I'm just starting tray 9 of 10 trays, and overall, I've been happy with the treatment and results - at my most recent appt, my ortho confirmed everything looks good and I should not require any refinements. I had a relatively average case (slight spacing on top teeth, moderate crowding on bottom) which did require IPR (it's not that bad).
I shopped around a bit before committing and am really glad I did. The first ortho I saw quoted me $6500 and 18-24 months of treatment. I was ready to take that at face value, but his bedside manner was discomfiting enough that I decided to seek out another opinion. The second ortho I saw told me I was a borderline case for Express or full, and was extremely accommodating about seeing which one would work best. When the results came back, she said that Invisalign recommended upgrading to the full treatment but she was confident we could do it in 10 trays (cost difference of $3000!). I paid $3500 in the NY area.
Overall, I've mostly been compliant, probably not quite hitting 22 hours a day but usually 20-21. I'm not great about brushing my teeth before putting the trays back in, especially at work, and I drink everything (including coffee and beer) with them in. They do get slightly stained and gunky over the two weeks, but nothing awful. I soak them in Efferdent daily, sometimes swapping in a hydrogen peroxide mixture. I do brush them every time I brush my teeth. I had a dental checkup and have no signs of cavities, though I've never been cavity-prone.
The main annoyances have been that my mouth gets dry so much more quickly (I now carry water with me everywhere) and of course having to remove them before eating, etc. It's mostly irritating if you're out and about and are offered a bite of something. Literally no one has been able to tell I have them in - even my boyfriend seems surprised when he notices them. The other thing that's been a bummer is I don't really enjoy kissing when the trays are in, my mouth just feels a bit full and jumbled. But my boyfriend swears up and down that he doesn't notice or care, so it's definitely my own hangup...
Hopefully this is helpful to some people! I know it's a relatively simple case compared to many who post on this board, but I suspect many others lurk without ever registering
so I've tried to address some of the things I wondered about before having them. I'll be done in 4 weeks and will be getting a bonded retainer on my bottom teeth for at least 3 years as well as using the standard Invisalign retainer (the bottom one will be made to fit over the bonded wire). Please feel free to ask any questions!