Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Checking in on the Invisalign blog!

Wow! I can hardly believe that it is nearing 5 years since I decided to take the plunge into the world of Invisalign! When I look back, it seems like it was such a fast process! (although there were times that it felt like it would last forever...) Believe it or not, I am still using my last two trays as retainers! I sleep with them in maybe about once a week now. Honestly, I cannot stand them in my mouth anymore. I try to use them once a week to make sure that my teeth have not shifted. That was a lot of money to invest and I want to be sure that my results last a lifetime.

Here is a recent image of my teeth, all still in the right place!



Thank you for all of your comments! It makes me happy to know that this blog has been useful to so many of you. Good luck with your orthodontic adventures! :)

54 comments:

Jeannette said...

Haha, I got my first set of trays (and 9 attachments, eww) a few hours ago, so you couldn't have posted this at a better time! If that's not encouraging, I don't know what is.
I read your blog so many times over the last six months, and I now firmly believe that I can go through with this, so thanks a lot for sharing your experience.

Dentist Stoneham MA said...

Great Blog!! That was amazing. Your thought processing is wonderful. The way you tell the thing is awesome. You are really a master.

Dentist Stoneham MA

advancedcaredental said...

During first evaluation, dentists will helps to determine if Invisalign® is a good option for you. Dentist then design a treatment plan and take tooth impressions, from which Invisalign® will develop accurate, personalized tooth-straightening devices, called aligners. Aligners slide directly over teeth and are replaced every two weeks as teeth shift into place. Depending on case, invisalign need to wear them full-time (except when eating or drinking) for 12 to 24 months. No longer than to wear traditional metal braces—and see the dentist about every six weeks for check-ups.

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Anonymous said...

Thank you Sharon so much for your time, it is very nice of you to share your experience. I just finished reading your whole blog from the very beginning and i feel so much wiser now, as i'll have the impressions taken of my teeth for the invisalign treatment next week. I can't wait to begin my own journey after seeing your results. Your teeth look so beautiful, you must be very happy. I'm certainly happy for you. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts.

Anonymous said...

You are such a friendly person and so awesome to share your orthodontic story! I am on my 3rd tray and there will be 16 in total, so I should be done around September. I was never told in advance about the attachments, and it annoys me greatly that Invisalign's website doesn't mention them at all. I have a few that I don't mind at all, but the one that bothers me is on a darker tooth and the attachment is too light and doesn't match. It looks like a little barnacle. In evening indoor light it's hardly noticeable, so I'm more confident in evenings :-). But, I am forging ahead and this commitment makes me feel stronger and braver. I also have crowded teeth like you do. but I like your teeth a lot more, because they are whiter. I can't wait to see my results! ~CC

Anonymous said...

I am absolutely hating this process (I started my third set of 13 two days ago). I am thankful to have found your blog. It gives me such hope. If my teeth look half as good as yours when I'm finished, I probably shouldn't be complaining.

Orthodontist in Las Vegas said...

Wow! Congratulations on your new smile! I am impressed with your commitment to wear your last set of trays at night every now and again. Smart move, you want to make sure your invisalign investment lasts forever.

Anonymous said...

It is so wonderful to read all these posts of people who had them or just finishing. It gives me hope and motivation.

I just started mine 2 days ago!!

I am also going to keep a journal of my experiences here:

http://lifewithinvisalign.blogspot.com/

Dr. Warren DDS said...

What a nice ibute to your hard work against the pain, time and cost of the invisalign process.

NY Orthodontist said...

Hi there,

We'd love to interview you about your invisalign experiences to help others.

Let us know if you're interested.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Loved your blog. Wish I had thought of it. A great idea for a future blogger would be a 1x/week photo so we could see a timelapse video of progress over time after treatment :)

I JUST finished my treatment plan of 22 trays (approx one year or 44 weeks. I ended up wearing the last set for like 5 or 6 weeks due to orthodontist vacations, appointment postponements, etc. My insurance covered $2000., and I paid a down payment of $1,200. After that I had to pay $88 monthly for 18 months. Grand total of $4,784 but only $2,784 out of my pocket over 18 months. I could have paid more per month with a lower or non-existent down payment.

I've been in my retainers for about 1 week now. They are still snug when I snap them in at night. I only wear them for about 7 hours a night so that might be part of the problem. The retainer was included in my treatment program, but it is just the one set not 4 over the course of a year for an extra $500. My biggest concern now is keeping them clear. I bought a year's supply of retainerbrite .com, we shall see.

The Invisalign process for me was not too bad. The first set I wore three weeks, and then 4 attachments were added for the remaining sets. Funny thing about them, I thought they had some magic way of removing them. They do, lol, they use a dremel type tool and grind them into oblivion when you're done. Fortunately no marks or stains so you can't tell they were ever there. That and the occasional brief filing were the least pleasant part of my treatment program.

My orthodontist admitted he had largely lost faith in Invisalign, but my treatment restored it. Apparently, the vast majority of people don't wear their liners with discipline.

I wore mine generally overnight from 10 pm to 6 am. Then they were out from 6am to about 9am (commute to work with coffee, breakfast, etc). Then wore them from 9am to 10:30, popped them out for a quick snack and then back in until 1:00 pm. They were out from 1:00pm to 1:30 for lunch, and then out again briefly around 3:30 for another cliff bar or whatever. Then I wore them from 3:30 until dinnertime about 6pm, at which time they were out (post-dinner wine, etc) until 10pm. That cycle pretty much repeated every weekday for an average daily wear time of about 18 hours. I brushed and flossed prior to putting them in at night, and brushed again in the morning while the trays were cleaning in either denture cleaner (apparently NOT recommended by Invisalign) or hydrogen peroxide. I used the peroxide daily to 'freshen' them up. I brushed after everyime I ate or drank anything besides water. Doing that all day long (after coffee/breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, anything else that came up, and dinner/wine) was the biggest pain in the butt to the entire treatment program for me.

Hope this info is useful to someone.

invisalign wexford said...

having a brace that would correct our teeth that would improve the way we wanted and when the treatment is done we would have a smile that we always make us look good..Orthodontic appliances are made of metal, ceramic, or plastic.it would also make us comfortable and confident..

Unknown said...

That's great that it's working out so well for you. I actually had braces for about three years but used they used invisalign as a retainer for me. For my friend in miami invisalign was the best thing since sliced bread for her. Do you feel that it's the best way to go? I know someone who is thinking about doing it and wondered what you think.

Braces Invisalign Glendale AZ said...

hey this is my first visit to your blog.... i liked really enjoyed your post... hopefully i expect more interesting stuff like this...

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am currently on the invisalign treatment on the 24th tray on 28. I am a bit concerned because at the end of my treatment my upper teeth won't be aligned with the lower teeth, meaning.The spacing between my upper central incisors and the lower ones won't match according to the little video and the orthodontist is trying to convince me that i don't need refinement because this imperfection won't really show. So i'm concerned that my teeth won't look perfect enough for the money I spent. My question is how many rounds of refinements were included in your contract. I want to know if i'm not satisfied after the first round if I will be allowed to ask for more rounds until I am completely satisfied??

mike1000 said...

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Unknown said...

How much does invisalign cost, on average? I've been looking into getting it for my teeth, but I'm not sure I want to spend that much money. My good friend down in Charlotte swears by it though, so at least I know it has some good reviews.

Alvin Payne said...

Hi, great blog. I'm glad to see your story about your progress with invisalign. You've gone through quite the process, but i'm happy for you.

Unknown said...

Good to know that you are now enjoying the benefits brought by invisalign. It really pays to visit a local orthodontist manhattan beach.

Alberto climber said...

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Unknown said...

What am awesome transformation! Who knew that's what could happen if you tried invisalign oakville! Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

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Anonymous said...

I am glad that it works well, I am a bit nervous as I just got them yesterday, except I have 16 buttons, 31 pairs of trays, and they are quite painful. I will put up with it though if it shows good results! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Wow! It’s been a long journey.. I'm doing invisalign right now. So, I'm not sure how well they work yet. Anyway, I bet you’re happy now and satisfied with the result.

Unknown said...

Your smile looks fantastic! I had invisalign 2 years ago and I use my last trays as retainers too! I am just so worried that they will go back to the way they were before I started and I definitely do not want that!

sillhouine said...

Beautiful results! How well does invisalign work? How long of treatment did you go through to get these results? Im looking for invisalign in charlotte. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Unknown said...

My brother is looking for some place to get invisalign in Oakville. Any suggestions? Thanks for this blog.

Invisalign Oakville said...

Thanks for your comments. Your teeth look great! I want to get invisalign so your FAQs really helped me. What age would you suggest to get invisalign? is it more of a cost thing than anything?

Unknown said...

I love these new teeth care products. I have been looking to get a new set of invisalign in Willowbrook, IL. It's a great product and I would also highly recommend it.

invisalign pittsburgh said...

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Unknown said...

That is amazing! I just heard about invisalign, and I think that it could be really useful, I will have to see if they have invisalign up in Toronto. My Brother lives up there, and his teeth have always been crooked, and I think that he would like having them straight.

Unknown said...

I am looking for a clinic that does invisalign in Charlotte. Does anyone have a recommendation for one?

Clear Braces Orthodontics said...

Thanks for the information about your experiences with Invisalign or braces. Keep up the posts. Love the site.

Unknown said...

I am really looking into getting Invisalign. A few of my family and friends have got it and they liked it. I have some corrections I want to make to my teeth but I don't want to get actually braces at this age.

Alena | http://www.lowdersmiles.com/invisalign

Jas davis said...

Invisalign is long process but if properly the result are worth all the efforts, thanks for the this wonderful blog looking forward to it

jack said...

Invisalign is long process but if properly the result are worth all the efforts, thanks for the this wonderful blog looking forward to it

Invisalign in London said...

Thanks for sharing your experience. enjoyed your blog!

Unknown said...

I think it's awesome that we have things like invisalign to help us have better lives. It's crazy to see how far dental technology has come over the last decade. I'm grateful to live during a time of amazing technology and knowledge.

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Invisalign Midtown said...

Interesting.. Hi Sharon, we are Invisalign dentists in Midtown and we always recommend this blog to our patients. Real Invisalign experiences as that of yours help them give up their fear and make their Invisalign process more comfortable. Really thankful for this. Keep sharing.

How much does invisalign cost said...

Nice post

Unknown said...

Invisalign is such a great invention. I have a couple friends who have used this product and have seen amazing results. After reading this post I have considered using them myself. Thanks for the read.

http://www.oasisortho.com/Treatment/Invisalign.aspx

Unknown said...

Invisalign is a great invention, it helped so much people to build their confidence with nice smile. invisalign las vegas

Unknown said...

Your smile looks absolutely lovely! I have been thinking about getting invisalign for a while. I am self-consciences that my teeth aren't straight, but I think I would be even more embarrassed to have braces. That is why I was thinking invisalign would be a good option. I am encouraged by your success! Thanks for sharing your experience! http://www.maloneydental.com/library/1973/Invisalign%26reg%3B.html

Unknown said...

Your teeth look amazing! That honestly looks like a stock photo of a smile. I like it even better now that I know what you had to go through to get it that way. It certainly didn't happen overnight, but the braces were worth it. http://www.orthodontist.com.au

Kriger Orthodontics said...

Your smile is looking charming and very beautiful. As an Orthodontist I will surely suggest this blog to my patients. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with us and it will be very helpful for those people who are afraid of the Invisalign treatment.

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Anonymous said...

Great Blog!! Orthodontics plays a major role in cosmetic dentistry. When most people think about orthodontics, they think about braces. Invisalign braces are the latest advancements in teeth straightening. Invisalign Dentist

Addisonf said...

Your smile looks charming and very beautiful. As an orthodontist I will definitely recommend this blog to my patients. We have a brand in London "Ecladent" we work on invasilign braces, dental implants London, Botox services in short, we treat the customer in all aspects and they give a great feedback with their smiles. Thank you for sharing your personal experience with us and it will be very useful for those people who are afraid of treatment with Invisalign.

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Leo said...

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