Brace Yourself: My Invisalign Experience #1

If you've been reading my blog for a while or read my past few Invisalign blogs (here and here) you'll know I am currently in the process of getting Invisalign braces. Yesterday, after about a 6 week wait for my custom made aligners, it was finally time to get them put on. Before my appointment I was filled with nerves and excitement. It felt so weird to know I was finally getting braces after years of hiding my teeth!

After a short wait it was time to head in to see David. He made me sit in the chair and showed me the clear plastic aligners he was about to click on to my teeth. Mum came in to take some photos - which I'm sure David was over the moon with ;-) 

David made it look so easy to get the aligners in, when he gave me the bottom ones to try and put in myself I didn't realise there was a knack to it! After a bit of a fiddle around they were clipped into place. I wouldn't say they were painful to put on, just very tight. There's a certain pressure while wearing them, which is to be expected seeing as you're essentially moving your teeth with an appliance in your mouth that you're not used to.

David explained a few do's and don'ts with the aligners. The standard rule is to wear them for 22 hours a day and to only take them out to eat and drink. He explained you can drink water and clear sugarfree drinks with them in, but that anything else would get trapped in the aligners and could cause decay.

The Invisalign labs send your orthodontist a digital timelapse of the progress that will be made with each aligner. The end result was an incredible difference - if my teeth look that straight by the end of my treatment I'll be thrilled! After receiving a very exciting Invisalign 'goodie bag' containing 2 aligner cases, some Retainer Brite tablets to clean them, a crochet hook kinda thing to remove them and my next 2 aligners, I was all done! As per the name, they are practically invisible. No one noticed I was wearing them until I told them - it's amazing how far we've come from wires and brackets.

Each aligner has to be worn for 2 weeks, but the 2 extractions I need done to make room must be done before I put the next set of aligners in. So far, I'm finding them quite comfortable to wear. There is some mild discomfort and pressure as I mentioned but today is day 2 and things are a lot more comfortable. I slept like a baby the whole night through! I did pop a Nurofen before bedtime just in case I was woken up during the night but I can't see this being a problem. 

Below: L-R: My teeth at the moment, how they'll look after the extractions, and how they should look at the end of my treatment.

The only thing I am having difficulty with is taking the aligners off. As my front top teeth are very overcrowded the aligners are very tight in this area so I am scared I'm going to pop a tooth off whenever I take off the aligners! This is a totally irrational fear, of course. Today I'm finding it much easier to remove them - they're on and off in two minutes. Everything is a little bit saliva-y at the moment because my mouth isn't used to the aligners just yet, so every time I speak I feel like I should hand around umbrellas. Very attractive. Eating is also fine, it hurts a little but I haven't had to liquidise my food just yet. Ooh yeah, look at me now.

If you're looking to invest in your smile and give Invisalign a go for yourself, there's no better person than David. I felt so comfortable throughout the whole process and I have no doubt everything will go smoothly! I'll be sure to keep you all updated - hopefully it will help even one person by reading about my personal experience.

Check out David McConville Orthodontics here and on Facebook here.

First Impressions

As some of you may know, a while ago I popped along to David McConville Orthodontics in Quayside, Sligo, to have a consultation for braces. For as long as I can remember I've been uncomfortable with my crooked, overcrowded teeth and I was fed up of having to hide my mouth behind my hand any time I laughed, smiled or even yawned. I decided to bite (ha) the bullet and go for Invisalign braces. Invisalign seemed to be the best choice for subtlety, aesthetics and comfortable treatment. I won't lie, the thought of traditional braces scared me a bit!

After some gruelling necessary dental work, I was finally able to get my impressions (moulds) done for the Invisalign aligners - yesterday was the big day. I was a little apprehensive as I'd read some horror stories about neon goo running down people's throats. Probably not the best idea to look it up before getting it done...

I walked into the bright, clean and stylish clinic that David McConville is known for and waited to be seen. First things first I needed a full x-ray. A lovely dental nurse led me into a side room that contained a machine that looked like it was out of a space station. I had to stand under the hood of the machine and hold onto two handlebars whilst biting onto a piece of plastic. The nurse pressed a few things and after a few beeps and a bit of whirring and swivelling, the full mouth x-ray was done. I won't lie, it was pretty tech-y and cool!

(P.S sorry for the photos, it's hard to look attractive when you have a bit of plastic in your mouth and someone poking green goo in there!)

After my x-ray I was led into another sideroom and got a photoshoot. I had to smile and get pictures from all angles (I dread to think what those photos look like), then lie down and hold my gums apart with two plastic yokes that looked a bit like ice cream scoops. Sounds unpleasant but I promise the most unpleasant bit was knowing I had a double chin going on when I was lying down.

Then it was time for the real action to begin. David greeted me and after a few pictures (and David complaining about being in them) I relaxed into the massaging dental chair (still haven't gotten over that). He started by having a quick check of my teeth and then got me to bite down hard onto a retainer filled with putty, top and bottom. After pressing down to make sure the shapes of my teeth were embedded into the putty, it was onto the second (and last) stage. The dental nurse piped neon green goo into the plastic retainers, which were then placed into my mouth and pressed hard against my teeth. I'm being totally honest when I say I didn't feel uncomfortable one bit, and you know how bad I am with dental work. David held the retainers against my teeth for a couple of minutes and then prised it off. The only thing to note is there is a little bit of pressure and a slight 'pop' as they come off as the putty is sealed pretty tightly to your teeth, but there was absolutely no pain or discomfort. David has such a pleasant and calm disposition so it's easy to feel comfortable in his presence.

David told me to have a rinse as I had some green goo on my face/lip like I'd just been to a rave, and then he said I was all done. I was so amazed how quickly the whole process was, the moulds took only took about 10 minutes! 

Now all that's left to do is wait. The moulds are sent to the Invisalign labs and the aligners take around 7 weeks to arrive so my next appointment is the end of July. If you're thinking of taking the plunge and getting braces be sure to keep an eye on my blog and I'll keep you updated!

Check out David McConville here.