So, this happened this week…I started Invisalign. Trust me when I say it wasn’t on a whim. I’ve been thinking about this for a long, long time. At one of my regular dentist visits I casually mentioned how I was concerned that my front teeth were looking crowded. She pointed out that I have a “deep bite” and that my teeth are pointing toward the back of my mouth rather than straight up and down.
You know how when you realize something about yourself, that hadn’t really been on your radar before, it’s all you can think about? My back pointing teeth were all I could see. Before I had been a little worried about my slightly crooked front teeth and pronounced canines. Now all I could think about was my toothy grin. I made an appointment with an orthodontist to talk about Invisialign and discovered I was a good candidate. I’ve never had braces so I don’t have anything to compare it to but traditional braces didn’t appeal to me.
One entire year later and I am finally on the path to straight teeth. We never do anything in a hurry and Dear Husband had to tinker with the budget to figure out where which one of our 19 ING savings accounts the monthly payments would come from.
So what was the initial visit like? I’m so glad you asked.
First they took two x-rays of my head. Not just your standard dental visit x-ray but space age looking machines that rotate around your entire head to get a complete picture.
Next they needed to scan my teeth. Apparently, an older way of getting teeth impressions involves trays filled with goop that slides down the back of your throat. No goop here. The new version of tooth impressions involves a scanner. They used a little laser scanner to scan the front and back of every tooth. The scanner blows air into your mouth during the process to dry off the teeth it is scanning, so it makes your mouth extremely dry but you are able to stop and rewet your mouth. The scanning process took less than 30 minutes but I was a good girl and sat very still. The more wiggly you are, the longer the scan takes. I asked which gave a more accurate impression of teeth, the scanner or impression trays. The scanner wins.
All of my information; x-rays, teeth scans and measurements were sent to the Invisalign factory where all of my aligners will be made specifically for me.
Next visit:
Two weeks later I was able to pick up my first two sets of aligners. The hygienist and doctor went over the process with me and answered all of my questions. I go back in four weeks for a check up and to get new sets of aligners. Each new set of aligners is kind of like when traditional braces are tightened. The aligners will slowly move my teeth to the desired position. The entire process will take 18 months and 32 sets of aligners.
In this video I talk about what it feels like to wear Invisalign, getting used to them and the things I can’t do with them in.
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