First Post & Ready for Invisalign :)

[fitang]

Hi all,

First I want to thank all of the people that contribute to this forum. The posts and answers have been really useful for me when I looked for information about Invisalign before I decided to go for it

My initial consultation: 24/02/2011 and was given a brief introduction about Invisalign and an estimated cost and time needed for my case.

Impressions/xrays/photos: 24/03/2011 Was wanting to do this earlier but was delayed due to my recovery of wisdom tooth extraction.

ClinCheck (2nd April) came back 2 weeks earlier than expected with a treatment plan of 18 upper trays and 15 lower trays. However, my ortho. felt the teeth will be moving too quickly and so was sent back to the lab to have it re-modelled.

So I went in to the ortho. office today for the ClinCheck ver.2! Final treatment plan will be 21 trays for both upper and lower with 4 attachments at the top and 5 at the bottom. The final result from ClinCheck looks great!! Even though I know it just a computerized result and cannot be 100% relied on but it still gets me really excited.
So I accepted the ClinCheck and the trays are ordered . It's expected to take around 4 weeks to arrive (I am in New Zealand), I hope they arrive earlier, I can't wait to start!!

I have been browsing the dentakit website and thinking if it's worth to invest in the retainer brite cleaning systems. Anyone has any thoughts on that?

Thanks for reading guys

[Advocate]

Congratulations on taking the plunge! I started in January and am on tray 6 out of 21. I can already see a difference! Just make sure you wear the aligners 22 hours a day. That is surprisingly difficult to do when you consider the time it takes for 3 meals and brushing.

Be aware that it can be difficult to remove the first aligner. I wasn't warned of that particular issue! Just start at the back (on both sides) and carefully work forward. It helps if you use a napkin or paper towel to grip the aligners.

About the cleaning system. It might be worth it. I haven't bothered yet. Instead, I've just brushed the aligners. That works pretty well, but the aligners do get kind of scratched-up by the end of the second week.

[sammywantstraightteeth]

For cleaning I've just been using a medium tooth brush and running water before I put them in. Once a day if they seem to need it I use a bit of cheap toothpaste - although this has gotten less and less often now that I always try to leave them in a cup of water while I eat if I can, keeps them much fresher and nicer.

I'm looking at buying a sonic cleaner in the next 3-4 weeks because I will be wearing my last upper aligner for 8+ weeks while I wait for my lower arch to catch up, and I don't think my approach will be good enough for that length of time, but for 2 weeks its fine.

[TinySmiley]

For cleaning, I went through a few different options (toothbrush & water, soaking them in mouthwash-none that worked too good for me) before I settled on a baking soda denture cleaner that I bought at my local store. I soaked them once a day during dinner. My aligners were always clean and did not smell bad. I also soaked them in water during breakfast and lunch which I think helped too.

[KUMonkeyMomma]

Congrats on taking the plunge!

For cleaning what I did was brush them with the toothbrush/paste after I brushed my teeth (I use a soft toothbrush, so didn't need a different one for the trays, but if you use a med or firm bristled brush you would want a softer one for the trays) during the day and then when I had them out for dinner I'd soak them in denture cleaner (any brand would work). That seemed to work well - at least for me - to keep them clean and from getting any odd odor, etc.

[kt2010]

Hey Fitang, congrats on going for it! Also a Kiwi but doing my Invisalign in London. Nearly finished, on my last Tray. 24U and 22L. Really pleased with the results and well worth it. Am going to need a few refinements, don't really need them as such an improvement already, but seeing as how its all paid for, may as well get the best result I can.
You really get used to wearing these little plastic trays, I've found them no bother at all, when you're not wearing them now, feels a little odd! In the 12months I've been doing this, not one person has noticed!! Not bad!
Good luck with it all. KT

[Double Nickle]

Hi! This is my first time posting. I decided to go with braces when I realized that my bottom teeth were pushing my front teeth forward. I had the initial consultation in February but had to wait for the orthodontia until I had a crown put in. However, sad news, when I went in for the Invisaligns today, I was told that there had been a miscommunication between my orthodontist and the company so I am having to wait another couple of weeks.

Too bad, because I had my nerve up and ready to go. I am a terrible gagger but got through the impressions parts OK (I have to say that I used a MP3 player). Anyway, just wanted to have an idea of what is coming. I have been online a lot, but still realizing there is a lot to learn. Thanks for your input -- kind of weird to be going to the same orthodontist as my students! Thanks for listening!