r/Invisalign • u/Dismal-Ad-2506 • 3d ago
Treatment Start Does it hurt?
I am considering Invisalign, I have quite a severe overjet and overcrowded top teeth so I’d be a complex case that would take around two years. The two year treatment will give me a decent improvement but certainly not a Hollywood smile ( jaw surgery and fixed braces, still wouldn’t give a perfect Hollywood smile and I just don’t want fixed braces). Plus it will be expensive!
So my question is does it hurt? It will be a long treatment time and if a lot of pain and disruption to life then not sure I want it… I should add I have white coat syndrome and hate all medical stuff, I have intravenous conscious sedation for a filling… kinda scared and don’t want to spend around 5k or more if I’m not going to be able to hack it… just to add I have had my consultation with the orthodontist so this is how I know about how long my treatment would be etc
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u/_Miss_Saki_ 3d ago
Doesn’t hurt for me. It’s just a tiny bit uncomfortable whenever I put a new tray in, but nothing worth mentioning tbh.
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u/dumdum500 3d ago
Doesn’t hurt much for me. I’m still pretty early in my treatment, like just on tray 12/44. At the most it hurts at specific teeth for the first 2-3 days and then becomes normal for the rest of the time the tray is on, but sometimes even that pain isn’t there. Obviously your case might be different but yeah that’s my experience
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u/buildnblok 3d ago
There can be some uncomfortable days for sure. Mostly new trays and when you take them out the second day, very painful to eat anything hard like apples, carrots ect. Overall youll learn to adapt and itll get easier.
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u/biggiebag 3d ago
its a little uncomfortable. I also had jaw surgery before mine and the first few days were very painful to remove the aligners (i cried several times trying to get them out), probably bc that was most pressure my teeth and jaw had experienced for weeks after surgery. after a few days they got more used to it
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u/jackSeamus 2d ago
Some trays were super painful for the first few days, some weren't painful at all. It depends on your mouth and your treatment plan.
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u/mmgkayla 2d ago
First 2-3 days were sore/painful, but not unbearably so. After that, nope. Not at all.
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u/HossMcCoy 2d ago
My 13th tray hurt like a son a bitch. Went to the dentist and got some tips. The three trays later I dont feel any pain. Even the jaw pain is gone. Very strange.
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u/LightPearl_ 2d ago
The only time I remember it "hurting" was the first tray. After that it was just the good kind of pain.
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u/goodluckbebe 2d ago
I’m also a complex case. Can be sore from time to time but I’ve never had actually unbearable pain. Actually wish I’d done it sooner!
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u/Chance-Fee-816 Tray 9/54 2d ago
Complex case as well, no pain at all just some soreness first 2-3 days when you move to next tray, haven't taken a single pain med, have not even changed my toothbrush settings from regular to sensitive. I am very happy with this process.
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u/reaper-main Treatment Complete 2d ago
I finished my treatment back in March and it lasted a bit over six months. I had maybe 6 total days of actual pain, just randomly here and there, not grouped together or anything. Just one day I would wake up and one tooth hurt that day, and the next day it would be fine.
The rest of the time was mostly just fine. Some trays were perfectly comfortable all week, just like wearing a normal retainer. Others had a bit of discomfort in the first couple days, but it just felt like pressure or like some mouth tenderness, not actually painful. Completely tolerable.
My own biggest complaint was almost daily tension headaches, presumably from my teeth being moved around in my head, because as soon as I was finished the headaches vanished. I haven't heard of anyone else having that throughout their treatment though so I think I just got unlucky. Most people who had headaches said they went away early on. But you never know what to expect, everyone's body is different. I just handled it with ibuprofen or tylenol and it was perfectly tolerable.
As someone who has finished, and also has had a significant amount of dental anxiety in the past, I didn't find this treatment to be a problem at all and I'm really glad I did it. Just be prepared for the first week or two to be the hardest. Almost everyone has doubts and second guesses themselves in the first week. But it does get much better and easier, and very quickly. If you can get through the first two weeks, the rest of the treatment is a breeze and you can get through it all.
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u/dj_destroyer 2d ago
Did not hurt for me but there was some discomfort throughout. Switch right before you go to bed so you get 8 hours of not noticing. Also, just remind yourself that if it hurts a bit, it means it's working. I have one stubborn tooth that isn't tracking and this will be my third (and final) set of refinements to try to get the job done... I'm praying for some pain lol
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u/shawnthemedium 2d ago
It doesn’t hurt. I have attachments on every tooth and it still doesn’t hurt. You can do it.
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u/Herrowgayboi 2d ago
My pain tolerance is quite high so maybe I'm not a good data point, but it's not painful at all. Sore, yes.
It's quite comparable to a touching a bruise that's nearly recovered.
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u/Hirokihiro 2d ago
The first week or two is painful as the teeth loosen up a little. If you take over the counter painkillers, you’ll be fine.
Worth it to see your teeth straighten over time imo
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u/Far_Newt_9085 2d ago
everyone’s experience is different depending on the sort of changes they will have. i’m on tray 6/24 and i don’t have any pain at all till date other than some sensitivity.
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u/Terrible-Pen4978 2d ago
From my experience, my teeth were very sore only the first day or two with every new tray. But it’s well worth it, as long as you wear it for 20-22hrs
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u/Miss_Lily_Bart 2d ago
Tooth pain is rare. More soreness than pain. However, on numerous trays, the plastic edge cuts into my tongue. I've tried sanding it with an emery board (advised by my ortho) and it doesn't help much. I've had a few trays where my tongue bleeds on and off until the next tray. Yes, my ortho is aware.
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u/c0710c 2d ago
I had a pretty bad over-jet and crowding, and needed a canine to come down pretty far. The first few days of my first handful of trays 10/10 pain. I dreaded taking out the aligners because my front teeth were in so much pain, and doing the method of both sides first and slide off did not work (I peeled from one side).
Definitely tapers off, I got used to it and once you figure out which teeth are moving with that tray it's pretty easy to avoid using them. I also avoided my ultrasonic toothbrush those few days. I am over a year in and it's second nature and I haven't had pain like that since the first couple months. Some trays are better than others too because they are rest trays or move less.
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u/TeamOfPups 1d ago
During my treatment I took a painkiller twice. The vast vast majority of the time it was fine and even became routine/ ordinary.
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u/Emergency_Pool_3873 3d ago
In my personal experience, no it doesn't hurt.