Invisachick's Story: The Beginning

[invisachick]

I'm new to the forum, and thought I'd post my story of the next few months while I'll be using Invisalign. I'm a 34 year old woman living in southern California.

I wore traditional metal braces from ages 11-13 to fix some horrendously crooked teeth, and headgear (the full, over the head kind that puts dents in your hair) to fix an overbite. My teeth were bad. I mean it, they were B-A-D. Once I got them off, they were beautiful. I was told to wear my retainer at night, though given no specific instructions beyond that. I was also considered for teeth extraction at the time, but my orthodontist decided against it. Instead, they put all my teeth in order, and though a tight fit, they straightened out fine. During college, I slowly phased out wearing the retainer, and they remained straight.

In my late twenties, I started to notice a little bit of movement, especially in my lower teeth. I was identified as a tongue thruster by my dentist, and sent to an orthodontist for evaluation. He told me that my teeth were still reasonbly straight and that if I wanted perfectly straight teeth, I'd have to wear a retainer for life. Based on his advice, I decided to leave well enough alone.

Over the past three years, I have noticed a significant and disturbing trend - gaps were starting to develop in my upper teeth, and a few lower teeth were being pushed forward due to crowding. My dentist mentioned Invisalign as an option. But I really started to think about it when two people at work started using Invisalign. They had a lot of success, and I thought I'd be a good candidate, since I have a minimum of work to do. My dentist agreed. In December of 2005, they got an insurance and cost estimate for me. It would cost $3200, $500 of which is covered by my insurance. I set up my Health Care Reimbursement Account to cover it, so it would involve tax-free dollars, which saved a bit. At that same dentist visit, they took full x-rays and scheduled a visit for early January.

In early January, they took full molds of my teeth. My dentist explained that getting really good molds is the most important part of the process, so the aligners will fit well. The molds they used are the same ones that get made for patients who are being fitted for bridges or dentures, so they set pretty fast, in about two minutes. He also took pictures of my smile. Then he sent all the stuff to Invisalign for them to make my aligners.

I got a call a couple of weeks later, saying they knew when my aligners would be in, and setting up an appointment for me the next day. So three weeks and two days after my molds were made, I was at my first appointment to get my aligners. Being a braces veteran, I took two Advil before my appointment as a precaution.

My dentist had told me that due to the crowding on my lower jaw, I'd probably have my teeth "shaved" a bit to remove some of the enamel so that there'd be more room. However, I was not prepared for how my teeth would look after this was done! They appeared as little individual tiny teeth, sort of like dog teeth, and I was a little freaked out at first. My dentist reassured me that the amount removed (0.2 MM from each tooth) was minimal, and that the gaps created would disappear once the aligners worked their magic. The teeth were shaved with metal shavers (think of a nail file/dental floss combo) and then a diamond drill. Since it only involves the enamel, your teeth don't get numbed, and it doesn't hurt, it's just a little uncomfortable.

The next step is to place some attachments on a few teeth. I have three on each side of my lower jaw right now. This was painless and just involved them putting an etching solution on the tooth, attaching a bonding material (sort of looks like a filling like bump on the outside of the tooth) to the tooth, and then sealing it with a light. Although they felt a little funny at first, they're not painful and I don't notice them anymore.

The final step was to place the aligners on my teeth. Since they're meant to move your teeth into a position, they are tight and hard to get on at first, but not impossible. I had to practice removing them, and that was a little tough, since I felt like I was going to break it! But I'm getting the hang of it now, especially now that they're coming off easier since my teeth are already shifting.

I was given my first two lower trays. I'll have 8 lower trays total, and I'll wear each for two weeks, so I should be done May 18. I only have 6 upper trays, so I won't start those for another month. My next dentist visit will be February 23, after which I'll post my next update.

During my first day (this past Thursday), I developed a little bit of soreness on my tongue from rubbing against the aligner. But I think it was my fault, because I couldn't stop playing with it. Again, as a braces veteran, I had some dental wax handy, and put it on the spot for a couple of days until my tongue healed, and now that I'm used to the aligners, I don't have any problems. My teeth were a little sore for the first couple of days, but not too bad, and nothing like when I used to get my braces tightened. Now, on Sunday, three days later, my aligners already fit better, they're easier to take on and off, and I'm getting used to having them in my mouth. I do have a slight lisp when I talk, but it's not too bad. I'm hoping it will improve over the next week.

A nice bonus is that my dental hygiene has improved, as I want to brush my teeth before I put my aligners back in after I eat, which is about 4-5 times a day. My teeth are much easier to floss, since the overcrowding on my lower teeth was replaced by gaps. Also, I'm snacking less, since it means brushing my teeth and flossing every time. I'm going to be very diligent about wearing them, and so far, I've been wearing them 20-22 hours a day, taking them out for meals only.

No one has noticed my aligners until I tell them. A few people have asked why I'm doing it since my teeth are straight, which has led to a little bit of buyer's remorse. But I go back to my original feeling that it's better off doing it now, when they only need a little bit of work, rather than wait until they're so far gone that I need braces again.

One word of warning: I have found adjustment to Invisalign easy because I only drink water, which you can drink while wearing the aligners. If I drank coffee at my desk all morning, or sodas, I think I'd find it very annoying to take the aligners in and out and brush my teeth all day. I'd get used to not drinking except with meals if you plan to start Invisalign.

[diehard]

wow u only have a few trays should be easy i have 46 uppers and 36 lowers i have already had 4 extractions (nobody noticed) to make room, and for first year all what will happen is closing extractions up, i found it easy to switch to water from soda and brushing 4-5 times a day (in secret) meals are strange you eat as much as possible to prevent snacking and you can drink a beer ect, like you say when on new trays you get 3 days of pain then everything ok, so best time to put trays on is weekends if you have not told anybody at work.

so far im on tray 3 and i do not have a lisp which was my big concern and nobody has noticed, not sure if people are being polite or they are pretty invisible, i think the general rule is to stay at arms length away when talking to people.

[invisachick]

Here's something funny. I talk better with my aligner in than when I'm not wearing it. I think it's probably due to my teeth being shaved. When the aligner is out, I have a definite lisp. And it goes away when I'm wearing it.

Other than the lisp, things are going smoothly. My back teeth are starting to move, now that I've had it in for a week. My front teeth fit the aligner really well, but I notice some pressure on my back teeth. I read that the aligners move your front teeth first, then the back teeth, and that certainly seems to be the case with me.

I'll start my second tray on Thursday, and I'm looking forward to seeing if there's any progress. It may be my imagination, but I believe the spaces between my front lower teeth are a little smaller.