Invisalign - Another Clin Check

My new ClinCheck from Invisalign has come back today to straighten that tooth - upper left 1.

Watch this - can you even see any movement? 

You'll probably only see it in the image that's in the bottom left. 

So this will involve FIVE more aligners being made and just wearing them as normal 22 hours per day for 2 weeks each and then we'll see what happens. 

After that... a bit of refining and we should be done and dusted before christmas with some new aligners to wear at night. :-) 

You might think is it actually worth it, for that slight movement? 
Well, if you get it done now, as a refinement during treatment - it's included in the price. If next year I decide I want it doing... I'll have to pay again! 
So yes... if you've got niggles - get them sorted before being signed off as a patient because you'll regret it in the end! 

Long time no invisalign....

So, since I last blogged it's been a case of just wearing my aligners and doing some whitnening. 

Whitening is interesting - you have to inject a clear substance into your trays at night and then just brush your teeth as normal in the morning. 

I did this for FOUR weeks and am pleased with my natural looking teeth. 

I went for my check up yesterday though and I'm having some new trays made because I'm unhappy with my upper left 2 which is the tooth on he left next to my front tooth. 

It hasn't quite rotated round properly and therefore, when I'm only wearing the retainer at night, it tends to move. 

I'll keep you up to date on the refinements - but the good news is, it's all included in the price :-) 

Here's the pic of the tooth that I'm getting sorted. 

Invisalign Update

Well I've still got my aligners in :-(

Turns out - on your last day of treatment, your dentist may decide to make you carry on for a few more weeks while whitening happens. 

So on Wednesday I start my whitening with sort of a home kit, that takes FOUR WEEKS. For TWO of those I'll be wearing my aligners 22 hours a day, the other two I will start to just wear them at night. 

I have to say I was a bit disappointed, but it's just to let the teeth settle into position for a little longer. Apparently it isn't unusual. 

D-Day

Later today I go back to my dentist for the final time to have my invisalign removed and my teeth whitened. 

That's if we're both happy with the results of the last 28 weeks... 

Wish me luck!!!

Invisalign Attachments Removed - Week 25/26

On Saturday 21st July it was back to the dentist to have my attachments removed. 

Teeth can still move using the invisalign aligners without the attachments but they are the things that really anchor the clear brace into place. 

Here's the last shot: 

The attachments are literally filed down... I had six and it took a couple of minutes. 

There was a lot of discolouring on them, so my dentist removed that for me...

And here's the result: 

So, now just three weeks to go. My final aligner (14) doesn't have any groves for the attachments so we won't get too much movement. 

I'm thinking about whether or not I'm happy with my invisalign, and the only thing I'm thinking of seeing if we can revise is... the second teeth in the top jaw (either side of my front two teeth) don't slot in nicely to the front teeth.

I'm might look at seeing if some shaving and another couple of aligners could perfect that. Let me know your thoughts!

So - three weeks to go - Saturday 11th August is final appointment day! Wish me luck! 

One Month To Go...

So here it is then... the penultimate package of invisalign clear brace aligners being opened. 


These are the last invisalign clear braces that I will wear with my attachments, and only for one week. 

The attachments are being taken off for the final aligner - which ultimately will become my retainer that I will wear every night. 


I've worn Aligner 13 for one night as I blog, and although they weren't as tight as some of the others when I first put them on, my front two teeth particularly ache a bit this morning. 


So, with FOUR weeks of full time aligner-wear left here's where we are: 

Aligner 13 in... 

Aligner 13 out... 

In my initial chats with my dentist, we thought we wouldn't be able to get that centre vertical line exactly straight between my front two teeth in both jaws - actually it's looking pretty good. 

The discolouring is down to drinking TEA in my early days of invisalign (with aligners out) but the tanin clings to the attachments so I'd try and go on to Pure Green Tea - which I have now. 

The staining will come off - it's just a case of going to see the hygienist - but as I've said before I'm waiting for the whitening stage for that. 

My next update will be with pictures of my trip to the Dentist on Saturday when I have my attachments removed. 

Aligner 12 - I can see the finish invisalign

Well, the saying is I can see the finish line - but I've adapted it slightly. 

SIX weeks to go now. 

I put Aligner 12 in on Saturday 30th June and for the first time in ages, the tightness of them lasted for more than a day. It lasted two days and two nights. I felt like every time I ate my teeth were going to snap. 

Luckily, they're settled now and I kind of like a bit of pain because then I know my invisalign teeth are moving. 

Here's the latest snap - taken at the end of Aligner 11, and the start of Aligner 12: 

We've not done a comparison for ages either so let's do Week 1 and Week 23...

Doesn't even look like the same mouth does it? That's because when you have invisalign teeth treatment, your lips change shape because the angle of the teeth in you mouth changes.

You can see my front teeth have been pushed back and inwards - that's why my lips are flatter now and thinner. 

I've been told Aligner 14 (my last one) will be worn without attachments for two weeks, and then that becomes my permanent retainer that I will religiously wear at night to keep my teeth straight and protect my investment in invisalign teeth. 

So, realistically I'm almost at the end and thinking what it'll be like to go back to brushing my teeth twice a day. 

I don't think I can. I've also worked out that I've kept Wriggley's Extra going during my treatment... 

28 weeks - 3 packets of chewing gum a week.... £28.00! (I've got a cheap supplier!)

I only use the chewing gum for after meals/drinks if I can immediately get to the loo to brush my teeth. It's a handy tool, but don't chew it with your braces in. It just won't work. Trust me. 

Aligner 11 is in

We're now on to Aligner 11/14 on my invisalign teeth journey. 

When I put the new aligners in yesterday, they snapped into position. I think there's alot of moving to be done with this set of invisalign aligners. 

If you're thinking of getting invisalign teeth clear braces, you need to remember that they have to be in for a MINIMUM of 22 hours a day. That means taking them out for meals and all drinks except for water. 

When you put in a new set of aligners they are clear and very clean, over the two weeks that the invisalign are in, you notice discolouration - but by the time it gets too bad, it's time to change them anyway. 

You can buy fluids to clean them with from invisalign, but I use toothpaste and my electric brush and that seems fine. 

So here's the latest picture Week 20:

I hate taking photos of my invisalign teeth looking this discoloured. But as I said last week, there's no point wasting money on the Hygienist and whitening now, when I've got about 8 weeks to go. 


Since last weeks photo you can see more straightening of the bottom middle teeth. I think Aligner 11 is going to completely straighten them. Watch for more updates in two weeks. 


Also, in the upper jaw, on the left, 2nd tooth is rotating round a bit more. I think this is the one that may need some extra help towards the end of the treatment but it is slowly coming into line. 


Key Dates coming up. 


Invisalign teeth Aligner 12 goes in on the 30th June 2012... 


Invisalign teeth Aligner 13 goes in on the 14th July... 


Invisalign attachments removed from teeth on 21st July 2012. 


And Invisalign teeth Aligner 14 goes in on the 28th July. 


Official finish date before refinements: Saturday 11th August... 8 weeks and counting! I'm going to book a hair appointment too for the big reveal of my invisalign teeth! :-) 

Aligner 10... 9th June 2012 - SHAVING!

I've been wearing Aligner 10 for exactly a week now and today I had to go to the dentist for some shaving as part of my invisalign teeth programme. 


Here's where we are at with 9 weeks left to go... 

Today I went back to Euro Dental Care in Harborne for a check up and also for some shaving to prepare for invisalign teeth aligner 11, which is going to perfect the teeth in my lower jaw. 


To do that, I needed 0.4mm to be shaved off one of my teeth.


It doesn't hurt. You can just feel the vibrations from the drill and it took less than 1 minute. 


Here's what it looks like now: 

You can also see from this picture how bad the discolouration is. This is because the teeth have moved, and the dark brown areas weren't seen before because the teeth were overlapped. The good news is - this is easily sorted by the hygienist. 


I've decided to wait until the end of my treatment (9 weeks time) to have this sorted because, with only a few weeks to go, there probably isn't much point in the extra expense (as I'm going to have to have it done again at the end of the treatment before whitening anyway.) 


I've also cut out normal tea and coffee now, so that should help with discolouration in the future. It is difficult to give up though!


Operation Invisalign Teeth is now only 2 months from completion. My next appointment with Invisalign is in 7 weeks time on 21st July 2012. 


At this appointment, we'll prepare for the final aligner and that means removing the attachments (the things that look like cottage cheese attacked to six of my teeth!) 


Exciting! 


Any questions - please message me or comment and I'll give you any help I can. 

Aligner 9 - (Only 5 more to go!)

So it's official - I'm starting to love my teeth :-) 

It's week 17 and the results are awesome. If my teeth were like this to begin with, I don't think I'd have had invisalign, so that gives you an idea how happy I am... and there's still 10 weeks to go! 

The best thing about invisalign is that you can't really tell they're in, and my teeth look good with them in. I've had so many comments which is amazing. 

One of the photos below is me this morning with them in, one is with them OUT... i'm sure you can see which is which, but in reality they are invisible braces!

The tooth with the attachment on, on the pic below in the upper jaw is now touching the front tooth! that's huge movement from day 1!

There are FIVE more aligners to go... and at this rate, we're on track to finish the whole thing on 11th August 2012. (Just in time for the Olympics!) 

On June 9th, in a couple of weeks, I've got to have some shaving in the dark areas on the lower jaw. I think, this will enable those teeth to slot in together in a near perfect set. I'll update you on how I get on with that. 

Any questions about invisalign, my dentist EuroDentalCare in Birmingham, or any other issues, please get in touch. I'm on twitter too @therealstaceyf. 

Aligner 8 - Week 15 and 16

For the first time in 15 weeks, I'm really starting to love how my teeth look and people are beginning to notice them. 

No problems, today is the 6th May (reposted due to tech issues) and they just feel a little bit tight which they do on the first two days. Other than that... PERFECT. 

Here's a photo: 

You can see how much straighter the bottom set are now and the top FOUR are almost touching! AMAZING! 

Thanks invisalign!

Aligner 7 - reposted due to technical issues!

Aligner 7 - THE HALFWAY POINT. 

Wearing Aligner 7 between the 21st April and 5th May. 

No problems with this one - and I guess the best thing to do is compare to Week 1 and see how far we've come:

Week 1                                           Week 13 

The key things notice are the bottom teeth are straightening up ALOT. (more than these images show.) 

The front two teeth are also closer together as well as the surrounding teeth in the upper jaw. 

Aligner 6 - Ouch!

When I put aligner six in on the 7th April, this is what my teeth looked like. 

Today, coming to the end of that two weeks, I can hardly open my mouth. I've got sores on the left and right cheek and a small ulcer :-( 


I'm told this is because I'm not washing my hands enough when taking my aligners in and out. 


So I've bought some Corsodyl mouthwash to use just once a day over the next few days to try and get rid of the bacteria and swelling. 


A lesson for all: 


WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE TAKING YOUR ALIGNERS OUT AND PUTTING THEM BACK IN. 


Lecture over. Tomorrow, officially halfway - Aligner 7 will be going in. 

Week 9 Aligner 5... DISCOLOURING!

There's not been much to report for the last two weeks. 

I'm now 9 weeks into treatment... can you tell?

You need to look closely but there are a few subtle differences. 

1. Top jaw, to the left - clearly rotated round. 

2. Lower jaw, to the left tooth next to the attachment tooth has straightened.

3. Top jaw, right, second tooth clearly rotated. 

I've noticed alot more discolouring, perhaps the camera light makes it worse but I need to make sure that the brushing is effective and the toothpaste that I am using. 

Right I'm off to clean my teeth... I'm thinking now after seeing this it might be worth getting a travel electric toothbrush... as I'm brushing in the day with a travel one. 

Will keep you posted. 

4 of 14....

Another weekend passes... and we're now on to Aligner 4 of 14. 


I am starting to notice some movement in my teeth and hope you can too. Still no pain, still all attachments in tact. Still hungry and sick of brushing! 


I treated myself to a retractable toothbrush yesterday for when I'm out an about... (I need to get out more) This is really useful just to have in your coat pocket if you don't want to take a handbag.


here's the latest pic - results to the end of aligner 3:

You can see the gradual change now: (click to make bigger) 

How many times do you brush a day?

Today I've been hungry. Hungry means taking your invisalign out alot. 


So I thought I'd give you an idea. 


7.02am - eat banana before the gym


7.10 am - brush teeth, put invisalign back in. 


9.40 - eat breakfast and have a cup of tea. 


10.00 - brush teeth, clean braces, put them back in. 


12.00 - eat lunch 


12.20 - clean teeth and braces and put them back in. 


2.00 - cup of tea and a bit of flapjack or yoghurt? Yes please!


2.15 - clean braces and put them back in! 


7pm - dinner time. 


7.30pm - clean braces put them back in. 


9pm - cup of tea and some rice pudding. 


9.15pm - clean teeth and braces, floss, mouthwash. Put braces back in. 


Total - around 1h 30 mins. I'm allowed 2 hours a day! PHEW!


Off to buy some Colgate now! 

Aligner 3 - Start of week 5 - was that all really a month?

It's time for the tight feeling again and being good with brushing. 

Aligner 3 is in now and with it in you can see where it is going to push my teeth. When you've got the brace in, my front two teeth look like they meet. 

This is the start of week 5, so after wearing invisalign for nearly a month on Saturday... I decided to see if you can tell yet... here's the timeline...

I've noticed my lips move alot. They're far more outwards now, almost like I've had boxtox, but they are thinner. It's because the teeth are moving outwards to make room, then they'll move back in towards the end of the treatment. 

As a result, I've had to buy shares in Vaseline... constantly itchy and sore lips - you can see that in the pictures. 

Still no other major problems - no ulcers, pain, sores or anything like that TOUCH WOOD!

Any questions, please let me know. I'm off to brush my teeth.  

Week 4...

In less than 7 days I'll be changing over to my THIRD aligner...

The fortnights are flying by and so far I've not had ANY pain and am sticking to my 2 hours a day with braces out and 22 hours a day wearing them. 

Only very slight movement so far.. but here's the latest pic:

Timeline so far...

Time for a change...

Every two weeks you have to put a new set of aligners in. 

Last night, my 1st set went in the red aligner case, and I opened set 2. 

I swap them over at night as they are a bit tight, so make sure you're tired and you'll sleep through any discomfort. 

My evening was fine, and set 2 are tighter, but they still go in and out with relative ease. 

After two weeks, my first set aren't looking that dirty at all. It is important to keep them incase anything happens and we need to revert back. 

So after 2 weeks of invisalign... here's where we are at...

and another dodgy angle...

Week One Done...

The first week passed off well. 


A bit of aching on day 1 and 2 and only one broken attachment. 


As it was my birthday I did go for a few drinks. Although you are supposed to take the aligners out to drink, it's tricky on a night out, so I drank clear liquids with them in and kept going to the bathroom to rinse them. As soon as I got home, I gave my teeth a good clean, floss and mouthwash. 


The broken attachment was fixed by my dentist in minutes, so now I'm less concerned if that happens again. 


I'm already getting alot quicker at taking them out and putting them back in (without a mirror now). 


So here's the first week of invisalign... apparently you don't notice movement until aligner 6 (week 12). 

As you can see my lips are very dry all the time and I've had a few mouth ulcers and little sores but nothing too unbearable. Speech is getting easier too, but still reading the news with them in!

Birthday Braces

I've taken the aligners out more today because of the number of teas and birthday cake I needed to consume. 


Teeth feel fine, and actually, it's been good practice for getting them in and out in seconds. 


They seem to get more dirty the more regularly I eat, so really good cleaning in between is a MUST. 


The big lesson comes NEXT when we have the Birthday night out - invisalign & booze!

Reading the news with invisalign

On the paperwork it says your speech can be affected for a couple of weeks. 


When I got into the studio this morning, it felt like there was double the amount of saliva in my mouth... there wasn't - there was just two thin bits of plastic. 


I read fine, anyway... perhaps a few more 's' sounds, but nothing audible really and that will go in a few weeks, once I get used to it. 


I'm also getting alot quicker at taking them out. Lunch was between the 2pm and 3pm bulletins and I didn't use my allotted half hour! 


Getting through a shift on desk without a cup of tea was the hardest thing. I think invisalign needs to create a clear brace that is tea proof. 


So there's the good news, NOW THE BAD NEWS - I have broken one of my attachments!!!


Its the lower jaw on the left as you look at my mouth. 


I'm going to the dentist hopefully tomorrow to get it fixed!

invisalign fitting day

Saturday 28th January 2012 - the big fitting day. 

Today I went to have my attachments done and the braces fitted. 

When they do the attachments, they look like tiny balls of cottage cheese on a few select teeth. They make the fitting really tight and aid the movement of teeth. 

It took about 40 minutes to stick them to my teeth... you can see them below... 

Then my dentist made me practice taking them in and out. It's quite uncomfortable. (Take lots of tissues, saliva everywhere) but as long as you do it properly, your teeth will not fall out. 

Mine feel like they're just going to drop out - but i'm assured they won't. 

The red circles show where the attachments are in my mouth... you can actually see better on the second photo. These are both taken with my braces in: 

Standing back at a distance, you can't really tell. Speech on Day 1, hasn't been affected that much but 's' is hard to say... more on that tomorrow when I go to work though!

These are my cases to store them in when I take them out. You can have two hours every day to eat and drink. 

30 mins for breakfast

30 mins for lunch

1 hour for dinner

You can only drink room temperature water with the braces in otherwise they may warp with the heat of a cup of tea, or discolour with Ribena! 

There is time to have a snack - take them out - eat a cake - then chew some gum - then put them back in. I haven't mastered this yet though. 

Just hungry.... 

If you are having or thinking about having invisalign contact me on the comments bit below and I'll try and answer your questions as we go through. 

My finish date is August 2012!!!

ClinCheck - check!

The actual ClinCheck looks likes this: 

It took about FOUR weeks for it to come back from the invisalign nerds, and then a further three weeks for me and my dentist to agree on the final outcome. 

So that's how you know invisalign will work. They promise to get within 95-98% of this. 

At the point of agreeing this ClinCheck, I knew it would take 14 aligners, and a total of 28 weeks to move the teeth. 

An extra month on the end will include fine tuning and whitening. 

Because of christmas there was a delay in the manufacture of my aligners, so they finally arrived at the end of January. 

Operation Straight Teeth (Sept 2011)

Operation Straight Teeth first started for me in September 2001, when I decided I wanted some cosmetic dentistry. 

I knew it'd cost ALOT - and I wasn't wrong. But if you're looking into it, be prepared for a long wait. 

From getting three quotations, to going for all the impressions, agreeing my ClinCheck, and then getting the braces took four months. 

This is my journey with invisalign, hope it helps if you're doing too. 

As I've only started this blog now, here's a brief rundown of how I got here: 

September 2011

Contacted THREE clinics who do invisalign or a UK alternative. I'd researched that I wanted invisalign because I didn't want a brace that was visible, and I wanted FAST results. 

Holywell House in Hinckley were helpful, but had a massive backlog of patients and quoted over the phone in the region of £7000. 

Simon Rixon in Nuneaton quoted about £4000, but this was for more like a six month smile. 

Euro Dental Care in Harborne, Birmingham quoted £3800. Dr Agaarwal met me for an initial consultation on the 8th October 2011... he talked for two hours about my options and how much each option would cost. 

A month later I was in for my invisalign impressions, so they could create a computer generated diagram of how my teeth would look.#

By the 18th December, I'd had an extraction in my lower set of teeth to make room for the squashed teeth to move around... a filling, because if there's even slight decay in a tooth, moving it could make it die. ALWAYS have these fixed before invisalign treatment. 

Next I'll post my clincheck and talk about treatment...