In this post I’ll be sharing what I experienced during my first 24 hours of Invisalign and some things you can expect when receiving your first set of trays.
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I’ve had crowding and an overbite since my adult teeth came in and never got braces due to x, y, and z reasons. Well… into my recent 30-something adult years, this resulted in the beginnings of periodontitis and some issues with swollen gums, especially around my bottom teeth where I have the most crowding. So while my case for wanting Invisalign is partially for aesthetics (who doesn’t want super straight teeth without the metal wires and brackets?), it’s actually mostly for orthodontic function and to preserve the health of my teeth and gums down the road.
Today I’m sharing how the first day of my Invisalign treatment panned out. In case anyone is thinking about getting Invisalign and curious about what to expect when starting their treatment.
Overview of my plan: 17 aligner trays, change trays every 10 days. Main issues to fix: teeth crowding on the top and bottom, and a class 2 (severe) overbite.
Backtracking a little: prior to this, I had a consultation with my orthodontist to determine if I was a candidate for Invisalign. There are some limitations and each case is looked at individually, so if you think you may want Invisalign, you’ll need to schedule a consultation first. After determining that I was a candidate, they proceeded by taking a 3D scan of my teeth, which was then sent off to Invisalign. Invisalign then created a treatment plan based on my particular needs. The plan was tweaked by my orthodontist and shown to me before giving the green light. Once the treatment plan was accepted and the deposit was paid, Invisalign took about 3 weeks to make and send the clear aligner trays to my orthodontist. Once the trays were received, I was called in for my first appointment. Which lands us at current day.
Day 1 – April 12th, 2023 | 2:15pm. The orthodontist appointment. First, I had a general cleaning with a dental hygienist. Then they transferred me over to the ortho chair to begin the Invisalign process. To start, they shaved down 4 different teeth (1 in each quadrant). This is known as interproximal reduction (or IPR) and is often used to allow the teeth to move in cases where crowding is an issue. Some teeth were shaved 2mm and some were shaved 3mm. During the IPR process, I felt pressure but not much pain except for a few sensitive parts that actually did make me see stars. The worst part was the sound of the drill and the SMELL – which resembled that of burnt hair. Not the worst, but not pleasant by any means.
After the IPR, they placed the attachments. Attachments are little tooth-colored “buttons” that are bonded to the teeth and are meant to grip the trays in place, allowing the teeth to move more effectively. In my case, I had 15 attachments placed on a total of 14 teeth. Having the attachments placed didn’t hurt at all and was actually the easiest part of the entire process.
By 4:00 pm they had finished everything, inserted my first set of aligner trays, and sent me on my way with trays 1-3 and an appointment for 1 month later to check progress and receive the next set of trays. Some orthos give you the complete set of trays for your entire treatment all at once. But I actually prefer this treatment method where they give you a small group of trays at a time because I like the idea of having my ortho check in throughout the process to make sure it’s all going smoothly. They also gave me an official Invisalign starter kit which comes with an aligner case, some cleaning crystals, and an instruction manual.
I was told to wear the aligner trays for 22 hours a day(!) and only remove them to eat, drink anything other than water, and brush/floss/etc.
After eating anything you must brush, floss, scrape your tongue, and rinse with mouthwash. Ideally all of them, but at the very least brush and floss. Then rinse out your tray in warm water and brush it gently (or clean with crystals) before placing them back in your mouth. I can imagine that this whole process really makes you think twice before having a snack and will definitely cut back on any food grazing throughout the day. (Side note: It already seems like the success of an Invisalign treatment is very much based on personal commitment and can be quite a big change to your daily routine and lifestyle in more ways than one. Maybe I’ll have more to say on this in a later post. But for now, let’s continue with my initial experience.)
As far as pain goes, immediately after the appointment, I felt slight pressure in my mouth but nothing too bad. With each hour that passed, the pressure got worse until about 8 pm when I had a pretty strong headache and some pain in my top left canine. I took 2 extra strength Tylenol which helped a bit. In general, I’d say it was a feeling of discomfort due to pressure on my teeth plus the feeling of the edges of the tray and attachments in my mouth as they rubbed on my tongue and inside of my lips. I’m already prone to headaches (especially after dentist appointments) so that was just an expected “cherry” on top.
What helped the most with the tooth pain and pressure was biting on a chewie. Chewies are small silicone tubes that you use to bite onto – moving back and forth from one side of the mouth to the other. They help close any air bubbles or gaps between the trays and your teeth to improve the fit and efficiency. I found myself biting on a chewie for HOURS and felt like it was the only thing that actually helped alleviate the pressure.
That night, I did not eat dinner, did not remove the trays, and just went to sleep. I was honestly drained and wanted to avoid removing the trays at all for the first day to allow my teeth to get used to them and start adjusting. I also had no appetite so it wasn’t too hard to skip dinner. Sleeping was okay, but I felt like I needed to be on my back and slightly propped up. When I laid down flat I felt more pressure and it would wake me up.
Day 2 – April 13th, 2023. I woke up feeling a little pressure and soreness but nothing too bad. Then I attempted to remove my trays using my fingers and it felt like I was ripping my teeth out. Ok, a little dramatic, but not a pleasant experience at all. Thankfully I had a little aligner removal tool that helped. I started in the back corners and pulled forward and out. It took me a few tries but I was mentally prepared for it to go way worse. When the trays were removed, I actually hated the feeling of my teeth. They felt “free” from the pressure of the trays, but in a wierd way they also felt kind of loose and flimsy in my mouth. Just a strange sensation that I’m sure I’ll get used to over time. I could also feel the little button attachments way more on the inside of my lips, which I hated.
I had my trays out for about 30 minutes as I drank my coffee through a straw. (Trying to do everything possible to avoid staining the attachments.) This new routine is something I’ll have to get used to as I’m usually a sip-on-my-coffee-for-hours type of person. After coffee, I brushed my teeth, tried to floss but my teeth and gums were so sensitive I could barely do this properly, scraped my tongue, and rinsed with mouthwash. The full shebang. I can already tell doing this whole process several times a day is going to get old quick, but we gotta do what we gotta do!
Putting the trays back in again was by far the worse part. I felt so much pressure and got an instant headache. I took another Tylenol and bit on my chewie for the next hour or so as I started my workday.
At this point, I still had zero appetite and after the whole ordeal, I was honestly not looking forward to taking these out any time soon. So I’m thinking the first few days of a new tray might result in some pretty “effortless” fasting.
The rest of the day, the aligners felt really tight and I had a pretty annoying tension headache. Ended up staying super busy with work which helped distract me from the discomfort. I found that I was also more irritated by the attachments as they rubbed on the inside of my lips, especially the 2 on my front tooth. And at times I felt the edges of the trays rubbing on my tongue.
Definitely reached for my chewie several times throughout the day! The best way to describe biting on a chewie is that it hurts but in a… good way? Comparable to when you’re stretching sore muscles, and it feels both good and bad at the same time. Hopefully, this makes sense to someone!
A few other things I noticed throughout the day: my lips were getting extra dry, I seemed to produce way more saliva than ever before, and I was drinking more water than usual.
I know these things will only get better in time, and I’m trying to keep the final goal in mind: straight + healthy teeth!
Things I did/bought prior to my first appointment that REALLY helped:
I ordered this aligner case that came with a silicone chewie, and an aligner removal tool to remove the trays. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this! The silicone chewie is what truly saved me on that first day/night, and was way better than the little cotton buds I was given at the ortho. The removal tool was also crucial in making my first tray removal somewhat bearable as I simply couldn’t get a grip on it using just my fingers!
I also downloaded an app called TrayMinder which lets you log and track the hours you’re wearing the trays, reminds you about tray switches, takes progress photos, and more. Even if I don’t use this throughout the entire treatment, I think at first it will be helpful to establish a new routine.
After some research, I also added the following items to my Amazon cart as an “Invisalign Survival Kit” if you will:
- Aligner case with mirror – figured a second case would be great to keep in my purse. The mirror is helpful in case I can’t get to a bathroom, as I’m still a newbie at removing the trays.
- Dental floss – this one has a ribbon texture which fits best in crowded teeth.
- Aligner removal tool – highly recommend, really helped remove my trays on day 1 when they were super tight.
- Aligner seater chewies – these are a MUST! Really helped relieve pressure and helps the trays fit properly!
- Ortho wax – potentially good for protecting lips and cheeks from rubbing sores.
- Topical anesthetic – probably won’t need this, but keeping it on my list just in case!
- Travel sized toothpaste – for brushing after eating in public.
- Retainer & denture cleaner tablets – I’ve read these are good for cleaning aligners.
- Travel toothbrush – again, for brushing after eating in public.
- Mouthwash – this is my favorite for gum health, and also comes in travel size bottles.
- Other: mints, lip balm, hand sanitizer, little travel pouch to keep things together when going out.
Hopefully, this was helpful in some way if you’re looking into Invisalign or beginning your treatment soon. I’ll be making this a series so stay tuned for more updates and progress photos in the upcoming months.
Xx Laura
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