Invisalign- waiting for refinement trays

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

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

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

Invisalign Tray 8: A Progress Update

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

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)

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! :-)