Aligner #3: Attachments

To get my third set of aligners I was scheduled to go back to the Orthodontist. I was also due to get some attachments on my teeth to help with the movement.

I have six attachments on my upper teeth and five on my lower teeth.

I was a little nervous about this process, as my friend had told me they hurt and make your teeth a lot more sensitive. But I managed to sit in the chair and put on a brave face. They used a mouth prop to hold my lips back away from my teeth. I felt like a dog that had its head out the car window getting blown by the wind.

She put some blue goo on my upper teeth where the attachments were going and then used some air and water that I think was meant to set this. Apart from the water being super cold it didn't hurt.

She then put the attachments into an aligner and then pushed these onto my teeth, I then had to bite down on some cotton really hard before she set the attachments with her magic blue light. She then repeated for my lower teeth.

She then took the aligner she had used off as this wasn't one of my Invisalign sets. When she was taking these out I could feel the aligner pulling on my teeth and that was definitely the most pain I have felt since I've had them in. The pain was bearable though, nothing excruciating.

I then put in my third aligners, which was so different to how it was. Its definitely not as easy because they snag on the attachments. They also don't look like they fit as well, but I think that just shows the movement my teeth need to make in this aligner.

Visually I think they are much more noticeable now, not so much when I talk, but if I bear a huge grin then the tops look funny and you can see the lumps of the attachments, although these are actually clear too.

I had to go back to the office after this appointment and I was really worried about taking them out so I skipped lunch and decided to tackle the first removal in the comfort of my own bathroom.

When I got home and took them out it took a bit of fiddling around and they seemed to get caught on the right side of my mouth, which was quite uncomfortable. My teeth were really sensitive when I ate my dinner as well, but after a few mouthfuls this eased up a bit.

I brushed and put them back in then used my AcceleDent. The next morning they were noticeable easier to remove. I don't know if it was because I had figured out a new method or if they had loosened a little. I think it was a bit of both. After 2 full days, I was back to removing them without a mirror or a hassle.

I also noticed these were a little harder to keep clean, the divits for the attachments take a bit of scrubbing to get into properly. I was glad I only had to wear them for a week.

Aligner #2: Planning around eating

After 8 days with my first aligners I could finally move onto my second set - Thanks AcceleDent!

I changed them after work as I thought it would be best to have the new ones in at night so they wouldn't bother me as much. I slept fine and in the morning the tightness wasn't causing me any issues.

My main issue with the Invisalign is that my days seem to revolve around planning when and what I am going to eat. The aligners are quite easy to get in and out, it is more trying to do so without being noticed (I don't want to gross people out) and then being somewhere that you can brush your teeth, floss and reinsert afterwards.

So far I haven't been able to warm to the idea of using public bathrooms to brush my teeth, no matter how clean they may be.

Essentially, the amount of snacking I do during the day has reduced to nil. During the week things are pretty easy.

• I take them out when I get up, go and have some breakfast, then brush, floss and reinsert.

• I then leave them in all morning and only drink water, then take them out sneakily at my desk when no one is looking. I then go and organise some lunch and then brush, floss and reinsert in the work bathrooms (unfortunately I can't avoid this public bathroom scenario).

• I leave them in for the rest of the day until I get home and then if I'm super hungry I take them out for a snack, brush and reinsert. 

• Then I do the same for dinner, I am getting in the habit of soaking the aligners in Steradent while I eat my dinner - this helps kill any bacteria you may miss when brushing. It also takes away any funky smells they are omitting.

So on an average work day I would have my aligners in for around 23 hours.

Throw in a weekend with some sort of social event and things get a lot harder. The first weekend I had these in we had a dinner party to attend with 6 courses. I started off with them in and another friend at the party has Invisalign too. She said when she drinks she uses a straw and leaves the Invisalign in. I tried this for a while but my teeth were starting to feel gross and my mouth was really dry and feral tasting. Once the food came it would be impossible to eat one course - brush, floss, insert then do it all again 6 times in the next few hours. So I took the aligners out and enjoyed my meal and drinks as normal. The aligners were out for about 1.5 hours and then I started feeling guilty so I stopped drinking wine, brushed my teeth and put them back in.

I then had a baby shower to attend which was a High Tea. So there were lots of sweet treats to be indulged in over the afternoon. I took my aligners out and then realised I'd left my aligner case at home so I wrapped them in a tissue and popped them in my bag. They were out for another 1.5 hours and then when I went to put them back in the tissue had stuck all over them and it took a while to wash them clean.

Note to self - don't forget to take your case with you.

AcceleDent

When I went in for one of my consults the Orthodontist mentioned an extra I could purchase which accelerates the movement of your teeth, which therefore minimises the total treatment time.

I have 37 aligners to get through and at two weeks each, that would be an approximate 18 months treatment time. Plus the additional time it would take for refinements if I need them.

Using AcceleDent would mean I only have to wear the aligners for one week each, effectively halving my treatment time. This information was EXTREMELY appealing to me. The only downside, is the AcceleDent was an additional $1300 on top of the original $7500 Invisalign cost.

After having the first aligner in for a few days my impatience got the better of me, so back to the Orthodontist I went to pick up one of these miracle machines.

The AcceleDent is a hand held device that you pop in your mouth every day for 20 minutes. It pulses very slightly but the movement assists with aligning of your teeth. It essentially helps jiggle them into place.

Again I was a little concerned that it may hurt a little, as the old saying goes 'No pain, No gain.' So I bit down on the mouthpiece and set it going. The vibrations are really gentle and you can forget it is in your mouth, apart from the drool factor.

At the end of the treatment I can sell the machine back too which is good, I will be able to recoup some costs (don't worry they replace the mouthpiece part).

I would definitely recommend the AcceleDent to anyone who wants to reduce their treatment time. It isn't inconvenient at all, I

 just pop it in while watching tv at night and forget about it.

My dog does look at me weird though...

Aligner #1: Fitout & Freakout

I finally received the phone call I was waiting for, my Invisalign had arrived and they were ready for fitting. I was due to fly to South Africa for work the following day so I had to postpone until I got back to Oz. I figured it was probably better not to start treatment and then leave the country and not have access to the Orthodontist in case anything went wrong.

So I booked my appointment and went in early July. I had no idea what to expect, so was quite nervous. The nerves were un-warranted though. I walked in sat down, they gave me my first two aligners, put in the first ones then I was done. Appointment over.

Well not quite that fast but that's pretty much all it entailed.

Getting the aligners in the first time was a bit of a struggle. Not knowing whether to push them down on the back first or the front, and then they make you take them out again just so you can get used to it.

My Ortho stressed to me that no matter how much pressure I felt I was applying I wasn't going to break the aligner or my teeth (thankfully) so that helped.

They were quite tight to start with, but not painful at all. It was definitely apparent to me that there was something foreign in my mouth, the feeling you have when you wear a mouth guard. Where you feel like your lips are puffed out from your teeth a little and look a bit like a blowfish. But after checking the mirror a few times it didn't look like that at all. With my mouth closed there was no noticeable difference to my face.

With my mouth open and my head up close and personal with the mirror, you could see the aligners, but they weren't offensive. They were more shiny, and if I stood back at a normal distance, it was hard to notice a difference at all.

My orthodontist also gave me some Aligner Chewies, which I am meant to chew on when I can, these help get the aligners on firmly so they work their best.

I went straight back to work, where I had only told two people about my treatment. When I walked back in both said 'I thought you were getting them in today'. Much to my excitement they couldn't tell unless I bared my teeth and tapped on them. No one else in the office was any the wiser (or at least they didn't say anything anyway).

By the afternoon, I had quite a headache and put it down to the aligners being tight, although they didn't hurt, so I took some panadol but that didn't help much. I figured out a few days later that I was actually dehydrated, you never seem to have enough saliva with the aligners in.

I was catching up with some friends after work, and although I'd told them about my treatment, it had been a few weeks since I mentioned it so most of them had forgotten. It took half an hour of sitting at a dinner table talking with 4 close friends before one of them noticed. I was stoked with the inconspicuous appearance so far. When our food arrived I had to attempt to take them out for the first time and I managed to do so quite easily at the table without grossing anyone out. After the meal I quickly brushed and popped them back in without too much trouble.

We went to a movie afterwards and I couldn't be bothered with the out, eat, brush, in process so I skipped the popcorn and choc top and settled for water instead. The Invisalign may have other advantages!

When I got home my fiancee' didn't notice for a good hour. Then our conversation went

'Weren't you meant to get your braces today?'

'Yep I did'

'Why aren't you wearing them?

'I am'

'Bull s#!t'

Just the reaction I was looking for!

The next afternoon at work all of my good experiences so far with Invisalign were forgotten, I was ready to pull the Invisalign out of my head along with all of my teeth if that would help.

It wasn't that they were hurting or painful in anyway, they were just uncomfortable. I felt like there was constantly something in my mouth (well there was) that shouldn't be there and I couldn't forget they were there.

I struggled through at work then went home, skipped dinner and went straight to bed with some sleeping tablets.

The next morning things were much better. The aligners had relaxed a little and were fitting perfectly on my teeth, or my teeth were fitting perfectly in my aligner. I managed to get them in and out easily, eat and clean them without to much trouble, and talk without trying to accomodate for them and therefore slobbering everywhere.

So it is true what they say, the first two days are the worst, then you forget they are even there!

Invisalign Treatment Approval

So it has been a while since I updated this Blog, a lot has happened since my initial post whereby I was considering getting Invisalign treatment.

I decided to go ahead with the treatment, after my initial consultations my orthodontist confirmed Invisalign was suitable for my teeth and treatment would take 37 retainers on the top and bottom.

I wouldn't need any teeth extractions (yay) but I would need several attachments and possibly need to wear lacky bands for a part of the treatment.

As you can see in this photo my top teeth are overcrowded at the front, with the two front teeth hiding at the back a little. So what they need to do is pull my two front teeth forward and push the surrounding teeth back. To make room along the way they will also file in between some of my teeth as needed. This apparently doesn't hurt or damage your teeth but it is probably the part that makes me the most nervous.

My bottom teeth are more crowded and if there are an problems with my treatment, I think this will be where it happens. The idea is to push all of my lower teeth out, to provide more room for them.

One of advantages of the Invisalign treatment, as opposed to braces, is the ability to see exactly what your teeth will look like at the end. They make all of your aligners at the same time so they have the mould of the final masterpiece and can put together a computer generated video of what your teeth will look like.

After watching this video I was sold. $7500 later my Invisalign treatment confirmed, aligners ordered and all I had to do was wait for them to arrive and get things underway.

A DATE WITH THE ORTHODONTIST

Today was Day 1 in my journey to straight teeth. 

I was blessed with far too many teeth for my mouth early on. When I was at school, they weren't overly bad, just one front tooth a little out of line and the bottom overlapped a little (you rarely see the bottom though so it was never really an issue). Not enough for me to justify getting braces and the impending social doom associated with it. Teenage Vanity at its best.


As I have gotten older my teeth have continued to move, to the point that I hate smiling in photos and even looking at them in the mirror. My fiance' says I have no need to change anything, they are fine the way they are etc. I suppose it is always more noticeable for the owner of the flaw than anyone else. Our mouths draws so much attention in everyday conversation though that I think a tooth realignment will see a huge improvement to my self confidence.

So after much research on Orthodontic procedures to improve my smile I stumbled upon Invisalign. I read forums and examined all the before and after photos I could to see if anyone had a similar situation to me... looking for any hope to be able to fix my smile with this invisible miracle cure. I realised after a while self diagnosis was never going to work so I took the first step by making an appointment.


I wasn't sure what to expect, only that I may not be eligible for Invisalign and then I would be back to square one and have to contemplate metal braces.


I made it to the clinic without managing to come up with an excuse to cancel or delay my date with destiny. Once there I had a good chat to the Ortho about what I wanted and she took me through all the different options. Traditional metal braces, clear braces, braces fixed to the inside of your teeth, and Invisalign - the clear winner in my eyes.
My Ortho seems to think that Invisalign will be an option but needs to wait for my X-Rays to be returned and consult with another Orthodontist before they will give me the go ahead. There would also be the possibility that I would go through Invisalign to a certain point and may need to finish it off with a 6 month stint of braces. Which I guess would be doable - whats six months right? I guess I will just have to wait and see in two weeks time.


They did give me a quote though, which wasn't as much as I was expecting. $7,500 AUD which would include all aligners, refinements etc. It would also cover the braces at the end should I need them. Considering clear braces would be $6,800 AUD I think that the price is definitely worth the advantage of being inconspicuous. 

Fingers crossed I get good news in two weeks time!