Caitlin's Invisalign Adventure

New Pictures!

Updated Pictures 4/13/15

Aligners In

Aligners Out

I know my mid-line is off - only real way to fix that was to remove a tooth. Not something I really wanted to do.

Keep Truckin' Along

Aligner 6 of 17

So ready to be finished! Not much is changing with these new aligners. I know they were only to focus on that front tooth, but whenever I change them, I don't feel any pain.

My next appointment is this Wednesday, which I'm going to see how the progress is going. Depending on what he says, I might finish then. The orthodontist told me we would end when I'm happy, which I think I'm good. Unless there are major issues, I'm ready to go "Aligner Free"!

Sorry for the lack of pictures - It's been hard to take them and have the new attachment's show up. I'll see if I can post some soon!

Square 1

I feel like I'm back at square one. I just had my refinement aligners with new attachments put in.

My attachments:

I have two on each front top teeth, and then one on the lateral incisor - It looks like I have dominos or dice on my teeth. Ugh.

I was originally told I was going to have 10 aligners, but I actually have 17. But, I'll be able to change aligners much more quickly - 7 days for the first, and then 5 days for the remainders and I should be done with 13 aligners before the wedding. My Orthodontist did tell me that he would end when I was happy. *I'm happy now, but I want everything done right.

I do have rubberbands again, but the attachment is on a different tooth this time. Instead of the bottom right last molar, its the one right in front of it.

I'll take pictures with my new aligners soon!

Refinement

So, I lied.

I spoke with my orthodontist, and he told me that if I wanted to do the refinement, I could start early and not go through the over-correction (last 3) aligners. I did the math and figured out that if I get the aligners back in time, I should be finished the week before the wedding.

Only negative to this - the only teeth he wants to fix are the top front two. That means, I'm going to have big attachments on my front two teeth. Just in time for my bridal shower and my bachlorette party. Yay... not.

I'll also still have to wear my rubber bands. Ugh.

I figured though, if I'm doing this,

I'm going to do it right.

Steps of Refinement:

Yesterday, I had my attachments removed. Honestly, the easiest and best part of treatment. So quick, no pain, nothing. It's so nice to have my teeth back. Nothing jabbing into my lips. People take it for granted, but running your tongue over your teeth is awesome. Don't judge. :)

I'm still wearing my current aligners (#17) and I will change to my 1st over correction aligner on Sunday. No more Acceledent until my refinement aligners get here, so after I'm in the #18 aligner, I'll just be in those.

He sent out the models yesterday, so I'm hoping I have the aligners back in about 2 weeks. He told me I'll need 10 more weeks in aligners, so that should bring me to the week before the wedding. I just hope everything gets processed quickly and I'm seen as soon as they come in. If I have to end a week early, I will. He told me he'd take the attachments off for the wedding and put them on again if I needed to, which is nice :)

Since my attachments are off, I'm going to do my whitening now, and then just a touch up the week before the wedding.

It's really nice having the attachments off. I'm happy with how my teeth are and would be completely fine ending today. But he sees issues, and I trust him. I want these babies to look nice until I'm 90.

Week #17

So Close, Yet So Far!

Just switched into my set #17 out of 20.

1 More Month!!

I should be finished on March 22nd officially! (It maybe sooner depending on how my over corrections go, but that's the last day for sure!)

So I wanted to write a bit of about the experience, a few notes that I wish people had told be before I got the Invisalign. Granted, my treatment was a bit different than others since I used the Acceledent, so I'm not sure if people had the same issues that I did.

Loose Teeth
After a few aligners, my teeth got very loose. Especially the ones that needed to move a lot. Sometimes I was worried by eating, and even taking the aligners in and out could cause the tooth to be lost. My bottom right lateral incisor and my top left middle incisor were extremely loose. Not sure if this was the case with everyone, but something I wish I was going to be aware of.

Food Restrictions
Okay, so when you get aligners, you're always told you can eat whatever you want. Some things, however, were difficult to eat. My top front teeth were sore for quite a bit, and I couldn't (and still can't) "rip" anything with my front teeth. Biting into apples, chewing Bit O'Honeys, and pizza crust still cause pain and I definitely have a hard time with them. I'm hoping that once I'm out of the moving aligners and using my retainers I should be okay.

Soreness
I knew that I'd have a bit of pain (my teeth are moving after all), but I wasn't prepared for all the pain and soreness I would have. Day ONE (which I did write about) was definitely the worst of everything. All the IPR, attachments and new appliances in my mouth at once were not a fun experience, and I was definitely not prepared. After that major pain diminished, every so often I'd have discomfort, either with a new aligner moving the teeth, or cutting into the gums/inside of lip/roof of mouth/tongue, or with the rubber bands pulling on my molar. I guess I knew pain was coming, but wasn't sure where and when it would present itself. I never had braces as a kid, so this was all very new to me.

IPR
I had no idea this was something I needed done, let a long on a repetitive basis. Inter-proximal reduction is shaving in between certain teeth to help with moving/rotation of that specific tooth. It's great to help things speed up, but definitely an uncomfortable experience. Along with between the teeth, shaving of the tops (edges) to make everything look flush and even is not a pleasant experience either.

Don't get me wrong, this is all completely worth it in the end. My teeth are mostly in their correct spots and I wouldn't trade it. I've looked back at old pictures with my smile, and noticed a complete difference. I never thought 1 tooth really would make a change, but boy did it!

I just wish I knew a few more tidbits prior to going in - so hopefully my experience can help someone else!

I probably won't check back in until I'm completely finished - so I'll let you know how everything turns out in 1 month! Can't wait :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! <3

It's the end of Week 15! Tomorrow I change into my next set.

After today, my bottom teeth are complete! I have 2 passive liners (my top teeth have 2 more aligners to go) and then I have 3 "OverCorrection" aligners which just make everything come together (aka no more gaps).

So on March 23, I should be done!

Unfortunately, there's a downside.

What happens 9 times out of 10, is the series of refinements. Once I finish this bout, I have my attachments removed, more impressions taken, and then have another set of aligners made for me. My ortho told me that would take 10 more aligners.

My current problem is that my midline on my upper teeth don't match my bottom teeth. My ortho gave me rubberbands to help speed that movement up, but it looks like it won't be enough by the time I'm done.

It's entirely my call - if I'm happy with my teeth at the end of these 5 weeks, I can call it quits. If not, I can continue onwards. I'm not sure what I want to do. I'll be moving after my wedding, so it might not be worth driving back for my visits, but we will see!

I love pictures, so here are my Week 1 Aligners vs my Week 15 Aligners.