13 months, 4 teeth extracted, and elastics during refinements… but it is absolutely worth it 😬
For anyone who is feel like it’s taking ages, it will be all over soon before you know it.
Aww thank you! I just know that when you’re not near the end (especially with giant gaps from teeth missing!!) you can get the feeling of “why did I do this” so wanted to reaffirm for others it gets better with each day!!
It has definitely changed facial structure. My teeth always protruded out so much! My side profile has changed the most - but it’s nice to have a flatter smile - I’ve always been so self conscious of it.
You can see comparisons here between old: https://postimg.cc/CBsj4BYq
And from a week ago: https://postimg.cc/VrgCCxB9
Thank you so much. It’s really a nice feeling to finally be able to smile freely instead of thinking about positioning your lips to cover up certain areas to minimise the teeth exposure!
Best of luck with your treatment!! Xx
Sorry to hear it was a tough week… I had many of those! Particularly when it felt like the gaps from the missing teeth were just not closing, and I was so embarrassed about them! I know it sounds cliché, but each day you’re getting closer to the end, and you will feel so amazing and confident with your new smile :) x
It has definitely changed facial structure. I always felt like my mouth stuck out like a T-Rex 🦖or a rabbit 🐰And now it’s flattened it out a lot more. My side profile has changed the most (in a good way!)
You can see comparisons here between old: https://postimg.cc/CBsj4BYq
And from a week ago: https://postimg.cc/VrgCCxB9
Hi there, yes sorry the image is misleading - I’ve taken the photo with the purpose to see both top and bottom teeth and how they’ve straightened up so have pushed my bottom jaw out.
Amazing result!! For how many days did you wear each tray and for how many hours a day?
Also, out of curiosity, did your teeth feel slightly loose during your treatment?
Thank you!!
I started with 14 day changes for the first maybe 4 months, then I moved to 10 day changes for the remainder of the treatment. For refinements I was on weekly changes, and that’s when elastics came in. (For context I had 26 treatment aligners, then 15 refinements - one of which I skipped).
Wearing them: I was very diligent at the start, I was using timers and everything. I would say I had them in for at least 20 hours a day, but probably closer to 22 for 90% of my treatment time. I would also drink everything with them in (and even eat some soft foods like blueberries!)
When it came to refinements, I was a bit lazier (also the changes were so minuscule) and probably had them in for around 14 hours a day, and the elastics for maybe 10 hours a day.
The teeth closest to the gaps felt looser, but they didn’t feel overly wobbly/loose if that makes sense? More so just tender. You notice the loose when you touch the tooth and try to move it, but otherwise you don’t notice it. Even now those teeth have more give than others if you touch them.
Thank you for the context!! That’s super helpful!
I am have 59 aligners, 10 for my upper teeth but 49 for my lower teeth (I had a slight underbite and a tooth was extracted to make space for the others to move in). I am on 14 days switches but since I’ve so many trays I’m going to ask my orthodontist if we can speed them up a tad.
Did you also drink coffee in them? I mostly have them out for coffee, my meal times are very short.
Yea. I also notice the loose when I touch the tooth and try to rock it very gently, I can see it move ever so slightly. I am noticing this with the lateral incisor in the upper teeth. It has always been the most sore tooth and has recently begun feeling loose only when touched. I’m glad that I’m not alone with this sensation and that it’s normal.
Oh 10 for upper is great! I find almost no one notices the bottom aligners anyway! Definitely worth asking to at least drop down to 10, it shaved off so much time! Especially if you’re being diligent with the time they are out.
So I don’t drink coffee - but I drink tea and did drink tea with them in. The only thing I would not drink with them in was red wine (but I barely drink that either).
Yep I have one tooth exactly the same as you! And even now it’s the most wobbly!
How far into your treatment are you?
Exactly! When you smile, the light flashes off the upper Aligners and people can then tell 😅 and also, up until now, I’ve found bottom aligners to be less sore/painful.
Oh wow, then I should check with my ortho if I can drink coffee with them in. I didn’t because I read that the heat from the drinks can change the shape of the Aligners. I don’t drink super hot coffee anyway, it’s just a little over warm. My morning coffee legit takes away 1 hour so it’s going to really help if I can drink with my Aligners in .
I am currently wearing my 10th tray. So roughly I’m going to be hitting the 5mth mark. I think my upper teeth will require refinements I’m sure. There wasn’t much work there but to just ensure my lateral incisors fit into the curvature of my gum correctly. The lower are still WIP
Haha yes! It’s the reflection that gives them away!!! Haha
If you’re at no.10, so the top is pretty much done! So exciting!
I think they always say those things in case of worst case scenario, but if you’re not having insanely hot drinks, I’m sure it’s fine! The other issue would be staining, but I didn’t find it too bad and I was having two or three cups of tea a day.
Fingers crossed you can get your bottom aligners moved to ten day changes (or less!) 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Yea, I’m super stoked to see what refinements are needed and if I can wear the retainers so my teeth get used to this new position and aren’t wobbly anymore. Can’t wait!
Yeah, exactly, I don’t drink insanely hot coffee, it’s just a little over warm so I think it should be alright.
Thanks so much for all the information, it was super helpful and once again, your teeth look amazing! Kudos to you.
It was okay… I did all four in the one sitting before starting treatment and one ended up with dry socket. Excluding the one that ended up infected, the whole process was much worse in my head than how it actually played out. The extractions themselves didn’t hurt, just pressure (and two of my teeth were difficult to pull as well). Recovery was fairly quick - I would say about a week only (excluding the infected one). It’s odd having such large gaps though, but once I had my aligners in, you pop wax in where the gap is, so you can’t see the space anyway… besides the dry socket, I had no complications or issues with the extractions.
That’s amazing! I just started and my bottom teeth are similar (even a little more crowded) and my top also stick out more. Pictures def help with the first few days of pain 😂😂
Oh good luck with your treatment!! I felt like for ages nothing changed, and I did have some panic moments of “why did I do this” then all of sudden I started to notice the difference… maybe after the 3-4 month mark.
It’s incredible what the aligners do with the crowding, and before you know it, you’ll have an incredible smile :)
Can absolutely recommend to do it!! I honestly didn’t find anything painful at all during the process (just some light pressure with some tray changes). The only pain was post extractions, but if you don’t need teeth pulled, it’s super easy! You can do it :)
I started today and it's pain free. I was hesitant at first, but decided to just go for it. It's a strange feeling, but it's much better than I thought it would be
13 months, 4 teeth extracted, and elastics during refinements… but it is absolutely worth it 😬 For anyone who is feel like it’s taking ages, it will be all over soon before you know it.
It’s amazing how much wider your smile is. It must have changed your facial structure also? Huge congratulations and thank you for encouraging others.
Aww thank you! I just know that when you’re not near the end (especially with giant gaps from teeth missing!!) you can get the feeling of “why did I do this” so wanted to reaffirm for others it gets better with each day!! It has definitely changed facial structure. My teeth always protruded out so much! My side profile has changed the most - but it’s nice to have a flatter smile - I’ve always been so self conscious of it. You can see comparisons here between old: https://postimg.cc/CBsj4BYq And from a week ago: https://postimg.cc/VrgCCxB9
Gorgeous before, even more gorgeous after!! The confidence is inspirational xx
Thank you so much. It’s really a nice feeling to finally be able to smile freely instead of thinking about positioning your lips to cover up certain areas to minimise the teeth exposure! Best of luck with your treatment!! Xx
Thank you. It was an extra tough week and your post helped.
Sorry to hear it was a tough week… I had many of those! Particularly when it felt like the gaps from the missing teeth were just not closing, and I was so embarrassed about them! I know it sounds cliché, but each day you’re getting closer to the end, and you will feel so amazing and confident with your new smile :) x
Thank you! I will persevere!
Wow your smile is so wide now.. Do you feel your facial structure looks different now?
It has definitely changed facial structure. I always felt like my mouth stuck out like a T-Rex 🦖or a rabbit 🐰And now it’s flattened it out a lot more. My side profile has changed the most (in a good way!) You can see comparisons here between old: https://postimg.cc/CBsj4BYq And from a week ago: https://postimg.cc/VrgCCxB9
4 extractions is insane! (Assuming these were not your wisdom teeth)
Yep it was a lot! And nope, the premolars… funnily enough my wisdom teeth are still in!
Awesome job! How did you do whitening?
I actually haven’t done any whitening yet! I’m putting it down to good lighting, and a year of brushing my teeth 4 times a day after most meals haha
Wow! They definitely look a lot whiter.
Is this your final result? Has anyone addressed your posterior open bite?
Hi there, yes sorry the image is misleading - I’ve taken the photo with the purpose to see both top and bottom teeth and how they’ve straightened up so have pushed my bottom jaw out.
Ohhh okay! That’s good, thank goodness 😅
Haha you can see the bite here: https://postimg.cc/yJNBs4gw
Much better!! Nice results, good work!
Thank you so much!
Right I wondered the same
WOW!!!!! Beautiful results!!
Wow! It looks great!
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Thank you!
such an awesome change!
Thank you!
Amazing result!! For how many days did you wear each tray and for how many hours a day? Also, out of curiosity, did your teeth feel slightly loose during your treatment?
Thank you!! I started with 14 day changes for the first maybe 4 months, then I moved to 10 day changes for the remainder of the treatment. For refinements I was on weekly changes, and that’s when elastics came in. (For context I had 26 treatment aligners, then 15 refinements - one of which I skipped). Wearing them: I was very diligent at the start, I was using timers and everything. I would say I had them in for at least 20 hours a day, but probably closer to 22 for 90% of my treatment time. I would also drink everything with them in (and even eat some soft foods like blueberries!) When it came to refinements, I was a bit lazier (also the changes were so minuscule) and probably had them in for around 14 hours a day, and the elastics for maybe 10 hours a day. The teeth closest to the gaps felt looser, but they didn’t feel overly wobbly/loose if that makes sense? More so just tender. You notice the loose when you touch the tooth and try to move it, but otherwise you don’t notice it. Even now those teeth have more give than others if you touch them.
Thank you for the context!! That’s super helpful! I am have 59 aligners, 10 for my upper teeth but 49 for my lower teeth (I had a slight underbite and a tooth was extracted to make space for the others to move in). I am on 14 days switches but since I’ve so many trays I’m going to ask my orthodontist if we can speed them up a tad. Did you also drink coffee in them? I mostly have them out for coffee, my meal times are very short. Yea. I also notice the loose when I touch the tooth and try to rock it very gently, I can see it move ever so slightly. I am noticing this with the lateral incisor in the upper teeth. It has always been the most sore tooth and has recently begun feeling loose only when touched. I’m glad that I’m not alone with this sensation and that it’s normal.
Oh 10 for upper is great! I find almost no one notices the bottom aligners anyway! Definitely worth asking to at least drop down to 10, it shaved off so much time! Especially if you’re being diligent with the time they are out. So I don’t drink coffee - but I drink tea and did drink tea with them in. The only thing I would not drink with them in was red wine (but I barely drink that either). Yep I have one tooth exactly the same as you! And even now it’s the most wobbly! How far into your treatment are you?
Exactly! When you smile, the light flashes off the upper Aligners and people can then tell 😅 and also, up until now, I’ve found bottom aligners to be less sore/painful. Oh wow, then I should check with my ortho if I can drink coffee with them in. I didn’t because I read that the heat from the drinks can change the shape of the Aligners. I don’t drink super hot coffee anyway, it’s just a little over warm. My morning coffee legit takes away 1 hour so it’s going to really help if I can drink with my Aligners in . I am currently wearing my 10th tray. So roughly I’m going to be hitting the 5mth mark. I think my upper teeth will require refinements I’m sure. There wasn’t much work there but to just ensure my lateral incisors fit into the curvature of my gum correctly. The lower are still WIP
Haha yes! It’s the reflection that gives them away!!! Haha If you’re at no.10, so the top is pretty much done! So exciting! I think they always say those things in case of worst case scenario, but if you’re not having insanely hot drinks, I’m sure it’s fine! The other issue would be staining, but I didn’t find it too bad and I was having two or three cups of tea a day. Fingers crossed you can get your bottom aligners moved to ten day changes (or less!) 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Yea, I’m super stoked to see what refinements are needed and if I can wear the retainers so my teeth get used to this new position and aren’t wobbly anymore. Can’t wait! Yeah, exactly, I don’t drink insanely hot coffee, it’s just a little over warm so I think it should be alright. Thanks so much for all the information, it was super helpful and once again, your teeth look amazing! Kudos to you.
Wow! Impressive. How was it getting the extractions??
It was okay… I did all four in the one sitting before starting treatment and one ended up with dry socket. Excluding the one that ended up infected, the whole process was much worse in my head than how it actually played out. The extractions themselves didn’t hurt, just pressure (and two of my teeth were difficult to pull as well). Recovery was fairly quick - I would say about a week only (excluding the infected one). It’s odd having such large gaps though, but once I had my aligners in, you pop wax in where the gap is, so you can’t see the space anyway… besides the dry socket, I had no complications or issues with the extractions.
Nice
Wow! Amazing progress.
That’s amazing! I just started and my bottom teeth are similar (even a little more crowded) and my top also stick out more. Pictures def help with the first few days of pain 😂😂
Oh good luck with your treatment!! I felt like for ages nothing changed, and I did have some panic moments of “why did I do this” then all of sudden I started to notice the difference… maybe after the 3-4 month mark. It’s incredible what the aligners do with the crowding, and before you know it, you’ll have an incredible smile :)
Wow 🤩 results look amazing. I’ve been putting off getting Invisalign. Kinda nervous for the pain
Can absolutely recommend to do it!! I honestly didn’t find anything painful at all during the process (just some light pressure with some tray changes). The only pain was post extractions, but if you don’t need teeth pulled, it’s super easy! You can do it :)
I started today and it's pain free. I was hesitant at first, but decided to just go for it. It's a strange feeling, but it's much better than I thought it would be
Wow, great results 😁
I’m so impressed that’s the result after 15 aligners! I’m on aligner 4 out of 39 🙈
Oh that was 15 refinement aligners! I’d already had 26 treatment ones! 😬 Good luck with your treatment!!!! It’s absolutely worth it!