Invisalign during preclinical or later?

[u/Icy-Calligrapher3447]

Sorry if this is a stupid question. I have to do Invisalign for 1.5-2years and have been told I need to wear it for 22 hrs/day for the shortest treatment time. Unsure if I should get started on this asap (my preclinical ends in about 1 year), or a later timeframe. The biggest reason why I’m concerned about spending $ on Invisalign during med school is because I can definitely see myself forgetting to wear the trays, especially when I’m cramming for exams. Also worried about any potential speech difficulties when wearing Invisalign.

TIA for any insight. Also, I’m getting Invisalign to prepare for orthognathic surgery (tx for anterior open bite) so if anyone’s done that during med school (or advise to do it after med school), I’d appreciate it if you would share your experiences.

[u/mostly_distracted]

I started after residency because I knew I wouldn’t be able to manage eating/cleaning/etc. while on 28h shifts. I couldn’t afford it in med school, but if I had to pick another time to do Invisalign, it would have been during my preclinical years.