Hey guys,
Quick update: Today is my first day of starting tray 2, alot of people suggest that you should sleep with your invisalign trays in to let your teeth adjust to the new pressurised feeling but unfortunately for me i've got exams coming up in a week and a half so sleep really isnt an option for me at the moment!
Anyway, upon fitting my trays in I realised how much more tight they really are in comparison to my first trays. The pressure is not painful, but its certainly much more prominent than my first trays. To be honest, I'm glad for this (or at this point I am - maybe not when i take them off and my teeth hurt), its just that I felt the first trays were actually doing nothing since they felt completely natural to me. I suppose thats a good thing but I just want to see/notice improvements in the general look of my teeth - even if they are small!
So far everything is going very well, with the only exceptions being that I didn't look after my first trays properly and they sort of got a bit discoloured! I know, you're only supposed to drink water but who knew a couple sips of coffee and iced tea later they'd be tinted yellow HAHA, okay well really its not that bad but when I placed tray 1 next to tray 2, I was like OKAY, tray 2 are going to stay the same colour from beginning till the end of the 2 weeks.
I invested in some teeth whitening toothpaste as well as the Colgate Plax mouthwash (only because I cannot handle Listerine to save my life - not too big on the whole blast my mouth off feeling). Hopefully it will help me out in cleaning my teeth and gums in tip top shape!
Goodnight xx
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Starting out with Invisalign
Hi to everyone out there :)
I'm a 17 year old sydney-sider who has just began her treatment of 'Invisalign' clear braces. If you haven't heard of these before you can find out more information about them through this website:
http://www.invisalign.com.au/
Growing up, I've always had teeth with wide-spaces between them and a slight over-bite (although many say that its not quite visible). Personally this has always been a bit of a... whats the opposite of a confidence boost? Well anyway, to say the least I was never happy with my teeth and as a majority of us know, your smile can make a huge difference to the way you appear to others as well as the way that you see yourself.
I had considered braces in my high-school years (year 11 and 12) but figured that it would already be quite late. I also wasn't too keen on the idea of having metal train-tracks plastered across my teeth, especially with them appearing in my formal and graduation photos! Hence, of course, I decided against them as I felt that it had possibly already been too late.
I was delighted to find out about Invisalign (through the newspaper and by watching videos on Youtube). It seemed like such a great opportunity for me to fix my smile, in a way that NO ONE would notice! So I did my research and contacted my nearest provider which is in the Central Business District (CBD) of Sydney. Turns out that this orthodontist Dr. Joel Kligman also happened to be the number 1 provider of Invisalign in Sydney which gave me a huge confidence boost in the way that he worked.
I books a consultation (which was free) and went in to tell him about my situation and ask about how Invisalign could help my case. (I will upload some photos for you all to see soon!) He told me that Invisalign was quite suitable for anyone with any case (or a majority of cases could be fixed) and that it was highly suitable for anyone at any age. I was offered a 10% discount if I chose to sign up that very day and I did take it. It sounds like I'm endorsing 'Invisalign' or that I'm getting paid to say this, but honestly I think the moment that I began my research into the Invisalign website I had already made up my mind about partaking in the treatment.
So, he took photos of my smile/teeth from the profile/frontal views and also got moulds done for me as Invislaign essentially works by creating 'custom moulded aligner trays' for your teeth. These photos and moulds were later sent into a centre in America where the moulds were created. I think I waited approximately 3 weeks before the animation of how my teeth would move came back in and I got to watch it. Sorry that this post is so long, but I hadn't thought of starting a blog back then as my treatment had not officially started at all. Anyway, the animation was amazing. Despite only having little gaps, the huge difference that it made when they were closed really blew me away. I was so excited at the prospect of having straight teeth that I really couldn't wait till my aligners arrived!!!
They arrived, I believe about 2-3 weeks after that (so really the start-up period takes almost a month and a half! since I reside in Sydney). So yup :) I got my very first trays last week on a Thursday! In total I have 14 trays for my bottoms and the tops are still undecided (since they are remaking them). He gave me a total of 2 trays so far and I am supposed to switch them every 2 weeks.
For my case, I had to get 'attachments' placed on my teeth. It was a simple and easy process where he placed these little white blobs on my teeth and then hardened them with a UV light. There are a total of 4 on my bottom teeth (I believe they're used to apply a rotational force on your teeth). At first I was quite worried as I felt they were a bit too visible, but really no one can see especailly since they blend in with the colour of your teeth! I popped in my first bottom tray and at first it felt quite tight (being mainly because no one is used to having pressure placed on their teeth constantly) I didn't have a lisp at all, THANK GOD! That was one of my major worries going into the treatment, but also once again I have only my bottom trays. I guess though it will give me some time to get used to having them in!
Everything went smoothly, they fit perfectly, no lisp. Until he told me to take them out. Boy oh boy was it harder than I thought. I mean after watching all those Youtube videos of people 'popping' them out, without a doubt I thought it would be easy! I think due to my attachments, it made it harder than what I expected. I was told to pull out from one side (the side with 1 attachment) it was quite simple, but it got stuck when it came to the other 3 attachments. It honestly really felt like I was about to pull out all 3 teeth that had the attachments on it! (the right hand-side of my mouth) Felt incredibly weird and also worrying because of the pressure. Fortunately, my ortho gave me the little pointer of pulling slightly outwards whilst also upwards which made it easier and after a few tries it became much easier! (I practiced alot at home that night :P)
It's been a week and a half since I've had my first tray in and honestly, it has been quite a smooth process. No-one knows at all except for those in my family and those that I have told. Its truly fantastic! :) The only REAL PROBLEMS that I've come across are when you are starving and want to eat (while out of course!) Gosh that happens quite alot to me especially when I'm at uni, can't just pick up something and pop out my aligners (gross!). So I just drink my water and power on :P You get used to it, plus it almost seems like a diet hehe!
Anyway, thats about all for now - this post has got to be over 2000 words it feels like i've written an essay! (when i really should be doing my uni work! sigh) If any of you readers have any question, please leave a comment and I will definitely try to get back to you!
xx
I'm a 17 year old sydney-sider who has just began her treatment of 'Invisalign' clear braces. If you haven't heard of these before you can find out more information about them through this website:
http://www.invisalign.com.au/
Growing up, I've always had teeth with wide-spaces between them and a slight over-bite (although many say that its not quite visible). Personally this has always been a bit of a... whats the opposite of a confidence boost? Well anyway, to say the least I was never happy with my teeth and as a majority of us know, your smile can make a huge difference to the way you appear to others as well as the way that you see yourself.
I had considered braces in my high-school years (year 11 and 12) but figured that it would already be quite late. I also wasn't too keen on the idea of having metal train-tracks plastered across my teeth, especially with them appearing in my formal and graduation photos! Hence, of course, I decided against them as I felt that it had possibly already been too late.
I was delighted to find out about Invisalign (through the newspaper and by watching videos on Youtube). It seemed like such a great opportunity for me to fix my smile, in a way that NO ONE would notice! So I did my research and contacted my nearest provider which is in the Central Business District (CBD) of Sydney. Turns out that this orthodontist Dr. Joel Kligman also happened to be the number 1 provider of Invisalign in Sydney which gave me a huge confidence boost in the way that he worked.
I books a consultation (which was free) and went in to tell him about my situation and ask about how Invisalign could help my case. (I will upload some photos for you all to see soon!) He told me that Invisalign was quite suitable for anyone with any case (or a majority of cases could be fixed) and that it was highly suitable for anyone at any age. I was offered a 10% discount if I chose to sign up that very day and I did take it. It sounds like I'm endorsing 'Invisalign' or that I'm getting paid to say this, but honestly I think the moment that I began my research into the Invisalign website I had already made up my mind about partaking in the treatment.
So, he took photos of my smile/teeth from the profile/frontal views and also got moulds done for me as Invislaign essentially works by creating 'custom moulded aligner trays' for your teeth. These photos and moulds were later sent into a centre in America where the moulds were created. I think I waited approximately 3 weeks before the animation of how my teeth would move came back in and I got to watch it. Sorry that this post is so long, but I hadn't thought of starting a blog back then as my treatment had not officially started at all. Anyway, the animation was amazing. Despite only having little gaps, the huge difference that it made when they were closed really blew me away. I was so excited at the prospect of having straight teeth that I really couldn't wait till my aligners arrived!!!
They arrived, I believe about 2-3 weeks after that (so really the start-up period takes almost a month and a half! since I reside in Sydney). So yup :) I got my very first trays last week on a Thursday! In total I have 14 trays for my bottoms and the tops are still undecided (since they are remaking them). He gave me a total of 2 trays so far and I am supposed to switch them every 2 weeks.
For my case, I had to get 'attachments' placed on my teeth. It was a simple and easy process where he placed these little white blobs on my teeth and then hardened them with a UV light. There are a total of 4 on my bottom teeth (I believe they're used to apply a rotational force on your teeth). At first I was quite worried as I felt they were a bit too visible, but really no one can see especailly since they blend in with the colour of your teeth! I popped in my first bottom tray and at first it felt quite tight (being mainly because no one is used to having pressure placed on their teeth constantly) I didn't have a lisp at all, THANK GOD! That was one of my major worries going into the treatment, but also once again I have only my bottom trays. I guess though it will give me some time to get used to having them in!
Everything went smoothly, they fit perfectly, no lisp. Until he told me to take them out. Boy oh boy was it harder than I thought. I mean after watching all those Youtube videos of people 'popping' them out, without a doubt I thought it would be easy! I think due to my attachments, it made it harder than what I expected. I was told to pull out from one side (the side with 1 attachment) it was quite simple, but it got stuck when it came to the other 3 attachments. It honestly really felt like I was about to pull out all 3 teeth that had the attachments on it! (the right hand-side of my mouth) Felt incredibly weird and also worrying because of the pressure. Fortunately, my ortho gave me the little pointer of pulling slightly outwards whilst also upwards which made it easier and after a few tries it became much easier! (I practiced alot at home that night :P)
It's been a week and a half since I've had my first tray in and honestly, it has been quite a smooth process. No-one knows at all except for those in my family and those that I have told. Its truly fantastic! :) The only REAL PROBLEMS that I've come across are when you are starving and want to eat (while out of course!) Gosh that happens quite alot to me especially when I'm at uni, can't just pick up something and pop out my aligners (gross!). So I just drink my water and power on :P You get used to it, plus it almost seems like a diet hehe!
Anyway, thats about all for now - this post has got to be over 2000 words it feels like i've written an essay! (when i really should be doing my uni work! sigh) If any of you readers have any question, please leave a comment and I will definitely try to get back to you!
xx
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