invisalign experience 2011

After treatment, without invisalign trays

2011-07-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

Heres a pic after my invisalign treatment without me wearing the trays. Next set of pics coming soon is the refinement trays!

tray 31

2011-07-14T01:02:00.000-07:00

Well, its been a lonnnngg longgg time since I made a post and for that I apologize. Here is the last the invisalign tray of my treatment. The results are very remarkable, to me its almost like a miracle. My orthodontist did not expect these results at all. Im smiling a whole lot more than I ever used to and I'm taking more pictures. Ive showed some friends my new smile and they say I look totally different,lol Ive started the whitening treatment recently and its gonna take some time for my teach to adjust to the formula because its irritating my gums. I thank every one that has giving me praise and encouragement throughout this entire journey. However, I'm not completley finished yet. My goal was to completely close the gap between my teeth. Invisalign has done an excellent job of reducing the gap, but there is still a small gap remaining. My ortho told me if I came to him with the small gap that I have now he would have not recommended invisalign for me or braces. Lucky for me that is not the case. Ive paid in full the cost of this expensive but worthwhile treatment. And with that treatment comes the option to get the ''refinement trays'' in case the customer is not fully satisfied with the outcome. I am 95% satisfied with the outcome however, I do desire to reach my goal of closing the gap. So I will be starting the refinement trays soon and I will post the progress. The refinement trays are free and Im going to take advantage of that.

TRAY 30

2011-05-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

My journey seems to almost be over,mmmmm just makes me think back to the first day I wore invisalign; my teeth have changed in such a way that words can not describe,lol. On this particular tray I experienced some pain, sort of like when I wore my first tray. At first everything seemed normal with no pain at all but as I began to take the tray on and off through out the day, I gradually felt the tenderness on my 2 front teeth. This is why I wear my new trays at night and sleep in them to make the transition easier. But as of now I'm in no discomfort or pain because 3 days have passed. I also gave a partial payment towards my invisalign cost. I spent 1000 euros, ughhhhh,lol. It really doesn't make things better when the dollar vs. the euro is like comparing a diamond to cubic zirconium. However, I only have 500 euro more to pay and thats it. I was also took a mold of my lower teeth so that I can start wearing my retainer.And I got the attachments shaved off, yeahh; my lower teeth look normal now. I was expecting to get a fixed retainer, so I didn't have to worry about accidentally losing the removable retainer. But my orthodontist informed me about the disadvantages of having a fixed retainer, so I guess I'll be wearing the removable retainer. I know this will pretty much be for the rest of my life. And I pray that I not lose it and wear it as recommended. Because I have heard of lots of cases were patients teeth have relapsed because of their failure to wear their retainer. I've paid out of my pocket in euros without insurance so, the retainers will be my new friends for life. Well heres the tray before the last tray # 30!!!

Tray 29

2011-04-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

I'm now wearing tray 29! This is another step closer to straight teeth and the completion of my invisalign journey. Its really unbelievable how long Ive been wearing the trays and just how much my teeth have drastically changed. There was more movement with my left tooth in this tray. Minor pain was there but as usual it was nothing that was overwhelming. However, I know that it is time for me to start wearing a retainer for my bottom teeth. They finished on tray 26 and Ive worn the tray long enough. After a while, a tray can loose its strength if worn to long. I'm really looking forward to showing off my new smile this summer, especially to those who've only seen me before the invisalign. And I'm also thankful to not develop any cavities so far through out the treatment; I'll still keep my fingers crossed on that one and '' knock on wood''. So those who reads this will only have to watch the movement of my upper teeth, because the bottoms finished at tray 26. Well, heres tray 29 of 31U, 26 of 26 L.

TRAY 28

2011-04-14T04:04:00.000-07:00

Today is the 13th of April 2011 and I'm wearing my new tray 28. I tried to pay for the remainder of my balance for the invisalign, but they did not accept American Express. I thought AE was a worldwide accepted charge card but it is not. Well, I'll just have to find another way to finally submit my last and final payment. One of my pet peeves is being in debt or owing someone so, I'll resolve the situation very soon. My next appointment will be in 2weeks. This appointment will be molding of my lower teeth, so that a retainer can be made. Ive already worn the same tray for the last 4weeks and my orthodontist told me that the tray will become weaker. So, when the retainer is made for me, it will be much stronger and rigid and I'll only have to wear it at night. My teeth are progressively looking better and better. Smiling is not hard for me as it once was. Ok heres the pictures

TRAY 27 Lower teeth done

2011-03-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Heres my new update for 29 March 11. I finished my lower trays already and all I had to do was wear my new tray 27 for my upper teeth. I feel some stress on my left front tooth. However, thats a good sign, that the gap is closing. I now only have 4 trays left!! wow. Im gonna finally pay off my remainder 1500 euro on my next visit. The treatment is expensive but worth it so far. I've been more confident will my smile during interactions with people. Ive taken several pictures with me revealing all of my teeth minus the wisdom teeth that were taken out when I was 19. And I'm really happy to be a present testimony of what invisalign can do. here's tray 27.

TRAY 26

2011-03-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Hello, readers today is the 20 of March and I am wearing tray 26! I usually update my blog in a regular fashion but my PC had some issues and I've been working more than normal. However, his is the last tray for my lower teeth. Today I went in for my annual dental checkup and guess what?lol NO CAVITIES. I know that sounds kinda corny and immature to hear. But I say this because before I began my invisalign treatment, I've heard of people experiencing cavities because of the trays. The trays cover your teeth for a long period of time and can hinder the normal flow of saliva that naturally cleans your teeth. On the other hand if you are not brushing regularly then food can be trapped between the trays and your teeth, and thats not good for your dental hygiene. This will lead to cavities. Honestly, in the beginning I've been brushing after I eat religiously, but that got really tedious for me and sometimes inconvenient. So as a substitute I would chew orbit gum and drink water and at night I'd be sure to brush my teeth as well as in the morning.

On my next visit my orthodontist, will be taking impressions of my lower teeth and taking the ''buttons'' off of my lower teeth. Later on a metal wire will be placed on the back of my teeth, from canine to canine so that I can keep my lower teeth straight. So after this tray I will just receive upper trays from 27 of 31 to 31 to 31. It seemed like just yesterday that I put on my first invisalign tray and now I'm finish with my lower set WOW. ok heres tray 26.

TRAY 25

2011-02-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

Today is the 28 of February and I'm wearing tray 25. Im only one tray away from finishing my lower teeth. Im pretty excited about that too. Too add to that, my birthday is this saturday the 5 of March. Ive been smiling a lot more in my pictures. I went to venice and took lots of pictures with my friends. People who know that Im wearing invisalign have seen a big diffrence with my teeth. Some people say that invisalign is painful, but in my case not at all. There is some discomfort within the 3days of wearing a new tray, but other than thats it. Some trays I dont even feel discomfort, just the tightness. I have come a long way with this treatment and just cant wait to finish the journey. I have an annual dentist appointment coming up March 15. I wonder how thats going to be, please God, no cavities,lol. well here is tray 25

tray 24

2011-02-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

Today is Feb 15, 2011 and I'm wearing my new tray 24. I only have 3 months left of my treatment and looking back on things, it has gone by quickly. Also I have 3 more trays left for my bottom teeth. Its just amazing lookin at before and after pictures. Taking off the trays for my bottom teeth, is very easy now. I mean I still fill the tightness that comes with the new trays. I also have an annual dental appointment coming up and on that same day I will pickup my last tray for the bottom teeth. So Im really hoping that I dont have any cavities, because every blog or review Ive read about invisalign involves some people who have gotten cavities. This is not by no means a result of invisalign, but more so on the person. Because you have to take extra care of your teeth when wearing these plastic trays from 22 to 24 hours. Well on the bright side my treatment is almost done, and here are the new pics.

tray 23

2011-01-31T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today is the 1st of February 2011 and I am wearing my 23rd tray. All day at work I couldnt wait to get home and wear my new trays.The trays went in really easy, there was some tightness as usual however thats a good thing. My journey is almost over and soon my bottom teeth will be finished. It seems like time is going by a little faster with the process. I'm smiling more than I used to. The other day I actually took a picture with someone and I showed all of my teeth. But I just cant wait until the end result when both of my gaps are closed, forever,lol I mean im paying about 6,000 so I deserve it. One important thing out of this experience is that , I really wanna see how much my personality will change afterwards. Well anyway, heres tray 23.

tray 22

2011-01-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

Today is the 18 of January and I am wearing my new tray 22. It was routine as usual wearing the new trays. I felt no pain at all, just the tight sensation of the trays. The gap that is in between my bottom teeth is getting smaller and the bottom teeth will be done in a few trays. I really cant wait to get the free whitening that comes with my treatment , as you can see I really need it. Things are coming along fine and yes you can smile even though you know a storm is coming.

tray 21

2011-01-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

Today is 3 December 2010 and I am wearing my new 21st Invisalign tray. I immediately felt the tightness as usual. I'm basically in the stages were u really begin to notice the ''magic'' happen with my teeth. Now its 21 out of 31 left for the upper teeth, and 21 0ut of 26 left for the bottom teeth.. I'm really hoping to complete my last payment for the invisalign treatment in January. So far it has really turned out to be a good investment and I would recommend it for anyone. My next appointment will be on 18 January, ok here are the pics.

tray 20

2010-12-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Its December 21 and I'm wearing my new invisalign tray 20. I have only 6 more trays left for my bottom teeth and 11 for the top. Time has passed by really fast with this treatment. The invisalign is working really well, and my orthodontist is also talking about using the pictures from my blog to promote the system. My case seems to be one of many rare cases. This blog will really show what the invisalign can do with teeth that are widely spaced. I'm also going through an unfortunate time in my life. And the idea of still being able to smile even though times are/seem adverse constantly runs through my head. I think maybe its what we as people need to do more. You can even find poor kids from third world countries smiling on TV. Or comedians with a rough childhood smiling and telling jokes so they don't have to cry. People I know smile all the time even though I know they have more problems than they can deal with. I'm getting my teeth corrected. This is something I wanted since I was 8 years old. There are people who are not able to afford orthodontic treatment. And because of that I will find the strength to smile and be grateful.

tray 19

2010-12-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

Today is 2010 DEC 19 and I'm wearing my new tray 19. This tray gave me some discomfort but nothing I wasn't familiar with. This is also a good thing because it means my teeth are moving. Im really excited about this tray, because its my final one in the teens,lol its like my last year being a teenager. After that, I can't wait to start with the 20s and my bottom teeth should be finished in the late 20s of my invisalign trays.

invisalign clinic check

2010-12-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

tray 18

2010-12-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

Heres tray 18. My teeth are getting straighter and there is a major difference between when I started up until now. Im smiling more right now, I even took a picture of me smiling showing all of my teeth. However, Im still not 100% confident and comfortable when it comes to being in a social setting. According to the plastic bag that holds my invisalign trays, it shows that I have 8 more trays left on the bottom. I found that kinda of weird because all of the bags before indicated that I have 27 trays for the bottom, not 26. So, I guess I have to ask my orthodontist questions about this. Maybe my treatment could be shorter than I think.

long over due up date

2010-11-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

tray 16

tray 17

Ive gone from tray 13 to 16 and I'm on 17 now. I havent had much time to commit to the blog but I'm goin to get back started now. I've noticed that more food than normal gets stuck in between my teeth. I'm over half way done with the treatment but there is still more road to travel on my journey. here is tray 16 and 17.

tray 13

2010-09-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

ok, its 19 september 2010 and I've had tray 13 on for 4 days. I'm 2 trays from being at the halfway point of my invisalign treatment. It seems to me that my lower canines are moving in this tray. There is nothing really noticeable about my upper teeth. However, I do feel something is happening every time I change into a new tray. The routine of changing into a new tray comes so easy now. I can take them off and put them on just like any other simple thing we do in life. I had a friend look at my invisalign progress on this blog and he was impressed and so am I. But there is a long way to go. I cant wait to show my girlfriend my invisalign, I'll be seeing her in 2 weeks from now. She is probably the only person I know that I've expressed my need to straighten my teeth. Well here are the pics

tray 12

2010-09-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

1 September 2010

I just put on my 12th invisalign tray about a day ago and it was pretty much routine as usual. There wasnt any pain just the ''new tray feel'' and some tightness, which is a good sign. They went on easily and I didnt have to force them down. There is more closure of my bottom teeth happening on this tray. My two front teeth are finally standing up straight. There is some slight change with my upper teeth, but its hard to notice. I always find myself comparing my first post to my latest post to spot the progress of invisalign. My next appointment is in 2weeks and I cant wait for that, then after that I'll be on vacation and I really cant wait for that. Well heres pics of tray 12.

tray 11

2010-08-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

18 August 2010

I'm wearing my new Tray 11, I just started wearing them yesterday. Basically the bottoms are progressively being positioned vertically and the gap is closing. There wasn't any discomfort when I wore the tray, I just felt a sense of tightness. Everything is easy and routine for me at this point, thank GOD. I predict that by December the gap between my 2 bottom front teeth will be closed and the, bottom canines should then start to be straightened. Well here's the pics

tray 10

2010-08-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

August 8, 2010

I just received my 10th tray on the 3rd of August 2010. I was very excited because I finally entered the double digit number of my trays. It seemed like yesterday I was putting my first tray on and now I'm on my tenth tray but I still have a long way to go on this invisalign journey. My bottom teeth are really noticeable when it comes to movement. The top teeth is difficult to notice a change because of the large gap in my mouth. But I know something is happening because I feel it everytime I change a tray. As for confidence, I feel 1% increase when it comes to smiling in front of people. Im really confident in my doctor and the invisalign treatment and Im seen a wee bit of results.

My orthodontist is supposed to be out of town for a while so, he provided me with 3trays this visit. I took a look at them and I was impressed. Because it shows that the gap between my 2 front bottom teeth is on its way to closing. Before those teeth look like they were holding up the peace sign. So the next time I'll see him is in September. I get really anxious sometimes for the treatment to progress. Then I think about what the reaction of people will be from people when my treatment is complete. Well here is the pictures of my 10th tray. My orthodontist is supposed to be out of town for a while so, he provided me with 3trays this visit. I took a look at them and I was impressed. Because it shows that the gap between my 2 front bottom teeth is on its way to closing. Before those teeth look like they were holding up the peace sign. So the next time I'll see him is in September. I get really anxious sometimes for the treatment to progress. Then I think about what the reaction of people will be from people when my treatment is complete. Well here is the pictures of my 10th tray.

tray 9

2010-08-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

nothing much to say about this tray but here are the pics.

tray 8

2010-07-24T03:50:00.000-07:00

24 JULY 2010

I received my 8th and 9th tray about a week ago. The trays have been looking very similar so far except for small adjustments here and there. Putting the trays on my teeth have become easy. There is only minor discomfort but no pain at all. I can easily take them off and put them on without any complaints. Whats helping me now is my finger nails. I have grown them about 1/8 inch and they are a good tool. The next time I will see my orthodontist will be AUGUST 2, 2010. He's supposed to give me 3 trays at that time because he will be on vacation. Those 3 trays will almost put me at the halfway point of my invisalign treatment. But I also have been thinking about next year. Because my job will require me to do some traveling for a couple of months. So I hope when the time comes he's not reluctant to give me extra trays to take with me. I dont wont to have to have my treatment come to a pause because of this. Well here are the pics of tray 8th. I did some shots of where the movement is taking place.

tray 7

2010-07-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

Im posting this blog on the 5 July 2010, but I actually have been wearing this tray for 2weeks already.
Today I will be picking up my 8th and 9th trays and I'm pretty excited. When I get there I'm gonna also make sure that I wear the correct tray, because on my last visit I wore tray 7 instead of 6. I felt a lot of discomfort and eventually ended up going back to the 6th tray.
  Things are pretty easy when it comes to wearing the trays and removing them. I just havent been religious when it comes to brushing my teeth every single time. As a alternative, what I have done is chew gum and rinse my trays out with water. However, before I got to bed I make sure that I brush my teeth and trays.
I've been feeling a little anxious the past 4weeks about my treatment to progress and be over. I do realize I have to be patient and wait; I havent even gotten past my 10th tray yet,lol My girlfriend understands how I feel about my teeth. She too had braces before but not invisalign. I keep her updated on my progress all the time. She cant wait to see how my teeth have changed since she last saw me, and that has been a loooong time. When I do see her I should be on my 15th tray. Im just thinking how its gonna feel to kiss her with the invisalign trays in my mouth.
   I always look at youtube vidoes or articles about braces. And one interesting technique I came across is the 6month braces. They place a continous force on your teeth. This allows for constant movment, yet it does not cause the discomfort that some might think. I was just thinking hmmm I wish I had an option to get that treatment as well. I mean invisalign is very good, but I'm not bothered by being seen with metal brackets in my mouth. Because I know that these metal brackets are going to fix whats bothering me to smile confidently.
   I stated before that I would also do youtube videos. I attempted to do these videos and realized that I'm a little camera shy. So I was thinking maybe when my teeth get a little straighter then I just might do it. Then again,I'm not exactly sure if being camera shy has something to do with me being self-conscious about my teeth, or am I just camera shy. Here are some pics of my 7th tray. I'm not the best photographer but its the best i can do to show whats going on with my teeth. As you can tell invisalign moves the teeth little by little, these pics basically look the same as the last 6th trays I've worn before. However I can see the small movements because of the spaces that are being made in my teeth. In my future pics I will just show the new movements rather than show a full visual shot of my teeth.

Thats all I have on this blog, ciao!

tray 6

2010-06-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

hey everybody this post is a late one but i've been a bit busy. I went to my ortodontist and received my 6th and 7th trays about a week and half ago. Everything was routine as he examined my mouth observing the progress of my invisalign. So he gave me the new 6th tray to wear and I noticed it felt more uncomfortable than usual, almost identical to my first experience of putting my trays on. Afterwards, I left and ate some lunch and felt the tenderness in my mouth as I was eating. Then I put the trays back in and it hurt a bit, but I thought to myself no pain no gain. Later that evening as I was going to bed, I took a look at my 7th tray to see the movements and noticed that it was my 6th tray that I was looking at ! Apparently, my orthodontist by mistake gave me the 7th tray to wear instead of the 6th tray. So this explained why I was experiencing and unusual amount of pain than normal.
So I gave him a call and he explained to go back to the 6th tray immediately, or depending on how I felt I could just wear the 7th tray for a month, but he clearly recommended going back to the correct 6th tray. At first, I thought, '' hey I can tolerate wearing the 7th tray'', however this did not mean it would speed up my treatment. So after 2days I went back to my 6th tray. I did this because I wanted to wear the aligners and abide by the way the treatment is meant to go and not suffer unsatisfied results at the end. I have 2more days until I switch to my 7th tray.

A very observant friend of my noticed that I am wearing invisalign. So he sought some information about invisalign from me. I told him everything there was to know but he didn't like the price. I told him in his case it would be less expensive because his teeth aren't in bad alignment. The price was still an issue he has but it seems that he's going to eventually get invisalign. And I was just thinking, wouldn't be a great incentive to be compensated in some way by referring someone to invisalign?