My Clin-Check.

FINALLY!

Last Friday (Nov. 26th) was my Invisalign appointment and I finally got pics of my clin-check! It's crazy to see so I decided to post it here to show everyone. This is the #1 reason I decided to take the plunge and get Invisalign.

Here my clin-check shows you my before and my projected after.

Updates, and Tray #13

Good Evening,

I realize I haven't posted any updates in a seriously long while. I must admit I have been quite lazy these past few weeks. I honestly felt that what I had to say about my experience hasn't been very remarkable or even interesting. So far everything has been going well, with only slight concerns (as of lately anyway).

So I am now on aligner set #13 (of 20). Everything up till now, has been going smoothly, although I have started to notice since tray #12 and now also #13, that my 2 front teeth are finally being pushed closer together. Awesome, although as a result of this movement, I have been experiencing some discomfort with the gums in-between my 2 front teeth. On aligner set #12, my gums bled for the first 2 days, after which they simply hurt every time I took my trays out or put them back in. This time when I changed to tray #13, I figured it would be the same situation again. Especially since my front teeth are finally starting to straighten out, I figured I would be in some pain and discomfort until my gums had fully parted, giving way to my teeth. Turns out I was lucky, the first day after the changeover, I felt nothing. Thinking that was great and silently hoping it would continue this way, I soon realized that by day 2 my gums begun hurting when putting my trays back in (in the same spot, right between my 2 front teeth). And this morning while brushing my teeth, I made my gums bleed again, and has since been quite sensitive when brushing, eating and putting my trays back in. I've begun being more hesitant when going into the bathroom to put them back in now because of it.

Aside from that slight annoyance, everything else is going well. I had my checkup a few weeks ago and she told me my teeth were going along nicely. She took new x-rays of my teeth, so on my next appointment (in about a month's time) I should get news on my progress thus far. Also I will finally have my clin check to post! Yay! I'll try in the next few weeks to post update pics of my progress. I have pics of tray set #9 right before switching to set #10, so I will try to get those up soon as well!


Currently on aligner #13: Week #1
Next appointment: November 26th 2010

Tray #7

August 5th 2010 - My 4th Invisalign appointment!

Today was my appointment for a checkup on the advancement of my teeth. I was a little nervous to tell you the truth. I hadn't gone to see her in about 1 month and a half and I was scared that she would do more "polishing". Luckily for me she didn't!!!!!!

A little side note; My appointment was at 3pm. I got there about 10-15 mins early and was seen almost immediately.

So she checked the alignment of my teeth, put in the new trays (aligner #7), which by the way I didn't even feel. Then she asked me a few questions about the process and how I was doing. For those interested in knowing, I've been doing quite well actually! Thanks for asking!

Seriously though, I only feel my aligners for about the first 10 minutes of changing into a new set, and for the first few days when taking them out and putting them back in. Otherwise I completely forget I am wearing them! So far the only sets that really, really hurt, were set #1 and 2. I've been breezing through the rest of my aligners, thankfully.

My dentist then gave me sets #8-10 (#10 being my half-way point). She also gave me a compliment about the cleanliness of my aligners, then we were off to the front to schedule my next appointment and make my 4th payment (of 10). My next appointment is now on the 1st of October, 2010 at noon. When I was walking out the door, I checked the time and noticed it was only 3pm. Quickest appointment of my life, good thing I'm not paying for these appointments directly!

EDIT: In October I will have pictures to show of my clincheck, so you will see what I saw on my second consultation and understand why I am truly doing this.

Update, Tray #6.

July 30th, 2010 - Here's an update finally!!!!

So I am now halfway through wearing tray #6, and a little more then 25% through the entire process!!! Wohoo!!

I've got to say that so far its been relatively simple and nearly pain-free! Trays 4-6 have gone well, I feel some pressure and discomfort for the first few minutes of putting in a new tray, after-which the pressure subsides and I forget I'm even wearing my aligners!

I have to admit though that I've been having some trouble with regularly flossing, and keeping track of the time....

I've never gone without wearing them for more than 5 hours in a day, though I do try to stay within the 2 hours allowed. It's much easier to do this when I am working! While I was on vacation, it was much harder to obey the 2 hour rule, it's funny because I was certain it would have been easier to follow while at home!

YES, I have noticed a change in the positioning of my teeth. Although not much has visibly changed with the bottom teeth, the front top teeth have continued to flatten out. They have yet to be pushed straighter towards each other though. I am desperately looking forward to this process, but I anticipate more pain when that begins!! Nothing Advil can't handle!!! ;P

My next appointment is Thursday, August 5th (2010) @ 3pm, hopefully she will tell me that everything is progressing well and give me my next few sets of aligners.

June Photo Updates

June 2010 - Tray #3

My smile during aligner #3
(June 2010)

The top view of my teeth, notice the rotation of my
 front teeth. They've been pushed in as well.

My first filling & other surprises.

June 11th, 2010 - Today was slightly stressful, and little did I know I had a surprise waiting for me....

Well as mentioned today I had my appointment for my very first filling. Certainly I was nervous, which I made sure everyone at the dentist's office aware of!!!  But it went by super smoothly.

First, my boyfriend went to get his done (he had to replace 3 older fillings and got a new one), originally his appointment was suppose to last about an hour due to all the work required. Lucky for him it only took 30 minutes! I have to admit I laughed my ass off when I saw him enter the waiting room; his mouth was partially frozen, so he talked funny and he couldn't move his lip properly on the left side (it was a great afternoon, watching him!).

Next, it was my turn to get my filling done. I am sure everyone knows the procedure for this but I'll discuss it a little, from my experience. Since this was my VERY first filling EVER, I YouTube'd the procedure to get a better idea of what was involved, and luckily I wasn't too freaked out by it. Honestly, what I was most nervous about was the needle that numbs the work area. That being said, once it came around, it was a cinch! I felt nothing during the whole procedure, and seriously speaking it took about 1 minute to fully complete. I probably hold the fastest filling time ever!!! After the filling was complete she showed me the before and after pictures of my cavity infected tooth. Amazing! I'm just glad she didn't fill my tooth with metal, so it doesn't even show that I have a cavity! Awesome! 


Just to add a small note about the numbing cream and shot; I didn't feel as though I was frozen nor numb. Don't get me wrong, I did not feel a thing during the whole procedure, but I didn't have the classic droopy face and numbness at all. Truthfully I was disappointed.

Once all the cavity filling fun stuff was done, she told me she wanted to examine my front top teeth, which she proceeded to do. She then told me she was going to "polish" my front top teeth. She instructs me to keep my mouth open as wide as I can and to keep my tongue at the back of my mouth. What happens next, I would NOT call polishing!!!!! She starts to shave the gaps between my teeth. OH MY GOD!!! I knew I would eventually have to get this done, it's part of the invisalign program, but holy hell, I had no idea it was going to be part of today's appointment!!! Polishing to me does not mean grinding away my teeth in order to increase the space between my teeth. It hurt. In total she "polished" 6 gaps, each of which hurt. Not the end of the world type pain, but enough to shock me.

After all that polishing was over, she proceeded to give me my next 2 sets of aligners (set 5-6). By the way, she cancelled my next invisalign appointment (which was July 9th) and pushed it to the beginning of August instead. So now I have in my possession sets 3-6. Set # 3 is the one I am switching to tonight after supper.

Side Note:

I will upload pictures of my new gaps and what my teeth look like after my appointment and set #2 this weekend.

Drinking & Eating.

May 30th, 2010 - My thoughts and experiences about food and drink.

So on my very first consultation, my dentist told me that I had to remove my aligners to eat, but I could drink whatever I wanted with them in. This was great news to hear, considering I had read almost on every blog and forum that you could only drink water with the aligners in.

All my dentist told me was to use a soft toothbrush to brush my aligners and if there are any stains, to use a small amount of peroxide.

So since I've gotten my first set of aligners, I have been drinking whatever I want while wearing my aligners; beer, soft drinks, tea, chocolate milk, juice, I've even drank a mint milkshake with them in, you name it, I'm drinking it! Although I will admit that when I am at work I have a tendency to solely drink water, it is just more convenient. 

I've noticed when I eat that I can only eat on one side or the other, and I have to chew slowly, otherwise I hurt my mouth and teeth. I can no longer eat anything too hard or crunchy, like toasted sub sandwiches. In fact, anything that requires me to take a bite out of something has now become a no-no for me to eat. The other day I had to eat my hot dog (which wasn't even toasted) with a knife and fork. I couldn't take a bite out of it! I haven't had any kind of chips or cookies in over a month now. I miss them!! Oh well, it is (hopefully) well worth it in the end.

I brush my aligners before I put them back in, every single time, since I have noticed with the first set that they can get pretty grimy with time and usage. With time, I have to brush them for longer periods of time in order to get them clean, but I have of yet to see any stains on my aligners. I just make sure that after every meal, I thoroughly brush my teeth before putting my aligners back in.

We shall see what the outcome of this will be...

Aligner # 2.

May 28th, 2010 - Finally!

Today I finally got my second set of aligners!!!!!! Yay! 

I had been looking forward to today for over a week. Especially since I'd been wearing them for over 2 weeks (exactly 18 days). 

My appointment was at 11:00am, and lasted less then 30 minutes. Basically, my dentist checked to see how my teeth were doing in the current set of aligners, after which she took them out and put the new ones in. PRESSURE!!!!!!! You may think I am weird but I kind of missed it. I had to apply pressure on my aligners to try to get them to fit in properly. Obviously my top aligners did not fit (just like the first set). I asked her about it, and she told me that I had to try my best to get them to fit my teeth completely, since they are suppose to fit like the bottom ones do. So since then, I have been trying my best to get my aligners to fit, no success yet though. 

After my appointment, we scheduled my next appointment (in 6 weeks) July 9th @ 12:30am, made my first payment (out of 10) and my dentist gave me the next 2 sets of aligners to take home with me. Honestly, looking at them, I see NO difference between set 1 and set 4.

After all that, I decided to go shopping, bought 2 new books and some summer clothing!

May Photo Updates.

May 2010 - Tray #1

This is what I look like with my aligners in.

This is what my teeth look like with the aligners in, 
up close.

This is my bottom aligner. 
As you can see I have a pretty square arch.

My lower aligners, viewed from the front.

This is my top aligner. I have a tiny arch.

This is my top aligner, viewed from the front.

Day 2, Tray 1.

May 12th, 2010 - Not as bad today!

Well just wanted to update with day #2. I'm in a lot less pain today, and have so far only taken 1 Advil. My aligners fit better too, my top one still doesn't fully fit like the bottom one does. At least it's better then it was when I first got them. It has become much easier to take out my trays, and my teeth are in much less pain too. Although when my aligners are out, my teeth are still quite sensitive to the touch, so eating a bit tedious. I'm very cautious when eating, since I feel like my teeth don't quite align like they used too. I found that the only way for me to eat reasonably comfortably, is to eat only on my left side and to eat slowly.

Also I had read in many places that people get cuts from the attachments and/or the aligners edges. So far I am having no such problems, the attachments feel like I've got food stuck on my teeth.  And I have noticed that my tongue tends to gravitate towards the edges of my aligners, but I'm conscientiously trying to avoid fiddling too long with my aligners.

I've decided today how my cleaning ritual will be:

Mornings:

1. Take my aligners out.

2. Brush my teeth thoroughly

3. Brush my aligners

4. Mouth Wash

5. Rinse my mouth thoroughly

6. Put my aligners back in

Total time: about 10 mins.

Lunch:

1. Take out aligners to eat

2. Brush my teeth thoroughly

3. Brush my aligners

4. Put my aligners back in.

Total time: about 5 mins.

Evenings:

1. Take out aligners to eat supper

2. Let my aligners soak in warm water in a small container while eating

3. Brush my teeth thoroughly

4. Brush my aligners

5. Floss thoroughly

6. Put my aligners back in

Total time: about 15 mins.

I will test this routine out starting today and see if it is something I can manage. It's VERY important to take good care of my oral hygiene. Hopefully I will do well, I don't plan on getting any more cavities for a while, so it's best to make sure I take good care of my teeth, especially while in treatment.


EDIT:
After trying out this routine, I have stopped doing the mouth wash. Everything else though, I have been maintaining. And so far it has been going well.

Day 1, Tray 1.

May 11th, 2010 - ...

Well I woke up this morning and my teeth were aching/sore. My 2 front teeth were the most sore. I was able to ignore it for the most part, until I decided to take them out to eat. Wow! Just the pressure I was putting my teeth under to take out the aligners, felt like my teeth were going fall out (my front teeth were throbbing). I figure if I am in pain, it's a good sign, means that the aligners are doing their job! I took 2 Advil to help alleviate the pain (I took 2 more before supper and 2 more before going to bed.).

I then brushed and flossed and put my aligners back in after eating.

Later, I had another dentist appointment, I was scheduled for a cleaning. Boy, was I not looking forward to it. I hadn't gotten a cleaning done in over a year, plus my teeth were ultra sensitive from the aligners.

Let me just tell you that the cleaning went well, although it was quite painful, but I was told I had a lot of plaque in between my teeth. It was interesting to see a picture of my teeth before and after the cleaning. There was a significant difference in appearance. Unfortunately I have my very first cavity, makes me sad. But on the up side I went through 27 years of my life with no cavities, lets hope my track record with be as long before the next cavity.

My next appointment for Tray #2 is May 28th, 2010.

And my appointment for my filing is June 11th, 2010.

Hopefully between now and my appointments things will go as planned.

Tray #1 & Attachments.

May 10th, 2010 - Can't stop thinking.

Finally, I felt like I had waited an eternity (I hadn't). I got to my appointment which was at 3:30pm, half an hour early. So I decided to loiter at my work place for 15 or so minutes before heading to my dentist. I work right across the street from my dentist.

Once there I had to wait in the waiting room for a few minutes while my dentist finished with her previous patient, after which I was brought to one of their examination rooms. While I waited I couldn't help myself but snoop around. I was curious to know how many aligners I had and what they looked like. I found out I had 20 aligners for the top and bottom. I thought that was kinda funny, since most blogs and sites I've read from other Invisalign wearers don't usually have the same amount of aligners for both the top and bottom.

Anyway, when my dentist finally came in (through no fault of her own, her previous patient wouldn't stop asking questions!), the first step was to attach the attachments. She first made sure that the aligners fit correctly without the attachments. Let me tell you that when she put the top aligner in, OMG! My front teeth were screaming! And when she took it out, I thought my front teeth were going to be ripped out of my skull (they didn't though).  I won't go into detail about the procedure but just to tell you that it wasn't bad. I've included a youtube video of the procedure:

To see more videos like this go to:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CarterOrthodontics

I've basically went through the same procedure as this patient has. The only difference in my situation is I got them right off from the start.

 9 attachments in total, top left: 2, top right: 2, bottom left: 3, and bottom right: 2.

Once the attachments were put in, the next step was learning how to remove and put back my aligners. I was told to start with the bottom, working from the back to the front. I couldn't get a grip on the aligners to pull them out, so eventually my dentist suggested I wear gloves like the ones she was wearing. And with that, it was much better. To remove the top aligners, I had to follow the same procedure. It was so much easier to remove the top trays then it was for the bottoms. Then I had to put them back in, the bottom ones were easy. The top ones were much tighter and they didn't fully fit properly like the bottoms did. So I did this a few times, to make sure I could do it at home. Then I was on my way home. My dentist made sure to give me some extra gloves, cotton chewies (helps to push the aligners in place), and my red and blue aligner cases.

My next appointment for tray #2 is May 28th at 11am.

When I got home, I took them out to eat supper. When I went to put them back in after brushing my teeth, I noticed I had lost 3 out of 9 attachments (already).I was a little disappointed, but I wasn't all that much surprised since I had read about that happening. I have a cleaning appointment Tuesday so I hope she will be able to reattach them then.

*EDIT:

Turns out I only lost 1 attachment, she purposely only put one on each side of my top teeth instead of 2. Opps! So I am only missing one on my lower left side. She also told me that she might not even put the missing ones in again, depending on my progress. 

My Callback.

May 3rd, 2010 - YAY!

I had a feeling all day Monday that today was going to be THE day. I kept checking my cellphone at work and wouldn't you know it, I eventually got it!!! I was originally told when I made my first payment that it would take between 2-4 weeks to get the aligners. Lucky me it only took a week and a half.

As soon as my next work break took place, I called back my dentist to schedule my appointment. I had planned to get a cleaning done at the same time, but because of scheduling issues, it was impossible to have both during the same appointment. So next Monday, May 10th, I will be getting fitted with the aligners, and on Tuesday, May 11th I will get the cleaning done!

I've also decided to take a week off from work next week to help myself get adjusted to the aligners, and the frequent brushing. I will need to learn how to take them out and put them back in and I can't forget the possible pressure or pain they will cause my teeth. Hopefully by taking the week off will help me devise a routine, and a way of doing things for when I am at work or out and about town.

I look forward to going in on Monday. It should be interesting to see the trays shaped to my teeth. I am very curious to see what they will look like in my mouth and to finally get an idea of what they feel like too. I wonder how bad my speech will be affected if at all.

Countdown: 5 days till my appointment (Tray #1)

P.S. - I wonder if she will put the attachments in on Monday....

Decision.

April 21st, 2010 - Today is a big day!

I made my final decision yesterday after calling my dentist for the past few days and asking her tons of questions!

Worries now at ease, I took the plunge!!

I made the first payment this morning over the phone. So, soon I will be getting a phone call to make my next appointment for the first set of trays!!! Nervous.

I'm really excited though, so much so, I went out today and bought myself a dry erase Year-at-a-Glance calendar. So I can keep track of my dentist appointments and just generally see an overview of the next year. Basically I bought a calendar dedicated to my invisalign treatment.

I'm still finding it hard to believe that I am doing this. I can't even image the road ahead. I'm glad I am finally doing something about my teeth. Side note: When I told one of my managers this morning about my decision to go ahead and take the plunge, she said it inspired her to do something about hers as well. I thought that was nice!

So now I am waiting for my callback (when my dentist gets my trays, she is calling me back to schedule my appointment), which should be in 2-4 weeks. Too long...

Before Photo's

Before Treatment

APRIL 2010

Second Consultation.

April 9th, 2010 - So I went to my appointment yesterday. All I can say is WOW!!!!

I got to see my teeth before and after in 3d on a computer. I never realized how crooked my teeth were. It was very enlightening. (during the 1st consult , she took impressions of my teeth, that's how she got the 3d version of my teeth). Then I got to see what my teeth would look like after treatment.....CRAZY!!! My entire mouth changes. She would even fix my broken tooth and even out the edges of my teeth once they are straight (because they were worn down crooked, once they are straight they won't be the same length and will be pointy).

I swear I looked at the playback like 10 times from every angle; it was so interesting to see what the possibilities could be for me. The treatment would take 1 ½ . Afterwards I would wear a wire retainer. I'd have to wear the aligners for about 22 hours a day (the aligners are like a mouth-guard that will straighten my teeth). I can't wear them while eating, and have to brush my teeth after every meal before putting the aligners back in. I can drink whatever I want with the aligners in (thank god).

As far as cost goes, bleh, it would cost me $6200 for the entire treatment, including cosmetic fixes at the end and the wire retainer. There are 2 payment methods. #1. is directly through the clinic, $2500 upfront, then 10 equal payments for the next 10 months (which would be for me $370/month). With no interest charges. Choice #2. is with Banque Nationale, pay whatever type of payments I can afford, for a longer period of time, but their would be interest charges. Personally I would rather take option #1, because I can do the first payment over the phone AND, 2 weeks later my first set of aligners would be ready for me.

So now I am trying to decide whether to do it or not, I'm 80% sure I will do it, I just need to think about my finances. I'm looking into changing my health benefits at work, to include orthodontics, that way it would help me pay for it.

First Consultation.

March 12th, 2010 - Curious.

My very first consultation…. I was very nervous. But it was a breeze, nothing to worry about.

During the first consult, the dentist or orthodontist checks the alignment of your teeth, checks your jaw joints, inspects the condition of your teeth, and then proceeds to make a mold of your top and lower teeth as well as your bite impressions. Lastly she/he does an x-ray of your mouth. None of these were bad in any way!

I choose to make my appointment with a dentist who is a Premier Provider (which means she’s had hundreds of Invisalign patients). Before my appointment, I did tons of research, on websites, forums, you name it! I wanted to be prepared and I wanted to know as much as possible about Invisalign, the good as well as the bad!

So by the time my appointment came around, I had a pretty good idea what to expect. My appointment was March 12^th, 2010 at 12:30 pm. I was nervous, I can’t lie. But the dentist explained every step and everything she was doing. This made it all that much easier for me.

After all the molds were taken and the x-rays were complete, she had me watch an “informative” video on Invisalign. It wasn’t so much informative as it was an ad to sell Invisalign. Regardless, I watched it, after which I had the opportunity to ask her questions.

My main question to her was this: “With your experience, do you think I am a good candidate to get Invisalign?” This was my concern; I knew that my lower jaw was much further back in my mouth, and that it could possibly cause some problems when straightening my teeth if it wasn’t surgically fixed. I appreciated her answer, she was upfront with me. She basically told me that getting Invisalign would be a “compromise”, that I would never have a perfect bite unless I had surgery. But if my main worries were the alignment of my front teeth, Invisalign would be an option for me to consider. But we would only know for sure once the results came back from Invisalign.

So now my next appointment is April 9^th, 2010 at 12:30 pm. I am really excited to see my teeth in 3D, and to see what my teeth may look like after Invisalign.