POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
34 Year Old and Finally Giving Myself a Reason to Smile...With My Mouth Open! - Toronto, ON
ORIGINAL POST
I've finally done it! I've approved my revised...
$6,500
I've finally done it! I've approved my revised ClinCheck and treatment plan. This is actually happening! I suppose I might be getting a little ahead of myself, though. As with any good story, it would be best for me to backtrack and start from the beginning.
As most others on here, I was not blessed with a perfect smile! Don't get me wrong - my teeth weren't horrible, but they definitely needed work and were bothersome enough to make me feel self-conscious about them, and my smile. I was one of those people that always smiled with my mouth closed. So much, in fact, that my close friends often yelled at me when we took pictures because they felt as though I wasn't "smiling".
I've recently discovered that my dental arches are far too narrow (which, my orthodontist believes is caused by years of heavy snoring - who knew?!). As such, my teeth are severely crowded, causing them to be crooked and for the front of my teeth to be much closer together than they should be....almost like my teeth form the shape of a "V" as opposed the shape of a "U" (very scientific of me...I know!). I've scoured my Facebook account and was able to find a few *rare* pictures of me actually smiling with an open mouth. I've attached them to the post for your viewing pleasure.
I recently started going to a new dentist (who is also an orthodontist) and during my first visit, she advised me that my teeth were so crowded that they were causing me to have more severe bone loss than I should have at my age. She asked me if I'd ever considered braces, but not for cosmetic purposes. I admitted that I had, but for cosmetic purposes, but never had a reason to justify it. After discussing it with her, in addition to the fact that my health plan covers braces to a certain extent, I agreed to go in for a consultation. One thing lead to another and I agreed to get Invisalign.
I had my impressions taken on January 3rd. On January 13th, I received a voicemail from my dental office. I excitedly called them back, hoping to hear that my ClinCheck was in for my review. I was disappointed to hear that something had happened with my impressions and they needed to be taken again. I went in again that same night to redo them. My ortho advised me that for some reason my upper-right molar was incomplete from the original impression and that was why she needed to retake it. I asked how if, based on her experience, she had any sense as to how long she might think my treatment would be. That's when she informed me that she had in fact received my ClinCheck - that's how she'd noticed the missing molar!!! She showed it to me...I couldn't believe it...the excitement and "realness" of it all was beginning to set in. Even though we were talking about 48 trays! :S
Then on January 21st, I received another voicemail to notify me that my ClinCheck was finally in. I reviewed it, however noticed that my midlines were off-centre. I shared that concern with my ortho on January 22nd, and on January 23rd, I was informed that she'd sent the corrections to Align Technology and later that day received my revised Clincheck & treatment plan. The midlines were better - I'm happy I spoke up! I analyzed it some more, and my OCD self was afraid to "approve it", however my ortho had informed me that approving it doesn't mean it's final. Given that I have Invisalign "Full", once I reach the end of my treatment, if I'm not pleased with the end results, we can order more trays/refinements. Given this, I bit the bullet and approved them! Let the waiting game for my first set of trays begin.
The file type for my ClinCheck videos (.wmv) isn't supported by this site so I'm unable to post them for the time being. If I find a method to convert them, I'll upload them later. In the meantime, they can be found on YouTube if you search the following:
- Invisalign - ClinCheck Simulation - Front (FINAL Treatment Plan)
- Invisalign - ClinCheck Simulation - Sides (FINAL Treatment Plan)
- Invisalign - ClinCheck Simulation - Under (FINAL Treatment Plan)
My treatment plan consists of:
- 37 or trays (~ 1yr 5 mths.)
- Start of treatment: February 7th, 2015
- End of treatment (not including refinements): July 9th, 2016
- 14 buttons
- 2 different IPR sessions (the second one added because I asked to centre my midlines)
I've been reading through many reviews. Thanks everyone for posting your experiences. While I'm sure no amount of preparation will be enough, at least I'm going into this expecting the first 5-10 days to be a bit of a nightmare - and that that's perfectly normal, and more importantly, only temporary. I'll be sure to update this post as I start my treatment. Hopefully my experience, along with all of yours, can help others who are currently in my shoes and about to embark on this journey!
As most others on here, I was not blessed with a perfect smile! Don't get me wrong - my teeth weren't horrible, but they definitely needed work and were bothersome enough to make me feel self-conscious about them, and my smile. I was one of those people that always smiled with my mouth closed. So much, in fact, that my close friends often yelled at me when we took pictures because they felt as though I wasn't "smiling".
I've recently discovered that my dental arches are far too narrow (which, my orthodontist believes is caused by years of heavy snoring - who knew?!). As such, my teeth are severely crowded, causing them to be crooked and for the front of my teeth to be much closer together than they should be....almost like my teeth form the shape of a "V" as opposed the shape of a "U" (very scientific of me...I know!). I've scoured my Facebook account and was able to find a few *rare* pictures of me actually smiling with an open mouth. I've attached them to the post for your viewing pleasure.
I recently started going to a new dentist (who is also an orthodontist) and during my first visit, she advised me that my teeth were so crowded that they were causing me to have more severe bone loss than I should have at my age. She asked me if I'd ever considered braces, but not for cosmetic purposes. I admitted that I had, but for cosmetic purposes, but never had a reason to justify it. After discussing it with her, in addition to the fact that my health plan covers braces to a certain extent, I agreed to go in for a consultation. One thing lead to another and I agreed to get Invisalign.
I had my impressions taken on January 3rd. On January 13th, I received a voicemail from my dental office. I excitedly called them back, hoping to hear that my ClinCheck was in for my review. I was disappointed to hear that something had happened with my impressions and they needed to be taken again. I went in again that same night to redo them. My ortho advised me that for some reason my upper-right molar was incomplete from the original impression and that was why she needed to retake it. I asked how if, based on her experience, she had any sense as to how long she might think my treatment would be. That's when she informed me that she had in fact received my ClinCheck - that's how she'd noticed the missing molar!!! She showed it to me...I couldn't believe it...the excitement and "realness" of it all was beginning to set in. Even though we were talking about 48 trays! :S
Then on January 21st, I received another voicemail to notify me that my ClinCheck was finally in. I reviewed it, however noticed that my midlines were off-centre. I shared that concern with my ortho on January 22nd, and on January 23rd, I was informed that she'd sent the corrections to Align Technology and later that day received my revised Clincheck & treatment plan. The midlines were better - I'm happy I spoke up! I analyzed it some more, and my OCD self was afraid to "approve it", however my ortho had informed me that approving it doesn't mean it's final. Given that I have Invisalign "Full", once I reach the end of my treatment, if I'm not pleased with the end results, we can order more trays/refinements. Given this, I bit the bullet and approved them! Let the waiting game for my first set of trays begin.
The file type for my ClinCheck videos (.wmv) isn't supported by this site so I'm unable to post them for the time being. If I find a method to convert them, I'll upload them later. In the meantime, they can be found on YouTube if you search the following:
- Invisalign - ClinCheck Simulation - Front (FINAL Treatment Plan)
- Invisalign - ClinCheck Simulation - Sides (FINAL Treatment Plan)
- Invisalign - ClinCheck Simulation - Under (FINAL Treatment Plan)
My treatment plan consists of:
- 37 or trays (~ 1yr 5 mths.)
- Start of treatment: February 7th, 2015
- End of treatment (not including refinements): July 9th, 2016
- 14 buttons
- 2 different IPR sessions (the second one added because I asked to centre my midlines)
I've been reading through many reviews. Thanks everyone for posting your experiences. While I'm sure no amount of preparation will be enough, at least I'm going into this expecting the first 5-10 days to be a bit of a nightmare - and that that's perfectly normal, and more importantly, only temporary. I'll be sure to update this post as I start my treatment. Hopefully my experience, along with all of yours, can help others who are currently in my shoes and about to embark on this journey!
AoNkGnSiS's provider
UPDATED FROM AoNkGnSiS
10 days pre
Close-up of My Teeth
A friend of mine in the dental field asked to see close-ups of my teeth the other day. I figured since I took these pics for him, I may as well share them with the community. They give a much better impression of my over-crowded-crookedness in all its glory! :)
Replies (11)
January 27, 2015
Welcome to RealSelf! :) Such a relief to see another fellow Canadian on here. We are definitely few and far between in the community! Haha. Looking forward to following your progress! :)
January 27, 2015
Thanks! I have to admit, prior to joining the community, I'd read through all of your blog posts last week. While I'm hoping my first week isn't as unbearable as yours was, at least I know where to turn to if it is. Because of your posts I feel as though I'm a bit more mentally prepared for what 'could be'.... Thanks for that! :D
January 27, 2015
No worries! Happy to help, although during that one week I was just using this place as a sounding board. The support system here is pretty amazing; that's what keeps me coming back.
From the reviews I've read, people with crowding issues report way less pain that people with gaps do - hopefully that's true and you wont' suffer as much as I did. :P Remember, Advil is your best friend!!!
January 28, 2015
Lol. Taking selfies of teeth is such a pain; I have the same problem as you do with my lowers. They are not visible when I smile, so I have to pull down on my bottom lip. Now do that and take a selfie at the same time. Yeah, not enough hands.
January 29, 2015
LOL! I know. When my friend asked me to take the pics, I responded with: "I know it's Friday night and all, but I am all by myself. Let me see what I can do." LOL
#TheStruggleIsReal! Glad I'm not alone in this crooked & overcrowded boat of mine! ;)
January 29, 2015
You are definitely not alone; but like our fellow Canadian said, we don't seem very well represented around here. maybe because most Canadians tend to be low-key and not to care much about their appearance? In my case, it was more about warding off the dreaded periodental monsters which, according to my dentist, were bound to start haunting my mouth unless I did something about the state of my teeth. Bonus, I get that snaggletooth under control, and the rest of my teeth stop playing hide and go seek with each other. Awesome!!!
January 29, 2015
HAHAHA...That's exactly why my dentist recommended it as well....I was heading down the prio-problem-ridden path! Her exact words: "Have you ever considered braces? No no...not for cosmetic purposes."
LOL
January 29, 2015
I kept noticing posters for invisalign in my dentist's office, and the photo albums of before and after in the waiting room. Asked him about it many years ago, and promptly dropped the issue when he told me the cost. I already had a mortgage on the house, lol.
UPDATED FROM AoNkGnSiS
Day of treatment
Today's The Day! (Pre-Procedure)
Happy Saturday Invsialigners!
Well, today's the day. As I write this, I'm having one of the last coffees I'll be able to enjoy without being on a race against the clock. I'll most likely had another immediately following this one, but let me tell you, I can already tell that this one tastes glorious.
I'll be visiting my ortho later this afternoon to get my Invisalign (and 14 buttons) put in. As luck would have it, I also had an appointment for my regularly scheduled cleaning today. As the timing would have it, I'm going in for my cleaning at 2:00 ET, and will then immediately switch chairs at 2:45 to have my ortho get me all Invisaligned-up. I'm quite happy that the two appointments ended up on the same day. I knew I had a cleaning coming up and was afraid that it would end up being a week or two after I started my Invisalign treatment and had some concerns about how uncomfrtable it would be so early in the treatment. This way, I get that out of the way before even starting so that's a big thumbs up!
I'm starting to prepare my list of things to buy/get for my kit. I know I really should've been getting all of this stuff over the past few weeks, but what I can I say, I'm a bit of a procrastinator and figured I'd do it on my way back from the Ortho's. So far my list includes:
- More toothpaste than one would ever need;
- A few extra toothbrushes
- A compact travel/foldable toothbrush (if possible)
- A baby/child's toothbrush
- Lib Balm (I already use the Vaseline tubs and still have 1.5 ones left)
- White Vinegar (for daily soaking in the morning to keep them white)
- Advil
- OrthoWax
- Cheap Emery boards of varying grit (if possible)
Am I missing anything?!
A few questions I still have and would like to put out there in the community:
- Has anyone tried Advil Nighttime? It's described as "When you can’t sleep because pain is keeping you up at night, it feels like time is your enemy. Say goodnight to your aches and pains with Advil Nighttime, the only product that contains the pain-relieving power of Advil and helps you sleep." I'm wondering if it would be useful for when switching trays.
- I'll ask my ortho regarding tray cleaning routines, however I'd be interested in opinions regarding the use of denture cleaners. Yay? Nay?
I think that's it for now. I'll be sure to post another update later in the day post-procedure to provide everyone an update.
Happy Saturday everyone!
Well, today's the day. As I write this, I'm having one of the last coffees I'll be able to enjoy without being on a race against the clock. I'll most likely had another immediately following this one, but let me tell you, I can already tell that this one tastes glorious.
I'll be visiting my ortho later this afternoon to get my Invisalign (and 14 buttons) put in. As luck would have it, I also had an appointment for my regularly scheduled cleaning today. As the timing would have it, I'm going in for my cleaning at 2:00 ET, and will then immediately switch chairs at 2:45 to have my ortho get me all Invisaligned-up. I'm quite happy that the two appointments ended up on the same day. I knew I had a cleaning coming up and was afraid that it would end up being a week or two after I started my Invisalign treatment and had some concerns about how uncomfrtable it would be so early in the treatment. This way, I get that out of the way before even starting so that's a big thumbs up!
I'm starting to prepare my list of things to buy/get for my kit. I know I really should've been getting all of this stuff over the past few weeks, but what I can I say, I'm a bit of a procrastinator and figured I'd do it on my way back from the Ortho's. So far my list includes:
- More toothpaste than one would ever need;
- A few extra toothbrushes
- A compact travel/foldable toothbrush (if possible)
- A baby/child's toothbrush
- Lib Balm (I already use the Vaseline tubs and still have 1.5 ones left)
- White Vinegar (for daily soaking in the morning to keep them white)
- Advil
- OrthoWax
- Cheap Emery boards of varying grit (if possible)
Am I missing anything?!
A few questions I still have and would like to put out there in the community:
- Has anyone tried Advil Nighttime? It's described as "When you can’t sleep because pain is keeping you up at night, it feels like time is your enemy. Say goodnight to your aches and pains with Advil Nighttime, the only product that contains the pain-relieving power of Advil and helps you sleep." I'm wondering if it would be useful for when switching trays.
- I'll ask my ortho regarding tray cleaning routines, however I'd be interested in opinions regarding the use of denture cleaners. Yay? Nay?
I think that's it for now. I'll be sure to post another update later in the day post-procedure to provide everyone an update.
Happy Saturday everyone!
Replies (14)
February 7, 2015
Good luck today!! Did you have your last meal last night?
Yes, Advil PM is awesome! I take one whenever I change trays (thurs night put number 3 in, popped an Advil pm and went to bed). I think your list is pretty good. The only additional thing I've bought are the little Colgate Wisps (tiny disposable toothbrushes that don't need water). They're great for when I've run out of a restaurant and can't brush right away.
Any IPRs today?
February 7, 2015
Thanks mellieSSM. I don't believe we get the Colgate Wisps in Canada. I'd have to go online to buy them.
No IPRs today - just the buttons! I won't get IPR for a while in my treatment, based on my ClinCheck.
Is it weird that it still isn't really sinking in? I mean, I know I'm getting them in today, but for some reason it still kinda feels like today's just another day - even though I know it isn't.
February 7, 2015
Oooooooo good luck, and I agree that it is awesome you ended up with back-to-back appointments. Now you don't have to worry about your next check up and cleaning for at least 6 months, and that will work out just dandy too as you will be well into the process and can see how well the flossing and brushing mania has served your mouth!
I note that you are a fellow coffee buff and I share in your loss of those lovely, leisurely Saturday mornings with coffee and the paper..... If you can handle having only two meals on Saturdays, here's what I sometimes do. I have a really good, full, breakfast with lots of loverly coffee
February 7, 2015
Thanks Kkkkkaty. I do enjoy sipping my morning coffee...especially while at work. This will be a drastic change for me. Even when at home. At least on weekends, I'll be able to have a quick coffee while my Invisalign soak. I won't be able to do that on weekdays as it's all about getting ready for work (no time for a coffee).
February 7, 2015
(Grrrrr....pressed post for some reason) ...as I was saying, I have a filling breakfast with all the food groups represented, and sip at my coffee (freshly ground, if you're going to do this, you're going to do it right!), while my teeth buddies have a good soak in their bath for one hour (yes, I use half a denture cleaner tablet in warm water on alternate days with half a capful of listerine whitening and restoring diluted in water - trays remain clean, and no problems so far!)
That leaves you with one to two hours for supper. On the days I do this, I opt for an early supper as I am starving, lol. But that's good too, cos I honestly like hearing my stomach growl before I start shovelling food into my mouth. It feels more natural, somehow. Ok, I'm weird.
As for the pain relievers, believe it or not, I have only used them once during my treatment; on tray 18. I dont really like using pills proactively. Except on days where the dentist changes trays out for me I do, however, put new trays in right after supper so they are on for a good 12 hours or more before I take them off for breakie in the morning. Ok, this has been a post in itself. Can't wait to hear how it all went!
February 7, 2015
Yeah, that security blanket cup of coffee ever-present on your desk will just have to be replaced by a sippie cup full of water. :D
February 7, 2015
That statement, although I know it to be true, almost made me cry. BRING ON THE INVISALIGN DIET! I should be nice and lean by the time summer rolls around! :D
I wonder what types of symptoms I'll develop as a "Hangry" person. Should be interesting. At least I have a few breakfast shakes in my fridge.
February 7, 2015
No...Hangry = "Hungry + Angry". A symptom caused by getting irritable when hungry and unable to eat. :)
February 10, 2015
I'll be honest and say that I still drink coffee with my aligners in, only difference is I use a straw and try to point it to the roof my mouth and a bit to the back so that the coffee itself doesn't touch my aligners. It's worked out pretty well and I've managed to maintain my ridiculous coffee habit!
Definitely add a denture bath to your list, even if you don't end up using the denture cleaning tablets (although there is a Polident one that is ONLY for retainers and not dentures) - it's better than stinking up one your bowls at home or something. I got mine at Shoppers Drug Mart for something around $5. They're pretty nifty!
February 11, 2015
You're the second person to mention the Polident for retainers...I'll have to take a look for that once I burn through the box that I already have. :)
Replies (14)
Hi! Â So happy to finally see your review published :D. Â
I've heard of narrow jaws causing snoring, but I've never heard of snoring causing narrow jaws! Â People mostly don't realize how important teeth are to overall health. Â Not just sleep apnea, but even keeping your teeth from chipping too much, having too many cavities (cleaning is improved with a great bite,) and so maintaining a a nutrient-dense diet (which requires teeth to chew food properly.) Â This is a major investment in your lifetime health and happiness--totally worth it! Â
Super excited to watch your transformation. Â We'll definitely need some close-ups of your teeth though, from different angles, so we can watch things as they progress ;). Â I know I have bad eyes, but I can't be the only one! LOL.
Can't wait for next week :D!