I had worn braces for about a year as a sophomore in high school followed by some really attractive wire spring retainers that I wore religiously at night. At some point in college, my retainers stopped fitting. My teeth had been shifting. Probably due to the impacted wisdom teeth that had partially grown in and were removed at various points of my adolescence. But orthodontics just wasn't on my radar as a young adult so my teeth kept shifting. Until I decided to do something about it. I didn't look like Austin Powers or anything....
...but I wanted a mouth of straight teeth. Not just for cosmetic reasons, but also because I learned that having straight teeth helps to prevent gum disease and heart disease. And with my family history, I can use all the help I can get. Plus, as a lifetime twice-a-day flosser, the thought of having perfect pearly whites made me embarrassingly excited.
After a bunch of consultations, I found a great orthodontist and decided on Invisalign treatment. I was briefed on the process and given a rough timeline: 12-18 months. I'd go through a first round of treatment to fix all the big stuff and then would likely need a few more rounds, called refinement, to fix what was left. The list of stuff to fix: my top teeth had a few crooked guys and a snaggle tooth; my bottom teeth were super crowded and a bit crooked with many teeth facing the wrong way; and, my bite was out of alignment. Digital impressions of my teeth were taken along with pictures of my bite and jaw line. I waited 2 weeks for my results and my Invisalign journey began...
ROUND 1:
The first 6 months were
not so invisible. The Invisalign trays themselves look like clear plastic tooth shaped molds. They fit flush to your teeth. But I needed attachments. Attachments are little tooth-colored pieces of enamel in funky shapes glued to your teeth. They help the Invisalign trays grip better but they're fairly noticeable. I had 17 attachments put onto my teeth, 9 on the top and 8 on the bottom (for the first 4 months I only had 6 on the bottom and then the orthodontist added 2 more). My treatment included 17 sets of trays to be changed every 10 days. Some were super painful. Some gave me a horrible speech impediment. Each month, I'd go in to see the orthodontist. Sometimes, she'd have to file between my teeth with a small black strip that looked and felt like sandpaper. Most times, she'd just send me on my way with a few sets of trays after examining my teeth. Needless to say, I was very happy when the 6 months were over and the first round of treatment was complete. The attachments were all filed off and, although the last set of trays fit perfectly, I wasn't finished. Just as predicted, I needed refinement, aka more rounds of treatment.
We talked through the things left to be corrected - The top looked great except for that one stubborn snaggle tooth that hadn't turned completely into it's proper position. My bottom teeth still had a bunch of stuff left to correct. They were a bit crowded and crooked but definitely not as crooked as before and now there were two fairly large gaps between my molars that needed to be closed. Also, my bite was slightly improved but was still out of alignment. So, we started from the beginning again and took another set of digital impressions and photos. As I waited for round 2 to begin, I wore my last set of trays from the first round of treatment at night to ensure my teeth didn't dramatically shift.
ROUND 2:
My second round of treatment included 16 trays to be changed weekly. Another 4 months of Invisalign, but this time with only 4 attachments put onto my teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom) and I only had to come in every other month to get evaluated by the orthodontist. The second time around, the trays were barely noticeable and I only experienced minor discomfort for the most part...the last 2 weeks hurt like hell!!
With my sore mouth, I went in for the evaluation and the 4 attachments were removed (ouch!). My bite was finally aligned properly (WHEW!). The stubborn snaggle tooth had turned as planned (YAY!). A mold was made for a top retainer. SO EXCITING!! BUT (of course there's a but), there were still a few things left to correct on the bottom. Only 1 of the 2 gaps between my molars had closed. The other was still very much there waiting for food particles to get stuck in it (GROSS!). Plus, my bottom front teeth were much improved but there was still some crowding and a few crooked teeth. Another round of digital impressions was taken for the bottom, more photos were snapped. Again, I had to wear my final set of trays from round 2 of treatment every night to prevent movement.
3 weeks later, I was back in the orthodontist's chair. My retainer fit perfectly and we checked my top teeth off as done...THAT FELT AMAZING. I was to wear the retainer every night, no exception. The remainder of my Invisalign journey would be for my
bottom teeth only.
ROUND 3:
On to the bottom...I received 9 trays to be changed weekly with only one lone attachment in the back. The orthodontist filed between a few of my teeth to make room for turning and I was told to come back when I finished this course of treatment. The next 2 months and 1 week were virtually painless and truly invisible.
Soon enough, it was evaluation time again. That sad, lonely attachment was removed and we talked through what was going on. The crowding was
almost totally corrected. My front teeth were
almost straight minus a few stubborn crooked guys. And that the gap between my molars had
almost closed. SO CLOSE!!!! By now I knew the drill (pun intended!). More digital impressions, more pictures, a few more weeks wearing that last aligner from round 3 on the bottom with my top retainer at night.
ROUND 4:
I was back in for more. This time felt a bit like deja vu: another 9 trays to be changed weekly. I had 2 attachments, one on each canine which made me feel a bit like Dracula. Again, some filing between a few of my teeth to make a little extra room. Again, I was told to return at the end of this round of treatment. Another 2 months and 1 week that I can thankfully say were hardly noticeable and painless (except for the final week - hello sore mouth!).
Evaluation time. The 2 attachments were filed away and we went over the short list of minor remaining issues. There was one ever so slightly protruding tooth in the front and that gap between my molars needed just a tiny bit of extra movement to close completely. The orthodontist filed between my front teeth and adjusted my last aligner from round 4 with a set of dental pliers. She instructed me to wear the tray full-time for a few more days with the hope that it would correct these minor issues.
Evaluation time take two. Later that week I was back. The gap between my molars had just about closed but not quite all the way. And that protruding front tooth was much improved but not 100% corrected. Out came those dental pliers again to adjust my final tray. Again, I was to wear the tray full-time for a few more days. I crossed my fingers as I headed out of her office.
Evaluation time take three. 4 days later I was back again. The gap between my molars had finally closed (YAY!)and that protruding tooth was in it's proper place (DOUBLE YAY!). A mold of my bottom teeth was made for a retainer and I was sent home with those familiar instructions to wear my last aligner with my top retainer.
The next day (so fast!!) my bottom retainer was ready. I went back in to make sure it fit. It did! And with that, my Invisalign journey was complete!
I began the process in September 2015 and moved onto my retainers in January 2017. My orthodontist was spot on with the projected timeline. Sometimes it felt like a long slog and other times I forgot I was even wearing the trays. Parts of it were super annoying. Like having to figure out how to tactfully remove the aligners when out on the town. And always having to carry a dental dopp kit around. And feeling self-conscious about my smile. But I think not being able to snack or drink coffee on the regular were the hardest for me. For the most part, it really wasn't so bad and I'm glad I did it. It was definitely better-looking than regular braces and I'm super happy with the results. To top it off, my orthodontist and her staff were lovely to me during every visit and I was given a complimentary whitening treatment a month after my final visit.
I still wear my retainers every night, something I'll continue to do for the rest of my life. They're clear and since putting them in is worked into my nighttime routine, I hardly even notice I'm wearing them. And I'll visit the orthodontist every other month this year to ensure all is going according to plan. Luckily, aside from these initial maintenance visits, there's not much else I need to do. It's a small price to pay for a perfect smile.
