A couple months ago I shared how I had lost my smile and planned on getting it back with Invisalign. Now that some time has passed (and the gap in my teeth is starting to close!), I wanted to share everything you wanted to know about Invisalign. There were a couple things I didn’t know so let’s clear up the process and what you can expect!
Consult/Scans
During your first appointment, your orthodontist will take a 3D scan of your teeth and decide if Invisalign is right for you. If you’re a candidate you’ll find out how long the process will take and how many trays you can expect. (For me it’s 13 trays, that I switch every 10 days.)
Attachments
During your next appointment, you’ll receive your trays but before you can use them you might have little “bumps” attached to your teeth. When I first heard this I panicked! Luckily Dr. Birdwell said that they wouldn’t have to be on the front of my teeth and that he could hide them on my side teeth. The attachments are hardly noticeable and they’re tooth colored! The point of them is to help the aligners attach better to your teeth and assist with movement. You’ll just click the trays and aligners in place to create a virtually invisible appearance. (Thank goodness!)
Trays
Get ready… you’re required to wear your trays 22 hours a day! (Seriously!) Each time you visit your orthodontist, they’ll check your progress and give you more trays. A bit of advice, make sure to keep your previous tray just in case you lose the one you’re currently wearing! That way you can wear it as a back up. Dr. Birdwell’s office gave me cases to keep my trays in while I eat, etc.
Now that you know the general process, here’s what you don’t find out until AFTER you start wearing them!
It might hurt
Not bad but the first couple days did bother me, but it wasn’t HALF as painful as when I had regular braces. I found that if I switched trays at night my teeth would get used to the new size. That way the new trays wouldn’t bother me much at all!
You will sound weird
It took me a while to get used to wearing them and talking. No joke, I had a lisp for a couple weeks but then it went away. If you’ve ever had a retainer, it’s a similar feeling.
Always have your toothbrush on hand
I’m the kind of girl who likes to nurse a cup of coffee all day long. Well I was but that immediately had to stop! I now finish my coffee quickly, brush my teeth and put the trays back in. (Drinking a lot of coffee while wearing trays could possibly stain your teeth!) On the positive side, my teeth are whiter than usual with all that extra brushing! Also, I’m changing my trays out every ten days so if it does stain a little, I’m not too worried.
Falling off the wagon
With trips and working crazy hours lately I have been forgetting to wear my trays… a lot. Especially after meals but luckily you can just catch up again.
I hope this will help prepare you a little more if you’ve been thinking about getting Invisalign. Dr. Birdwell and his team have been amazing and I’m already so happy with the straightening of my front teeth and the closing of the gap on my left side!! I’m almost finished with my treatment and I will be sharing my final results soon.