Invisalign tray 9 update - with close up picture of the attachments

Hi everyone, 


So I thought it's about time I update my blog with my Invisalign progress. I am now on tray 9 of 14 so well over half way through. My opinion...I could not be more amazingly impressed with this treatment! The time is flying and I am more excited than ever about how close I am to the final stages of treatment and results. Since my last blog on tray 7, each week has just been easy..I make a note in my calender so I know when to move onto my new tray, its all in my hands so I feel so confident with it. No problems at all with putting it in and I expect the tightness for the first few days after a new tray so no nerves there now with that..taking it all in my stride and I'm actually enjoying the treatment and showing off my before and after pictures to anyone I talk to about it. People are so shocked to see the difference and I cant help but beam with pride about it!

I am not a perfect patient..I have forgotten a few times after lunch to put my invisalign back in for a few hours if I have been really busy, so you really need to try and make a conscious effort to remember so not to fall behind and its recommended its worn for at least 20hrs a day, but either way this hasn't caused any problems for me. I was worried when moving to the next aligner it might not fit or something but it was totally fine, thankfully! 

So below, I have attached a recent close up picture of my teeth in this current stage. It's just taken on my camera phone but you can see the attachments really clearly and where they all are. So that should help anyone who is concerned or worried as to how they may look as I really was a bit concerned before starting treatment. Someone would have to be looking really closely to notice them and even if they did they would have no idea what they are as they are so discreet and the exact colour of my teeth..I'm not sure how they managed that!? Either way, I would just like to reassure anyone that they are really discreet and I looking back I wonder what I was worried about.

Invisalign has been a breeze for me so far. Yes, it does feel tender
 during day 1 of aligner-changing but I like that kinda pain!! It means my teeth are moving so that's fine by me! :D

And also my teeth are now A LOT whiter! My oral hygiene has never been very bad (brush twice, rarely ever floss) but it has never been particularly good either.

Now with Invisalign I feel icky if I don't brush after every meal. So flossing and brushing at least 3 times a day. How to not have super clean and sparkling teeth??

I am looking forward to visiting my dentist in a week or so and progressing further with this treatment! Will update again soon.

Thanks for reading xxx

Tray 7 of 14 and a the last "spacing" treatment

Today I was  back to see my Dentist Dr Suki to collect  my Invisalign trays 7,8 and 9 and to have the last of my "spacing" procedure done.

Again as before, the spacing was minimal and done on just one tooth, completely painless and over within a minute. Its such a minor procedure that has a huge effect of the teeth movements and assisting with creating the space for this.

I just wanted to point out today, that after speaking with other people who have had the regular "train track" braces in the past and hearing of their painful and unpleasant experiences, they seem to be shocked to know that the Invisalign treatment I am having is COMPLETELY painless. There is no tightening of the wires that they had experienced or huge pressures put on the teeth. Everything with Invisalign is pain-free, convenient  yet effective and fast. I feel in control of the treatment as it is left with me to make sure I use the Invisalign consistently.

The most difficult part of the Invisalign treatment for me, was the first tray and those first 2 weeks. Looking back now, I wonder what I was moaning about! I just think with anything new, it is just adjusting to it and becoming comfortable with the treatment and just giving myself time to adjust to speaking with it in and feeling confident and comfortable with using it. Using it now is just like second nature, I don't worry about it, I forget it's there most of the time and I enjoy the knowledge that everyday I am a step closer to having a perfect smile.

Looking forward to these next 6 weeks of treatment and seeing further progress!

Tray 4 of 14 and there is huge improvement already!

So I am now already on my 4th tray of 14...the time has been flying as I am now in my 8th week of treatment! 

I have to say that now I am fully into my treatment, the aligner just feels so natural to me. That 1st week was pretty difficult for me to get used to the feeling of the aligner and removing it was particularly uncomfortable for me.  But now I actually enjoy the feeling of the new set of aligners each fortnight as the tightness in the 1st few days of a new set lets me know its doing its job. I just make sure I put new trays in of an evening before bed. That way I don't have to worry about taking them out for a good 10hrs.  I am now in a routine of brushing my teeth and aligners morning, after eating and at night and will brush the aligner with my toothbrush each morning and evening too. It takes seconds to remove and put back, I do it whilst at a dinner table if nobody is watching lol! I love that I don't need to look in a mirror or fiddle around with it, its just so easy. 

The other great news already, is that my two front teeth are already no longer crossed over! They are almost completely straightened out! I honestly cannot believe how quickly this change has happened especially as my treatment is still in the beginning stages..but I LOVE it! I have noticed that I am already smiling more confidently and several of my closest friends and family have mentioned to me that they can notice the change already in the front teeth...AMAZING!

I think part of the reason for such quick results might be something to do with the 'spacing' that my dentist, Dr Suki has now done twice during my visits there to collect my aligners. The 1st time was during my 1st tray when she applied the mini-attachments and drilled in-between selected teeth...this was completely painless and just felt like I was having a dental cleaning treatment. The spacing is minimal and only done in-between selected teeth and Dr Suki did tell me this was to assist with the teeth movements happening alot easier. The 2nd time was when collecting my 4th aligner recently, this took about 2 minutes then I was up and out with my next 3 sets of aligners - so I wont be back to my dentist now until tray 7. I think I have one more session of spacing left.

I can definitely see a big change in the position of my teeth now, but what so surprising is how quickly this had happened. I am attaching a comparison photo so you can see the progress for yourself...I actually hate the look of my teeth in the before photo...this is truly an amazing treatment to me I could not be happier with the progress ♥

I'll continue to check in with post-treatment updates, and  I will make sure to respond to any comments or questions you may have. I really hope my blog so far has been of some help to anyone seeking information about Invisalign xx

My treatment begins - Invisalign tray no.1 of 14

So I received my 1st set of aligners, and am currently in my 2nd week with them. I am very happy that my treatment has started and my teeth movements are slowly but surely taking place!

So to give you my honest opinion so far - I found the 1st few days were quite hard to be honest..just trying to get use to the feel of the aligners in my mouth and adjusting to how I spoke with them in. I had a lisp for the first 6-7 days and was worried it wouldn't go and I had to use a tea towel to grip the aligners when removing them for the 1st few days which was a little uncomfortable. I felt like I was going to pull a tooth out with the aligner! The aligners now( after a week), slide on and off really easily without the need for a mirror or any pressure at all. My lisp has finally gone and I honestly forget they are in there now! I am Sooo pleased as the hardest part was the 1st week, but I persevered and now the treatment is so much easier and I feel relieved that I can now get on with treatment alot more confidently.

I was really surprised that many people, friends and family did not notice them at all, or that I had them in until I pointed out that they were in! Even when I did, they assumed the brace was the one you must have behind the teeth as they are that discreet. Even the tiny attachments do not bother me in the slightest and are the exact colour match to my teeth so you would need to really stare hard and closely to see them but actually look alot less visible than I anticipated.

So I change to the 2nd tray in a few days! I will be on holiday as will my dentist so I have my 2nd tray with me ready to go! I am assuming each time I change up, the tightness and difficultly getting them off may be the case for the 1st few days but that is to be expected and I am now confident enough to know the best way and ease of doing it (tea-towel!) I am assuming the lisp wont be a issue again as i am now totally used to having the aligner there - but will be sure to update very soon...

Bye for now x

The Bluebell Dental Clinic's 10 Year Anniversary Party Photos

Here are a few pictures from Bluebell's 10 year Anniversary party where I was presented with my prize. It was an fantastic party that I attended with my mum, everyone was so friendly and kept congratulating me, we had such a laugh as did all the Bluebell staff. I would have had a bigger grin if my teeth were straight lol! This is a typical reason and example of how having uneven teeth can  hold you back from just being relaxed and smiling without worrying in photos. So for this reason plus many more I am looking forward to being able to take lots of cheesy grinning pictures once my Invisalign treatment is completed! x

My ClinCheck Video!

So here is my ClinCheck Video!  As you can see, this video shows the stages of my treatment in fast-forward! How amazing that they can do this! It totally makes the difference knowing how the end result is going to look. My dentist also told me my treatment time should be around 7 months from start to finish so a much shorter time frame than I had anticipated. She is also going to shape my fang teeth down at the end of my treatment so they wont be so pointed which I am so happy about as other dentists have said this wasn't possible. Just shows that anything is possible with the right Dentist :D 

My treatment should start within the next two weeks. I think the end results look great and I am totally excited to get started! My only one issue if I had to pick one is how visible the little attachments on my teeth will look once on BUT -  I am being realistic, and to be honest, a tiny tooth colored attachment is a million times easier on the eye than those horrendous metal braces so either way, visible or not I am totally ready to start and be on the way to finally having a perfect smile!

 If anyone following my progress has any questions at all please feel free to ask I am more than happy to answer. Bye for now - until hopefully next week when I should receive my first tray!  xx

A little introduction from me

Hello there - 

I am very excited to be starting this blog to write down my experiences, thoughts and results of my soon Invisalign treatment!!

I was lucky enough to be the winner of a recent competition ran by my local dental clinic called the Bluebell Dental Practice in celebration of their 10 year anniversary. The 1st prize was an Invisalign treatment, and when I saw the advertisement in the local magazine/paper I immediately entered my details on their website hoping I could be in with a chance - and here I am!

I have always been very self conscious about my teeth, they are uneven and the front two cross over and I have some not very attractive fangs on each side. I am a naturally smiley person but I hate how much I worry before photos or when speaking how my teeth look. I should have had braces when I was younger but I didn't for various reasons and big metal braces in my late 20's is not something that appeals to me now. So to win a prize like this is like a dream come true to me! As from my research, Invisalign is almost invisible and would suit my lifestyle more than any other dental brace treatment options I have seen. I cannot wait to get started!

I had such fun attending the Bluebell Dental Clinics 10 year celebration party! I was able to meet lots of very interesting people including the winner of Ms Essex 2012 Amber Zakrzewski who had also had the Invisalign treatment. It was great to talk to her and hear her positive experiences of this treatment with the same team - and her teeth looked amazing. I was also presented my prize by the Managing Director of Invisalign UK Mr Jamie Morely! The whole team at Bluebell were just so lovely, I feel very lucky to be having my treatment with them.

So to tell you about my treatment so far - I have met with Dr Suki Shakthi who is the Principle Dental Director at the Bluebell Clinic who talked me through the whole dental treatment process of Invisalign, told me what I should expect and how long my treatment should take ( approx 11 months). She also took my molds and X-rays and a series of photos. This was all pretty quick, straightforward and easy! The X-ray took about 1 minute and just went all around my head. The molds took about 5 minutes - and that was it. Impressions were sent off! 

Today I am going back to my dentist to see my Clincheck results which let me see a virtual 3D review of the process of my treatment, we can them review and determine the goals for each stage of treatment. This is on a computer and it demonstrates the series of movements that the teeth will go through as the treatment progresses, from the current teeth position to the final desired position; reviewing each stage and showing the final expected results of how my teeth will look like at the end. Once we review and are both happy, these will then be sent out for the aligners to be moulded and be ready for the me to wear!

I will write another blog soon to let you know how it goes today and when treatment should start! 

xxxx