Michelle’s Invisalign Journey

Michelle’s Invisalign Journey

30/03/2022

How my journey started…

Way back in the 80’s, I had braces but in those days there were no retainers after treatment and so my teeth started to move. They had begun to overlap and appear more crowded and over time I became more conscious of my smile. I decided to look into some teeth straightening options.

I went to an Invisalign Open Day at Sutton Orthodontics and spoke to Dr Arya. I was shown a digital simulation of what my teeth would look like if I had Invisalign and seeing the projected results made it an easy decision to go ahead with the treatment.

A straight forward admin process followed and then I was booked in for scans and photos and given a date for my treatment to start.

What the journey was like…..

To begin with, I had small ‘bumps’ added to a number of teeth to help grip the aligners. The bumps are tooth coloured and are hardly noticeable. I had some teeth filed down to create room for movement and then my first set of aligners were put in and I was sent home with the next 6 sets of aligners.

There’s a lot of plastic in your mouth! It took me a while to get used to it and I thought I was talking differently and spitting a lot but nobody else seemed to notice!

I changed my aligners every 7 days. The aligners are tightly fitted to your teeth and so you need to find a knack to take them in and out. Invisalign isn’t painful but I did have the feeling of tight pressure on some teeth for the first couple of days of wearing a new set of aligners so I would always change them over at night so that the initial tightness mainly happened when I was asleep. Every now and then I caught the inside of my cheek or gums with the retainer or had an occasional ulcer but nothing that Bonjela couldn’t fix!

One thing I quickly realised was that it became too much hassle to snack! The aligners had to be removed, teeth cleaned etc. so when it was time for a meal, I ate everything in sight to reduce the amount of times I was taking the aligners in and out each day.

I started to notice movement within the first couple of weeks of treatment and seeing my teeth move really motivated me to be strict with the process. I kept my aligners in for around 22 hours a day and looked after them by keeping them clean. I kept up to date with my general dental check ups and hygienist appointments.

I initially planned to have a check up every 6 weeks but then I started to use a scanning device and app at home which meant that Dr Arya could check on my progress without the need for me to make regular visits to the practice. This is a useful option if you don’t live near the practice or struggle to take time out of work for appointments.

The initial timeframe I was given was 6-9 months and I was finished within 6 months.

At the end of my treatment I decided to have fixed retainers fitted. I still wear my removable retainers overnight every night but hope to reduce this to twice weekly from around four months after my fixed retainers were fitted.

So that’s my journey!

I’m very happy with the results and plan to be strict with the follow on maintenance (, general dental and hygienist checks etc. ) so that I can continue to be happy with my smile for many years to come!

Dr Arya provides a great service at Sutton Orthodontics and I felt very supported throughout my Invisalign journey and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend!

Michelle