This is a video taken during my first appointment at Carter Orthodontics to receive my first set of Invisalign aligners. Cheryl, the Clinical Manager, shows me how to insert and remove the aligners. To insert them, you start with the front teeth and then work your way around to the back teeth. They fit really snug at first! To pull them out, you start with the back teeth and work your way around. I found this to be difficult at first mostly because I thought I was going to break a nail. (One tip would be to cut your fingernails before this appointment.) I’m actually on day 3 of wearing the aligners. My teeth only hurt when I’m taking the aligners out or putting them in. And by “hurt” I really mean that I feel soreness for a moment. My mouth stays kind of dry so I’m drinking more water than I normally do which is a good thing. And I’m not snacking near as much as I normally would because I need to brush my teeth before I put the aligners back in after eating. I’m finding it’s just not worth the snack. :0) I really would rather wear the aligners than not because they make my smile look better when they are in. The space between my two front teeth isn’t noticeable at all when the aligners are in. Any questions?? – Melissa
First Set of Invisalign Aligners
Today I went for my first appointment at Carter Orthodontics to get my first Invisalign aligners! I was very excited and a little nervous. The main thing I worried about was how uncomfortable the aligners might be at first. Having seen both of my teenage boys go through Damon Braces with Carter Orthodontics, I was expecting a bit of pain on the first day. Thankfully, it was not bad at all. The boys didn’t want to bite down on food at all and requested milk shakes. I was able to eat dinner with no pain at all. Certain teeth are definitely more sore than others but I took some Advil and they are fine.
Cheryl, Carter Orthodontics’ Clinical Manager, was very friendly and knowledgeable about Invisalign and was able to answer all of my questions. I was worried that I couldn’t chew gum for bad breath anymore. While that is true, I can have mints as long as I don’t bite down on them. She even said I can drink Coke and tea, but it might stain my teeth. I think I’ll stick to water. She also gave me a sheet of instructions and went over them with me. She even gave me her cell phone number and told me to call anytime I had questions. How’s that for service?!
The coolest part of the appointment was getting to see a computer animated 3D image of my teeth. It showed my teeth before, during and after the Invisalign process. I took some video of it and am including it in this post.
When I came home my husband looked at my teeth and said the space between my two front teeth had already closed up. I looked in the mirror and it was true! I was so excited! I have always had that space between my front teeth. Unfortunately, when I take the aligners out, the space is still there. But it has only been one day. I’m already much better at pulling the aligners out and putting them back in. I’m really excited about the Invisalign process and glad that I can be documenting the process to help other people make this decision.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. – Melissa
Invisalign Records Appointment
I went to Carter Orthodontics for my Invisalign records appointment on Jan. 25, 2010. Impressions and pictures of my teeth were taken for digitization purposes. Monica, the Records Technician, was very nice and worked to make the molds as comfortable as possible in my mouth. She squeezed what looked like purple caulk onto my teeth and had me bite down. Within a few seconds it started to harden and after a few minutes she was able to pull the molds out. I was nervous that I would gag on it and embarrass myself but the material didn’t move past my teeth. Then she squeezed the same material into plastic molds that she put in my mouth, one at a time, one for the top and one for the bottom. Then she put the molds in my mouth a second time to make sure there weren’t any air bubbles in the material. She also took several photos of my teeth and then gave me a print out of the photos she took. She told me they would be sent off to the lab and it would be 4-6 weeks before my aligners would come in. Once the aligners were delivered, Dr. Carter’s office would call me and set up an appointment.
The impressions of my teeth were digitized in order for Dr. Carter to work with a computerized 3-D image of my teeth. Then, Dr. Carter planned my tooth movements throughout my entire treatment. I’ll be able to see a virtual representation of my teeth before, during, and after completion of the Invisalign process so I can see what my smile should look like when I’m done with treatment. From Dr. Carter’s treatment plan, customized aligners are created for me to wear at each stage of my treatment. While the number of aligners varies for each individual situation, a full set of treatment typically includes 20-30 aligners per arch.
I am really excited about my Invisalign treatment. I have waited a long time to have this done. I’m so glad there is Invisalign. I really didn’t want metal mouth at 42! I have to meet with clients routinely in my Internet Marketing Director position and it’s important to look professional. I will be blogging about my experience and also put some youtube videos online so Dr. Carter’s blog followers can understand the Invisalign treatment better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks, Melissa