Friday, November 14, 2008

An Update Long Overdue...

Where does the time go? I should have written this blog weeks ago! Forgive me, I am a stay-at-home mother with a photography career on the side. I'm always going this way and that way all at the same time!


Okay, My last appointment was in September. I pretty much felt like I was ready to be done. My orthodontist had previously given me the impression that I would not be able to get any further refinements. So, to my surprise she said that we could at my last visit. While we agreed that they look really good, she did feel that it might be possible to make more adjustments with refinements. I decided that I wanted to stop where we were. I'm really happy with the results and I honestly didn't feel like dealing with the Invisalign anymore. She also threw me another surprise. Previously she said that I would have to wear the last sets as retainers full time for 3 to 6 months. I think she could tell that I was ready for my freedom again. She said that I am an adult and I will know if I am not wearing the retainers enough, so just wear them at night. If they are too tight and hard to get on, I will know that I haven't worn them enough. Well, I've been doing this for a month and a half and have had no problems at all. And let me tell you how much I appreciate not having to think about where I am going to brush my teeth after a meal out! When I put them in at night, they don't feel so comfortable anymore. They didn't bother me too much when I was wearing them full time, probably because I was used to them.

I have a follow up appointment in December, if anything interesting comes up, I will post it here. (eventually - LOL!)


My apologies to those of you who left comments on my YouTube videos. I will be getting around to those at some point.


In conclusion, I am very happy that I did this! I love my smile now. I can stop obsessing over my crooked teeth. I can walk by a mirror and feel happy about my smile and not try to see if they look crooked in the lighting that I am in. Yes, it was expensive, but worth it in my opinion. I did it just for me. I'm sure glad that I did.

I'll leave you with a few samples of some commercial images that I modeled my new teeth in (and just an FYI, my teeth are not that white, they were enhanced in Photoshop):



24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your teeth look fantastically beautiful! Congratulations on completion. I'm waiting on my first set of refinements right now. My teeth look pretty and I'm almost there...just some teensy little adjustments. Just wondering if your back molars touch now? My teeth still feel a little funny when I chew...like they don't quite match... How about you?

Sharon said...

Thank you! My back molars don't feel like they touch the same way. I'm not sure if that's because they don't or because I'm used to the way the teeth meet with the aligners in. Best of luck with yours!

Alternative said...

If wearing Invisalign; there is new product on the market: BrytonPick - FLOSS In Seconds. It is a string-free, reusable and portable flossier that will save you allot of time on a daily flossing routine. Cleaning interdental spaces after every single snack is now discreet, easy and very fast....

Anonymous said...

Wow your teeth look amazing. Thank you so much for doing this site. You helped me to convince my parents to let me get them. Hopefully mine turn out as good as yours.

Maria - FashionFame said...

Wow, your teeth look really amazing! Your blog and videoupdates are really helpful. I just found out about Invisalign today so I'm very curoius about it... I've done some research but I haven't found anything about how much it really costs? /Maria

sare said...

Your teeth look great Sharon! I'm now on aligners #13 (out of 15 and 20 I think...). I haven't updated my blog since the beginning - life just got kinda carried away ;)

~sare

Anonymous said...

your teeth look great! i just started invisalign myself and had a question for you. i just realized that my trays don't actually cover ALL my teeth. They only cover half of my back molar. is that normal?

Anonymous said...

hi teeth are looking fab, im just about to begin my journey---done the moulds just waiting on the aligners. is your treatment finished noW?

Susana said...

Tus dientes se ven preciosos!! yo hace 2 meses y medio que llevo invisalign y espero ver muy pronto resultados.
Un saludo desde EspaƱa!!

Unknown said...

I had a hard time convincing my parents to let me have them. I showed them several pictures but still turned their head "no". Then one Sunday, I accidentally left my laptop open because I had to attend a Knoxville Orthodontics summer seminar. Then a surprise hit me when I got home. Believe it or not, I saw my Mom browsing your blog and even taking down some notes (because she's not the techy-type and doesn't know how to bookmark) about invisalign. After a week, she booked me to a knoxville dentist - and she even booked a separate date for herself. High five to your blog! It's a very big help! Keep writing and I'll keep reading especially now that we have something beautiful in common.

Miami Invisalign said...

Your progression is really good here!

I'm going to share your blog with some of our new Invisalign patients... This is fantastic stuff.

Anonymous said...

I am due to get my first Invisalign tomorrow. Your blog has helped me calm down! Thanks!

Quincy Dentist said...

nice teeth huh.. dental flossing is really important. very helpful blog. thanks

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Tarah said...

That's great that the Invisalign braces worked so well for you. I've heard a lot of great things about them. They are such a great alternative to typical braces. I'll have to visit a miami invisalign center and see what they can do for me.

invisalign teen pittsburgh said...

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.

Andreja said...

I have started with mine yesterday . King of getting used to not much pain ,which is good. Can't eat every 3 h like I used too but having 3 meals instead . Taking them off last night for dinner for the first time was painful . But the only worry is I an single and what of I meet someone that I like how an I going to kiss him:)...

Tara said...

Yours look so lovely! I can't wait to get started on invisalign, it will be amazing!

Unknown said...

Your teeth look awesome! I've always wanted straight teeth but I really don't want braces. A few of my friends have recommended getting Invisalign. It would be nice to have my teeth being straightened without anyone noticing, so maybe I'll look into it. Thanks for sharing your experience! http://www.myguelphdentist.com/index.php/services/invisalign/

Deane said...

You have now a perfect beautiful smile that you can wear all day :). Invisalign is one of a good treatment if we'd like to have our teeth straighten or aligned, maybe a bit costly for the pocket but worth it.

Unknown said...

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