r/Invisalign Feb 01 '24

Starting Your Invisalign Journey: Essentials & Helpful Tips

163 Upvotes

Welcome to the beginning of your Invisalign or alternative aligner journey! Whether you're just starting out or contemplating beginning, it's natural to have questions. This guide aims to tackle common inquiries, share valuable resources, recommend essential products, and offer advice. However, please note that this guide does not cover everything.

Before diving in, we urge new members to familiarize themselves with our subreddit rules to avoid any confusion over removed posts or comments and the need to contact moderators.

Consulting Your Orthodontist:

Always consult your orthodontist if you're uncertain about any aspect of your treatment. It's crucial to rely on their expertise for your specific treatment plan.

Orthodontist vs. Dentist:

An orthodontist is a specialized dentist who has undergone additional training in teeth alignment. While some dentists can manage aligner treatments, orthodontists are generally recommended for their specialized expertise.

Finding an Orthodontist for Invisalign:

You can use Invisalign's website to locate nearby providers. Remember, the number of cases an orthodontist has completed (VIP indicator) doesn't necessarily reflect their skill level.

When considering treatment, consult with multiple orthodontists to discuss costs, treatment plans, expected outcomes, timelines, and retainer costs. Ensure you inquire about emergency procedures.

Choose an orthodontist based not only on comfort with the cost and treatment plan but also on confidence in their care.

Essentials After Receiving Your First Trays:

Upon starting treatment, we recommend acquiring the following items, which significantly aid in the process:

  • Ultrasonic Cleaner: Essential for keeping trays & retainers clean.
  • Denture Cleaner Tablets / Invisalign Cleaner: For optimal cleaning results.
  • Ortho Key / PulTool: Especially useful in the initial stages for easy aligner removal.
  • Chewies: Aid in ensuring aligners fit properly.
  • Invisalign/Retainer Case: To safely store your aligners.
  • Travel Pack: Includes essentials for aligner care on the go.
  • Research After Treatment Retainer Options: Consider post-treatment needs early on.

Ultrasonic Cleaner Recommendations:

We've tested various models to recommend the best fit for our community members. Our top picks include:

  • iSonic DS180(B): Offers portability with a battery option, starting at $49.95.
  • ZimaDental Dental Pod: Aesthetically pleasing and effective, priced around $99.99.
  • iSonic F3900: A budget-friendly option with reliable performance, starting at $44.95.

Ortho Key / PulTool Tips:

The PulTool is our top recommendation for easy aligner removal, especially in the early stages. It's affordable and can be included in your travel kit. A discount code "r/Invisalign" offers 15% off for our community.

Chewies and Retainer Cases:

Chewies are great for ensuring your aligners fit snugly. If you opt for the PulTool, it also functions as a chewie. For retainer cases, we suggest sticking with the ones provided by your orthodontist or considering those offered by PulTool.

After Treatment Retainer Options:

As you approach the end of your Invisalign journey, it's crucial to think about maintaining your new smile. SportingSmiles has emerged as a standout option for post-treatment retainers, offering a convenient and effective solution for those looking to secure their teeth alignment long-term or for those looking for an affordable retainer replacement option.

SportingSmiles offers a DIY impression kit for post-treatment retainers, which have proven to be durable and well-fitting, sometimes even preferred over orthodontist-provided ones. SportingSmiles also offers you the ability to keep your mold on file so you have access to QUICK replacements should the need arise, the replacements also come with a discount, making it the cheapest option we have found.

SportingSmiles retainers start at an accessible price point of just $120, making it an economical choice without compromising on quality. This pricing structure is particularly appealing for individuals seeking high-quality retainers without the steep costs often associated with traditional orthodontic avenues.

Start your Invisalign journey informed and prepared with these tips and recommendations. Remember, each step forward is a move towards a perfect smile!


r/Invisalign 3d ago

Discussion "Invisalign Biweekly General Questions & Discussion - July 20, 2026".

1 Upvotes

Biweekly thread for common questions and Invisalign discussion.

Rules still apply


r/Invisalign 6h ago

Before & After Results. I’m Done!

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85 Upvotes

I am done after only 6 months with 7 day tray changes. I got my attachments removed today and will be picking up my retainers in a few hours! I am so excited to be free.
Here is my before & after.


r/Invisalign 4h ago

Before & After Results. Before and After Finally Done 🎉

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25 Upvotes

r/Invisalign 8h ago

Before & After Results. 5 months, 20 trays - chuffed to bits :))

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55 Upvotes

So so happy with the result! Initially I was reluctant to start because I am a uni student and so didn’t want my social life to stop because of invisalign, but has been absolutely fine! For anyone wondering I still went out and drank alcohol with my retainers in and just stuck to vodka lemonade through a straw (and the sneaky shot here and there) with absolutely no issues. Honestly nobody noticed I even had them in! Told my friend I was finishing invisalign this week and she said she had forgot I was doing them! The only slight annoyance is going out to eat with them in but honestly not a big deal, just nip to the loo before and after eating and people don’t really notice :)) Best decision I’ve made because I love my smile now! I feel so pretty 😆


r/Invisalign 1h ago

General it finally arrived!

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Upvotes

the free case i ordered on june 3rd finally came a day after i hit the halfway point of my plan.

(george isn’t sure if she approves, but she’s never sure about anything.)


r/Invisalign 1h ago

Treatment Progress Ever get clobbered by a tray out of the blue?

Upvotes

Hi all, long time lurker and first time poster. I started Invisalign in mid-April with a fairly mild case to close a front gap and very minor issues related to not wearing my retainer. My plan is 14 trays with Invisalign Lite.

I was on 2 week changes for my first 5 trays and then my ortho told me to switch to weekly for the rest. Trays 6-8 were fine — a smidge more tightness when I switched but nothing notable. I swapped in Tray 9 last night and holy hell… I have not experienced true pain this entire treatment until now. Is it normal for one tray to be more intense than the others? I am almost 24 hours in and the pain is slowly but surely subsiding, so assuming it is all normal, but I was not expecting it after 8 trays with very dull pain at worst.


r/Invisalign 20h ago

Before & After Results. Almost there: from December 2025 to July 2026, 26 initial trays

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189 Upvotes

Started my treatment in December 2025 with 26 initial trays. On my 25th tray at the moment.
It cost me ~1800 USD for 26 initially trays and 26 refinements.

Changed every 10 days in the beginning but decreased it to 9 days because teeth were tracking well.

In the first few days, more than the pain, the feeling of foreign object in my mouth pushing my teeth was so uncomfortable that felt like ripping it off but pushed through.
There was pain while eating and trying to bite down something for first 5 trays.

Religiously flossed and brushed after eating.
Wearing aligners has definitely improve my oral hygiene.

There is still noticeable gap between lower canine and pre molar when I take off the aligners so most probably will get refinements. But so happy with the progress so far.

My only regret is why didn't I do it earlier.
I was suggested by my dentist 10 years ago but I thought at that time that it was too late for me. And look at me 10 years later.


r/Invisalign 13h ago

Before & After Results. 1.5 years 🤧 before and after (contouring and whitening next week)

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45 Upvotes

Just sharing my progress and wanted to know any thoughts? Initially got it to just close my gap but ended up being a process of correcting minor things which I was happy to wait out for.

I decided to go against metal bonded wire and night retainer since my ortho said a lot of people complain about comfort as well as come in for repairs (£50) and (£250 replace) so I'm doing day and night retainers which they told me would be a better quality and more rigid material than aligners (3 sets exactly the same)


r/Invisalign 6h ago

Treatment Progress 3.5 years later finally!

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13 Upvotes

How are the results?


r/Invisalign 6h ago

Before & After Results. From 1st tray to 76/77 (invisalign comprehensive)

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9 Upvotes

Just wanted to share the progress because i'm proud of it ! I had a huge gap before as you can see (i was not opening my mouth)

Still have one week to go and i'm done with it !!! (Hope they don't tell me i still need some trays because i'm so tired of it 😂)


r/Invisalign 2h ago

Question What to wear until retainers?

3 Upvotes

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but I'm on tray 5/12 and set to finish a week before I'm out of country for 2 weeks. I just got switched from 2 weeks to 1 week, so finishing ahead of schedule. At the end of the treatment, I'm having teeth reshaped, so tray 12 won't fit anymore. What do I wear while I wait for retainers? Has anyones provider made something temporary to wear until retainers like a moldable nightguard?

I'm definitely gonna ask about this at my next appointment. Unfortunately my Dr was stuck in an airport out of town due to weather, so I only saw the tech for my recent recheck.


r/Invisalign 13h ago

Before & After Results. Done! (March 2024 to May 2026)

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24 Upvotes

Hello everybody,

I am finally done with my Invisalign treatment! As you can see, I had a bad open bite due to my class II malocclusion and I decided to treat it only with orthodontics, instead of going for a jaw surgery.

After two years of screws and elastics, I am very happy with the result. Maybe it's not textbook teeth perfection, but the bite is closed, teeth are straight and also my skeletal defect has veeery midly improved. Overall, my face looks much more balanced and I can finally, properly eat a hamburger!

To all the people still in treatment: hold on, it will be worth it!


r/Invisalign 1h ago

Question Can passive trays act as a retainer?

Upvotes

I just finished 40 trays and my orthodontist told me to come back in 6 weeks. I got 3 passive trays to switch every 14 days. However as I understood when I go back to him at week 6 he will do a scan or decide that we are finished. Does it make sense that my last passive trays will be my retainer until the real permanent retainer comes or the next round of trays comes? I know it takes 30 days for the trays or retainer to arrive. Does it make sense that I will just continue to wear the old passive trays after the check and wear them for extra 30 days? Thanks


r/Invisalign 3h ago

General I seem to be having the worst invisalign luck

3 Upvotes

I started invisalign 3 years ago with a dentist who closed an open bite but by doing that she created other problems. After 1 year I transferred to an ortho, which I thought would be a sure fire way to get everything fixed. But somehow I managed to pick one of the few bad orthos, which actually was my fear when I was doing consults. and now 2 years later my bite is still bad. how can this be?? how is it even possible that an ortho can't figure out how to fix my teeth?! So now the invisalign plan I had has expired, so I thought that meant I'd be free to start with a new ortho but it's still somehow considered a transfer *sigh*. and now I get to pay ANOTHER $4000-43000 on top of the 4500 i gave the dentist AND the 4500 I gave the ortho. I just can't take any more of this. Wondering if anyone else has had anything even close to this kind of nightmare


r/Invisalign 12h ago

Before & After Results. Best decision ever!

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16 Upvotes

After 1.5 years of treatment, I followed the Invisalign instructions religiously and never skipped wearing my aligners. I only removed them for around 20 minutes a day when needed, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The discipline was totally worth it!


r/Invisalign 5h ago

Treatment Progress One year open bite correction progress!

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4 Upvotes

I still have a long way to go (originally quoted 1.5-2 years) but top pictures are from last July when I first got my trays, then bottom pictures are from now on tray 48. My open bite is due to a skeletal issue and I was told jaw surgery was the only way to fix it 100%, but that aligners could possibly get me most of the way there. I opted to go the aligner route and I think it’s amazing results so far!


r/Invisalign 15m ago

Treatment Progress Almost there!

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Upvotes

Tray 21 of 30. Top pic is from tray 1 Bottom pic is the most recent.


r/Invisalign 4h ago

Question Molar chipped, dentist told me to wait

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2 Upvotes

I thought an old cavity filling fell out but when I went to my dentist she said it was “a small chip” in my molar, likely due to Invisalign pressure (I was wearing bands and just started bite ramps so extra pressure). She told me that she would rather wait until the end of treatment to fix it (I’m supposed be done in September) and to just put some Sensodyne on it for now to deal with the pain/sensitivity. I was really worried because it looked like a literal hole in my molar but she said it’s not that deep and the X-rays show it’s not near the root and that there’s a lot of enamel between the chip and the root.

I’m still kinda worried because I’m going out of the country for a month and not sure what to expect. She seems confident that it’s minor and won’t get worse and then we can fill it in September, but I’ve read some horror stories online. Wondering if anybody has had this happen and what you recommend? Should i push to treat it already or just wait it out?

Here’s a picture of the chip if anyone is wondering lmao it looks literally terrifying to me


r/Invisalign 46m ago

Question Just started, final trays are significantly narrower?

Upvotes

Just started today and received all my trays at the same time, so of course I peeked ahead to see what the finished product may look like.

My primary issue is crowding so I was somewhat confused and surprised to see that the final tray is narrower on the top and significantly narrower on the bottom - seemingly a quarter inch or more when measured between the back molars.

Is this typical? Any similar experiences? I don’t think I have a particularly wide smile today and I generally don’t feel I have a ton of space in my mouth. Also concerned about how the new positioning will affect how the teeth sit and my jawline.


r/Invisalign 1h ago

Question Attachments on Bottom Teeth with Overbite

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Upvotes

I started Invisalign in June for crowding and overbite/deep bite. Got attachments installed on my bottom teeth. My issue is that a few of these attachments (see red arrows) are acting almost like bite ramps. My top incisors are now constantly hitting these buttons with trays in. At first I could not even chew properly, now, I guess, there was a bit of movement (I don't see any changes) and my jaw also adjusted, so I don't hit these as much with trays out while I eat.

Would you please share your experiences if your situation was similar to mine? Does it get better? I just want to fully close my jaws with trays in. It is so annoying and I feel I now developed a weird habit of grinding my top teeth against these buttons with trays in.


r/Invisalign 10h ago

Treatment Progress Week 1 vs Week 7

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5 Upvotes

Week 1 is the top pic and today - the start of week 7 - is the bottom pic. I can actually see a difference now! Cannot wait to see how things keep progressing!


r/Invisalign 2h ago

Treatment Progress What has your experience been like having wisdom teeth extractions during treatment?

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, please be gentle with me on this one. I just feel so isolated and really wanted to hear from others whi might have experienced an issue similar to mine.

My orthodontist’s office took one of my wisdom teeth out. She said she would rather a more senior professional to take the other three of my wisdom teeth out. That’s the two impacted bottom ones and for the upper left, she identified I had an extra tooth which I actually never knew about.

I had the extractions done on Wednesday, having put my under serious anesthesia so I would be unconscious while they worked.

My mouth was swollen, I was drowsy. My lips were badly swollen. I couldn’t feel my tongue in my mouth. And the nerves were all badly tingling in my cheeks and lips. All I could do was sip soup. I couldn’t open my mouth big enough to even fit the medicine they gave me too well at first. They instructed my fiancé to leave the Invisalign out until next week Tuesday which would have been this past Tuesday. And as it happens it’s only that morning I could really open my mouth much better to brush. That’s also the morning I discovered my tongue tie had been broken. Like no more webbing !!!!!!!!! Which was revealed to have been done inadvertently when they put the blocks and other equipment in my mouth. But he said do some exercises and leave out the Invisalign until Friday.

All this to say, I see a space forming between my front teeth this morning. And my orthodontist office, although they had the heads up before I did anything just brushed me off! They at first said to come in two weeks after the extraction. When I asked for an appointment wing proactive they said you’re due for an Invisalign check up on August 12 so we will let you know. UGH. Then what is the point of the check in after the extraction. Then today they said I should have worn them after the extraction. Like I genuinely lost my marbles and exploded. It’s like so hard to have attentive care? In the end she said to wear them at night and do 10 hours minimum and promised to call back — which she never did. What has anyone else’s experience been like? And how did you manage? I put in the tray I wore before the appointment, but I should be on tray 28 since Saturday. So.. I just don’t know what to think.


r/Invisalign 1d ago

Before & After Results. Before and after!

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57 Upvotes

Really happy with my results. I don’t have a true before so the first photo was a few months into treatment. My smile isn’t perfect but miles from where we began!


r/Invisalign 7h ago

Question Gap

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3 Upvotes

I finished my Invisalign a couple of months ago and have been wearing my retainers. But every time I take them out the gap in my front teeth comes back. should I just get composite bonding?