23 Y/o Aussie Undergoing Invisalign + 4 Attachments - Australia

Hello All

I have a theory: there is some sick ‘karmic god’ out there who doesn’t like me. I have two reasons to believe this:
1. Two days ago I was all “Aww where are my retainers? I want them now now now!” and then BAM the retainers arrived in the mail the following day (yesterday). The high and mighty powers of this universe must have wanted me to be happy.
2. Today, I had my appointment with my orthodontist and found out that I’ll need six refinement retainers. SIX F*CKING RETAINERS. YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME? Breathe Hannah, breathe.

So I was blessed by the God of luck, before it f*cking shat all over me and kicked me in the ribs.

Now I know some of you (probably all) will think I’m overreacting. But let me explain myself:
- I was told I would need 15 retainers when I first started treatment. Being the maths nerd that I am, I did some sums and predicted my treatment would take me 30-35 weeks (or roughly 8 months max)
I got my first retainer on the 17th… a whole 9 months ago to the day (ooh creepy). So in my head, technically I’m already behind schedule.
- Considering I only had 15 retainers prescribed for my teeth, I thought maybe I might be given 3 refinement retainers... 4 tops. BUT SIX?! That’s more than a third of my treatment. MORE THAN A THIRD GUYS COME ON.

So what did I do when I walked out of the orthodontist? I had a little imaginary tantrum. I imagined what I would say / do if I wasn’t an adult and didn’t have to look like a normal sane person. In other words, I WENT F*CKING APE SH*T. I screamed my imaginary little head off, stamped my imaginary little feet… all the while looking like a happy and pleasant woman on the exterior.

My logical side understands that additional treatment is good – I’m still paying the same sum of money so I may as well get them as straight as I possibly can! I’m just complaining because I’m tired of the Invisalign life.

But it’s ok… I’ve calmed down now. I’ve accepted that I’ll still have 12 weeks of living it up with retainers. This will brings me all the way through to the 9th December… so just before Christmas. Let’s hope that my treatment doesn’t get extended past then. (Or you may hear about a crazy woman killing her orthodontist on the news).


Until next time.
Xo

Hello All!

It has been 7 months since my last post… that’s right, SEVEN WHOLE MONTHS. I could have practically gotten pregnant AND given birth in that time (well not really but you get the gist). The last few months have flown by, and you’ll be glad to know that I no longer see Invisalign as being a large (and inconvenient) part of my life. Let’s rewind to the beginning….

Within the first few months of having Invisalign, I must admit that I was still very ‘aware’ of the whole process. I read these reviews almost every day, looking at people’s progress and dreaming about the time when I’ll be on my first double digit retainer! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little self-conscious about the trays and in particular the buttons. I would take my trays out when attending work meetings or coffee dates. I would never EVER wear my retainer out to dinner or drinks… which had a pretty damning effect on my social life (hello wine and cheese night at home alone, nom nom nom).

I can’t recall exactly when it happened… but there was a point during this process where I forgot to care. I would catch myself sitting at a dinner table with friends and realise I hadn’t removed my retainer. What was more surprising was how little other people noticed it when I left it in. My housemate and best friend literally said “Oh my god I keep forgetting you have that thing in!” when she saw me removing it one night. It’s hard to explain this transition… but I guess I feel like I went from the INVISALIGN GIRL, to just a girl who happens to wear a retainer… no biggy.

So, for anyone out there who is just commencing treatment, or has hit a bit of a wall in their treatment plan… I encourage you to hold on! Don’t think of Invisalign as a major part of your life, just be happy that you’re undergoing the treatment and that your teeth are on their way to being perfect!

Anyway… to update you on my progress, I’m on retainer number 16 which is technically my first ‘refinement’ retainer. My orthodontist said I’d only need 15 retainers, but I was actually provided with 18 – and additional 3 retainers to move my teeth closer together after the spacing the Invisalign causes. I had a mould taken about 6 weeks ago and still haven’t received anything back from Invisalign. I understand it’s a long process (send mould to US, make refinement retainers, send retainers to AUS)… but I’m really getting to the end of my tether here. It’s SEPTEMBER! I thought I would be finished in July… silly naïve me.

Well… I guess what I’m trying to say is: if anyone has any experience with Invisalign refinements, and can give me some insight (read: CALM MY [RS bleep]) regarding this last final stage in the treatment, that would be awesome.
Ps – if anyone has any questions regarding the Invisalign treatment, now is the time to ask!

Until next time.
Xo

Oh my goodness I’m excited. I’m nearly half way through this somewhat inconvenient journey and I couldn’t be happier! According to my good friend the Doc, I am to receive 15 aligners in total…and potentially some ‘refinement’ aligners depending on how effective my treatment is.

So given I don’t get refinements, I’m nearly half way baby! BOOYAH.
I feel like breaking down and doing a Beyonce-style booty shake. However, I will desist because:
a) I AM A WHITE GIRL AND DON’T GOT NO BOOTY
b) I’m an important business women AND I’m currently at work AND I wouldn’t dare booty shake in the workplace (read: I would totally do it if my boss was away).

Booty shakin’ aside, I can seriously say that I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Back in the pre-Invisalign day, I would almost always get insecure when I saw photos of myself smiling. I would (inwardly) criticize my teeth – that tooth is jutting out / my bottom teeth suck etc etc etc.

Now, for the first few aligners I saw no major changes. And to be honest, I didn’t expect any (it’s not like they’re moulding cheese here people!). However, my cousin’s wedding gave me an opportunity to flaunt my mid-treatment smile and I must say I was quite happy with the results! I’ve attached a photo to this post so you guys can see how quickly this treatment pays off.

On a side note – how does one tackle weddings whilst undergoing Invisalign? The answer: EASY! I didn’t bother wearing my trays throughout the ceremony and the reception. I know this is naughty, but it was only 6 hours and I wanted to enjoy myself and be footloose and fancy free! I made sure I was super strict on my treatment both before and after the wedding, so fingers crossed this makes up for my naughty behaviour.

My apologies for lacking in the photo/post department by the way. I lost my iPhone / USB cord, and it’s impossible to write these posts directly from my phone. If anyone wants to see more photos, please let me know. If you want ‘retainer by retainer’ updates, then I’d be happy to increase my posts.

Until next time.
Xo