Just when I thought they weren't noticeable!

I can't believe it. I had dinner the other night with someone that I have never met in person before. We had only communicated via email and website forums. She had no idea about my Invisalign treatment. About 20 minutes after getting our food and chatting, she says "So, what is that, pointing to my mouth, are you wearing braces?" I was shocked!! These are my last trays and not a single person has appeared to notice my Invisalign! She's a fellow photographer and we do tend to be very aware of small details. She said that she noticed them from 10 feet away! Now that's observant! I'm starting to feel paranoid now. I'm wondering how many people have noticed and were afraid to ask!!

8 Month Video Update

You have to pay $400 for an Invisalign retainer?

At my appointment about a month or so ago, my orthodontist told me that she would make me a retainer and that it would be less clear and more flexible and than Invisalign. I wasn't very happy about that since I'm already used to the way Invisalign looks and feels. So, I go back yesterday because I lost an attachment and she now tells me that the last trays will be my retainers. She clarified her mistake about the other retainer and that's fine, I didn't want to get used to something new. What upsets me is that my last trays will still have the bumps in it for the attachments. (which will be removed once we are done with these trays and possibly refinements) I wouldn't mind this much if I only had to wear them to bed but she told me that wearing them 3 months full time is best. (luckily it isn't necessary to have them in 22 hours per day like new retainers)

After expressing my concern about having to use a retainer with the attachment bumps, she then tells me that Invisalign offers an "Insurance plan" for $400 which gets you retainers with no bumps every so many months. This is very disappointing to have spent so much money on these and I can't even get a "bump-free" retainer from Invisalign without spending more??

15/16 U & 15/15 L

Wow, I can't believe I'm almost done! (unless I get refinements, of course...) I just have to say that I fully expected the last trays to be the easiest. I figured that the teeth are pretty much moved into place and the movements would be minor. Well, my assumptions were wrong! I just started 15/16 on top and 15/15 on the bottom last night and OUCH did it hurt getting them out this morning. The bottom was so tight that it ripped one of the attachments off when taking it out for breakfast. So it's back to the orthodontist next week to get it back on. My next scheduled appointment is on July 21 and it will be decided if I will get refinements or a retainer. The one tooth that I mentioned in my last post still seems a little out of place so it it doesn't change by next month, I probably will get the refinements. And that will be okay since I expect perfection with the price that I paid. :)

I haven't had time to do a video and a lot of you on YouTube have been asking for an update. I will get one out soon, hopefully. I have so many things going on that it's hard to find a few minutes to throw one together. Thank for all of your messages, comments and feedback and also for sharing your Invisalign stories.

Have a great weekend!

Getting Closer To The End

My orthodontist was very pleased with the results so far at my appointment last week. She decided to give me the last 5 trays. I'm still very happy with the way they look. It's amazing to be able to see the progress! I'm now on trays 12 of 16 and could possibly be done in late July. There is an issue of one of my front teeth appearing to be slanting a bit, but she will evaluate that in July. She will take x-rays and if the root is not straight, I will get refinements. It's a tooth that has bonding on it and it's quite possible that by shaping the bonding better, it will no longer look that way.

If she decides that I am done in July and need no refinements, she will remove the attachments. She will make a new mold of my teeth and make a retainer for me in her office. I'm a little nervous about the retainer because she said that it isn't as flexible or clear as the Invisalign aligners. She's thinking that I will have to wear it full-time for 3 to 6 months. I'm not to excited about this but am thinking that it isn't as critical to get 22 hours a day in since it's a retainer. (I need to confirm this thought) I'm looking forward to going out and eating a meal, going out for coffee or a snack and not having to worry about brushing my teeth!

Here's another snapshot of the progress:

IPR - Interproximal Reduction

IPR, what's that? That's what I thought the first time that I heard it too. It's the formal term for tooth shaving. When you have a crowded mouth they have to make room for the shifting teeth, so they need to slenderize some of them so they can straighten out and fit in. Today, I had this done for the first time. I was a little nervous, however, I read online from other Invisalign wearers that it's not a big deal. And, they were right. There is no pain involved. Just a little concern that some of your teeth are being shaved and your hoping that your orthodontist has a steady hand! I hear that there are two ways for this to be done, one by a drill and the other with floss that is like sand paper. My orthodontist used the drill. It has a small disk at the end of it that she slides between the teeth. I can see a difference where some of the tooth has been removed. She said that she will do a little more at my next visit since a couple of my teeth aren't aligned enough yet.


I just started trays 9 today and I have to say that I am really happy so far! I can really see a difference! Even my husband (who didn't think that I really needed this to begin with) complimented me the other day about how good my teeth are looking. I'm so excited that this is going so well! As long as everything continues to go well, I should be done with this late July. I may need a few refinements, because my orthodontist claims that she is a perfectionist and that's okay with me. When you pay this much for something, you want perfection!

Seeing Results

I just started tray 6 on Monday. I had an appointment to get the next three sets of trays and be checked out by my orthodontist. She was very happy with the way things were looking. It's really exciting to get the new trays to see the improvements! I have 6, 7 and 8 now (out of 16 top and 15 bottom). I like to take out tray 1 and compare it to the most recent tray that I have.

I can honestly say that I can see things changing. The tooth that sits on top of my front tooth has moved back a bit and my two front teeth are slowly moving to be side by side! This is really exciting to be able to notice a difference! I have to go back to the orthodontist when I finish tray 8 on March 24th. She said that she will be "slenderizing" (tooth shaving in other words) some of the teeth. I can see why this needs to be done with a crowded mouth. I'm not sure what it's going to feel like, but I can't imagine that it's pleasant. She will either be using something that is like floss that files the tooth down or a drill. It depends on how things look when I get there.

So here's a side by side from the original snapshot to one that I just took this morning. It's not a huge difference, but it's good to see some change!