For those of you reading this who don't know what Invisalign is - basically, they are clear plastic retainer like trays that are "invisible" when worn. You wear each set of trays for 2 weeks and then switch to a new set which move your teeth a little more and eventually should end up with a perfect smile. :)
I'm starting this blog a about my journey a little late. I've had my
Invisalign braces for 20 days. I am currently on day 6 of my second set
of trays.
Consultation
I started this journey on May 11, 2012 when I first went in to get the impressions done and the 3D imaging of my teeth to send off to Invisalign to look at the possible outcome and make a final decision on if I was going to proceed. I was also given a quote on this day, but wouldn't know exact pricing until everything came back from Invisalign. The quote I was given was $5175. Gulp! (My dental insurance does not cover adult orthodontics at all.) That's way more than I ever wanted to spend on myself, but I had some time to think about it before I would have final pricing. I had some time to really comprehend what kind of payments that would be and could I really afford it. I also knew this was the one thing that had bothered me about myself for as long as I can remember and I previously worked very hard to lose well over 100 pounds, so I feel like I deserve it.
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| Start Picture - 5/11/12 |
Follow Up Informational Appointment
On June 6, 2012, I was called back in to view the videos below.
As soon as I saw the first video, I knew it was a done deal. I watched the other videos, listened to some explanation of what was going to happen. 23 upper trays and 16 lower. That's 46 weeks and 32 weeks, so about 11 months minimum, if everything goes as planned.
I was then told that it wasn't as complex as previously thought so the cost would be $4550 instead of $5175. AMEN! I was already set to pay more than that. There was no more question about it!
She then told me that as soon as I said I was ready to go, we would get started. I didn't even miss a beat and said I was ready to go now! :)
I was then sent to the financial person in the office to figure out how I was going to pay. In between appointments I had gotten approved with Care Credit and asked them to get me a line of $5000 so I was ready to go no matter what, and it would be no interest for 24 months. I was able to get the dentist office to work with me a little and I paid $2500 up front with the agreement that they would charge the rest after the first of the year so I can use FSA for the remaining balance. :) Pre-tax!
They told me it would be a week or so, possibly 2 for the first set of aligners to come in and they would call me as soon as they had them. That was the LONGEST 2 weeks of my life! I was like a kid waiting for Christmas morning! I called on day 9 just to double check that they didn't get them in yet and forget to call me. Then I called again on day 14 - that was when they told me they had just gotten them in (YAY!) and that they neeeded to set up an appointment with me
"What works with your schedule?"
"When's the next appointment you have available? I'll make it work!"
My appointment was the next day, June 21, at 10am. Again, like a little kid the night before Christmas. I could have slept in since the dentist is right around the corner from my house and I didn't have to get up for work, but I couldn't sleep at all that night waiting for Santa to come!
I walked into that office with the biggest smile on my face! They felt my excitement and seemed genuinely excited for me! :)
"Installation"
Then the fun part. They had to put 7 attachments on my teeth. 2 upper and 5 lower. They are the pink spots in the videos, which are actually tooth colored. They are little bumps that are made of the material they use for fillings and placed on the outside of teeth that need a little more turning and fine tuning and help hold the aligners in place.
I'm still a little self conscious about these being so visible on the top two teeth, but I keep telling myself that it's only temporary, and I've also been told that they aren't too noticeable to other people when I've asked them.
She also filed down the chip that had been on my right front tooth since 4th grade. It took 2 minutes and looked WAY better! I was told by a previous dentist that this would require a filling, which would probably fall out and need to be replaced, and insurance wouldn't cover it because it's cosmetic, so I never did anything with it. She made it look better but said that she would do more later when the teeth started coming together so they matched up nicely.
The dentist put the first set of aligners in for me and then had me take them out. She filed a couple of rough spots down for me and then had me put them back in to make sure I could handle taking them in and out. You have to be able to do this since you aren't supposed to eat or drink anything besides cool water with them in.
She gave me the next 2 sets of aligners, set an appointment for 6 weeks and sent me on my way.
Life
Off to work I went. They only hurt a little initially when she first put them in, I was now just trying to adjust to some foreign object in my mouth, that wasn't going anywhere for at least 11 months.
The next day Friday, I was going out of town. So now, not only am I getting used to the Invisalign, but now I have to figure out how to travel with it at the same time! Time in the car was weird, I couldn't drink pop or munch like I previously would during a road trip, which is a bonus! Then I had to stop and eat. The first time going into a restaurant and taking them out to eat, then going back and brushing and flossing before putting them back in was awkward, but I managed. I went to a concert that night and opted not to eat or drink anything except half a beer. I didn't want to carry my purse, so I didn't have the case to put the aligners in if I did take them out to eat anything.
On day 3, Saturday, I notice that my upper aligner feels weird. I take it out and find that it is cracked about half way across in between two teeth. I called the dentist first thing Monday morning and she ordered a new one that would take approximately a week to come in. I babied that upper aligner and somehow made it through the entire two weeks. Had it broke, I would have had to start all over with tray #1 when it finally came in on July 9, 4 days after I put my second of aligners in. That would have pushed me back about 2 1/2 weeks!
The Change
Week #3 finally rolled around and I could FINALLY change to my second set of aligners. I had read a lot of blogs and know they are not professionals, but had heard several times that people were putting in their trays at night to try to sleep through some of the pain. So instead of putting them in Thursday morning as planned, Wednesday night I took some Tylenol, and put in the new trays before bed. Holy hell I'm glad I did!!! This set was much tighter and caused an instant headache. In hindsight, this could have been from partially from the previous aligner being cracked and not fitting tightly enough to move the teeth, but I don't know for sure.
I almost switched back to the first set and then realized I would just be going through the same thing the next day. The aligners are marked on them which ones they are, I even took them out to make sure I didn't put the 3rd set in my mistake! The next morning I woke up with a little bit of a headache that was off and on throughout the next day, but not nearly as bad as the previous night. I'm on day 6 now and the pain is gone, so we'll see how the next tray acts next week. I'm not sure if I should really be doing this the night before, but I'm glad I did and I will check with the dentist at my next appointment.
So here I am, like I said, Day 20. I hardly notice the things anymore. People that I have told that I have them, ask if I have them in when they see me because they can't see them. :) I've gotten my eating/brushing/flossing routine down now. I do occasionally drink light colored sugar free liquids, but with a straw to try to prevent staining. (sugar free so the sugar isn't sitting under the aligners causing cavities) But like the dentist said, if they do stain, you get a new set after two weeks anyway! I'm still trying to prevent it though!
I forgot that I had the aligners in and took a bite of cantaloupe when I was cutting one up. It was a very strange feeling, but worked! LOL I will still try not to, because biting down on these things can deform them. I don't want to do ANYTHING that will prolong my treatment.
I forgot to mention, you are supposed to wear these things 20-22 hours a day. I haven't been timing, but I'm sure I'm wearing them at least 22 hours a day. Hopefully I can stay on track, everything goes smoothly and I won't need too much for refinements when this set is done.
Helpful Denist
I decided to ask the dentist for the videos and pictures they initially took. I received them via email last night and haven't been able to stop watching the first video because it excites me so much!
That is why I decided to start the blog, I wanted to share my excitement. I may ask the dentist if it's ok to mention
I'm really glad to have the pictures because all of the pictures I have I never wanted to show off my smile, so I don't really have a good "before" picture to compare to in the future.
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Thanks for looking! :)
