My daughter mentioned Invisalign. I didn’t realize you have to wear them so many hours. What is the schedule exactly?

Wow! You spend more than 2 hours a day cooking? Today we had avacado eggs with bacon, about 20 minutes, no tasting. Steak sandwiches and apples,10 minutes, again, no tasting and pork tenderloin in a marinade, taters and broccholi with a little cheese.Prep time....15 minutes. Nope no tasting!

So 45 minutes prep. Still leaves 1.25 hours to eat! Almost 1/2 hr per meal. Seems like a lot!

I'm sorry, I'm not doing a bunch of involved cooking right now (heat and fires are keeping things simple these days!)

I suppose if I were making sauces or soups or more involved things I would be tasting more.

Don't you taste with your tongue? I know there are different areas of taste buds, but I thought the majority were on or about the tongue?

Both daughters did invisaline and loved them! You do have to continue to wear the final retainer forever from what they've told me.

@eld6161, I’m less than a week into this project. I’m told that to get the best results, they need to be worn 22 hours a day. The only thing you are supposed to consume while the trays are in your mouth is water. After each meal, you, of course brush your teeth and clean the trays. Once a day, you soak the trays for 15 minutes. This guy did a You Tube diary of his experience. There are 35 entries. I have only watched a few. I thought he was informative and his transformation was incredible!

Wow, @nancyjane_gardener, you are a much faster cook and eater than I am. It takes me an hour to drink a cup of coffee in the mornings!

I can identify - DH just got them a few weeks ago and I lost my chief taster. They seem like a great product. I don't know if they work for severe situations, but i think DH only has to wear them for like 3 months to adjust his lower bite (for functional and preventative reasons not cosmetic).

Not to be gross, but I'd suppose you could spit it out, like wine tasters?

I don't think it'll make much of a difference if you take them out while cooking. I used to remove them for much longer than instructed and my teeth realigned according to schedule. But yes, do make sure to wear the retainer each night once you are done with the realignment.

I’ve been wanting to get Invisalign for years! If I may hijack for a second — I wear a nightguard to prevent grinding. Does the Invisalign in effect act like a night guard? As in, prevents your upper and lower teeth from touching?

I had Invisalign in 2001. Still wear my last upper as a retainer, but only every other night. It does cut down on eating. You would be fine to not wear for awhile during prepping, going out to dinner, a party or meeting, etc.

I did Invisalign straightening beginning in 2015. I had braces as a teen but I was the MOST uncooperative patient, never wore my rubber bands (remember those?) or head guard or retainer so the DR and my parents finally cried uncle and said 'good enough'. My teeth didn't stay stay straight-ish for very long. When I started Invisalign I not only had the crowded lower fronts I had as a kid, I also had a top front tooth that was beginning to twist and in photos was looking like a dark, dead tooth from the shadowing. Vanity got me and I wanted straightening.

It's an amazing process and can correct almost any issues. They can pull a tooth in any direction - left right, up down, forward back or pivot. I was the model patient this time of course.

bbstx you can fudge your timing a bit, take your trays out to taste then rinse them and put back in. I'm one who brushes after meals and would always just swipe my brush around my trays at the same time. If nothing else it was more pleasant to put a slightly minty tray back in.

Sueb20 I am a grinder and it has been especially bad with covid. The final Invisalign trays are made when you finish treatment and become your retainer. I wear mine every single night and the only times I've missed were shortly after I finished treatment. They were tight the next night I put them in - that's how fast teeth want to move back. I can clearly see the grinding pattern on mine and my dentist wants to see them the next time I'm in for a cleaning. They can begin to crack over time and it is possible to eventually wear a hole but I'm no where near that. They are much thinner than the mouth guard I had in my 20s (which I was also uncooperative about) and that guard was only on the top - these are top and bottom.

Mtn, your DH is one lucky duck! My projected course at this time is 18-24 months. I never had braces as a teen because I didn’t need them. But over the years, my teeth have moved. Time to stop that and get things back where they belong.

btw, if you want to see a severe situation, below is the before and after of the guy in the video above. In one of his FAQ videos, he unequivocally states he does not now have veneers.

I don’t think spitting out what I taste would be any different than swallowing it. It is having the food in your mouth and it getting under the trays. And, the trays are not sturdy enough for chewing according to the literature that I received. I do have to wonder how bad it would be if I sipped on a little wine for the 30 minutes or so before I removed the trays, but see below about compliance.

Gail and Allison, I’m trying to be strict about compliance here at the beginning. I’m afraid if I’m slack at the beginning, I’ll just get more and more slack. That’s my nature, if I’m honest.

Sueb, the Invisalign trays cover your teeth including the chewing surface. Whether or not they would do the job of your nightguard, I have no idea. I just googled the question and got mixed answers.

Luckily I wore braces as a young adult - I actually had braces when I got married! My wonderful, sweet orthodontist was kind enough to suggest removing my top bands (I had clear braces, but the little bracket thingies show) so I would not have braces showing in my wedding pictures.

Sue, I am also a grinder, well not a grinder, a clincher, I think is what my dentist says. It's my front teeth that suffer. I've had two root canals near the front because of this!! I used to wear a mouth guard, but I absolutely hate it. I just could not get used to it. I had a custom one made, but I found some cheapies years later on-line that are a bit better. However, my clinching has stopped/changed it seems. I sometimes have a bit of aching in my jaws that suggests I am clinching more in that area rather than bearing down on my front teeth. I really think it came on with dealing with my father's issues. Apparently i worry even in my sleep!

Good for you BBSTX for doing this and trying to be strict. Hopefully they will become a habit. Good luck with it!

DLM2000, when I take mine out, I put them in a ramekin of clear Listerine and water and rinse them when I reinstall. I agree with you. I like the minty flavor.

I had the same issue you had, but mine was a lower tooth. It was pushed behind other teeth. When I smiled, the shadow on the tooth made it look decayed. My dentist told me I needed to get it straightened or I was going to have some issues down the road.

I was reading a forum about Invisaligns. A dental hygienist was warning Invisalign wearers against drinking turmeric tea. She had a patient who permanently stained his trays. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I was the oldest of six and my parents couldn't afford orthodontics when I was a kid (younger sibs got teeth straightened but not me). I had an eye tooth on top that never came down all the way which left me with a lovely snaggle tooth smile and my front lowers were quite crooked. Functionally I always had an overbite and eventually my periodontist told me orthodontia was something that should be done for my future dental health. I guess I needed to hear that, and cosmetically I was increasingly self conscious about my teeth. In the US, people tend to have straight teeth and I really felt embarrassed by mine as I got older, especially in professional situations.

I finally did Invisalign when I was ~ 50 YO, my treatment lasted 2 years with adjustments for a 3rd before my orthodontist was done. He never was completely satisfied with that snaggle tooth but eventually I was ok with the progress.

BB, I know how you feel about being strict, I was too, so you can either skip the tasting or skip the time lag till you realize it won't matter if your trays are out for an extra hour or so ;). Invisalign definitely does a great job eliminating snacking since it's such a production to take em out and replace them, it better really be worth it. I found that I've also kept a good habit from my Invisalign days-I always floss and brush my teeth immediately after I eat which of course was necessary with the trays. I wear my aligners to sleep every 3rd night which keeps them in order.

Don't know what you are using to remove the trays but I discovered this tool early on and never looked back. Especially when you switch to a new set of trays, getting those *#&$^ tight things out is not easy! These are magic. And here is the cleaner I use, I swear by it, really does a great job of keeping the trays nice and fresh.

I don't know if your ortho has mentioned the 'bumps' but I wasn't really aware of or prepared for them. They are little clear raised round circles bonded to the teeth so the retainers can move them at various stages of treatment. And they are not invisible, at least I didn't feel they were. So for awhile when I had bumps on my front teeth, I felt quite self conscious. Otherwise the invisalign was great for not making it obvious I was doing orthodontics.

Good luck, as mentioned I'm so happy I did the Invisalign treatment and my only regret is I wish I'd done it many years earlier!

RP, the orthodontist gave me a little tool. It is similar to the one you linked, but smaller. I’ve never been able to get it to work. I may try the ones you linked to see if they help. After several days, my trays are now loose enough that I can pull them out with my fingers, but those first few days were really a challenge! And from what I’ve read, the challenge starts anew with each change of trays.

I really like the Chewies they gave me to make sure my trays are properly seated. DSIL got Invisaligns the day before me (a bonding moment?). He wasn’t given Chewies. I ordered some for him because I think they are so helpful.

I use that same cleaner! Well, I’ve used it twice. It didn’t arrive from Amazon until Saturday. I’m glad to hear that you like it. My orthodontist office told me I could also use *foaming* anti-bacterial hand soap and a soft brush to wash my trays, but that creeped me out.

At this point, it doesn’t matter if bumps (I call them pegs) are visible. If I’m out and about, my lower face is covered with a mask. Another plus for wearing a mask! I had to go back and have one of the pegs smoothed. It was so sharp that it cut my mouth whenever I chewed. Have you ever tried to eat with your finger in your mouth covering a tooth? Gross! but it was tearing up my inner lip. It is all better now that it has been smoothed. That sharp peg was a real incentive to wear my trays! The orthodontist who did the smoothing commented on how many pegs I have.

So far, 6 days in, I’m pleased with Invisalign. I see no change yet, but I wouldn’t expect to. You are right about snacking. It is too much of an ordeal to bother with.

To get back to the main point of this post, twice today, without thinking I’ve stuck food in my mouth with my trays in. Each time has been an “Oh, no!” moment.