Tray 3 with IPR

Last Friday was my first visit to the dentist since starting Invisalign. I already knew I was in for some IPR as she had forewarned me. I have to admit that I was pretty nervous about it because of the blogs I've read that detail the procedure and awful sounds associated with it but for me, it ended up being pretty underwhelming. I did of course check with my dentist first to see how wide or noticeable the gaps would be and much to my surprise she pulled out a handy cheat sheet made by Invisalign that showed a diagram of my teeth and where to do the IPR. I thought it was pretty ingenious. There were arrows pointing at which gaps to make wider with the exact measurement in millimeters. Seeing this brought me back to my first visit when I got the attachments. I wondered about this process for the weeks leading up to it and just like the IPR, it's so easy to do because Invisalign provides practically all the tools. They'd included a separate set of trays which were much thinner than the ones I wear, which my dentist used specifically for the attachments. All she did was fill the attachment sections of the trays with bonding and then stuck them on my teeth for a few minutes until the bond set. Viola! So after having gone through these two steps already, I feel it's no wonder that getting an Invisalign license is so easy these days.

Anyway, that was just a side note. So after the IPR, she put my 3rd trays in which again felt tight but not painful. I asked her about my habit of clenching my jaws in my sleep and she said it should be a problem because it's only affecting the teeth that won't actually move during this process anyway. She said I'd come back in another 2 weeks in case there is more IPR needed and then after that she'll send me home with more trays so I won't have to go as often anymore. Oh and as far as the new gaps go, they really aren't that noticeable, thank goodness. The only way I can tell is when I floss. Which reminds me of a thought I had earlier while flossing after lunch. I reminded myself of the IPR and that since I floss my teeth like a million times a day, I should be noticing the gaps closing in at some point but, I don't think anything has happened so far.

I asked my boyfriend this past weekend if my teeth look any different from day 1 and surprisingly he said yes. He said the top front already looks wider. I dunno......I think he's imagining things. ;) Although, I have to say, the one on the top to the right of front right tooth, does look a little straighter.

Tray 2

I changed to my 2nd set of trays on Friday night and boy were they tight! I don't know if I was just imagining things or if I really could tell which teeth these trays were meant to focus on. I felt the most pressure on my right, top, front tooth, and the entire front area of my bottom teeth. The next day, after taking them out to brush, my bite felt completely different again; as it did with my first set. Did anyone else notice their bite changing with each tray, especially this early in the process? I'm really starting to wonder if I'm just imagining these things, to sort of the will the process along, or if they're really happening.

I've also noticed when I wake up in the morning, that my jaws are clenched tight and I'm hoping this is not affecting the integrity of the trays. I'll be asking my dentist about that next week. I go next Friday, the 22nd to get my next 2 sets of trays and possible some IPR. Not really looking forward to the noise, but I know it has to be done. I'm also hoping my dentist doesn't shave off too much because I've been reading about this happening quite often.

I bought some Efferdent this weekend because I was getting really tired of scrubbing all the gunk off my molars, but I have to say, it doesn't seem to be much help. I brush and floss religiously after every meal and in the morning and night also with mouthwash, but my trays still manage to collect gunk particularly from the last two molars. I'm really trying to get better about brushing back there but I have a sensitive gag reflex so I don't stay back there for very long. Luckily though, I haven't had any problems with odor.

I'm going to take pictures of my trays when I get home tonight.....even though the difference I'm sure is minimal and not even noticeable. But, I have to give them back to my dentist so I definitely want to keep them for the archives.

3 days down, 7 months and 28 days to go!

So I finally got my first trays last Friday! I have to say, the worst part of all was the cleaning beforehand! I was scheduled for a cleaning this Wednesday but we decided it would be easiest to get it done while I was in on Friday....and boy was it brutal! My Invisalign dentist is not usually the one that cleans my teeth so I had no idea what I was in for. Let's just say, she's not the most gentle and I'm surprised I didn't pass out from forgetting to breath. Anyway, once that agony was over, she put the attachments on. For many days leading up to this point, I was very curious about how the attachments would be applied so I was oddly looking forward to this part of the process. The most memorable aspect was being an observer to the curious banter my dentist and the assistant displayed as they both had their fingers in my mouth holding the mold firmly in place. They were so close to each other that they were pointing out the oddities of each other's faces. It was pretty funny...guess you had to be there. Anyway, once that was over, my trays were popped in and off I went. I really wasn't sure what kind of sensations to expect but they were definitely tight! I had already had a headache for the past two days so I'm not sure if the tightness had any affect on that. Eating is a little different because my attachments cause me to bite the inside of my mouth. Did anyone else experience that? The second day my teeth felt a little tender and sensitive but definitely nothing to cry or complain about. Yesterday and today, everything is a lot less tight. I haven't really had any trouble getting my trays in and out, thank goodness! All in all, I've had a great first 3 days and am already looking forward to the second round!

My video....finally!

So my Dr is not 100% satisfied so these are preliminary shots. The bottom isn't completely symmetrical so she made a last minute submittal to have that fixed. But, at this point, I'll only have 13 trays and 7 months of treatment. The attachments are scheduled for the 3rd tray. I'm really happy with the plan, especially with how my front top teeth are going to look. It looks like my smile will be a little bit wider and most importantly, all my teeth will finally be in line with the front two. I can't wait to get my first trays and I'll definitely be updating on my progress!

Before


After


Before


After

Oh and by the way...

Total cost of my treatment is $5,500. This price includes EVERYTHING! I chose to put $2,000 down using my Flexible Spending account and I will make $150 payments every month until the end of the year. Next January, I will pay the balance with my 2010 Flexible Spending account.

In the beginning...

I have decided to get Invisalign because I have a moderately large set of two top front teeth and my bottom front teeth are slightly crowded. I've always fantasized about getting braces and fixing my smile but with two young boys I never thought it would be an option. But, about 6 months ago I took my oldest son to get his teeth cleaned and our dentist asked me to smile for her and she immediately recommended I get Invisalign. I didn't know much about it at this point but she explained the process to me and even showed me the computer software where she was working on another patient's model. At this time I was still working on rehabilitating my gums for the last year and half or so and had one procedure left to do which was a gum graft on my two bottom front teeth. My dentist said that she'd put the referral in that day and once I was done, we could revisit the possibility of Invisalign.

So here I am a few months later, having successfully completed the gum grafting and just went for my impressions last Friday, March 6th. I have to say, for me, it really wasn't as bad as some bloggers have described it. The dentist took lots of pictures, the most memorable being the ones involving these huge steel apparatuses that spread my mouth super wide. Then she took the impressions. First the top. She shot a pinkish goo in the tray and stuck in my mouth and held it there applying pressure to the roof for about 5 minutes. She then took it out and shot another grayish goo and reinserted. This was repeated on the bottom. For me, this was a pretty easy and uneventful procedure and I didn't gag once, contrary to a lot of the experiences I've read about. I too, have a sensitive gag reflex and always gag when getting teeth x-rays but this definitely was a cinch. She took one additional mold where she shot another grayish goo directly into my mouth and I bit down for about 5 minutes on that.

My dentist said that the process of working out my progression would take about a month, depending on how many times she needs to tweak the model since she very rarely agrees with what Invisalign plans at first. Her focus is going to be on my top front teeth where she is going to bring all the teeth surrounding the two in front, out, so that they're more in line with the front. I'm really looking forward to seeing the progression on the video and what my end result will be! I will post my pictures and video as soon as I get them!