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Ok so I actually finished treatment a couple of weeks ago but have been so busy showing off my new teeth that i haven't got around to updating you all!
In the end my treatment took 7 weeks longer than my ortho originally said. This was because I had one rotated tooth, which proved to be quite stubborn. (it's my left hand incisor, as you can see in the photo.) After 12 weeks had passed (initial quoted length of treatment), I began to get impatient, because every time I saw my dentist he'd quote me another 2 weeks, and so I was seeing him every fortnight with very little movement. At each appointment he'd file it a little more, and I started to initiate appointments after a few days/a week if I felt it had stopped moving. I found that I could tell when it was moving and when it stopped, by how painful/tender it was. Anyway in the end, it had enough room to move into but clearly wasn't going to go all the way. It has come a long way so I'm not too disappointed - obviously I'd prefer them to be exactly straight but I think I notice it more than most...fingers crossed they look straight to other people!
Here are a couple of photos:
And here is the 'before' shot:
(this photo is actually flipped - I took it with my webcam so it did that for some reason.) You can see one was really set back and has come all the way forward, and the other was rotated quite a bit and has come most of the way round.
I now have my lovely (and so SMALL!!) retainer - I've been told just to wear it at night, every night for 6 months, and then once or twice a week after that. So I'm a bit confused that some of you are wearing yours full-time! I can't imagine why you would have to do that!
Hey Smiletime! YES I literally cannot stop smiling!! And as a bonus this morning - while out jogging, with red face / no make-up / sweating like a tihuana whore, a guy told me i have 'a lovely smile' ! This is not a compliment I ever received before treatment - am getting used to it now!!
I would say, although it does get frustrating, don't give up. Mine took nearly 2 months longer than I was told it would. My dentist expected it to take 12 weeks. Also, be persistent with your dentist, and explain why you think it's not working. You know your teeth better than he does. If it feels to you like there's no movement, then something needs to change. I asked for extra appointments every week for the last 2 months, and each time he filed more, and occassionally added more composite. I could always tell when my teeth were moving and when they stopped.
So judging by my experience, you may have to wait quite a bit longer. Rotated teeth are apparently the hardest to shift. When is your wedding day?
Are your teeth soft, do they feel like they move when you press on them? It's very strange not to have seen any movement if you're wearing it for so many hours! If there's space when you floss, that means there's still space for them to move into. It's really strange that they aren't moving and I think your dentist should explain what's going wrong. Although he may be just as confused as you!
Also it may be an idea to get in touch with the Inman HQ in america. I had to contact them (just to enquire about inman-qualified ortho's abroad) and Mr Inman himself got in touch with me within a day. So probably worth a try, they might have some advice!
My teeth wobble a little when I push them. I feel no pressure/pain or pushing otherwise.
I have already contacted Inman in the states and Donal Inman emailed me back to say someone from the UK would be in touch. I just want some advice that I can take with me next time I visit my dentist.
You say you know when its working, but with me, its been so long since something moved, I can't tell if they have moved or not. I never get a 'feeling' if they are moving are not.
I will try and keep the faith for my appointment next week. I will insist on 2 weekly appointments instead of 3.
And do the same as you, I will start making my own appointments!!
Congrats again on your teeth. They look amazing. I hope mine end up half as lovely as yours seeing we have the same 'before' teeth
Married in Sept by the way
congratulations Dominie! your teeth look fantastic! and your teeth are not just straight but really white, you now have a movie star smile and well done with the complement on a good smile - that must have felt amazing!
Dominie, your teeth look amazing! I'm completely jealous! :)
I love that you're wearing red lipstick too. I've always felt I couldn't do that as I didn't want to draw attention to my teeth but as soon as I'm finished my treatment I'll buy some!
I think I might be having a setback. My two front teeth (bottom) are now straight but one of them seems to be pushing on the one next to it and making it go further back when it needs to come forwards. I'll be at the dentist next week so I'll say it too him then. I still have a long way to go so I think my treatment will take longer than first estimated.
@smiletime - yes, the more appointments you can get the better I think! Keep being persistent and asking your dentist lots of questions.
And september is still a little while away, there's time! When my rotated tooth wasn't moving, my ortho mentioned perhaps having a new aligner made. In the end it wasn't necessary but perhaps that's something to ask about?? He also altered mine, by using pliers to tighten the wire where it has a little arch in it, between the front bar and the back piece.
@dreamer Thanks! My teeth have always been pretty white but I used an at-home kit to get them even whiter, and to even out the whiteness - my ortho polished my front four teeth during treatment, so my canines looked a bit yellow in comparison to their neighbours.
@hatemyteeth - I LOVE red lipstick, it looks so classic! But it never looked any good on me before because it drew so much attention to my mouth and teeth. Really enjoying wearing it now!
Sounds like your teeth don't have quite enough room, maybe he needs to do more filing?
Greats results, many thanks for coming back and posting the photos, very encouraging
When you say you knew when your teeth were moving, that was based on the pain you felt?
I ask because I've had no pain or pressure at all for last 2 weeks, I can press against my front teeth and it feels the same as before I got the aligner
Do you think your time could have been reduced by much if your springs were tightened earlier?
Dominie, your teeth look great! congratulations, amazing result, I wish my teeth will look like that when I've finished my treatment :)
It's really nice that people post pics of their results, just gives me more hope with my IA :D
I've indeed been a little hopeless with my teeth recently...it's not that they wouldn't move; it's the fact that they are getting "over aligned". The problem is that my front teeth(central incisors?) straightened very easily, it took one week and they were looking quite straight! However, the tooth next to my central incisors is rotated, so it'll take more time than the incisors. Before my latest appointment with my orthodontist I noticed that my front teeth were getting a bit crooked, getting too much aligned...I mentioned this to my orthodontist, he took the composite off of my other incisor and added more composite to the rotated tooth and I thought it would be fine. But now my rotated tooth still isn't showing movement and the central incisors are getting a bit worse....what should I do? has anyone had the same problem? :(
Do you think I should ask for a new aligner to be made for me? This one is clearly not working. Will I have to pay for another one or should my dentist fix this problem himself? He is the one who told me it would work.
@jMag - yes, I have said all along that only you know your own teeth best. Trust your instincts! If they feel the same as before treatment, they probably aren't moving right now. I think that's part of the process - after an appointment and adjustments, teeth will move immediately, and then settle/pause for a while, before the next appointment. It's only a problem if they don't move at all for weeks and weeks. My ortho filed my teeth and created space at every appointment except one, and so after each time I saw him, my teeth moved straight away, quite rapidly, and then slowed down. Does that make sense?
@JackDaniels - thanks! Yours look fab too! I keep running my tongue over them, it feels like a dream
@alice - rotated teeth are always the hardest! Wear it for as long as poss each day.
@smiletime - yes definitely ask about it. Can't hurt to ask. And definitely don't pay anything!! It's not your fault - you should only pay if you lost it or something.
Wow Dominie they really do look fab. I think I might treat myself to some red lippie after i'm done with this process too!
Got my composite fixed this afternoon and she added a bit more so the pressure and pain has really kicked in now. Hoping that will settle down really soon!
Mine also move really quick after my appointment and then settle and dont seem to move at all for a while, or at least slow down. My rotated tooth is taking much much longer than the straightforward push forward but my dentist tells me thats totally normal and its much more difficult to twist so dont get disheartened.
Well I had a call from the dentists this afternoon to say that they had had a cancellation so I can have my impressions tomorrow morning (two and a half weeks earlier than I was booked in for) which means I'll have my IA by the end of May :) I think I'm going to go for the coloured one, I just hope the purple is a nice purple not a pinky one, my boyfriend would find it very amusing if I had to spend 4 months with a pink brace!
Dominie- they look great. I can't wait to be happy to smile in a picture.
Dominie, fully agree with the others! Your teeth look fab!
smiletime, I think you should ask about getting new aligners and you definitely shouldn't have to pay for them. My dentist mentioned to me from the start if anything goes wrong with my aligner, even if I lose it, I can get a replacement for free. I'm sure the price you paid should cover the "emergency" scenarios but check with your dentist. I guess just ask him if you think your teeth have moved much for the amount of time you have worn them for. You can ask him to take photos of them now and compare them to the ones he took from the start. They might have move much more than you think, because I was convinced mine were still not aligned until he showed me the before-after shots. If the photos show not much difference, then ask about getting new aligners. But September's months away so don't fret too much!
LilPickle, pain is good! I was wincing a bit after my first night of my bottom aligners but it was also reassuring.
and well done with the complement on a good smile - that must have felt amazing!