Invisalign, Day 1
Hi all! I'm back from Vegas and am suffering from the world's worst cold. Apparently, this year's cold and flu season is awful and I can fully attest to this. Ick! I stayed home from work on Tuesday, and worked only half a day yesterday. And I just got over that stupid sinus infection!
Anyhow, I had a visit to my dentist this morning and am now wearing my first set of Invisalign trays. This will be an interesting process, that much I can say. I get to wear 19 trays on my top teeth, and 16 trays on my bottom teeth.
For those who aren't aware of Invisalign, it's an alternate to traditional metal braces. Not only is it a nearly invisible process, but instead having your braces tightened each month, you simply replace your trays every two weeks. Each new set of trays has a slight difference so it gradually moves your teeth and straightens them out. So, that means I'll be in the trays for 9-1/2 months. Not bad!
(Sorry, no before pictures... I hate looking at "teeth only" photos, so I refused to take one of myself.)
My dentist put six attachments (little tooth-colored nodes) on my teeth to help the trays stay put, and overall it hasn't been too bad. I only notice the attachments when I'm not wearing the trays. And the only time I take the trays out is when I eat. In fact, there's no eating or drinking anything (other than water) while wearing the trays. So you could say that I'm on the "Invisalign Diet." Certainly helps with mid-afternoon snacking. :)
I've wanted to straighten my teeth for a long time now and thankfully my employer added adult orthodontia to our dental plan this year. By no means does it cover the entire cost of Invisalign, but it covered enough to make it worth it to me. If you're thinking about Invisalign, it's worth a trip to your dentist/orthodontist... at least to get a cost estimate so you can start saving up. Invisalign does cost more than traditional braces. :)
Don't ask how much I paid... I'm still in denial.
Anyhow, slight discomfort today. I took an ibuprofen to help with the pain and that seems to help. One of the hygienists at my dentist office this morning suggested that I put new trays in at night and then take an ibuprofen. That way, I'll sleep through most of the discomfort that inevitably follows putting new trays on. Good to note for later, but for now, I'll have to live through the "first day pain."
Oh, and I'm talking with a lisp, which is a constant source of entertainment for the girls as work. I'm told that will go away soon, though. Unfortunately, my name has an 's' in it... I can't even pronounce my own name without it sounding funny! :)
Anyhow, I had a visit to my dentist this morning and am now wearing my first set of Invisalign trays. This will be an interesting process, that much I can say. I get to wear 19 trays on my top teeth, and 16 trays on my bottom teeth.
For those who aren't aware of Invisalign, it's an alternate to traditional metal braces. Not only is it a nearly invisible process, but instead having your braces tightened each month, you simply replace your trays every two weeks. Each new set of trays has a slight difference so it gradually moves your teeth and straightens them out. So, that means I'll be in the trays for 9-1/2 months. Not bad!
(Sorry, no before pictures... I hate looking at "teeth only" photos, so I refused to take one of myself.)
My dentist put six attachments (little tooth-colored nodes) on my teeth to help the trays stay put, and overall it hasn't been too bad. I only notice the attachments when I'm not wearing the trays. And the only time I take the trays out is when I eat. In fact, there's no eating or drinking anything (other than water) while wearing the trays. So you could say that I'm on the "Invisalign Diet." Certainly helps with mid-afternoon snacking. :)
I've wanted to straighten my teeth for a long time now and thankfully my employer added adult orthodontia to our dental plan this year. By no means does it cover the entire cost of Invisalign, but it covered enough to make it worth it to me. If you're thinking about Invisalign, it's worth a trip to your dentist/orthodontist... at least to get a cost estimate so you can start saving up. Invisalign does cost more than traditional braces. :)
Don't ask how much I paid... I'm still in denial.
Anyhow, slight discomfort today. I took an ibuprofen to help with the pain and that seems to help. One of the hygienists at my dentist office this morning suggested that I put new trays in at night and then take an ibuprofen. That way, I'll sleep through most of the discomfort that inevitably follows putting new trays on. Good to note for later, but for now, I'll have to live through the "first day pain."
Oh, and I'm talking with a lisp, which is a constant source of entertainment for the girls as work. I'm told that will go away soon, though. Unfortunately, my name has an 's' in it... I can't even pronounce my own name without it sounding funny! :)
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full entry » posted on February 21, 2008 12:50 PM by Kristina |
27 Comments posted in |
I wish you to feel better soon. Rest, drink (water if you cannot drink anything else!) and rest again is the better way to get ride of that flu!
That's very cool; a woman in my office did Invisalign last year and it was very successful for her and hardly any of us even knew about it. It was only awkward in business lunch meetings where she had to somehow take out the trays before eating. Anyway - good luck with that. Hope you feel better soon; both with the tooth pain and your sickness. :-(
Beth (mommy to a busy 4.5 yr old)
Just wanted to tell you that I did Invisalign (at 45!)too. I worked for a dentist at the time and got a great deal. It is totally worth it and you will get used to the trays quickly. No more lisping and spitting soon - promise. And the "buttons" will be soon ignored - they truly come off when you get your braces off. Gotta agree on the nighttime changing thing. It helps. Soft breakfast (like yogurt)is a good thing on tray change 1st morning.
You are going to be so glad you did this - and didn't wait till you were 45!
My husband wore the invisalign to get his teeth straightened for our wedding pictures. Which he had to wear for the pictures, couldn't even tell. Every time you get a new set there will be a slight discomfort. BUT nothing like wearing the metal braces.
Make sure if they have a retainer plate at the end of the 9 months or whatever you use it for the longest amount of time possible.
I had 2 bad 'snaggletooth' teeth when i was a teenager, I had a similar sounding thing where it was a plate (but with the bar across the front) and you had a little key that you turned every 2 weeks to spread the 2 halves apart and it gradually straightened my teeth - It got my teeth perfect however the dentist i went to told me to only keep the retainer in for 6 weeks (when my mum was a dental nurse for an orthodontist it was 6 months) and gradually my teeth got crooked again - the least crooked tooth stayed straight and the worst one went to the severity of the best one before (if that makes sense) so it's still an improvement but i went through all that pain and stillhave crooked teeth.
Wish they had Invisalign back in 1982. I had braces on for 3 1/2 years, and got them off 2 days before my senior portraits were taken!!!!
They hurt, and I had to use wax on them so they would not hurt my gums.
Have fun with your plates!!!!!
That's exciting! I want to look into that as well, I didn't realize it worked so quickly!
Good luck working out that lithp, Krithtina! ;)
I am glad you shared this. I hate my teeth! Always have but am not interested in "metal mouth". I've heard of this but the talking/lisping thing is what concerns me most. I will be anxious to hear from you how soon it goes away! My job is to talk in front of people so I need to be able to still talk normal!
Hey----lucky you...know REALLY - I LOVE to get them too but it's not in the budget...too bad :( My sister-in-law is a Hygienist and she got hers a few months ago....be encouraged !!!! She's 1/2 way and they really work well. She 'lisped' a lot at the beginning but after a few days she was fine. You should definitely take before and after shots not just of your teeth though...as you don't particularly like that.....Just a nice head shot.
Hope you are feeling better soon !!!
Hey Kristina! They really do work, just do EVERYTHING your dentist tells you to (i.e. wear the trays after they are officially off). My husband got them right after our first child was born, he was 40! Within a few short months I could notice a difference. By the end, he was a new man! I looked at them at first with some skepticism, but the result convinced me! Good luck!
Good for you, Girly! I've thought about getting invisalign but just never bit the bullet....Oh ha -- no pun intended!! LOL! Anyway, I hope you'll give us progress reports along the way!
I almost laughed out loud when I read the title of your post. It just hit a little too close to home. My DH has been doing invisalign for a while now. I honestly can't remember when he started - it was either January '07 or *gasp* January '06. Yesterday he called me right after his *last* ortho appointment to tell me he got braces. I was all, "WHAT!! I thought this was supposed to be invisible!!" So I guess they just couldn't get the fine tuning done with the aligners and the dr. promised he'd be done with the braces in 3 months. I've decided that orthodontist time is like *dog years* and that you double whatever number they give you. Anyway, we've had a GREAT experience with invisalign and I know that once you get used to the trays you'll be thrilled with it. His teeth look SOOO much better. He always put the new trays in right before bed and I'm not even sure he took any ibuprofen, but it helped him to sleep through the first few hours. Anyway, sorry to share my life story. Good luck with your new teeth!!
Good for you! I am just finishing my series of trays (It has been a bit over a year) and am loving the results. People are still surprised when I tell them I have braces since they are so hard to see. I was even able to wear them during my wedding and no one even noticed.
Good luck, by the way, I found that a few advil were really helful on the nights that I changed the trays.
I've been thinking about them, but don't know if my dental plan covers them. I had braces back in junior high/high school, but now that I am 30, you can't even tell. (I think my parents got ripped off.) May be worth checking..... keep us posted.
Wow, I'm hoping the best for you. I also had tons of dental work done and also had a lisp ... it was just too funny!! But it was amazing when it was all over!! Hope the pain goes away soon !! and I certainly hope it doesn't interfere with MACM -- just don't talk....we'll understand!! :-)
I too had the Invisalign - the lisping will soon go away, and you'll be super pleased with the results!!
I've worked as a chairside assistant and office manager in a dental office for over 20 years. Now I work for a dental insurance company. The ADA code for billing is the same for Invisalign as it is for regular braces. So if you have ortho, you can get Invisalign. Even if you don't and you have a dental PPO insurance (not a DMO) if you go to a participating provider you'll get the discounted fee.
But, be careful. It isn't for everyone. People who have to move their teeth a lot, it won't work for. It isn't for anything more serious than an Ortho case 1 or 1+.
And, there have been reports that Invisalign causes perio problems but since it is pretty new, that hasn't been fully proven.
It's worth considering but it isn't the answer for everyone. Depending on whether you can do the "express" version or need the full version it runs about $6000 on average.
BTW - Your lisp will go away - happens everytime I get a new partial or denture.
Hi Kristina,
Wishing you a speedy recovery. Don't forget that stamping is the best medicine - Most effective when combined with chocolate!
Get well soon!
Melissa
You really should take a before photo!! If you don't, you will wish you had! It is amazing to see how quickly your teeth will change! In fact, if I were you, I would take photos at each tray change! My brother had them because his lateral (the teeth next to your top front teeth) overlapped his central (top front teeth) and now his lateral is in it's proper place and it really didn't take very long, just a few months! The dentist wasn't sure it would move because it was pretty severe, but it did with no problem!! Good luck with them!!
Congrats and Good Luck! I just got braces in December, (I'm in my late 30's as my brother was very quick to point out ...) the Dr. said the Invisalign wouldn't work for me, so I had to go the "old fashioned" route, but I am so looking forward to the outcome. Everyone I've talked to says having straight teeth is a huge confidence booster, and I've always hated mine. I'm sure the lisp will go away quickly. I know for the first few weeks I felt like I couldn't talk right at all, but that's gotten better this past month! What I've found most amusing from this whole experience up to this point is that all the kids at school (I am a HS Librarian) share their braces stories with me now -- much like people do when you're pregnant. It's rather funny :-)
Thanks for sharing about this. I had braces in junior high/high school but did not wear my retainer like I should have, well my teeth are not straight anymore. I have been thinking about invisalign but never know any one who had them to ask if they work. I'm so glad you post about them and hope you give us updates.
I hope you feel better soon.
Don't worry about how much you paid, you'll be glad in the end--my husband just got done with his Invisaligns and let me tell you--his teeth look frickin' amazing! Hope you're feeling better soon :-)
hie m'y names is vincent i'm a french guys, I just want to know if in few time you will realise a video, or photo about your new treatment, in france invisalign is a new technic's and there aren't a lot information about this, it's why a asking you, if you will make some information about this technic, and comment your impression with photo or video. thank you for your attention and good luck, see you on net.^^
Hi Krithtina, I too work for an ortho and here in Australia a lot of people have them too Good luck and I hope you feel much better soon! The lisping will stop and you will be fine. Hope the diet works too!
Thanks for a great blog!! Love love love MACM!
Cheers
Jane Sydney Australia
I hope you took pics~ before and after ones. You should post them!
I've been an Invisalign patient for the past 9 months - and have to say that even though the stickershock got me at first - I have to say that it's the best investment that I've made in the past year. The first 3 months were uncomfortable, with the changing of plates, but you get used to it. You also get used to constantly removing them when you eat and drink, and it TOTALLY helps cut down on the snacking! LOL! The only thing that I had a problem with was my upper retainers usually having a sharp corner - which I fixed just using an emery board and filing it off! I've had many comments on how straight my teeth look (I'm 36) so people will definately notice! I now have my permanent retainer on my top, and one more to go on the bottom and then my treatment is done! Hang in there - you'll love the results!