Why be embarrassed to admit you have Invisalign?

Discussions about treatment with invisible braces that use clear aligners, such as Invisalign, OrthoClear, the Red White and Blue system, etc.

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John37
Posts: 327
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:38 am

Why be embarrassed to admit you have Invisalign?

#1 Post by John37 »

The way they market Invisalign makes it seem like we should be embarrassed to admit we want our teeth straightened.

I consider the big advantage of Invisialign over braces not that people won't know I am having my teeth straightened, but rather that people don't notice them, so I don't get odd looks or people focusing on my mouth instead of my eyes. It's not that they are completely invisible, but just not noticeable enough to be a distraction to others.

If someone noticed I had the aligners on I wouldn't be embarrassed to admit it. I never fault anyone for wanting to improve themselves, so I'm not afraid to admit it. And even though I think they are slightly noticeable, no one seems to have noticed them yet!

So I say don't be embarrassed that you have Invisalign!

SnowSara
Posts: 414
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:29 pm

#2 Post by SnowSara »

So I say don't be embarrassed that you have Invisalign!
Or regular braces or any orthodontia for that matter. :wink:

I agree on the commercials and marketing, taking the steps to improve your smile (for whatever reasons) is nothing to be ashamed of! A good friend of mine is using invisalign and he'll tell anybody about it! In fact he has to, they won't notice otherwise. His teeth are looking great, too.

I think they're playing on the people that don't want traditional braces because of the visual impact, but fwiw, i don't think i ever got "odd looks" or had people so distracted by my braces they couldn't look me in the eye haha :lol: :lol:
Image

All Metal Uppers and Lowers - brackets placed with OrthoCAD

Braces on 2/1/2007, Removed 2/13/2008, now in Essix retainers.

John37
Posts: 327
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:38 am

#3 Post by John37 »

I'm not sure how old you guys are, but I am 37, so I thought maybe people would think it's odd to have braces at that age. More teenagers and young adults have braces so it may not be as big a deal. I'm pretty sure if I had braces that a few people would have seen and asked about it, but with Invisalign no one has even noticed. If I wasn't suitable for Invisalign I probably would have gone with braces and lived with people noticing.

John37
Posts: 327
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:38 am

#4 Post by John37 »

I guess it depends on your smile. Some people show a lot of gum and smile a lot, so I'd think you couldn't miss braces on them. I don't show any gum when I smile (even a big smile), so people may not have noticed braces on me either if I had had them. But your point is well taken. :)

scorpetteFL
Posts: 60
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:04 pm

#5 Post by scorpetteFL »

I tell everyone. At first I was having problems with speech so I wanted people to know I wasn't intoxicated...now my speech is normal, but I often mention it when I turn down a snack or something (by the way I lost 15 pounds on these things)

holograms
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:32 am

#6 Post by holograms »

Aint no shame in wearing invisalign.

I am on my 3rd tray and no one has notice it (not even my family). However if someone was to point it out, I wouldn’t be embarassed

Lilypad
Posts: 198
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:03 am

#7 Post by Lilypad »

I've always been kinda proud of the fact that I was doing something to improve myself and could FINALLY afford to do something I've always wanted. I've also been known to whip out a tray in public to educate people who were interested! BTW, only one person (my mom's best friend) knew something was going on with my teeth. That was at the beginning when I was having a slight problem talking. :lol:

Over50
Posts: 44
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2007 9:37 pm
Location: Ohio

#8 Post by Over50 »

I would be more than happy to tell people about the Invisalign, but no one has noticed (as far as I know) or at least have not said anything. I keep waiting for someone to ask (even my youngest son, who is a Family Medicine doc, hasn't noticed). I had told my hairdresser before I got them, but she didn't notice them and thought I had changed my mind! Unless you really look closely and are focused on teeth, I think they are not noticeable. My husband swears he really can't tell. I think they look shiny, but that is mostly in the bright light of the bathroom. Of course, most casual acquaintances are not going to say anything, but even my most outspoken friend hasn't said a word. It has been eight weeks now with invisalign, so I think I am going to start asking my family and friends if they have noticed it. My other son and his wife know I got them, but they are out of town, and I haven't seen them since I started with the aligners.

My choice for Invisalign was driven by 2 factors. I need to correct the front bite, as my teeth were slanting inward (and had moved since about age 45) and I have a metal allergy, so I was very fearful of attempting conventional braces.
19 upper, 26 lower. Started with trays Feb. 18, 2008

Image

Image

jiggy4jrt
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 11:41 pm

#9 Post by jiggy4jrt »

What I have found is the only people that notice it are the ones that are looking into getting it themselves (they've been on the website, seen commercials, etc). So far not one of my patients have noticed either! Nobody else really notices unless I tell them about it.

But yes, back to the point, which is I agree that there is nothing to be embarassed about! It is actually pretty cool and ppl are def interested to know more about it.

djrobsd
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:05 am

Reason for invisalign

#10 Post by djrobsd »

Sure, many people want to get invisalign because they are self-conscious about having braces on. However, I think there are also a large number of people, such as myself, who LOVE to have clean teeth and love to floss, and when you get braces in, it's a LOT harder to take care of your teeth no matter what anyone says.

I'm getting invisalign because I love being able to take them out and eat, and then brush and floss and put them back on...Big plus in my book.

dojo
Posts: 172
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 2:54 pm
Location: New York
Contact:

#11 Post by dojo »

Most people don't see my trays and have to come really close to be able to notice anything. We do alarm too fast, may don't care about our braces or aligners.
Orthodontics patient from 2007 to 2010.
Orthodontic Braces

John37
Posts: 327
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:38 am

#12 Post by John37 »

dojo wrote:Most people don't see my trays and have to come really close to be able to notice anything. We do alarm too fast, may don't care about our braces or aligners.
You're right. I tried to show them to a friend a couple days ago and he still couldn't see them! I had to pull my lower lip down so he could see the edge of the lower tray, then he saw it. I guess most people's eyesight isn't good enough to notice them.

jennicakes
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:52 am
Location: Pennsylvania

#13 Post by jennicakes »

i agree that we shouldn't be embarassed to have our teeth straightened, but for me, I choose invisalign because i didn't want to draw attention to my crooked teeth because i was so embarrassed of them!

aussie
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:17 pm
Location: Australia, NSW

#14 Post by aussie »

bah, no way im embarrassed. i often tell people i have them, everyone is cool about it & usually mildly amazed at them as most people have never heard of invisalign.
started treatment 6 May 2008.
All up 34 Upper & 20 Lower.
Loving the invisalign, a great choice for correcting my teeth.

zone6
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:26 pm
Contact:

#15 Post by zone6 »

Watch my VIDEOs, visit my blog… http://imperfect2invisalign.blogspot.com
U: 16
L: 10
8 months total treatment time

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