Invisalign Blog, Clear Braces Diary/Experience

Just want to share my happiness

2010-04-13T23:27:00.002+01:00

Although I haven't finished my Invisalign treatment completely yet, it's almost there. I'm on my 2nd to last tray of my 1st run of refinement. I just want to share my happiness and satisfaction with the whole Invisalign treatment with all of you, who have been and will be reading my blog.

I came back from attending a good friend's wedding last weekend. As I was looking through the wedding photos, I also went to find a photo of myself almost 2 years ago, on my birthday, before the whole Invisalign treatment. Comparing to my own smile now and 2 years ago, I can clearly see a difference, though much of my invisalign journey has focused on my bottom arch rather rather than my upper arch.

BEFORE

AFTER

I will never be able to smile less than this and be more lady like, but at least now my teeth are now aligned and will be perfectly aligned very, very soon. :)

My refinement trays are here!

2010-01-26T14:08:00.018Z

Finally my refinement trays are here! The dentist has given me 6 sets for both upper and lower and he has kept a couple of more for my lower teeth til the next visit.

After removing all the attachments in the previous appointment, the dentist put another two attachments on my upper teeth. Unfortunately when I took out the upper tray for the first time (or probably the 2nd time), one of the attachments came out with the tray! Called up the dentist and was told not to worry but had to book a separate appointment in a few weeks time.

Comparing my last standard trays and the 6th refinement trays, to be honest, there isn't much visible teeth movement. Can you guess which ones are 'before' and which ones are 'after'? However, 1st set of refinement trays were pretty tight for the first hour, so I am assured that they are doing their magic. :)

The refinement trays appear to be shorter than the standard trays, i.e. the trays don't go up to my back teeth as much as my previous trays. And after closely scrutinising the trays for hours (literally!), I am actually starting to think the lower teeth on the old trays appear to be straighter! Is that POSSIBLE? Then I kept on bugging my husband for his opinion and he turned around said- didn't the dentist show me a clincheck?! What a good point- coz the dentist didn't! And the very next day I emailed the clinic and they confirmed that they did indeed have another clincheck to show me. Have asked them to email it through so I can share with all of you, so watch the space.

AND... here it is, my refinement clincheck:

Anyway, clincheck aside, after pondering for a good explanation of my new refinement trays looking less perfect than the old trays, I realised that the reason was actually quite simple... the new trays fit perfectly whereas the old trays have tiny gaps between the edges of my teeth and the trays themselves!

Last standard trays (L22):

New refinement trays (L01):

Oh I only need to wear the first set for 2 weeks and the rest of 5 sets for just 1 week per set! The dentist told me because the adjustments were very, very minor so that the 5 remaining sets only require 1 week.

Belated wishes, but hope everyone had a great xmas and new year celebration! Although I am not completely brace-free in 2010, it's getting there!

Invisalign- waiting for refinement trays

2009-11-26T00:03:00.019Z

I know it's been quite a while... It's not because I don't want to update the blog and share my experience of the invisalign journey, in contrary, I have spent all this time thinking about what to write, honest!

I had my upper teeth completed back in July but still wasn't 100% happy with the result. After looking at your teeth everyday for the past half a year, it's a natural progression to become, unknowingly, an annoying perfectionist. Even my husband got fed up with me complaining about my teeth, which now happen to be straighter than his! :p

The dentist told me to let my upper teeth 'rest' a little so that I could decide what I wanted to do with them, since I had loads of time before the completion of my lower teeth; I wore my last tray as a retainer during nights and we observed my teeth's natural retention.

In late October, when I collected my last two trays for my bottom teeth, the dentist placed in a little adjustment for one of my upper teeth, which I really wanted to be pushed out a tiny-weeny bit. The first week of wearing my last upper tray was probably the most painful days of the whole invisalign experience so far. From my past experience, the pain normally faded away after the first 1 hour (sometimes even less than 10 mins!) but this time it lasted for 1 week. One whole week. However, don't get me wrong, it wasn't a constant pain - Thank Goodness - the pain only lasted half-an-hour every time I popped my trays back in after a meal. That particular tooth must have put up a fight and refused to move! After a week of 22 hours a day wearing my trays, that tooth lost the war to my determination!

The remaining 3 weeks were plane sailing as usual.

So here is the result:

Before (last tray- U14)

After (last tray U14 with adjustment)

I hope you guys can "spot the difference" and my 1 week of pain was worth it!

Standing here in late November, I am 99% happy with my upper teeth. Still 1% left until I'm fully content but hopefully this is due early next year. YES - I finally got my impressions taken and the dentist is going to get more trays, probably just 1 more tray, to close the tinniest gaps on earth - on my upper, and a few more for my lower teeth.

I did have these expectations as throughout the 2nd half of my treatment, the lower trays were never as snugly wrapped around my teeth as before. And by the end of the last tray, I knew I had to get refinements as my lower teeth were still not perfectly aligned. However, I am still amazed how much my bottom teeth have improved. Indeed, I have come a long way.

Before L1 = Lin aka Sid The Sloth (Ice Age 1)

After L22 - Lin aka Sid The Sloth (Ice Age 2)

After L? - Lin aka Seth The Sloth (Ice Age 3)

... coming soon to a theatre near you (watch this space!!!)

The one thing that I am most pleased about from this orthodontic journey is the gap between my upper and lower which has now been greatly reduced:

Before Invisalign

After Invisalign (U14, L22)

Probably looking at early January next year to receive my refinement trays because of the Christmas rush... Although I am kind of sad that I can't start the year 2010 with a perfect smile, in a strange way, I am kind of glad- I do feel a bit lost (oceanic flight 815) and NAKED without them in my mouth - that's the invisalign trays, not my clothes.

N.B. The dentist has told me not to wear my last trays during the day, only wear them when I go to bed, as they're not designed to be worn more than 1-2 months. I guess they are nocturnal aligners. ;-)

A quick update- L19

2009-09-29T17:23:00.003+01:00

Went back to the dentist a week ago to collect L19 & L20 (out of a total of L22). Have to go back again next month to sort out the refinements on my upper teeth. The tiny gaps on my upper teeth are beginning to annoy me as food gets stuck there far too easily! =.= Thankfully, the dentist reassured me that the gaps WILL be closed after the refinements, so all is okay! Phew.

I spoke to another girl who's getting her invisalign done at another dental practice in London. She says that she doesn't get to see the dentist often and that after the attachments are put on, she only needs to go back to her dentist after 14 weeks! I don't know whether that's a good thing or not... I mean, I know it's a headache to travel up to see the dentist just for a 10 mins appointment, especially for me as I don't live in central london and it takes about 1hr each way! However, at the same time, it's reassuring for the dentist to check on my progress and knowing that everything is on track. I wonder maybe all dentists should give their patients 2 options (1 to come in to see the dentist every 6-8 weeks and one other option for 12-14 weeks). But then, if the option was given to me, I am not sure which one I'd choose! LOL

Anyway, for me, in another 3 weeks time, I'll be back in London to receive my final 2 sets + refinement for my upper teeth- very exciting indeed!

Upper Teeth- ALL DONE

2009-07-30T01:44:00.019+01:00

I can't believe my invisalign journey for the upper teeth has gone so smoothly and quickly. Without much pain, time just flew and everything is suddenly ALL over! It might sound a bit strange, but I am beginning to miss my attachments... =o=

Went to the dentist on Tuesday and he showed me how my teeth had changed since the beginning of January. It's always a slight shock when I see how bad my teeth were before the invisalign treatment! Probably because I have been checking out my teeth EVERYDAY and the movement has been in a slow progression so I don't realise how much they have changed.

He's pleased with the result and showed me how my teeth are now perfectly aligned. He asked me whether I was happy with the result and whether I had any concerns. To be honest, I wasn't 100% happy... coz i thought my teeth were not like PERFECTLY aligned. The dentist then removed the attachments for my upper teeth for me to have a better look in the mirror. It took probably 30 seconds to 1 minute to remove each attachment so it was quite an easy + quick job. Anyway, after the attachments were removed, my teeth did look slightly better, but I still expressed my concerns. The dentist said that I should take my time to look at my teeth and see how I feel in the next 1.5 months and then decide what I'd like to have my tooth/teeth to move then he'll make the adjustments until I'm 100% satisfied. :D

A lot of people express their opinions about how the dentist rushes them through the appointment, but he has always explained everything in details and if there were certain things that I didn't understand, he would try his best to make me understand! I think perhaps you just need to prepare questions- the more you ask, the more you understand!

Anyway, so here is my before and after photos. I thought I'd use some 'real life' photos to demonstrate how my teeth have transformed instead of looking just the teeth photos. You can click on the photos to see larger versions. Just put them up in medium size so they won't put people off from reading this blog too much. :)

BEFORE

AFTER

Probably a bit difficult to see? I tried my best to select the photos with similar angles...
Well, if you can't see the difference, here are the teeth photos!!

BEFORE

AFTER

I know there are some stains at the back of my teeth... I'm getting my teeth whitened in December when my bottom teeth finish with the invisalign treatment!! :D Oh, and I'd like to thank everyone for the support over the past months.. and because of the number of people that I have managed to refer to the clinic that I go to, I am getting the whitening for free!

At the moment, I am wearing my 15th set of bottom tray for 22+ hours a day and my 14th set (last tray) for my upper teeth only when I go to sleep! The dentist told me NOT to wear my 14th set tray for my upper teeth any other time as he would like to analyse my teeth's 'natural movement' in order to decide what retainers would suit me the best. Additionally, the trays are not made for wearing more than 4/5 weeks, so I guess I have to be extra careful when I clean them.

And leave a message to let me know how you think about my teeth!! :D

More filing!!

2009-06-17T23:09:00.009+01:00

Went to the dentist yesterday and he did more filing on my upper teeth... The difference this time was that he used a thin strip of sandpaper to file my teeth! He said it was the only way to get into those tight spaces and shape + reduce the obstructions... Personally I think it's not as painless as the previous procedure (dremel tool with a sandpaper disc attachment). As you can imagine, sandpaper isn't as friendly with gums as dental floss, so when I got home and brushed my teeth, gum bled. (Well not exactly, just the spit was pinky but when I checked my gum, it wasn't bleeding...)

Although the gap between my front two teeth has closed, I still have a few very tiny gaps (newly created) + 1 big gap (was there before the filing this time round) between my upper teeth. Tiny gaps can't really be captured on camera, but here is the big gap:

The dentist told me that if the gaps don't close in my upper teeth after my last set (14th), I'd get an additional 1 or 2 trays. It's comforting to hear, especially when I only have 3 trays left for my upper arch and I'm a bit scared that my teeth won't be perfect by then! (Although the dentist has been right so far and said I've made good progress.) So fingers crossed!!

I didn't feel much when the dentist put in the 12th set. I mentioned it to my dentist and he said that I was used to the 'pain'. However, by the time I went to bed that night ... my teeth did feel pretty sore! I guess my teeth have moved a lot since the appointment. :)

Invisalign Tray 11: A Progress Update

2009-06-11T12:25:00.020+01:00

I haven't been updating this blog for a LONG time... Everything is going pretty well so far- I'm on my 2nd week of 11th set and due for my invisalign appointment next Tuesday to get my next three sets of trays. Can't wait!! AND- that'll be the END of the invisalign treatment for my upper teeth! (14th will be the last set) Lower teeth will have a few more sets to go (22nd will be the last set).

Anyway, initially I thought that Invisalign was going to SLIM me down because I'd cut out my snacking habit. BUT I've actually gained weight.. I guess I've been scared of not being able to eat my daily allowance of chocolates that I'd just stuff myself with sweets after meals instead. So, in terms of calorie intake I haven't been able to reduce any but having 3 big meals instead of having 3 small meals with snacks in between has proved to have a detrimental impact on my bathroom scale! (Yes, just blame it on Invisalign! Nothing to do with me!! :P )

When I first had my teeth filed, I was a bit concerned about my gap created between my front teeth:

But now, to my relief, the gap has gone:

As you can probably notice, not just the gap is gone, my teeth are definitely more aligned and less flared out? :D

Lets look at something that's even more obvious:
Before: Lower teeth are so wonky!

After: Much better- more aligned... but of course still room for improvement! But my lower teeth are now straighter than my husband's! Yoohoo!! :)

Invisalign Tray 8: A Progress Update

2009-04-22T03:01:00.020+01:00

Went to the dentist today to receive my 8th - 11th trays! I find it a bit tiring to travel an hour into London to just receive trays, but I guess it gives me a peace of mind to have my progress checked and get some reassurance from the dentist. Plus the thought of visiting a dentist kinda pushes me to wear the trays 20+ hours a day - I mean, would any grown up, responsible adults actually want to admit that they 'fail' to perform such a simple task to a dentist?!

Anyway, just a quick update. Everything is looking good. My dentist showed me how my teeth have moved on the screen- just to keep me motivated. Without looking at the screen, I have already noticed the difference in my lower teeth myself! I see it in the mirror everyday when I brush my teeth... and indeed, it keeps me happy, at least for the first 10 minutes in the morning!

The difference isn't so great on my upper teeth, however. So it's helpful seeing the difference on the screen with the dentist! Seeing is believing right?! :P My dentist did mention that there was one stubborn tooth which seemed a bit more difficult to be moved and that I might require further 1 or 2 refinement trays. =_=

Definition of a refinement aligner
Invisalign® also allows for refinement aligners, which can be added at the end of the scheduled treatment procedure, to finish off any tooth movement not fully expressed. This is usually needed if over-corrections are not accurately planned during the treatment-planning phase. It also happens because there is a slight flex in the aligner material that sometimes does not allow for full expression of the desired tooth movement. Refinement has to be elected prior to manufacture. No additional impressions are needed, but a refinement form outlining the desired extension tooth movements and photographs are submitted to Align Technology.

So this is the annoying tooth- you can see there is a slight gap between the bottom of the tooth and the bottom of the tray! That tooth is supposed to be pulled down a little bit more... but it doesn't seem to be moving as planned. Oh well, at least the dentist did say there wasn't anything to worry about... so I am not too concerned. If I need 1 or 2 refinement trays, so be it. As long as the end result is having straight teeth, 1 more month is not going to kill me.

Anyway, watch this space, I will be uploading 2 really short videos here! :)

7th Trays

2009-04-08T01:16:00.005+01:00

I just put the 7th trays in... and they're ultra tight- well, for the first erm 5 minutes top... Now they're surprisingly okay (still tight though).

From today, I am going to be wearing my aligners 22 hours a day. No more excuses of not putting them back on immediately after meals. I am going to brush my teeth and trays more often and get my hubby to taste the food while I cook! :P

How to find the BEST Invisalign provider (not just the cheapest)

2009-04-07T05:48:00.007+01:00

People always say, you get what you pay for....
BUT, with Invisalign, it can be a different story! HONEST!

A dentist offers cheaper Invisalign treatment doesn't necessary mean he is less experienced than others. In fact, he can be the most experienced Invisalign dentist but still offers one of the cheapest Invisalign treatments! You must be wondering why? This is because Invisalign offers dentists an option that they can bulk buy Invisalign at a hugely discounted price - so more Invisalign cases a dentist does, the cheaper it costs the dentist to buy! So a dentist who is willing to commit a lot of cases a year can easily undercut (in price) those who aren't prepared to commit! Depends on how many cases that a dentist wish to commit to a year, they can become a silver, gold, platinum accredited Invisalign dentist, so a Platinum dentist tends to be able to offer lower prices than those dentists who are not accredited!

However, when you go for your appointments, don't just look at all these colourful accreditation system. Ask the dentists how long they have been practising Invisalign and how many cases they have done to get a better understanding of how experienced they are! :-)

How to Spot the Cheapest Invisalign Provider

2009-04-06T06:35:00.006+01:00

I am quite a known 'bargain hunting queen' amongst my friends. When I want to buy something, I compare, compare and compare! Just like Invisalign, I compared between a lot of websites, all the offers and dentist credentials before making the decision.

London, perhaps, just perhaps, is the cheapest place to get your Invisalign treatment done. Many people have asked me how much I paid for my Invisalign and their reaction tend to be slightly 'astonished' when they heard the figure: £1895. To be honest, with the economic downturn, you can find an even cheaper price than what I paid 6 months ago. And frankly, just within seconds using your finger tip by typing in 'Invisalign London' in the Google search.

There are a lot of practices that are doing special offers on Invisalign, especially in big cities like London, Birmingham and Leeds. However, London, by far, due to a huge number of dental practices across London and each one of them can be easily reached by the great London Underground System, price competition is far more fierce in this neck of the wood, hence the lower prices in comparison.

When searching for the cheapest Invisalign, it's not that straight forward.
Normally dental practices would advertise the lowest price but it would 'exclude' certain bits of the treatment in that price, like:
1) Retainer
2) X-Rays
3) Only apply to simple cases (that the patients don't need many trays)
4) Only 1 arch (either upper or lower arch) is included in the price.
5) 3D computerised treatment plans
6) Extraction (if necessary for your treatment)
7) 'Fine tuning' of teeth position after active treatment
8) First initial assessment

Dental practices would also give some additional 'gifts' to make the price comparison difficult. For example, the would include:
1) Teeth Whitening -either home kit or 1 hour power whitening
2) Teeth polishing and stain removal at end of treatment
3) 0% Finance
4) Aftercare for one year

It'll really depends whether you value these additional services. From most recent dental research, teeth whitening home kit is a more effective (especially long term) whitening method than 1 hour teeth whitening. So I would recommend for all Invisalign users to use home kit whitening instead (especially you can use the Invisalign aligners as whitening trays!).

For 0% Finance, you can easily perform a DIY on this by getting a credit card with 0% on new purchases for the first 6 or 9 months (Halifax/Virgins are doing great deals on this!)

I hope this helps... and good luck with the search for the cheapest Invisalign around! :)

Holidays.. another thing to add on the tick list!

2009-04-03T04:09:00.006+01:00

Went for a long weekend break with my girlfriends to Monaco... and guess what, I must have been dazed out in the morning coz somehow.. I only remembered to put my upper tray in and left my bottom tray at home!!! The trays just feel so comfortable now and I really don't notice them that much anymore. I only realised that I had left it at home when I was about to have a burger at McD! Thank goodness it's only a 3 day break.. if my holiday was a 3 week break, I guess I won't be finishing my treatment by the end of this year!

I thought it was going to hurt like hell when I put on the bottom tray when I got back, but it was actually alright! Phew- continuing with my Invisalign treatment! Go, go, go!! :)

6th Trays.. not tight at all- STRANGE

2009-03-24T15:52:00.002Z

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

2009-03-12T13:18:00.001Z

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

2009-03-11T04:17:00.001Z

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.

2009-03-04T04:13:00.001Z

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!

Belated Video Posting- 3rd Set of Braces

2009-02-17T22:25:00.002Z

Braces Review

2009-02-13T14:45:00.002Z

Jessica contacted me and asked me to join bracesreview.com Basically, It's a website that invites a lot of users (and potential users) of different types of braces, so you can find a lot of information on the site and ask questions so that more experienced dental patients/professional can help you! I think it's a really good idea! :D So if anyone has any questions on Invisalign, you can either ask me or post a question on the website and you'd get loads of other Invisalign users giving their own advices/opinions (and mine as well!).

3rd Set of Invisalign Aligners

2009-02-04T03:34:00.001Z

Today is my first day wearing the 3rd set of aligners. The pain, WHAT PAIN?!, that's right, the 3rd set of aligners are nothing in comparison to the 2nd set in terms of pain. There was no pain at all, just felt the trays were a bit tighter before. After a few hours, the trays feel similar to the previous set, but maybe it's just slightly more difficult to take off.

Just comparing the 1st set and 3rd set. Can you tell any differences? I certainly can spot a few. For my upper teeth, I can see the tooth on the left of my front teeth is more in line with the rest of teeth. And as for the bottom teeth, the crowding doesn't look as bad. :) So my teeth are DEFINITELY moving! Now I really want to see what the last set of aligners would look like! I am still lisping a bit though... I reckon it's the way I talk- I don't move my mouth enough so the situation is now worsen by the fact that I have plastic objects in my mouth!

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!

2009-01-26T00:20:00.001Z

Can't believe it's Chinese New Year already! Today is quite an eventful day as India is also having their own Republic Day celebration and guess what, it's a public holiday in Australia too!

Today the weather is unusually nice- pretty sunny but still cold. I guess it's a good start of Ox year. Hope everyone will have a bullish and prosperous year ahead!

I got my renewed passport today. Compare the photos on the new passport to the old one, I have indeed aged a fair bit and I look UGLIER! Sighhh. It's all the stupid new rules about keeping a stern, unhappy face.. At least I had a small grin in my previous one which brightened up my face a little. The photo on my new passport looks dreadful and 80% dead. (Excuses, excuses, I just can't face the fact that I am uglier, that's all!!)

I am really hoping my Invisalign will perform some miracle and make me prettier again in 10.5 months time!!

Finally, 2nd Set of the Trays

2009-01-21T03:00:00.002Z

20th January was an important day for my Invisalign journey. Actually, I feel today is the proper starting point of this journey- coz everything finally arrived: attachments, teeth filed and the PAIN! And it's even MORE painful when taking out the trays. The first time when I wanted to take out the trays, lower tray was okay, upper tray seemed impossible. My husband even offered his help to take them off for me! But I was far too scared to let him do that- I just had a picture in my head that my teeth would come out with the tray too! +_=

Now, some closeup pictures of my filed teeth. I have loads of tiny gaps between my teeth- it's quite strange coz I can feel the 'air' going between my teeth when I breath in and out using my mouth. :)

Looks a bit funny, doesn't it? Oh well, beauty comes with a heavy price tag! Hopefully it's just the right amount of room for my upper teeth to rotate and in a few months time, the gap will disappear! (Same applies to the gap on my lower front teeth!!)

Now a few more gaps on the side... You can also see my three attachments on my upper teeth. They are so annoying as they make the tray so much harder to take off! I literally have to yank them out and it hurts so much! Although it's slightly easier to take the tray out now (2nd day of wearing my 2nd set of trays), still painful! And my finger tips are in pain too- not just my teeth! Wow, I just realised that my lips look super dry!

Cleaning Invisalign Trays... In Search for the Best Way

2009-01-19T03:13:00.000Z

When I first got the aligners, even after the 1st week, the aligners never smelt much even straight after I took them out. But on my 10th day, I noticed that it has started to smell a bit. :(

Although I feel a bit of toothpaste and running icy water is good enough for cleaning the aligners... I just want to try out different methods to see whether they're any better! SO...

Asda Denture Cleaning Tablet

I read a lot of reviews that Efferdent cleans the aligners really well but we don't have that brand in the UK! I am wondering whether Steradent (the leading brand here) works the same? Or even a supermarket's own brand like Asda denture cleaning tablet? Since the Asda denture tablet was only 30p for 30 tablets, I've decided to give it a try - Plus I'm at the end of my 1st tray anyway)! On the instruction, it said to leave it for an hour or overnight but I reckon since I don't use my aligners to eat, 10 minutes should be sufficient! (Sometimes you just have to be your own doctor to try out your own prescription!) Anyway, I only soaked the trays in warm water with the tablet while I brushed teeth/washed face.

Result: sparkling trays!

Verdict: I think the tablet makes the cleaning a lot easier as sometimes with just toothpaste & water, it's a bit tricky to clean off the white tooth scum on the edges of the trays... But the tablet that I have contains bleach, so I had to make sure I really rinsed the trays properly.

Fairy Liquid

Some people also said to use 'Dawn' dishwashing liquid. Again, we don't have Dawn dishwashing liquid but we do have 'Fairy'! So- I am going to give that a try tomorrow morning!

Doing new things with my aligners keep me excited about wearing them- I guess this is the only way to make me want to wear them for more than 22 hours a day! BUT, what other new things are there to keep me entertained for the rest 11 months?!

Cold Running Water with Sonicare Tooth Brush

I think this is the safest (chemical free!) option ever! I just used one of my old sonicare tooth brush head and with a bit of running water and it works! Although the trays didn't come out as shiny as the previous two methods, they look clean! I was a bit wary of using my normal tooth brush head coz my head might get damaged and heads are quite expensive to buy! So just use an old one if you have it! :)

Blood inside my upper tray!

2009-01-17T15:08:00.002Z

Yes, you've heard it right! There was a tiny blood stain inside my upper tray (just on one of my teeth)!! Maybe it's not blood from my teeth- maybe it's because the bumps on the aligner cut into my lips at night and the blood went inside my tray? Or maybe the tray is putting too much stress onto my tooth? BUT I AM NOT FEELING ANY PAIN?!! I'm well bewildered by the event... So anyway I am going to wear these aligners religiously for at least 22 hours everyday before I see the dentist on Tuesday!!!

19th January Update: Today I went to McD and I saw bits of my Mcflurry turned pink (I didn't have any coloured chocolates if that's what you're thinking!). Anyway, I discovered the bleeding came from my upper lip (parts that are close to those awful bumps on the tray!). I'll definitely mentioned that to my dentist that the bumps are (probably) cutting my lip!

Made a fool out of myself on youTube!

2009-01-16T12:36:00.000Z

Oh well, I thought it was quite funny, so, for everyone's entertainment- I've decided uploaded this rubbish video on youTube! Plus I am sure when I am an old granny and when I look back, I'll laugh with my little grandkids. :D

Really, it's not normally like this- usually I do it in front of a mirror so I know exactly what I'm doing! I just got a bit nervous doing it in front of a web cam that's all. :P

Nothing much to say- the aligners are fine. I have to be honest and say that for past 2 days, I haven't been wearing them for at least 20 hours a day. I find it particularly hard to decide whether I should take them off while cooking! (Coz I need to taste the food!!) Coz cooking takes 1 hour, eating takes another 1 hour and you need to 'relax' a little on the sofa after dinner with a bit of tv right? That's another hour gone. Then you eat some fruits (they say it's not good to have fruits immediately after your meals). Then time just flies... Plus there is no pain, so I feel the aligners aren't doing too much on my teeth....

First Trays / Aligners - 2nd video blog

2009-01-14T22:36:00.001Z

I am getting a bit lazier after doing this video- think I am only wearing them around 20 hours a day now... It just takes me long and longer to put them back on after meals rather than rushing to the toilet brushing my teeth like a good girl should! After week to go and I'll be getting my 'tighter' tray- can't wait for that as I feel the current tray isn't doing too much work! Guess I am quite eager to be in pain! LOL

Invisalign - The Clear Alternative to Braces (Beautiful Ad)

2009-01-12T20:56:00.001Z

I love this advert- it's just so beautiful and that's why I am totally sold on this particular treatment. Both the women on this ad are so, so pretty! Really lovely teeth and smile.

Although my teeth aren't what I want them to be, I never hold back my smile. But it's because I don't hold back my smile and I smile a lot, I can never see myself in metal braces- just imagine, a smile of metals?! That's so not attractive at all. =_+

Invisalign Clear Braces - 1st video blog

2009-01-12T20:48:00.001Z

I was so nervous and didn't know what to say! God, the me on this video clip is not my normal self and hope it doesn't appear to be too 'fake'. :P

Anyway, retainer didn't work out because I used to 'cleverly' adjust the metal line myself to loosen it so it didn't hurt as much. I used to misplace it too! Back in the primary school, a boy found it in the school rubbish bin- so that's the end of my retainer's life.

So hopefully invisalign is going to bring the teeth and the smile line that I've always dreamt of. I don't mind showing a bit of my gum when I smile but i do mind when my teeth appear like a set of denture that isn't put right!

Invisalign Diary: 1st set (Day5)

2009-01-10T13:17:00.001Z

Feeling brave today to take a photo of myself with the Invisalign trays in! They're pretty invisible, isn't it? Well at least 30 cm away from my mouth, they are.

I haven't really experienced any pain at all (haven't taken any pain killers) and the only pain is when my fingers touch the sensitive roots when I take the trays out. Oh, and on top of that, unfortunately I have developed a mini cold sore at the corner of my mouth, which adds extra pain when I take my trays out as I have to open my mouth wide. eeek! I guess this way, I am keeping my trays in even longer as outside my 3 meals a day, they are firmly kept inside my mouth as no snack is worth the pain of opening my mouth wide!

My teeth are feeling a bit sensitive when I eat now- somehow I have a picture in my head that when I bite down, one of my teeth is going to break!

Invisalign Diary: 1st set (Day4)

2009-01-09T19:46:00.000Z

It took me a while to find time to take photos... so here they are! (Plus I have to say it's really difficult to take decent photos of my ugly teeth!!)

So- lets have a look at photos of the aligners first (they're less gross):
The below picture shows that the two teeth on the right, (first bump), they're slightly higher than the rest of my teeth!

A shot of these wonky two teeth on the upper arch:

My lower arch aligner:

Three bumps on the right side of my upper arch aligner:

Upper arch aligner:

Okay, so in with the gross photos- look away if you don't want to see...
Lower slightly overcrowded teeth:
The huge gap between my upper arch and lower arch:
Side way (left):
Side way (right):
Front shot:

Invisalign Diary: 1st set (Day2)

2009-01-07T02:52:00.000Z

Nothing much to report, just finding myself keep sucking saliva out of the trays when they're inside my mouth because the trays are not sitting 100% tightly. I am also finding it virtually impossible to keep my mouth closed as on top my 'natural' overjet, I have three bumps on the left and 1 bump on the right of my upper aligner, which add extra things for my short upper lip to cover. Arghhhh- but the good thing is that the pain is very minimal! The dentist told me that in terms of pain, the 1st set was supposed to be the worst- so I can definitely deal with the pain, without pain killers, for the next 11 months!

Oh, and now I really have to 'plan' what to eat, in case I accidentally miss out the sweets- coz apart from the three main meals a day, I am too lazy to eat anything else (as it's quite a hassle to go through the 'take out trays-brush teeth-wash trays-put the trays back on' procedure.)

Invisalign Diary: 1st set (Day1)

2009-01-07T01:29:00.000Z

God, I've abandoned this blog for far too long- over 2 months - there is a story behind this! I did see my Clincheck in November, which was awesome and the final result looked pretty impressive. Shame that I couldn't get the clincheck file to share with all of you.. I'll try to persuade the dental clinic again to see whether I can get hold of the file. From the Clincheck, I learnt that my treatment process would take 11 months for my lower arch and 7/8 months for my upper arch. I have to say that I was a bit surprised because I thought my upper teeth looked worse than lower!

So, the reason of a 2 month gap is because I had to leave the country for almost a month in December (my big holiday of the year!) and my trays didn't arrive at the end of November (apparently they missed me out by just 1 or 2 days!). So, after a long, long wait til the festivities ended on 5th Jan (practice only started to operate from the 5th), I have finally got my trays today! I was so excited that my heart was racing quicker than the speed of the train into London!

So my dentist fitted the trays for me initially and asked me to take them off myself in front of the mirror with help of his instructions. The trays were not as soft as I had thought- they're quite rigid and strong. (I don't know WHY I thought they would be similar to the home teeth whitening trays- how would they move my teeth into right places in just 11 months?) It's not difficult to take down and put up the trays, actually, but you really have to open wide your mouth!

Oh, and one tip for you guys, before doing Invisalign, you should really have all your teeth checked up. Because I've been brushing my teeth a bit too hard, bits of my gum has recessed and revealed sensitive root. And now, every time I take off the trays, my fingers/nails are touching the sensitive parts and it hurts a little (okay, maybe quite a lot, but I wanted to put up a brave face). And because the moulds are made already, I probably can't go back to my normal dentist and ask them to put composite to cover the sensitive areas as it might affect how the trays fit on my teeth! I'll just have to live with it for the next 11 months I suppose! =_=

So my feeling after the 1st day is quite positive- the trays are easy to manage, they are indeed pretty much invisible (I am going to have 'attachments' on my teeth so the trays have 'bubbles' on them already, so if you look really closely and when i smile too wide, then people can notice the 'bubbles'), AND, strangely enough, I am not in that much pain, just a bit sore... And into the negatives... I met up with friends after my appointment at Starbucks and watching everyone enjoying their cafe latte and me with my bottled water was not a good feeling! It did lure me to take off the trays but the sensible side of me stopped myself as I didn't have my toothbrush or toothpaste!

2nd round Impression

2008-12-07T02:21:00.000Z

So, traveled all the way to London for my 3.50pm appointment. Waited at the lounge for a further 30 minutes again (last time was also a half an hour wait!) before seeing my dentist.

I think the impression wasn't taken properly on the 1st time round for my lower arch, that's why I'm back again. The friendly receptionist (I think she's the best receptionist that a dental practice can have!) assured me that I would be receiving my aligners around mid November, so can definitely bring the aligners back to Taiwan to show Mum & Dad! They'll be amazed to see Invisalign aligners- nearly invisible braces!!

In the surgery room, the desk is full of Invisalign boxes for different patients- I am sure there were like 30 boxes! Guess the dentist is fully booked with just Invisalign treatments. I am not surprised, coz with an amazing offer of just £1500 for the full treatment, one would be insane not to take it up! (Normal price is around £3000!!)

So just looking forward to seeing the clincheck, which will be available to view in the next 7-10 days!

False Alarm

2008-10-18T17:10:00.000+01:00

I was really happy to see a missed call from the Clinic as I thought they finally got the clincheck back for me to look at... Unfortunately it's a call asking me to go back to take further impressions... ARGHHHHH!!! I guess I won't be receiving my aligners before the end of this year!

Oh well, new fresh start for 2009 heh?

Invisalign Express

2008-09-23T01:27:00.000+01:00

Align Technology (company of Invisalign) also offers Invisalign Express. Well, at first glance, I thought Invisalign Express is a quicker and more painful treatment than Invisalign. However, after doing some readings, Invisalign Express = Invisalign Mini! Basically it's for people who require little movement, mild crowding and mild to no rotation. It is a great system for rebound cases of people who had braces before. Since it's designed for mild problems only, treatment time is generally less than six months. And with less than 10 aligners, obviously it's a lot cheaper than the normal full Invisalign treatment. Here is an useful comparison table

Another interesting Invisalign Video

2008-09-22T04:20:00.000+01:00

Teeth Strengthening is An Investment, Girls!

2008-09-21T00:47:00.000+01:00

I was talking to my friends and telling them the 'big news' that I am having my teeth strengthened, everyone looked so surprised and asked 'why, your teeth are fine!'. I then had to explain to them about my over-jet upper arch and overcrowded lower arch, they were like 'that's nothing, look at my teeth....' and said to me having teeth straightened is too expensive, especially when the correction is minor.

Everyone knows that 1st impression counts and teeth are clearly important in making an impression. When meeting an opposite sex, first 2 things you notice are eyes and smiles. I don't think I have an unattractive smile, in fact, I think my smile is actually one of my best assets. But since it's one of my best assets, I'd like to perfect this asset! And is it really that expensive? I really don't think so, coz it'll last me a lifetime! Think about it, if I divide the cost of my Invisalign by 25 years (assuming some of my teeth will fall off anyway when I am old), I am really only spending under £100 a year on my teeth. Compare that to the amount of money that I spend on clothes, makeup or skin care, the cost is really minimal! It's even less than buying an annual subscription of contact lenses! Now thinking back, why did I take this long to get this done!? I must have not been thinking straight! LOL

Still another week or two til I have my Clincheck! I can't wait!!

Invisalign = Slimmer me!

2008-09-17T19:52:00.000+01:00

First of all, I have to admit that I have a sweet tooth and I love snacking! But I guess this habit of mine is going to disappear after my Invisalign treatment. Why? Because you have to take out the aligners to snack, brush your teeth PLUS the aligners before putting them back in. As much as I love snacking, I would rather save a few hours a day from performing oral hygiene.

Is Invisalign worth it?

2008-09-16T23:30:00.000+01:00

On this website, it shows 81% of Invisalign users think it's worth the money! Yoohoo- that's a really positive result, particularly Invisalign is pretty pricy comparing to other orthodontic treatments. :) We all know that Invisalign is not as effective in straightening teeth in more severe cases than the traditional metal braces, it's the 'nearly invisible' braces that we're paying for, not really the end results. (although end result is really important too, still, who would want to wear metal braces when they're like in their 20s?) I mean, even when you're in your teens, just imagine your first kiss with a mouth of full metal braces is quite a horrible thought. My dentist told me that invisalign would only correct 80% of my problem- I think I'll be happy with that! :)

I've gone through some bad reviews, here are some of the considerations that the Invisalign website and your orthodontist/dentist would happen not to tell you:

1. More prone to cavities- read the user experience.
Basically your teeth are covered by the plastic aligners all the time during your treatment so the salivia no longer can act as a cleansing agent for your teeth and helps prevent decay.

This is quite an understandable concern, especially for me as I'm already prone to decay (I have 13 decays in my mouth already!) and the dentist says that during the treatment, one should not have decays as it'd change the structure of the teeth, which led to the aligners not being able to fit properly.

2. Filing and shaving teeth to make rooms
"To start off what they don't tell you is that they put these clear bumps on your teeth to hook the trays on, then they don't tell you that they file your teeth to make your teeth move faster. I did NOT want my teeth filed, especially my upper. I said ok to filing my lower, my ortho ended up filing HUGE gap inbetween my upper two teeth!!! He also filed one tooth smaller that the other - you can't fix that, it not like a bad haircut that will grow back. It was terrible."

"Also my bite shifted and became very uncomfortable! For some reason they felt it neccessary to literally FILE teeth in between to make room for the teeth to move as well as to adjust my bite. "

I was a bit scared when I read it- coz I know filing/shaving teeth is definitely not what I want!

3. Having "buttons"/"bumps" on your teeth
In order to have the invisalign plastic aligners, the dentists would attach these white (scratchy) buttons to your teeth to catch/secure the aligners. The 'buttons' are supposed to match with the colour of your teeth enamel so they don't really show up! But my dentist didn't mention anything about these 'buttons'?! Nor did the video!

I can't wait for my appointment so I can view the clincheck and ask my dentist all these questions on my head.
Maybe I should read all the positive reviews about invisalign to calm myself down!

Clinical Limitation of Invisalign

2008-09-15T22:35:00.000+01:00

I found this article online- quite an interesting read:

Article from Canadian Dental Association, written by Xiem Phan, BSc, DDS and Paul H. Ling, DDS, MDS Ortho, MOrth, FDS, RCS

Clinical Limitation of Invisalign

Adult patients seeking orthodontic treatment are increasingly motivated by esthetic considerations. The majority of these patients reject wearing labial fixed appliances and are looking instead to more esthetic treatment options, including lingual orthodontics and Invisalign appliances. Since Align Technology introduced the Invisalign appliance in 1999 in an extensive public campaign, the appliance has gained tremendous attention from adult patients and dental professionals. The transparency of the Invisalign appliance enhances its esthetic appeal for those adult patients who are averse to wearing conventional labial fixed orthodontic appliances. Although guidelines about the types of malocclusions that this technique can treat exist, few clinical studies have assessed the effectiveness of the appliance. A few recent studies have outlined some of the limitations associated with this technique that clinicians should recognize early before choosing treatment options.

In 1945, Kesling1 introduced the tooth positioning appliance as a method of refining the final stage of orthodontic finishing after debanding. A positioner was a one-piece pliable rubber appliance fabricated on the idealized wax set-ups for patients whose basic treatment was complete. The practical advantage of the positioner lay in its ability to position the teeth artistically and to retain the alignment of the teeth achieved through basic treatment with conventional fixed appliances. Various minor tooth movements could be incorporated into the positioner. Kesling predicted that certain major tooth movements could also be accomplished with a series of positioners fabricated from sequential tooth movements on the set-up as the treatment progressed.

In 1971, Ponitz2 introduced a similar appliance called the “invisible retainer” made on a master model that prepositioned teeth with base-plate wax. He claimed that this appliance could produce limited tooth movement. Sheridan and others3 later developed a technique involving interproximal tooth reduction and progressive alignment using clear Essix appliances. This technique was based on Kesling’s proposal, but almost every tooth movement required a new model set-up and therefore a new set of impressions at almost every visit, making the technique excessively time-consuming.

In 1997 with the introduction of the Invisalign appliance, available to orthodontists in 1999, Align Technology made Kesling’s proposal much more practical. Instead of necessitating a new set-up for each new aligner, creation of an Invisalign appliance involves computer-aided-design and computer-aided-manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology, combined with laboratory techniques, to fabricate a series of positioners (aligners) that can move teeth in small increments of about 0.25 to 0.3 mm.

What is the Invisalign Appliance?
The Invisalign appliance involves a series of aligners made from a transparent, thin (typically less than 1 mm) plastic material formed with CAD-CAM laboratory techniques. These aligners are similar to the splints that cover the clinical crowns and the marginal gingiva (Fig. 1). Each aligner is designed to move the teeth a maximum of about 0.25 to 0.3 mm over a 2-week period, and is worn in a specific sequence. The Invisalign appliance is currently recommended for adults and for adolescents with fully erupted permanent teeth who meet an acceptable standard of compliance. Excellent compliance is mandatory since the appliance has to be worn a minimum of 20 to 22 hours a day and each aligner should be worn 400 hours to be effective.

Current Technique
Fixed orthodontic appliances have been the backbone of orthodontic biomechanical technique. However, the reluctance to wear buccal braces because of their poor esthetic has been a driving force for the development of alternative treatment options for the adult population. Some current treatment options include Essix retainers, Trutain retainers, lingual orthodontics and Invisalign appliances.

Because of their removable nature, Essix retainers and Trutain retainers are indicated for mild nonskeletal malocclusions. Essix appliances have conventionally been used as anterior retainers from cuspid to cuspid. They are fabricated from vacuformed plastic sheets, and have a physical memory and flexibility that allows them to snap onto the anterior teeth, extending into gingival undercuts. With minor modification, Essix appliances can achieve small tooth movements, and serve as temporary
bridges and bite planes.

The Invisalign appliance alone is also generally indicated for mild nonskeletal malocclusions. It was successfully used by Boyd4 in conjunction with segmental fixed appliances, or with full fixed appliances used immediately before and after surgery for certain skeletal Class III malocclusions. Fixed lingual orthodontic appliances, on the other hand, can be used for complex malocclusions. Lingual orthodontics uses the same concept as conventional fixed braces, but with bracket placements on the lingual rather than the buccal surfaces of teeth. This approach improves the esthetic look of the appliance, but has been slow to gain popularity in North America because of insufficient training and knowledge of the technique.

Indications for the Invisalign A Appliance
Joffe5 suggested that the Invisalign appliance is most successful for treating mildly malaligned malocclusions (1 to 5 mm of crowding or spacing), deep overbite problems (e.g., Class II division 2 malocclusions) when the overbite can be reduced by intrusion or advancement of incisors, nonskeletally constricted arches that can be expanded with limited tipping of the teeth, and mild relapse after fixed-appliance therapy.
Conditions that can be difficult to treat with an Invisalign appliance or are contra-indicated altogether include:
• crowding and spacing over 5 mm
• skeletal anterior-posterior discrepancies of more than 2 mm (as measured by discrepancies in cuspid relationships)
• centric-relation and centric-occlusion discrepancies
• severely rotated teeth (more than 20 degrees)
• open bites (anterior and posterior) that need to be closed
• extrusion of teeth
• severely tipped teeth (more than 45 degrees)
• teeth with short clinical crowns
• arches with multiple missing teeth.

Use of the Invisalign appliance is relatively new for orthodontists and is still being developed. Currently, few clinical studies and case reports have assessed the effectiveness
of this technique. Although Align Technology has suggested guidelines for its appropriate use, clinicians have encountered numerous limitations when using the appliance.

Clinician Involvement
Although diagnostic preparation for treatment with the Invisalign appliance is similar to that for treatment with conventional fixed orthodontic appliances, clinicians play a more limited role during treatment with the Invisalign appliance. Preparation includes initial assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and completion of pretreatment records (e.g., panoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographs, bite registration, photos and polyvinyl siloxane impressions), all of which must be sent to Align Technology in California where simulated virtual treatment is formulated by proprietary 3-dimensional CAD-CAM technology. Clinicians then download the virtual treatment set-up from the Internet to evaluate the proposed final positioning of the teeth. Clinicians can request modifications at this time, but once the aligners are made, they cannot alter the appliance during the treatment. As a consequence, clinicians must prospectively formulate a precise treatment plan. If the results are unsatisfactory,
clinicians may use auxiliary appliances (e.g., fixed braces) or contact Align Technology for adjustment and fabrication of new aligners.

Compliance
Since the Invisalign appliance is removable, patient motivation is critical to achieving the desired result. For the appliance to be effective, patients must wear it at least 22 hours a day. They may remove it only when eating; when drinking hot beverages that may cause warping or staining, or beverages that contain sugar; and when brushing and flossing. The transparency of this appliance may increase the likelihood of its being misplaced when it is removed. In their 1998 study comparing Essix and Hawley retainers, Lindaurer and Shoff6 found that one sixth of their patients lost their appliances; the majority of these losses were ascribable to the appliances being clear and removable. Aligners from the Invisalign appliance
have very similar properties to those of Essix appliances.

Extraction Cases
Patients having premolar extractions may not be suitable candidates for treatment with the Invisalign appliance because the appliance cannot keep the teeth upright during space closure (Fig. 2). Bonded restorative attachments on the buccal surfaces can assist in limited movements,but clinical results have suggested only partial effectiveness.5 Bollen and others7 reported excessive tipping around premolar extraction sites. They found that only 29% of those with 2 or more premolars extracted were able to complete space closure with the initial aligners; none completed the overall treatment. Miller and others,8 in their case study of lower-incisor extraction, found similar excessive tipping around extraction sites using panoramic radiographs.

Anterior Open Bites
Treatment of anterior open bites with the Invisalign appliance has had limited success. A few authors have reported difficulty achieving ideal occlusion during treatment of cases of anterior open bite. After retreatment of anterior crowding and open-bite relapse with the Invisalign appliance, Womack and others9 found that the position of the maxillary central incisors was superior to that of the canines and posterior teeth. Although they noted anterior extrusion, it was not enough to achieve ideal overbite. In their 2003 randomized clinical trial, Clements and others10 reported similar limitations; they found no significant improvement in anterior open bite after treatment.

Overbite
Although Joffe5 suggested that deep overbite problems can be corrected with the Invisalign appliance, others have provided evidence to the contrary. Kamatovic,11 in a retrospective study, concluded that the Invisalign appliance did not correct overbite relationships. The peer assessment rating (PAR) index was below 40%.

Occlusion
Many authors have suggested that removable appliances have limited potential to correct buccal malocclusions. The lack of interarch mechanics may explain this limitation. In 2003, Clements and others10 demonstrated that correcting buccal occlusions with appliances similar to the Invisalign appliance was least successful; for some patients, their buccal occlusions were worse after treatment. Djeu and others12 found that fixed appliances were superior to the Invisalign appliance for treating buccolingual crown inclinations, occlusal contacts, occlusal relationships, and overjet. Only 20.9% of their patients treated with the Invisalign appliance met the predetermined passing standard, compared with the 47% of those who had fixed appliances. In addition, Kamatovic11 found that the Invisalign appliance in general did not reduce the PAR index and concluded that the appliance did not correct buccal segment (antero-posterior and transverse) relationships. Vlaskalic and Boyd13 also concluded that conventional fixed appliances could achieve better occlusal outcomes than the Invisalign appliance.

Posterior Dental Intrusion
Because of the thickness of the Invisalign appliance, intrusion of posterior teeth is often observed. Compensating for such intrusion must be accomplished in the retention period when the teeth are allowed to erupt freely into occlusion. Womack and others9 claimed that intrusion could occur from 0.25 mm up to 0.5 mm. This degree of intrusion was also confirmed by Boyd and coworkers in their 200014 and 200213 studies.

Tooth Movement
Because it is a removable appliance, the Invisalign appliance has very limited control over precise tooth movements. Root paralleling during space closure after extraction, tooth uprighting, significant tooth rotations and tooth extrusion have been inconsistently successful. Bollen and others6 indicated that the Invisalign appliance
yielded the most predictable results with tipping movements.

Intermaxillary Appliances
The Invisalign appliance, because it is removable, wraps around the teeth, which can inhibit the use of interarch mechanics (e.g., Class II and Class III elastics). Some clinicians have suggested using elastics on buttons bonded to the buccal surfaces as adjuncts to tooth movement, but retention of the appliance when wearing these elastics may be compromised.

Treatment Time
The clinician’s treatment time can be lengthened because of the additional time required for documentation during Invisalign case preparation. The treatment plan must include the sequential movements for every tooth from the beginning to the end of treatment. If changes are needed after treatment starts, significant additional time and documentation are required to modify the treatment plan. In addition, the lag time between formulating a treatment plan and inserting the appliance can be up to 2 months. This lag time can cause further delays if the dental changes are significant because of the additional time needed for planning and documenting the treatment again, in addition to the extra waiting period required to make new aligners. In their 2002 case study, Womack and others9 described severe limitations that prevented their completion of a patient’s mandibular alignment because of the delay between planning the virtual treatment and the delivery of the appliance.

Conclusion
The Invisalign appliance may be a treatment option for simple malocclusions, as Joffe5 suggests, but it has some limitations. Achieving similar results to those of more conventional fixed appliances may be difficult. The use of the Invisalign appliance in combination with fixed appliances has been explored to reduce the time needed to wear fixed appliances, but may result in considerably higher professional fees overall. Conversely, theInvisalign appliance can provide an excellent esthetic during treatment, ease of use, comfort of wear, and superior oral hygiene. Additional research and refinement of the design should allow further development of this worthwhile treatment.

Tips on wearing Invisalign

2008-09-14T02:39:00.001+01:00

I've been doing loads of research on Invisalign so thought that I'd share on the tips of wearing your Invisalign:

1. Make sure you are putting on the correct set of aligners. Each aligner is marked with your patient number, aligner stage number and a “U” for upper and “L” for lower.
2. When aligners are first received, the aligners should be rinsed thoroughly with water.
3. Insert the LOWER aligner first, then the upper.
4. Gently push the aligners over your front teeth first, then push the tops of aligners to the left and right molars by using your fingertips.
5. When removing, also use your fingertips, but to lift your aligners off your molars first before lifting them off your front teeth.
6. Wear your aligners at all times, except when eating, drinking, brushing and flossing – about 22 hours of wear per day. Drinking pure water with aligner is fine.
7. Swap to a new stage of aligners every 2 weeks. Aligner stages SHOULD NOT be skipped or accelerated. If your Aligner is lost or broken, please contact your Invisalign® accredited orthodontist or dentist immediately.

I really can't wait for my aligners to arrive- still erm 7 weeks to go! How I wish time can just pass on a blink of an eye.

What is Invisalign

2008-09-13T02:03:00.000+01:00

I found this video on the invisalign website. It's quite an useful video to watch as a patient (not sure why it's on the dentist side of the website!) as it goes through all the stages of the treatment; from treatment plan to 3D computer model to Clincheck to aligner manufacturing to final results! It's a really interesting video as you can see how the aligners are being made.

History background of Invisalign
Invisalign technology was founded in 1997 and has treated (and still growing daily!) 500,000 patients. The aligners are made of clear medical grade plastic that is nearly invisible when worn.

Invisalign vs traditional braces
Invisalign aligners are practically clear. No one may even notice that you’re wearing these virtually invisible “braces,” making Invisalign a seamless fit with your lifestyle and day-to-day interactions with others.

Invisalign is removable. Unlike braces, you have the flexibility to eat and drink what you want during treatment by simply removing the aligners. And you can also remove the aligners to brush and floss as you normally would for fresh breath and good oral hygiene.

Unlike braces, there are no metal brackets or wires with the Invisalign system that could cause irritation to your mouth. Plus since your office visits during treatment don’t involve metal or wire adjustments, you’ll likely spend less time in the doctor's chair.

And finally, Invisalign allows you to view your virtual results and treatment plan before you start so you can see how your straight teeth will look when your treatment is complete.

Invisalign vs ClearStep
I've been trying to find some information about the comparison between two products- but it seems quite difficult even with the almighty Google! I guess it's because ClearStep is only being sold in the UK and according to some dentists, the success rate is higher with Invisalign than Clearstep! That's why Clearstep is a lot cheaper- I guess you get what you pay!

On Clearstep's website it says:
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.

So perhaps it's because ClearStep has no ridges, which makes them less effective?

Oh well, I've chosen Invisalign now- so lets just conclude here that Invisalign is the best! :)

Invisalign- is it as good as it seems?

2008-09-12T00:48:00.001+01:00

After starting to dig around and learn more about Invisalign, there are two worrying aspects about invisalign:
1. Reproximation: teeth shaving?

I read it somewhere that for overcrowding teeth, in order to make room, the dentist tend to lean toward shaving tiny bit off each of several teeth... erm?! W.H.A.T? But I guess it's not going to happen to me coz my dentist hasn't mentioned anything and my impression has been taken already.

2. Discolouring of tooth (K says it's really rare, but hey it might happen to me right?)

I watched Kahlil's youtube video and one of his front tooth discoloured during the procedure!

Maybe I'm just being paranoid...

Invisalign- I can't wait to wear my nearly invisible braces!

2008-09-11T04:37:00.000+01:00

So, YES, I am going to be wearing braces in 8 weeks! I am probably NOT the only person in the world who gets sooo excited about wearing braces! K says that I'll just be happy for the 1st day seeing the 24 sets of aligners and once I put them on, I'll be in too much pain to smile!

The clinic that I chose is a really nice dental practice in London. Everyone seems to be really professional. The receptionists are really friendly and knowledgeable and the dentist has a platinum elite status in Invisalign and has done over 500 cases in the last 3 years, so I know I am in good hands.

After making the payment (thanks, K!), I was taken to have my x ray done to check whether I have any obvious/potential dental decays. Apparently once the aligners are made, you can't change your tooth structure or they won't fit properly and having fillings would change the tooth structure! Going to be brushing my teeth vigorously for the next few months!

Then, I realised that today was going to be the day where they take my 'before' mug shot! I wish I was reminded earlier so I can at least put some makeup and wear some pretty clothes... Oh well, I guess the effect would only be more phenomenal when I look all nice and dressed up for my 'after' shot.

Oh, and the moulds, they didn't take long to do- I thought it was going to be ages (from the distant memory of my childhood), but less than 10 minutes they're done and dusted. There were some tiny bits of left on my teeth though and it was hard to wash them off with just rinsing! (I would have brought my toothbrush if I knew!) The moulds then get sent to Invisalign where the CAD models of my teeth will be made! So in 3 weeks time, I am going to the the clinic again to check out what my teeth would look like when the treatment is completed, yes the final finish product!! The dentist predicted the treatment would last for 12 months which means that I'd get 24 sets of lower and upper trays, and change trays every 2 weeks. FUN FUN FUN!

I am so excited although I know it's not going to be painless journey... but...no pain, no gain, huh?

Invisalign - Dental Clinic in London

2008-08-29T00:35:00.000+01:00

I've been wanting to do something to my buck teeth for ages-

Back in primary school, I did wear a retainer. I remember that I kept on misreplacing it & looking for it- there was even one occasion where a friend helped me to find it in the school's rubbish bin. (not class bin, school bin, so imagine the size of the bin for a school of 12,000 pupils! no joke) Eventually the retainer broke in half - but the orthodontist (probably didn't want to make another retainer for me) told me that my teeth were fine, so that was the end of my treatment.

Then I came to England- because all the orthodontic treatments were free for people under the age of 16, so I went to see an orthodontist again... But the orthodontist said that I had a lovely smile so unless I really want to wear braces, there is not much need to get my teeth done! I guess I was flattered by the comment (even though it's from a very old man!) so decided not to go ahead with it. I guess that's one of my biggest regrets in life!

So I've lived with my teeth and my 'lovely' smile for 28 years now... so why change? Well I guess I am just vain! :) Plus I've been looking at so many dental websites and before & after cases... which make me want to do something to myself too! In addition, there are a few clinics that are doing free consultations and the invisalign treatment for apparently only £1,500! (don't know whether they're any catches!?!) I called up today but was told there was no available slot in August but they're thinking of extending the deal into September... So the lady is going to give me a call on Monday to see whether they can book me in for the special deal! :D Fingers CROSSED.

Can't go wrong with one of the biggest clinics in the UK, plus it's on Harley Street right? K bear was saying that I might look worse after the treatment... LOL