Invisalign Part 3: The full experience
I am so happy I got through the past year without any hiccups.
A noteworthy event is that I got my straight teeth with Invisalign. A lot of my friends were envious of how fast my teeth straightened and how painless it was. There were some exception as listed here, but mostly I ate with my aligners without much hassle.
To be honest, most of the people did not even notice my transparent aligners with the attachments because people don't really stare at your mouth. This is a significant difference from bracers where you will definitely see the metal plates on your teeth. This makes Invisalign more suitable for working adults.
Of course, cost is the major disadvantage in this case and it is outlined in my previous post.
I have included pictures of my teeth as many people have asked me about how crooked they are. Based on my dentist, I am considered a mild case because I could get my teeth straighten in 1 year while the average patient needs 1.5 years.
It's necessary to go for the consultation with your dentist to find out if you need to align your jaw and other problems. The cost of Invisalign will be made known to you once the X-ray is done.
Do take note that after this Invisalign program which cost around $6 to 8k, you will still need to pay an additional $1k for 3 hard, permanent retainers that you can put on at night. It will be the same case for people going for bracers too. The dentist has advised to keep on the permanent retainers for 24 hours for another 3 months just to set the teeth. 3 sets of retainers for 3 months as the retainers will become less tight after some time. After which I could just put it on every night and then every other night, depending on how much the teeth has shifted. When the teeth has shifted, you will just feel the tightness every time you put on the retainers.
Lastly, don't be afraid to ask the dentist on how to further correct certain teeth before the program has ended. I have a tooth which did not get corrected that nicely and the dentist suggested to put on rubber bands so that it will close up the gap. I also have some bite issues initially where a bottom tooth protruded more that the rest of the teeth so the dentist filed off a bit to give me a level bite. If you remain unsatisfied, they can still redo a new mold and correct your teeth, it just takes more time.
After all, this is permanent, better to do it right at one go than regret in the long run.
I am happy with my straight teeth but now, I kept noticing how crooked others' teeth are! Don't be afraid to take the first step towards a beautiful, picture perfect smile :)
A noteworthy event is that I got my straight teeth with Invisalign. A lot of my friends were envious of how fast my teeth straightened and how painless it was. There were some exception as listed here, but mostly I ate with my aligners without much hassle.
 |
To be honest, most of the people did not even notice my transparent aligners with the attachments because people don't really stare at your mouth. This is a significant difference from bracers where you will definitely see the metal plates on your teeth. This makes Invisalign more suitable for working adults.
Of course, cost is the major disadvantage in this case and it is outlined in my previous post.
I have included pictures of my teeth as many people have asked me about how crooked they are. Based on my dentist, I am considered a mild case because I could get my teeth straighten in 1 year while the average patient needs 1.5 years.
 |
| My very crooked 'vampire' teeth.. eek! |
 |
| After 3 months, you can see a lot of straightening done |
 |
| After 6 months, what's left is the bottom teeth and some adjustments |
 |
| After a compulsory cleaning and polishing session at the end, I finally got my dazzling straight white teeth :) |
Do take note that after this Invisalign program which cost around $6 to 8k, you will still need to pay an additional $1k for 3 hard, permanent retainers that you can put on at night. It will be the same case for people going for bracers too. The dentist has advised to keep on the permanent retainers for 24 hours for another 3 months just to set the teeth. 3 sets of retainers for 3 months as the retainers will become less tight after some time. After which I could just put it on every night and then every other night, depending on how much the teeth has shifted. When the teeth has shifted, you will just feel the tightness every time you put on the retainers.
Lastly, don't be afraid to ask the dentist on how to further correct certain teeth before the program has ended. I have a tooth which did not get corrected that nicely and the dentist suggested to put on rubber bands so that it will close up the gap. I also have some bite issues initially where a bottom tooth protruded more that the rest of the teeth so the dentist filed off a bit to give me a level bite. If you remain unsatisfied, they can still redo a new mold and correct your teeth, it just takes more time.
After all, this is permanent, better to do it right at one go than regret in the long run.
I am happy with my straight teeth but now, I kept noticing how crooked others' teeth are! Don't be afraid to take the first step towards a beautiful, picture perfect smile :)
Jes
If you have benefited from this post, support our first business venture at snackfirst.com or like us on Facebook!
%2B(6).JPG)
Hi Jes,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful... smile from a beautiful gal.. :-)
i think my teeth is also not so over crooked just like "before Invisalign" but still but crooked hence I also always feel like wanting to go for braces.
Your post led me wondering again!
Wah Rolf,
DeleteYou are so nice.... *Shy* Haha, thank you for making my day :)
Oh, didn't know you are unsatisfied with your teeth. If it's minor correction then I am not sure it will be worth it because the cost is more or less fixed at above 2k for bracers. However, you mentioned that you have always wanted to straighten your teeth then why wait? Too little time for what ifs, right?
Go for the first consultation and then decide. Happy new year to you!
Hi Jes,
ReplyDeleteYeah.. I got what u mean. My wife has been wearing braces too years back. It's not the braces per se but the amount of work u had to go thru each night having the discipline of wearing the retainer.
I went for Lasik more than a decade ago, to save the hassle of contact lens, contact lens solution, saline etc. :-)!
Hi Rolf,
DeleteHaha, putting on the retainers is not so troublesome particularly after the pain of going through bracers. But a lot of my friends never use the retainers after which and the teeth slowly become crooked after several years. Oh well.
Yeah I think lasik is a good choice, I am wearing my hard lens that I put on at night so together, can put on the retainers. Sigh, the trouble of wanting to be pretty! =P
If you have not been to your dentist for a procedure in a long time, you might be floored when you see how costly it is to have a crown put on a tooth. I can remember my dentist telling me a few years ago it would be near a thousand to get the crown. Today my dentist told me three thousand for a single crown on one tooth.
ReplyDelete