Friday, August 1, 2008

Waiting For Refinements

My last appointment with the orthodontist was on July 21st. We both agreed that the bottoms look perfect and are done. There is a small crack in my bottom retainer but she said that isn't a problem and that I should continue to wear it full-time for 3 months. The tops, however, aren't quite finished. Even though my teeth look pretty straight, there still is some improvement to be made. She took some pictures of my teeth and will send them back to Invisalign and they will make refinement trays.

Since the bottoms were done, she drilled the attachments off. It was a happy moment to get rid of those! I can't wait until the last two on top are gone. Even though I am used to them, I still catch myself being self conscious of them.

Here are a few photos that I took (on my good equipment this time) to show my progress:





20 comments:

Colleen said...

Hi Sharon -

Thanks for the update on you invisalign experience. Your teeth look perfect to me. What else can invisalign do?

I hope my dentist is a perfectionist like yours.

I went for my first appointment this week - not a big deal at all. I just had anxiety handing over the money :).

Keep smiling. Colleen

Sharon said...

When you look at my teeth from below, you can see that the teeth on each side of the front teeth still aren't in alignment. The refinements will rotate those two teeth more.

Yes, my orthodontist told me that she is a perfectionist and that's fine with me! :) Especially when you hand over all that money! I know how you feel! Best of luck with yours!

Anonymous said...

Hey Sharon, your teeth look great! Like Colleen, I am praying my orthodontist will strive to get me perfect teeth. I was wondering.. are refinements extra money? If so, I don't think I will want them.

Happy Smiles!

Dragon (Karen) said...

Looking fantastic Sharon!

Good luck with your refinements!

Anonymous said...

Did invisalign make your midline perfect like that?

Anonymous said...

Your teeth are beautiful! Quick question - are your molar teeth touching in the back? Mine don't seem to be touching and I've heard that happens, then at the end they start to touch again. Any feedback appreciated...

Sharon said...

Thanks everyone for the comments and compliments! I don't think that Invisalign had much to do with my midline, but I'm not 100% sure. And yes like you, my molars don't feel like they touch the same as they used to when the trays are out.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

What did you use to whiten your teeth?

Anonymous said...

I actually have another question too. In your earlier video you said you had an attachment that kept falling off and eventually you had it put on with some extra strong glue. When that attachment was removed did it mark the tooth at all? The reason i ask is my dentist is quite far away and the thought of having to make 100 mile round trips every week for an attachment that has fallen off is not appealing. I was going to explain this to him and see if he could go right to the strong stuff, but wanted to check there was no risk of this marking the tooth once removed.

Sain said...

Hey Sharon! Your videos inspired me to get invisalign! My first appointment to see if I can even get the procedure is tomorrow morning.

I'm really curious as to how your refinements are going. I can't wait for another update!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your blog!! I had braces as a child but am now in my thirties and noticed some "shifts." I was considering getting the invisaligns but had no idea what the procedure would be like!

Your blog has helped me understand what I will be getting into!! I may wait, but I am thankful you have shown me what it will be like!

Sharon said...

Thanks for all of the comments!

To answer the whitening question...I'm a bit ashamed to answer this one but I used...Photoshop. I have not whitened my teeth since getting the attachments, as you aren't supposed to. I desaturated them a bit in the photos. (trust me those celebs in the popular mags teeth aren't THAT white naturally!) Once these last two attachments are gone, I'll be scouting out the latest and greatest whitening product.

I'm not sure what my ortho did to fix that attachment. It actually fell off a 3rd time but it was the last tray so she let it go.

Anonymous said...

I have had Invisalign. I started them over a year ago and after the first set of trays (13 upper, 11 lower)my ortho switched to spring aligners. They did nothing for my teeth. I don't know if I'm just a perfectionist or if they really are not completely aligned, but either way I am not happy with them. Everyone tells me they look perfect, but I don't see it. Finally, my ortho said if I want more refinements done I would have to pay for more spring aligners, however, his assistant realized I didn't go through Invisalign refinements and that I still have that option, for free. Is this normal for Orthodontists to try to refine the teeth on their own, even though I paid for the full Invisalign treatment process?

Sharon said...

My orthodontist told me from the beginning that if I wasn't happy with the Invisalign results, she would be willing to give me regular braces at no additional cost. Luckily it never got to that point. So, yes some orthodontists will try to refine the results on their own.

Bianca Jackson said...

Your teeth look great! I should say: Great job, Invisalign! Las Vegas dentists offer Invisalign braces, too. I hope I can get one since I really don't like to put up with the traditional metal braces. They eat a lot of your time just for cleaning. Don't you agree?

Anonymous said...

Did it hurt

Paul said...

Great stuff! You've inspired me to go down the same path. I will be documenting my experience also.

Anonymous said...

we all want to have a beautiful smile..for most people, achieving a healthy, beautiful smile is the reason for receiving orthodontic care. If you're self-conscious about your smile, correcting your concerns with braces will greatly improve the way you look and feel.

invisalign pittsburgh

Jensen Mott said...

Your teeth are amazing! Great decision getting invisalign. Toronto has a ton of dentists that do invisalign. If I were to do it, I wouldn't know where to start. Any tips?

Renee Yurovsky said...

Thanks for taking the time to share your journey with us post by post. I have been enjoying the updates in each one and the progress sounds like it went well. Have a fantastic day.
Dentist Philadelphia