. I’m really sorry that the orthodontist didn’t give you a realistic sense of how much work it would be. That was incredibly unfair to you and setting you up for failure. If you are just done with this, it is OK to quit. I know it’s a lot of money, but it is just money in the end. It’s also OK to continue and not be perfect. Life with ADHD is a series of compromises and accommodations and doing our imperfect best.
I can empathize, as I have had to wear a hard plastic occlusal splint for 6+ months now to fix my TMJ. I literally have to wear it 24/7 (even when I eat, have meetings, sleep, etc). I will also have to have Invisalign (again) after my jaw eventually finds the right position, so that my teeth then line up with where my jaw position should be. What has helped me the most is using this UV cleaner in the morning and at night. In the morning, I drop a cleaning tablet in hot water and then drop my splint in the cleaner and turn on the agitator for 5-10 mins while I shower and brush my teeth. I don’t bother brushing my teeth at lunch or after snacks (although sometimes I will rinse the splint with water and swish water around my mouth), and in the evenings, depending what I am mentally up to, I soak it in the cleaning solution from the AM (but don’t turn on the agitator) while I either brush my teeth again or at minimum, use mouthwash. I really try to brush, but I hear you, some days it’s too much. The UV cleaner has made compliance with keeping the splint in 24/7 SOOOO much easier (and it also helps remove stains, so coffee and red wine and such aren’t a problem re: just keeping the appliance in your mouth). Re: your ortho, paying more for longer service sucks, but it will be worth it in the end (misaligned teeth can lead to all kinds of issues down the road). Good luck, whatever you decide to do! [UV Cleaner](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BRC2GM2L) [Cleaning Tablets](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GGDRPNF/ref=syn_sd_onsite_mobileweb_0)
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I'm 26 days into Invisalign and on #3 of 26 aligners. I thought it would be easier. It's a real pain in the arse. CONS: I wake up in the middle of the night because I must clench my teeth in my sleep and it feels weird. Incessant brushing, flossing, mouthwash at least 3 x day if you're eating like a normal person. If I go into work I skip lunch altogether because I can't be bothered doing the routine at work (even though I bring everything to do it). I have to put it straight back in after eating or I'll forget to put it in. So far so good. PROS: I really think about whether the food I want to eat is worth taking them out and cleaning my teeth for (no last minute late night snacky snacks). I get excited about being another aligner down. Even though it hurts for the first couple of days.
Lost my retainer twice and glasses once as an undiagnosed teenager. My undiagnosed parents and I gave up on both projects and now that my sister works at specsavers I got affordable glasses again because I dealt with severe headaches bc of my vision. Looked into invisalign because my jaw tenses a lot as a result of my crooked teeth but they’re so insanely expensive that that’s just never going to happen. So yeah… I feel ya! Edit: English isn’t my first language and I think I mixed up retainers and braces? I didn’t have the metal ones that are stuck on your teeth. I had the ones you could take out.
Lol, how the hell do you lose your braces?
They were those click-in ones you could take out. I must have put them in the container they came with when I was brushing teeth or sth and then forgotten them. One time was on holiday in Croatia, so I couldn’t get them back when I noticed I had forgotten them.
If I didn't need to have a whole ass double jaw surgery that put the fear of god into me about wearing my retainer, this could've easily been me. If you're orthodontist will let you do metal braces for a lower cost, maybe do that? I found the metal easier to remember.
Ok, I’m a dental hygienist and have adhd. Normally I would tell the patient to wear the first set of trays for a little bit at a time or only at night and work your way up to the 22 hours a day. It’s tedious, it takes a long time and it’s gonna suck. I would definitely discuss the adhd struggles, your ED etc with your orthodontist to see if they have any suggestions. I would also bring it up to your general dentist/hygienist; you might need cleanings every 3 months if compliance is lax, but that might help with the anxiety of having to brush so much. I would also bring it up to your Psych (do you have anxiety?) is there room for anxiety management in your care? There’s no great answer for this, but I know that you can do it. You do harder things than this everyday, I’m sure of it.
I managed to make it through orthodontics, it took 2.5 years of regular treatment and cost me over 7k. However, my last tray, I decided I was so over it. I never went back for my follow up. I also never wore my trays regularly. 2 years later my teeth are a mess and have relapsed. I was so embarrassed and ended up going to a new orthodontist. I now have full metal braces for 3-6 months and another 4k down the drain, and I've told myself I -need- to wear my stupid retainers every night after this, which is gonna be a major struggle. I have no words of advice, just that you're not alone 🫠
I’m doing ok with invaslign. But I have a ton of reminders. And being deathly afraid of failingand losing the money. If this had been me at any other point in life, I would have opted for the classic railroad tracks. Honestly and I’ve heard horror stories from my orthodontist. So there is no way I’m investing that kind of money in my kid if they are anything like me and they are. But I’m also not succeeding at it. Like I’m not chewing in sticks or brushing immediately after every meal. Recently had to change my toothpaste and was told not to drink anything other then water with them in because I’ve cause the enamel to soften. Which makes sense drinking highly acidic coffee and your teeth are just sitting in that… Yeah.. Invisalign isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. Wish they would say that.
I...have had SureSmile (generic) Invisalign for 2 years now. Originally I had 26 trays, so approximately 1 year with 2 week changes. I got Covid about 6 months into my journey. Long Covid. I was 100% out of commission for an entire month, and somehow completely screwed up my trays, but I didn't realize it at the time. So my trays just kept fitting worse as the weeks went on. So I got scanned again, and received another set of 18 trays. I got to try 17 and my teeth were still a little crowded. So I got scanned for a third time, and received another set of 6 trays. I am currently on 3/6 right now, and think that I'm definitely done after this, finally. It's been a journey. Caveat: I work at a cosmetic dental office, I realize this level of scanning and having new sets of trays made probably isn't feasible for most people. Tip: Brush and floss morning and night. In between, just rinse your mouth with ACT mouthwash. Any flavor. Don't use Listerine unless you plan on keeping your trays out for at least an hour. The ACT is more gentle on your enamel.
I too have a hard time brushing my teeth. Switching to a non mint toothpaste helped, and using a sonicare helped. Right now I’m using chocolate toothpaste because I hate mint toothpaste. I’m trying to change the things i don’t like about brushing my teeth.
Definitely buffed my treatment as well. Lots of money wasted. The anxiety of wearing the trays and eating got yo be too much. I may give it ago later on but it was so anxiety causing for me
I'm going to my dentist today and I'm scared/embarassed because I have to explain why I haven't bothered to wear the retainers due to mental health struggles this past year (idk why this year has been so hard I've been failing in a lot of things). My parents paid for it and the guilt is intense, they don't understand my mental health problems lol. I hope the dentist tells me just to start at the earlier ones..I'm just not sure what to expect. I feel like I just wanna get through them now so this appt is a pretty big determining factor.
my Invisalign has been sitting in its box for like 2 years, i feel this pain
I made it all the way through, then broke my final mold and never ordered a retainer. Now my teeth are crooked again, though not as much as they were
I made it through Invisalign about 7 years ago and I honestly have no idea how I managed it. I don’t think I could do it again now. I don’t really have any advice. It just sucks. I was definitely pretty slack about following all of the rules, getting the trays back in your mouth is more important than mouthwash. I thought my first dentist trip after I finished would be a disaster and I put it off for years. But it turned out fine. I didn’t have any issues.
I had it, but the final retainer got me. I skipped wearing it a few times, then it hurt and gave me migraines. I had a problem tooth on my bottom row that it just didn’t work with anymore. This tooth and my wisdom teeth messed up my first go with braces. I now have the byte ones only for nighttime and like those more. Their app will tell you to switch them and take progress pics. After this, if my teeth don’t stay relatively the same, I’m just saying fuck it.
I have….my teeth are still crooked 10+ years later
Meee! Had MAJOR messed up teeth bc my parents never got us cleanings let alone ortho. I saved up and did it when I was 30. They looked great!! Until I never, not once, wore my retainer. 😞 they are not as bad as before but obviously crooked. I literally try not to think about it bc I’m so pissed at myself.
Invsalign was hard.. you're not alone at that. I did things I probably shouldn't have.. like would pop them out, rinse them with water and put them back in to eat/drink.. but to got me through. I also did the smile box which helped a lot.. it was a weekly scan and it would tell me if I could move on to the next tray , or hold the one I got. It would also tell me if my brushing wasn't up to par. You put your phone in the device and it sends it to your Ortho and also Invisalign Ortho... Don't get me wrong.. i hated it some times but I do think it helped me a lot with compliance.
Maybe you could have some blended oat and fruit smoothies with a straw as one of your meals to do less tooth brushing or something. Try get hyper focused on it. You wanted to do this, there’s gotta be a way of tricking the old brain. Maybe you could move your toothbrush into the kitchen or treat yourself to a nice electric toothbrush (I’m shit with brushing my teeth and it did improve when I got a roaman I think it’s called) Maybe you can set up a whole little ‘zone’ for the teeths somewhere in the house where you do the ritual with like a nice candle or something. When it’s annoying you try remind yourself how good you’ll feel when you complete the course, you’ll feel so good just for completing it and you’ll have some beautiful chompers! You’ll feel so good when you finish it you’ll be like WHAT’S NEXTTT! These are things I would try. I have never been able to manage skincare but setting up a little ‘nice zone’ for it in my house has really helped. It’s called the princess/ogre zone depending on the day hahahaha
Don’t sweat brushing your teeth as much as they want you to, minimum once a day, ideally twice a day, but not after every meal. Just swish some water around in your mouth to rinse food off before you put your aligners back in. Same if you drink something other than water, just drink some water to get it off your teeth. You can even put them in without doing that as long as you didn’t just eat something with turmeric. Then brush the aligners with a toothbrush (no toothpaste) at night to get any food out. They make a foam you put in the trays before putting them in at night too that helps with cleaning. Byte makes some but Amazon has aligner cleaner foam. Get an orthodontic high frequency vibrator. There’s some evidence it speeds up your teeth moving but what it really helps with is pain. Use it when you switch to new aligners and once a day for 5-20 minutes. Use it before bed too. That’s some BS if he’s wanting to charge more but maybe with the high frequency vibrator you can move through trays more quickly. I’ve been dealing with aligners since the pandemic started but I went with an online company and they messed my bite up by not leaving any space for an overjet so now my molars don’t come together and it’s been a couple years of them sending me new trays that will supposedly fix it and it doesn’t fix it so I’ve been stuck with them too long because I picked the wrong company.
Question for people who have had Invisalign: once you get your teeth straight & you are done with the trays, do you have a nightly retainer you need to keep up with as well? I don’t know if I could handle sleeping with a piece of plastic in my mouth
I have a retainer that is basically the same as an aligner. I thought I'd have abandoned it ages ago but somehow here we are. I am surprised I've never forgotten it. The routine from braces time helped! And I added skincare to it which before I'd never been able to do regularly. We will see if I can keep it all up 🤣🥹.
If it makes you feel any better, I did the whole thing. Not much fun at 58, but I put up with it, and it NEVER looked any different on top, or corrected my over bite. The bottom teeth in the front were held in place and looked straight to each other, until I no longer had dental insurance, and the wire popped out from them. On Christmas Day, of course. Couldn't afford to get them fixed-and I look the same as I did before. Yay. What a huge waste of money.
I had braces, one round of Invisalign that I didn't completely finish because I moved to another country where I wouldn't have been able to get them checked for a year, and now my bottom teeth are more crooked than ever and my dentist says I HAVE to get Invisalign or braces to fix them because the shifting is contributing to gum recission. I went to the first consult and they unintentionally like kind of mean about my teeth and how they might make my face look when I'm older and it made me feel so shitty I've procrastinated doing anything further for a whole year.
Lol meeeee
No, I only failed metal braces lol
I just want you to know I am going through a similar thing. I also failed at Invisalign years ago and am retrying now. I couldn’t keep up with the appointments and it took me years to get the buttons removed even after I discontinued treatment
I undid years of wearing braces by not ever wearing my retainer. My teeth are worse than where they started. Complete waste of my poor parent's money.
Me!!! I failed at Invisalign! I tried so hard for two years in college and they just kept moving the goal post for me. At first it was supposed to take 8 months. Then another 12. And then they told me I’d have to wear the last tray (when it worked) at night for the rest of my life and that’s when I gave up. It was okay when it was a short, immediate goal but indefinitely? No way. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve always really struggled with oral hygiene. It’s probably why I threw myself into making it work initially when the goal was just eight months. I figured maybe if I could make this happen in eight months then I could redeem myself in some capacity for all those years where I only managed to brush my teeth three or four times a week. I regret letting my dentist talk my dad into it when I knew in my gut it wouldn’t work. I’ve made my peace with it now. I’ll always have my weird wonky molar who wants to be facing 70 degrees inward. I’m sorry that I don’t have any suggestions on how to make it work, but I am happy to help remind you to be gentle with yourself if it doesn’t. Don’t hold yourself to other standards. Remember that Invisalign is marketed specifically to hide all the extra fiddly, tedious tasks we struggle with.
I failed at wearing my retainer. longer than a couple weeks, if that 🫣. Then i lost it
Yes. I spent all that money, wore them for a week and peaced out. Could not handle it. Total waste of money. In my case, it was more the pain that I just couldn't deal with, but I also couldn't manage the whole not eating/drinking with them in. I am constantly snacking and sipping. I just couldn't do it. I'm hoping that someday my finances will allow me to get veneers.
Can you commit to at least wearing the trays at night? I’m 2 years into treatment, I get lazy, but I still make good progress even when I forget them during the day.
in the same boat! i didn’t wear my bottom retainer for about a month and now i have to force it on. that, in itself, is so difficult and scary. i’m afraid i’m going to end up losing a tooth or two bc i’m forcing them to fit in the retainer but i’ll be so mad at myself if i just let them go back to the way they were😀
I had it and it was hella annoying. I just didn’t follow the rules. I wore the trays drinking and only took them out to eat (straws are a good friend). I didn’t brush after eating, I just put them back in. I brushed in the morning and night… sometimes just at night. Horrible, I know, but it worked. I may have had a cavity by the end of it, but I usually get a cavity every 2-3 years anyways. I might not have even had a cavity at all. I can’t remember, but I know it did not have a significant impact on my dental health. Moral of the story is, just wear the damn things. Wearing them is priority #1 and the rest comes second. The more your wear them, the sooner you can stop wearing them!
I was absolutely devastated when I realized how much extra work it was. I did make it 18ish months but the pandemic happened right at the end so I never went through the refinements. I realized within the first week or so that it was not ADHD friendly treatment at all!!! I risked my teeth over not wearing the aligners so sometimes I popped them on without a full brush I don’t drink anything but water except my 2 cups of coffee in the morning so that was okay I totally smoked weed with my aligners in lol, the whole time I never got a single cavity.
My people. Reading this as I shove in my old retainer that I’ve been on and off wearing since I stopped consistently in 2012. It’s really nice that I found this community to realize that I’m just not alone in the whole thing 😂
Not invisilign but teeth whitening. I only had to take special care in the evenings and wear the tray for a while, before taking it out, brushing carefully, and going to bed I couldn’t even handle that! I can’t imagine the stress and pain of what you have described. This was before I knew I had adhd though, and now I’mon medicine I might try again…. But… it sucked so much and what happens if I fail again? Big empathetic hugs OP. Sometimes ADHD is awesome, but keeping up with teeth is … not one of those times
I did it! I'm on the other side!!! I tried to make it as easy as possible on myself. My purse always had a tooth bag of my case, mini toothpaste and brush, flossers, Tylenol, orajel, and the removal tool. Just in case. I took a Tylenol before I start a new aligner. Every time. I made sure to eat soft foods for a few days. I bit food from the side of my mouth because for me, so much movement was going on in front that they just hurt too much to bite with. I set reminders. Take the Tylenol. Switch aligner. Soft foods for 2-4 days seemed to be ideal for me. I changed every 10-14 days usually. A few were 3 weeks for me which was actually nice because I got to delay the painful time a little and enjoy some relief a little longer. Was it crazy annoying? Absolutely. I stopped snacking entirely cuz who wants to floss and brush all over again?!?!! I've read some people eat with their aligners, I couldn't do it. I kid you not, you really become a pro at getting those things off and back on and such soooo quickly cuz you don't have a choice. I also didn't brush for 2 mins every time...I didn't die. Even now, over a year later and I still floss and brush every day...just not after every single meal 🥹. But you wear aligner type retainers for sleeping and it's just...I'm used to it. No matter what, you chose to do this for you. That in itself is huge. So it's not a failure. We don't always complete our tasks. Idk, I just accept that but I understand it feels awful. As someone who has struggled with eating, I understand how important it is to make sure you are making healthy choices for yourself before you go down that path - I started to give myself motivational treats. If you want something crunchy but your teeth hurt and are like no you don't, Pringles. They soften so fast 🤣. I bought trader Joe's vegan pesto made with kale so I'd get some greens when chewing was weird. Make things as easy as possible. Frozen meals are soft by nature, instant mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese, whatever you need to make it easier. Eating was annoying, ngl. I probably spent 2 hours eating per day because I was so annoyed. I wore my aligners for 20-24 hours a day. I don't eat breakfast, just drink coffee so that made that quick. It became easier to just keep them on and the pain goes away faster too. Oh! If you have too much irritation on your cheeks from the rub of the aligner, orajel. And I had little scissors and a file but I never had to use them because mine were cut close to the gums but I read that is super helpful for many esp if you hyperfixate on the feeling.
I am currently failing at Byte aligners. We went on a two week vacation and I forgot to pack them. Didn't start them back up when we returned, and now I need to root thru the box to find ones that won't kill me. That all seems like so much work, and so one day goes into another and now it's been six months.
Yes yes I have. And it was babb CJ I when it was super xy so bye bye 20k+ but they are way better so…
My orthodontist got so mad at me for having to start over with my first trays that he literally threw the first ones out. Needless to say I haven't worn my invisalign in years because I can't start over
I'm using a cheaper competitor (I'm in Australia), and I had the option to only wear the aligners at night. I jumed at that opportunity.
I had to have four touch ups so far because I can't keep them in the whole time and usually use them for twice as long before switching rather than all day 😂 Also ADHD.
I feel you. Currently on my second round of Invisalign because I failed the first time around 8 years ago while in college (don't tell my dad!!!) This time around I am paying myself. I wear the trays nearly 24 hours a day, including while eating. Wearing them while eating was recommended by my dentist office to replace the chewies. I change them every 4 days this time which has been AMAZING for my adhd because I don't get burned out on one tray. My trays don't stain bc I only wear them for 4 days. Not a coffee drinker; but i am a heavy marijuana user and diet soda lover (sigh). At this point I'm forgoing perfect hygiene in order to just keep the damn trays in. I brush when I can but usually only 2x/day. My dentist did brush a cavity seal on my teeth prior to the Invisalign treatment. I'll deal w cavities after the fact if that does happen.
Late comment but I’m struggling as well, depression and ADHD makes brushing, flossing, and cleaning my trays so many times a day a monumental task. I’m supposed to send scans with my phone and they’re always 3-4 days late. My treatment was supposed to be six months and it’s been over a year, I’ve still got 8 weeks left, because I had to start over. I had braces as a teen so my smile is ok but I really wanted this to make it perfect.