Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Invisalign Video Blog - 9 Weeks

I finally got a few minutes to create a video blog!

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

You had some cleaning questions?

1) Toothpaste is a bit abrasive, it makes the aligners clowdy. Antibacterial Soap and Water scrubbing with a toothbrush work great!

2) Retainer Brite (www.retainerbrite.com) is a great system. Has a tablet and a sonic cleaner

3) Align Technology (Makers of Invisalign) sell a cleaning system - it works AMAZING but very expensive compared to the above two options.

Hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

I honestly was wondering how thick the trays are. I know that is probably a stupid question but I have bleaching trays from my dentist and they are thick enough that they drive me crazy!!

Thank you for posting this blog you are really helping me with this desicion!

Sharon said...

I've never had bleaching trays so I can't compare them. What I can tell you is that they are so tight (at first, anyway) that they aren't too bothersome. Mine start to annoy me more towards the start of the second week when the teeth have shifted pretty well.

Anonymous said...

Retainers are about 0.040" thick. Aligners about 1/2 that.
More rigid than whitening trays.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for answering the question! I am a 32 year old mom of three and have been looking into this for some major crowding on my bottom teeth!

My 12 year old is getting braced, so I figured "Why not!"

I appreciate your honesty.

Anonymous said...

How long is your treatment plan? I have similar crowding issues like you and when I went for a consult they said it would take 14-16 months. I want to get them, but it seems so long. Also, they estimated that it would cost $7500!! I'm going for another consult this month to get a second opinion. Thanks for posting this!

Anonymous said...

I am a british viewer looking into getting the invisalign treatment over here in england and i just wnated t say thankyou for posting these blogs they are really helping me understand what the aligners are all about. I have a very unsightly underbite and this is a great non-surgical option which i am definaitly going to get now thanks to your blogs encouraging me that they are worth it. hearing your honest view on them gives me great encouragment that they are worth the £2800 i will have to pay! thankyou for your help sharon!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sharon!
I'm a wreck! I am on the way to invisalign, had my consultation last Monday and already made the impressions that they will send to the Invisalign company. I actually threw up when I had to keep that gooky stuff in my mouth for 5 minutes. Rough.
I'm so nervous... I appreciate your blogs. Please be honest, is it an extreme pain? A constant pain? What kind of pain would you compare it to? I am such a wimp when it comes to pain!
I'm also a bit disappointed that my ortho didn't inform me about attachments or anything before I decided to chuck out all this cash to pay for the treatment. That's kind of an important detail isn't it? Yours aren't noticeable... but I'm really worried that I will have to get some on my front teeth! And do they stay on for the entire course of the treatment?
I'm really nervous, please write more often... I need someone to relate to! haha

-Laura

Sharon said...

Hi Laura,

You really do sound nervous! To answer your questions...

Is it extreme pain? No, I wouldn't consider anything that I have experienced this far as extreme pain. The most painful moment so far was while eating after having my 2nd set of trays on for the first day. When my teeth touched it was pretty intense. That only lasted about a day. A few Tylenol helped with the pain. The other trays haven't done that too me yet.

Do the attachments stay on for the length of the treatment?

My orthodontist didn't put attachments on me until my 3rd trays. That gave me a chance to get used to the invisalign first. The are harder to get off an on at first with the attachments. They will now be with me for the rest of the treatment.

Hope this helps! Don't worry too much, so far nothing has made me regret my decision.

Anonymous said...

hey, thankyou for all the information you have given its really helped me decide what to do. i was just wondering weather you can suck mints i dont think you mentioned what the dentist said about that and also i was wondering what you allowed to drink and if you are allowed to drink alchol coz i go out alot and wouldnt like to think i would have to take them out when i was drinking, i read somwhere that you can only drink water, is this true?

Sharon said...

I never did ask about the mints. I picked up Listerine breath spray and it works pretty well. As for alcohol, Invisalign says water only. I have to admit that I have had a clear alcoholic beverage or two with them in and then brushed afterwards. I've heard of many others doing this as well. The idea is to clean the sugar from your teeth ASAP.

Anonymous said...

Hello Sharon..
im planning on getting invisalign..
does it hurt ? what did they make u do when u were getting it ? and how many weeks did it take for u to get it ?

thanks ;

-Maria.

Anonymous said...

Question-What is the realistic amount of time per day that you have the trays out for eating/drinking? I'm only in the first week, but dentist said they need to be in 23 hours a day, and that seems a lofty goal. I guess I miss my coffee/snack time...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for doing this. I have a similar situation with crowding on the bottom. I hope IPR will speed up the process to minimize treatment time. I'm so close to doing this now, thanks.

admin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
My Invisalign Clear Braces said...

I love your blog. I have also started my invisalign treatment now- on my first set of trays (5th Day)! The treatment is going to be 11 month long and I can't wait to have a beautiful set of teeth!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sharon,
I'm 15 years old and I just got invisalign two days ago. I have to be honest, I thought that they were pretty painful.Maybe it's just because I can't stand pain but my mouth is extremely sore. Also I think the problem is my tongue is soar, I guess the aligners are scratching/cutting my tongue.Did you experience this problem or is it just me?

-Valery

Anonymous said...

I just got my attachments and I can't understand why they don't tell you about them before you fork out all the money!
I'm so upset at the moment...I have 8 on the top and 6 on the bottom. Its the 5 across my top teeth (inc front) I hate.....
I really can't understand how it could be considered invisible.....

Thanks for your blog though...great stuff!

George said...

They warned me about attachments before hand. I agree they kind of take away from the 'invisible' aspect at least there are no wires and they are tooth colored. The bottom line to keep in mind is when its all over your teeth will be straight and beautiful. I just got fitted for Invisalign and cannot wait to get started.

http://my-invisalign.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Forma Dental Care
As an Invisalign doctor of 5 years I have also treated myself with Invisalign.
I had goofy teeth for over 35 years and was not going to have metal/lingual/white braces.
When I wore Invisalign I had a bit of tightness at the beginning and it got better with each new brace.
If you want to have successful Invisalign then you should be
1 told about the attachments
2 only have attachments if necessary.
3 get a dentist who is very experienced, they can minimse anterior attachments
4 dont have you anterior teeth filed down to make space
5 if you have full arch Invisalign then your dentist will expand the arches and create space at the back
minimising enamel reduction at the front
6 dont expect wonderful full arch Invisalign for only 1500 GBP. Prepare to pay for full arch Invisalign with built in refinement at the end.
7 there are some clinics with a few if no finished cases on their websites. This gives you an idea that they havent finished any cases or that their cases are not finished properly. check out
www.forma86.com soon as over 40 cases are going to be exhibited.
8 Any questions please email me
forma86@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

hello this is a great blog i think that there is lots of information also on http://www.invisalignguide.co.uk

tammy said...

hi. did you get ipr before you got invisalign on or during treatment thanks

Invisalign said...

The Invisalign aligners are pretty thin and many people get used to them after a few days. Speaking also takes a little getting used to.

Dentist Roseville said...

Thank you for posting that video. I'm sure that answered a lot of questions in the minds of people hesitant to get braces or retainers. The innovations make in Orthodontics as of late are quite advanced, so in turn people are more at ease having their set of teeth worked on.

Pete said...

sweet blog Sharon. We are starting our own blog to answer some common Invisalign questions. I hope your readers check it out in their quest for answers!

Glastonbury Dentist said...

I find invisalign a very effective treatment and very much suitable and comfortable to most people's lifestyle. Thus it is highly recommended by most dentists!

Teeth Whitening Allentown said...

I read over your blog. Interesting post and good looking site. I'm definitely going to visit again!

Doylestown Teeth Whitening said...

It’s always great to hear that those in the dental profession are expanding knowledge. Thanks!

Glastonbury dentist said...

If you have a missing tooth, and your dentist gives you a choice between the two procedures, we encourage you to choose dental implants rather than dental bridges. Clearly, there are more benefits to choosing it!

Anonymous said...

I nice post and lots of infromation about the provided treatment thanks
invisalign London

JgAbaba said...

Invisalign is a series of removable, invisible aligners that can help you achieve a confident smile without traditional brackets and wires. Invisalign create a series of custom fit clear plastic aligners that will gently shift your teeth into position.

Unknown said...

Invisalign aligners are the clear alternative to metal braces for adults, kids and teens. These clear aligners are the virtually invisible way to improve your smile.

james brownn said...

They did a good job but most of all they really understood. I'm very pleased with my procedures done by the doctor, I would like to thank you for everything.Emergency Dentist edmonton

Ouruniverse said...

Good to Read. Keep on Posting.

Invisalign Treatment
Dental Implant Treatment
Child Orthodontics
Orthodontic Treatment
Composite Bonding
Teeth Whitening Treatment