6th Trays.. not tight at all- STRANGE

Popped the 6th trays in- as title - strangely not tight at all. =_= A bit disappointing coz it's going to take another 2 weeks before I can get my hands on the 7th trays.. So far, things are alright- getting used to the life with Invisalign. I will definitely miss them when they're gone- one less thing to show off! :P

Went to a party the other day, full of dentists, so I took the opportunity to find out the DIFFERENCE between Clearstep and Invisalign! Originally, I thought it's just the price, coz Invisalign is more of an International brand whereas ClearStep seems to be just targeting the UK market, which makes Invisalign slightly dearer to ClearStep. A lot of dentists don't know the difference coz they either do Invisalign or ClearStep... I even ask my own dentist and he was like, ClearStep? Never heard of it. My dentist only does Invisalign. You heard it- he doesn't do teeth whitening, veneers, dental checkups- he just does Invisalign and that's all he does all year long! Talking about 'Specialising'..!

On the ClearStep website, it says:

How does ClearStep compare to Invisalign®?
ClearStep and Invisalign® are both part of the invisible orthodontics category, so there are similarities between the two products and they are used to treat similar types of cases. However, one of the key difference between the two systems is the appearance of the ClearStep aligner. ClearStep positioners are smooth and have no ridges, making them more hygienic and very easy to clean.

Anyway, apart from the price difference and the difference mentioned above, I was told that Invisalign uses slightly more advanced technology. You only need to take 1 impression at the beginning of the treatment process and Invisalign would do the rest- doing the ClinCheck & manufacturing the trays. Whereas ClearStep, so I was told, needs the dentists to take several impressions throughout the treatment period. However, there are 2 benefits of this:

- It's safe as dentists take several moulds and because the trays are manually made in labs, the dentists would make sure the trays fit 100% tightly on your teeth. (Although it's a lot of hassles, both for dentists & patients- I know I don't fancy having a mould stuck on my teeth for 10 minutes for multiple times)

- Apparently ClearStep can cope with more difficult cases than Invisalign. (I think this is arguable, coz I heard the success rate for Invisalign is higher than ClearStep!)

So... that's my little discovery of the week! :)

ClinCheck

This is what motivates me to wear my trays over 20 hours a day!!! The end result just looks amazing, don't you think? Can't wait to have perfect straight teeth!!! :D

5th Tray

Went to see my dentist today to receive my 5th, 6th and 7th trays. He showed me how my teeth have moved so far, from the beginning to the 4th set of trays. They did move a fair bit on the screen, but still too small for me to notice any differences in the mirror. The funny thing was the dentist couldn't take off my trays, and asked me to take off the trays myself and I did it within 1 second! Felt really proud and experienced! :D

Today the dentist shaved further two of my bottom teeth- and this time, I have my camera with me!!! Hooray, Hooray, so here is the video clip of 2 of my bottom teeth being shaved :




So, officially I'm on the 5th trays! By the way, don't you think the trays feel tighter when the dentist puts them in?

Oh, and the dentist told me that this is the stage where 'resistance' might happen. (When he said that to me, I was like, yeah, I am beginning to resist putting the trays back after dinner lately! Of course I didn't say that to him, I just thought that to myself...) Anyway, he told me that if I notice a gap between the teeth and the tray, that's a sign of the resistance and that's the time to call him! So guys, always, always call your dentist if there is anything that you think might be abnormal, after all, you've paid all the money and you don't want your teeth to go the wrong way! :P

I shall be getting the images and the Clincheck posted to me this week - so watch this space! I can't wait to look at my Clincheck everyday to remind myself WHY I've put myself through this treatment. Although it's relatively painless, it's such a hassle and I have people looking at me when I take out my trays in restaurants. (Maybe because I should have gone to the ladies and done it discreetly....)

5th set aligners... delayed.

Hope you guys like my new template! I know it's very pink. :) Took me a while to get it working hence no posting for almost a month! Well, it's not just that really, just that I have been busy with work and updating blog was always something at the back of my head- just that there isn't enough time in a day to do all the things you want to do.

Anyway, today was meant to be the day when I switch to my 5th set of aligners. Yes, time flies. BUT I am having a really bad cold at the moment and I didn't want to go out to pass my germs onto the whole world, so being a saint, I decided to forgo my appointment with the dentist and save a few souls from getting a cold. So, going to wear these babies for one extra week, which I am quite glad to be honest. Why? BECAUSE I do feel like I haven't been wearing them long enough for the past 2 weeks and I don't want my teeth to suffer from trauma if they're not ready for the new set (and I don't want my dentist to notice my naughty behaviour and get told off!) Haha, feels like I am back at school or something. :P

Will see what the dentist says next week!