Hello - so as promised, here are a couple of pictures that were taken that show off my newly improved teeth and smile by Invisalign. 

Since I completed my trays and had the attachments removed in February, I have been wearing my retainer every night before bed and then taking it out in the morning and during the day which is working out great! I love being able to smile without being self conscious...out of habit, I sometimes do still  think twice when about to laugh in a group or smile at someone, then remember I don't have to worry about my teeth anymore and smile even wider! 

I am really happy with the treatment and end result and wish anyone deciding to use this fantastic treatment too - the best of luck! xxx

Treatment complete - My Invisalign Journey has finished!

Hi guys,

So this is it! After going back to see my dentist Dr Suki last week she told me my teeth are all perfectly aligned and my treatment is complete! The day has come and perfect timing right before Valentines day!

At our appointment which lasted a little over 30mins, my dentist filed down the attachments which was easy and pain free. No pulling off or anything like that from what I had heard from other peoples blogs. Also no staining from where they had been, (again from what I had heard from a few other peoples blogs and was worried about!) I'm not saying this doesn't happen, but I drink a lot of tea/coffee and my teeth are totally perfect like the attachments were never there.

My fangs and front two teeth were also filed down as mentioned before which I have always wanted as the fangy ones always really bothered me. I got a little sensitivity on my front tooth with that, to which point the dentist decided to stop. I am soooo happy with them!


 So here are some before and after comparison photos for you to see -

Ta da! That's the Invisalign results within 7 months and 14 trays of treatment and a fabulous Dentist who listened to my concerns, addressed them and gave me the best teeth I could possibly have! I am a very happy lady and Invisalign patient!

Also notice how much whiter my teeth are in the comparison photos? I think that is purely from changing my brushing habits from twice a day to brushing after every meal, snack and tea/coffee.

So before leaving my dentist for the last time, she provided me with my final retainer which is suggested to be worn day and night for the first 6 months, night time only for 3 months and then occasionally every few months or so after that. It looks a little bigger than the normal aligners but actually fits so perfectly and without the attachments looks even less visible.

I have also been sent home with the Opalescence Tooth Whitening System at 16% which I am so excited to use! Its a tub of 4 syringes full of their whitening product to be placed onto my retainers at night. I used this for the first time last night and immediately felt a bubbling effect happening, which my dentist didn't warn me about but when I googled it realised its just the product working - not an allergic reaction or something scary that I was worried about- phew!

I will update with some more photos once my whitening treatment has finished to show you how that's going.

Thank you for reading and for following me on this amazing Invisalign journey to straight, white teeth :)

Alisha xx

My last tray update..14/14

Hi all,

Sorry for not updating since tray 9 but there really wasn't too much to update on! As you move onto each tray the routine doesn't change its all very much the same and the dental visits were very quick literally just to collect my next few trays and off I go to take charge of carrying on with treatment :) nice and simple.

Although the exciting news is that I am FINALLY on my last tray! 14/14! I say finally like its taken forever but it has actually just flown by either way I am still so happy its almost done.

So at the end of my 14th tray, I went in to see my dentist Dr Suki for her to check on my progress. The results? I am still on tray 14 for another 2 weeks! Although I've completed all the trays quite often there may be some final tweaking and refinements made just to make sure your teeth are totally perfect, which I am more than fine about.

She had a small device that she used that makes some tiny puncture marks on the existing aligner which helps make these final movements happen. So tray 14 feels like a new tray because I have the tightness, which proves its all working as it should :)

So in 2 weeks I go back to see what she thinks, I may need some more final refinements but if all is how it should be the attachments will be off and that will be the end of treatment!

My dentist and I discussed in the beginning of my treatment just slightly filing down a few of the front teeth as my canines are pointed and the front too are slightly longer than the rest so it will look a lot nicer if they are all more aligned and similar in length. ( I think this is called enamel plasty?) So once the attachments are off, that should be performed which I think will also make a huge difference to the overall appearance of my teeth as I've never liked having vampire fangs!

Its so funny how in the beginning of my treatment the end results and tray 14/14 seemed so far off, and I was so aware and conscious of speaking with it in and worrying about anyone noticing it. but once you get used to using Invisalign after a couple of weeks, you honestly do just forget its there and stop thinking about it so much. That's why I couldn't complain about the refinements at all, Invisalign has just become normal to me, I can honestly say I have enjoyed this treatment (just not if you would have asked me on tray 1!)

Who would of thought that about "braces"!  Invisalign IS different and I am so lucky I won this and so grateful and pleased with the whole process.

I just thought I would mention something I forgot to mention before, which is that about 10 years ago I consulted a dentist for veneers. Luckily it was far too expensive and I never pursued which I now am so happy about but I wanted a "quick fix" and didn't know of any other way other than the big metal braces. Once you have veneers they shave down your real teeth to almost nothing. I am now sitting here with my real teeth totally straightened how I wanted but without causing any damage to my real teeth and without the worry of a veneer popping off and the expense of having it fixed if it did. I wish the dentist at the time would have told me about Invisalign as I would have fixed my teeth a long time ago, but I suppose I am actually very  luckily to be here now with my teeth how I wanted and for absolutely free!

I also started a treatment called Inman Aligner in 2007 which just didn't work for me at all as the tray sat on the top of my mouth and my speech was awful for weeks with no improvement so I stopped treatment after about 1 month which was an awful waste of money although I was partially refunded.

Maybe 5-10 years ago Invisalign wasn't as well known as it is now and I hope more dentists recommend Invisalign to people like me, whose teeth are healthy and CAN be straightened  healthily and conveniently. I hope my blog has helped anyone out there thinking of their options with improving their teeth and smile :)

I will update in a few weeks with my refinement progress and some before and after photos!

Alisha xx

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