Invisalign update (aligner 10/24)

A couple of weeks ago I went back to Pure Orthodontics for a check up and to collect my next few aligners. They took some update photographs and polished up some staining around the attachments and had a look at the progress. The ortho was really happy and said I could start wearing each aligner for one week instead of two. I am so excited about this as it is going to speed up my treatment from what I thought was going to be 48 weeks, to potentially only 30. This also means I will be due to finish at the end of November this year rather than it carrying on into next year.

So how has it been? It has been absolutely fine. All the anxieties I had about brushing my teeth at work or in public were not needed. It is a bit of a hassle but I do it and it is not a problem really. I can definitely see that movement has happened. The two teeth that are either side of my front teeth that bothered me most as no longer sticking out so much. Looking at the video plan of my treatment all of my teeth are being pushed out to create room then will be pulled back in to form a nice straight line. The down side is that at the moment I know my front two teeth have been pushed out a bit and especially with the aligners on I feel very 'toothy'. But hopefully when they get moved back in I will be happy.

If Invisalign is something you are considering but putting off, I'd definitely recommend you to just go for it. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish!

If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments.

Starting my Invisalign journey

As a child, like many others I had braces. At the end of my orthodontic treatment I had lovely straight teeth. However, over the years my teeth have started to shift out of place again. Noticeably the two either side of my top middle teeth and also my three (I had one removed as a child) bottom middle teeth. Over the last year I had been considering Invisalign or something similar after seeing a number of Youtubers I watch going through orthodontic treatment and getting fabulous results.

I saw an advert in April for Pure Orthodontics in Chelmsford who were having an Easter deal and offering £500 off the treatment. I had heard of Pure as a reputable ortho in Chelmsford from a number of sources including my boyfriend's brother who has lingual braces from there. I gave them a call and got booked in for a free no obligation consultation.

From the moment I arrived at the consultation I felt very comfortable there. The staff were very welcoming and the waiting area looked very plush with its comfy arm chairs, water cooler and coffee machine. Not to meantion the round frosted glass treatment rooms with sliding doors. They took photos of me and my teeth from all possible angles and then sat me down to explain the options and prices.




From Pure Orthodontics Facebook page

I had gone there with Invisalign in mind and even after they had explained the other options, I still felt that was the best for me. I went home with the information pack and slept on it for a few days, then bit the bullet; gave them a call and made an appointment for my Invisalign scan. I also managed to haggle some more off the price, so it's always worth asking!

The scan is pretty easy. They have a hand-held scanner that fits in your mouth and it creates a digital imprint of your teeth (rather than the old messy impressions that you might have had as a teen). I had x-rays on my teeth that day too. Then I was told in two-three weeks I'd get a call to let me know when my Invisalign arrives.

The call came and they couldn't book me in for another three weeks! I was pretty disappointed to think that my aligners would be sat there waiting for all that time and I was wasting time in getting started with my treatment. I rung up the next day (and was planning to every day in protest) to ask if they had any cancellations. As luck would have it, they fitted me in that evening.



Starter kit

I went in and they showed me how to put my aligners in and remove them and gave me all the info I needed to know. You're meant to wear them 22 hours per day and you have to brush your teeth after eating or drinking anything other than water before you put them back in. They also gave me a starter kit which included Retainer Bright to clean my aligners, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste, floss and a box to keep my aligners.

Off I went with a slight lisp and everything I needed to make a start with my treatment. The lisp lasted no more than 24 hours, you soon get used to having the aligners in your mouth. The thing I was most dreading was cleaning my teeth at work after eating, which in fact hasn't been as bad as I was expecting. The worst thing has been having to refuse a doughnut at a work meeting because I couldn't whip my aligners out in there in front of everyone! :)

My first aligners

I'm almost 2 weeks in now and definitely ready for my next set of aligners. I'll keep you posted on my progress.