POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
Age 28 Starting Invisalign (With Accelendent) UK - Leeds, GB
ORIGINAL POST
I have never had perfectly straight teeth, but to...
gemma123September 1, 2014
$3,500
I have never had perfectly straight teeth, but to be honest this didn't both me until I was about 18.
I did ask my dentist for braces age 14/15, and he said I didn't need them, and then when I reached 18 my dentist then told me maybe I would benefit from braces, however I would now have to pay, at this point I didn't know about invisalign and the thought of being 18 with full 'train track' braces was not something I wanted to do!
Now 28 I think my teeth have gradually got worse as I've got older, or perhaps I am just more aware of them!
Since then on and off I have looked into invisalign, always wondering if it would be worth it, and now I have finally got the courage to go ahead!
I saw 5 different practices, and finally went forward with an amazing practice in Leeds, by far the friendliest, and the dentist I am with filled me with confidence, and was so kind, and also were the cheapest!
I am a late in starting my blog, so will review quickly below:
First Consultation - The invisalign process was explained to me, I was told the cost of £3500 which also included a teeth whitening at the end of the treatment
I then went away and had a think about it, and confirmed I would like to go ahead.
I then went back to have moulds taken, which would be sent away for my clincheck, which would then be emailed to me and I would decide if I wanted to go ahead. This appointment was £250, which is knocked off the final cost if you go ahead, or lost if you don't go ahead.
My Clincheck came back with 34 aligners, and I agreed to go ahead.
(START DATE 4th JUNE 2014) A few weeks later I was called back to collect my aligners. At this appointment, I had some tooth shaving, and also had attachments fitted to my teeth (not the top front 2). To be honest when I left I was quite upset as I wasn't aware I would have attachment's, but my dentist told me this was on the clincheck, which I looked back and it was, but I didn't even know what they were, I thought they were just points the where the teeth were moving.....anyway perhaps I was better not knowing as this might have put me off! The first few weeks were hell to be honest, cut gums and cheeks, ulcers, lisp, aching, I honestly wanted to give up, and thought what have I let myself in for, I felt I couldn't even enjoy spending time with my baby!......BUT this did ease after a week or so, and my dentist said I had a lot more work than usual at my first appointment, as I had requested less visits as I live about 1.5 hours from the practice.
I am now on aligner 7 of 34. I must say it is life changing, not being able to eat and drink when you want, my social life has really suffered, and people must think I have a bladder problem going to the toilet to brush my teeth all the time, BUT this is what I asked for, and now I am seeing the improvements I know it will be worth it.
I was desperate for anything to cut my treatment time and I had read a lot about acceledent on here, but it is not as widely used in the UK, but my lovely dentist agreed to it, and I will pick it up this Wednesday! EXCITED!
I am taking pictures every time I change the aligners, but not brave enough to put them up yet!
I did ask my dentist for braces age 14/15, and he said I didn't need them, and then when I reached 18 my dentist then told me maybe I would benefit from braces, however I would now have to pay, at this point I didn't know about invisalign and the thought of being 18 with full 'train track' braces was not something I wanted to do!
Now 28 I think my teeth have gradually got worse as I've got older, or perhaps I am just more aware of them!
Since then on and off I have looked into invisalign, always wondering if it would be worth it, and now I have finally got the courage to go ahead!
I saw 5 different practices, and finally went forward with an amazing practice in Leeds, by far the friendliest, and the dentist I am with filled me with confidence, and was so kind, and also were the cheapest!
I am a late in starting my blog, so will review quickly below:
First Consultation - The invisalign process was explained to me, I was told the cost of £3500 which also included a teeth whitening at the end of the treatment
I then went away and had a think about it, and confirmed I would like to go ahead.
I then went back to have moulds taken, which would be sent away for my clincheck, which would then be emailed to me and I would decide if I wanted to go ahead. This appointment was £250, which is knocked off the final cost if you go ahead, or lost if you don't go ahead.
My Clincheck came back with 34 aligners, and I agreed to go ahead.
(START DATE 4th JUNE 2014) A few weeks later I was called back to collect my aligners. At this appointment, I had some tooth shaving, and also had attachments fitted to my teeth (not the top front 2). To be honest when I left I was quite upset as I wasn't aware I would have attachment's, but my dentist told me this was on the clincheck, which I looked back and it was, but I didn't even know what they were, I thought they were just points the where the teeth were moving.....anyway perhaps I was better not knowing as this might have put me off! The first few weeks were hell to be honest, cut gums and cheeks, ulcers, lisp, aching, I honestly wanted to give up, and thought what have I let myself in for, I felt I couldn't even enjoy spending time with my baby!......BUT this did ease after a week or so, and my dentist said I had a lot more work than usual at my first appointment, as I had requested less visits as I live about 1.5 hours from the practice.
I am now on aligner 7 of 34. I must say it is life changing, not being able to eat and drink when you want, my social life has really suffered, and people must think I have a bladder problem going to the toilet to brush my teeth all the time, BUT this is what I asked for, and now I am seeing the improvements I know it will be worth it.
I was desperate for anything to cut my treatment time and I had read a lot about acceledent on here, but it is not as widely used in the UK, but my lovely dentist agreed to it, and I will pick it up this Wednesday! EXCITED!
I am taking pictures every time I change the aligners, but not brave enough to put them up yet!
UPDATED FROM gemma123
3 months post
Set 7 + Acceldent
gemma123September 5, 2014
I picked up my acceledent on Wednesday, and used it for the first time last night, and I LOVE IT! all the time I used it, I was thinking, this is one step closer! Not sure if anyone is watching Celeb Big Brother, but Edele was using one on Wednesday night!
I am on day 10 of set 7, so will use acceldent and change to set 8 on Sunday, then change to set 9 after 10 days, set 10 after 9 days, set 11 after 8 days and set 12 after 7 days, and hopefully will be able to continue at 7 days. FINGERS CROSSED!
I have taken the plunge and will update my photos now! (Excuse the discolouring on 2 of then photos - not sure what happened)
I am on day 10 of set 7, so will use acceldent and change to set 8 on Sunday, then change to set 9 after 10 days, set 10 after 9 days, set 11 after 8 days and set 12 after 7 days, and hopefully will be able to continue at 7 days. FINGERS CROSSED!
I have taken the plunge and will update my photos now! (Excuse the discolouring on 2 of then photos - not sure what happened)
Replies (4)
September 5, 2014
Fantastic photo collage!!!! Thank you so much for posting, and I love the format. It makes all the changes so obvious, and they've been very significant. Congratulations on starting with the AcceleDent as well!
We are getting more and more Brits (Nicky.j, SugarKinesis, Cazzieboo, katgriffin, Natajacktoad, Pocahonta12, Kazzalou, and Louiseyrollings), but very few of them have AcceleDent--maybe none, I can't recall just now. Nice to see that finally starting! Did you have to introduce your doctor to it or had they at least heard of it?
We are getting more and more Brits (Nicky.j, SugarKinesis, Cazzieboo, katgriffin, Natajacktoad, Pocahonta12, Kazzalou, and Louiseyrollings), but very few of them have AcceleDent--maybe none, I can't recall just now. Nice to see that finally starting! Did you have to introduce your doctor to it or had they at least heard of it?
January 13, 2015
Hi. I am also in the UK. I have 30 trays and I'm on number 3. Can you explain what the acceldent is and how it works. Much appreciated.
January 14, 2015
Hello, acceldent isn't really used much in the UK, but is a lot in other countries. It slightly vibrates the teeth (you will be able to read about it on their website) , you hold it in your mouth for 20 minutes per day, and it speeds up tooth movement, meaning you can (hopefully) change your trays quicker. I used to change every 14 days, but now I usually change every 8 days, I am on tray 22 of 34, so may only be 13ish weeks!
I'm not sure I would have stuck it out, now I think about it. At the beginning of invisalign I found it very distressing not being able to go for afternoon coffee with my friends and baby and found it had a real social impact, however now the end is in sight I am so excited.
I had to really push for my dentist to get it for me, but in the end he was happy to and seems impressed by the results
UPDATED FROM gemma123
3 months post
Set 9 of 34
gemma123September 17, 2014
Well, I have been using acceledent for 12 days now, and so far so good, I changed to my next set on Monday, there was the same usual tightness but they seemed to fit ok. I plan to change either on day 8 or 9 next, I will see how it goes.
I am actually being sent a replacement acceledent as the machine works, but only holds enough charge for 1 use, it is meant to work for 3-5 uses, I contacted my dentist and they have quickly arranged a replacement to be sent to me, which is great, I can still use my current machine at the moment so not really a problem.
I find the acceledent really easy to use, the time does actually go quite fast, my jaw does ache at the end, but it is all worth it. (I hope)
The past week, I have been really active, playing with my son, full days out, as we are having building work at home, so have been extra hungry through the day and I must say ive been getting mad at my aligners as I know I cant keep taking them out every few hours to snack otherwise I wont reach my 22 hours per day. So it has been quite depressing, while my son enjoys a nice piece of chocolate cake I am sipping my water, or carefully assessing what I should eat on a picnic as I cant brush my teeth until we get home, so don't want anything too sugary or anything like crisps that will stick in my teeth. Anyway that's enough of a moan!
We go abroad a week on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how I handle invisalign on holiday. Does anyone have any tips?
I am actually being sent a replacement acceledent as the machine works, but only holds enough charge for 1 use, it is meant to work for 3-5 uses, I contacted my dentist and they have quickly arranged a replacement to be sent to me, which is great, I can still use my current machine at the moment so not really a problem.
I find the acceledent really easy to use, the time does actually go quite fast, my jaw does ache at the end, but it is all worth it. (I hope)
The past week, I have been really active, playing with my son, full days out, as we are having building work at home, so have been extra hungry through the day and I must say ive been getting mad at my aligners as I know I cant keep taking them out every few hours to snack otherwise I wont reach my 22 hours per day. So it has been quite depressing, while my son enjoys a nice piece of chocolate cake I am sipping my water, or carefully assessing what I should eat on a picnic as I cant brush my teeth until we get home, so don't want anything too sugary or anything like crisps that will stick in my teeth. Anyway that's enough of a moan!
We go abroad a week on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how I handle invisalign on holiday. Does anyone have any tips?
Replies (1)
September 18, 2014
I love hearing about great service! AcceleDent have really been great so far. I've never heard of the jaw aching from it before, though, so that's good to know, that it's a possibility.
As for traveling with the aligners, I'll give you a couple of links to the reviews of others who've written about it recently. AreYouKiddingMe is the first that springs to mind. She's done both a cruise and cottaging. monosyllabicgirl traveled to China with hers on--you might want to ask her for tips. Nicky.j also traveled, so you could ask there as well :).
Traveling Overseas While Wearing Invisalign? is a doctor Q&A here on RealSelf. It's very short--basically just says that on a short trip, as long as you rinse well after meals and brush and floss twice a day, you should be fine. Also, bring hand sanitizer and disposable cleaning supplies. You can read it :).
I've also seen lots of people mention Colgate Wisps as a great travel tool.
What kind of holiday is it? Is it a sightseeing-type or an eating-type (like a cruise)? The latter can be very challenging, but the former much less so, as long as you can get comfortable performing minimal hygiene in public. I know someone else talked about getting most of the brushing done away from the sink, so you don't hold up lines in public places with your hygiene :).
As for traveling with the aligners, I'll give you a couple of links to the reviews of others who've written about it recently. AreYouKiddingMe is the first that springs to mind. She's done both a cruise and cottaging. monosyllabicgirl traveled to China with hers on--you might want to ask her for tips. Nicky.j also traveled, so you could ask there as well :).
Traveling Overseas While Wearing Invisalign? is a doctor Q&A here on RealSelf. It's very short--basically just says that on a short trip, as long as you rinse well after meals and brush and floss twice a day, you should be fine. Also, bring hand sanitizer and disposable cleaning supplies. You can read it :).
I've also seen lots of people mention Colgate Wisps as a great travel tool.
What kind of holiday is it? Is it a sightseeing-type or an eating-type (like a cruise)? The latter can be very challenging, but the former much less so, as long as you can get comfortable performing minimal hygiene in public. I know someone else talked about getting most of the brushing done away from the sink, so you don't hold up lines in public places with your hygiene :).
Replies (5)
I can't believe you're embarrassed to put up your pics! Have you seen everyone else's? There has to be someone here with more severe issues than you have :D. What are your issues, by the way? We want to follow your progress along with you, and that's just so much better with pictures. Please?