invisalign

Invisalign Update: What is IPR?

by

Aiming to correct my teeth - Invisalign

I just entered week 16 of my Invisalign treatment. Two weeks ago, I visited my orthodontist to undergo IPR to create some additional room for movement.

What is IPR?

IPR stands for Interproximal Reduction. IPR is an orthodontic procedure wherein tooth enamel is reduced to facilitate treatment. Interproximal Reduction is a common orthodontic procedure that you could encounter with traditional metal braces, lingual braces, or other clear aligner brands.

In short – they remove a bit of your tooth via what is essentially sanding. IPR:

  • Creates space without tooth extraction
  • Makes teeth fit together better

In my case, the procedure killed two birds with one diamond disc (see below).

What IPR Entails

Read more

Invisalign Update: Week 10 of Invisalign

by

Invisalign Update - Week 10 of Invisalign - More Refinement - Refinement Round Three

Last night, I switched to my tenth Invisalign tray! Since my last update, there hasn’t been much new or different to report.

It’s amazing that I’m already at week 10 of Invisalign- it doesn’t feel like two and a half months have passed.

Attachments at Week 10 of Invisalign

As the orthodontist suggested, the roughness of my attachments has subsided. That said, they aren’t what I’d call smooth; when I eat, food is attracted to them. All the more incentive to quickly address oral hygiene after eating!

Changing Teeth

My teeth have changed a lot! Each week when I change, I compare my newest tray against my first tray and marvel at the changes. My husband notices a difference in my smile already – so do I.

Read more

Getting My Invisalign Attachments

by

Aiming to correct my teeth - Invisalign attachments

August 22 marked the beginning of my fifth week with Invisalign braces. I’m fairly surprised time is moving so quickly! Overall, I think I have adapted to the routine well. I’ve been devout about the hygiene protocol it requires.

That same day was also my appointment to get my Invisalign Attachments applied. Attachments are clear resin nubs they apply to your teeth to help the trays get the leverage they need to force your teeth around. From an application or installation standpoint, I understood the process – but I was not prepared for the reality.

Getting Prepped for Invisalign Attachments

The orthodontic technician who prepped me for my attachment installation reclined me in a standard dental chair. Once reclined, she placed a (highly attractive) set of orthodontic cheek retractors in place to keep my lips and cheeks out of her work area. Next, she polished the teeth that would receive the attachments with a standard dental cleaning/polishing wand and standard prophy paste. I then rinsed the gritty paste away. So far, so good.

Once I rinsed, I was to hold a suction wand between my teeth to minimize saliva while she used a small, forced air (expulsion, not suction) wand to dry the surfaces of the recipient teeth. This would typically be fine but I have one tooth that is jarringly sensitive when it comes to cold. The air from that wand was cold and I was just not ready for it to hit that tooth. I writhed in discomfort in the chair.

Read more

Wearing Invisalign for 20 Hours Per Day

by

wearing Invisalign for 20 hours per day

There tons of blogs and forums out there with reports from people saying that wearing Invisalign for 20 hours per day is, “impossible.” Invisalign recommends 22 hours of wear per day, which I strive for, but many orthodontists confess that between 20 and 22 should do it.

How I Manage Wearing Invisalign for 20 Hours per Day

I personally haven’t found it hard to wear them as directed. My average wear time is about 22 hours and 23 minutes per day; my maximum time with the trays out so far has been two full hours, and my minimum has been one hour and fifteen minutes.

For me, it’s simple – I really want straight teeth and I invested a lot of money to achieve a smile I am happier with. This takes short-term sacrifice and diligence on my part. The trade off is easy.

At Home

At home, I pop my trays out, eat and drink, then take care of oral hygiene. During dinner, I place my trays in my ultrasonic cleaning bath (okay, seriously, it’s just a little tub with a motor – but that’s what they called it) with some Retainer Brite. After dinner, I’ll take a quick shower (and whiten my teeth with Plus White at the same time) while my trays are still marinating in the solution. Then, I get out, do the whole oral hygiene thing, and I’m good to go!

When I’m Out

Even with eating meals away from home, I do the following to keep them out as little as possible:

Read more

First Week with Invisalign

by

Aiming to correct my teeth - Invisalign

My first week of Invisalign flew by; I’m already on my second tray and a lot has happened.

First Tray – Tuesday, July 25

I went to the orthodontist’s office after work. An orthodontic technician came over showed me my trays and went over some of the minutia like:

  • Keeping trays you’re done with so you have back ups if anything happens to your current tray
  • Cleaning your tray(s)
  • Teaching me how to insert and remove them
  • Teaching me how to use Chewies

Then, the orthodontist came over and examined the fit, made sure I was good to go. We went back over my ClinCheck – by tray 25 (of 40) I should have what appears (compared to now!) to be straight teeth.

I was surprised to find, however, a space for the tooth I just had extracted. They offered to add something to it so that spot appeared to have a tooth, but since it is clear, the gap is tiny, and my lower teeth don’t show when I speak, I opted out of it. The spot for tooth 26 is there in my first through third trays, then is absent starting the fourth. It makes sense to me to have it extracted before starting treatment, but I’m not entirely sure I understand why there is a tooth-shaped space for it in the trays.

 

First Week with Invisalign

Read more

Invisalign X-Rays and 3D Scans

by

On Monday, I mentioned regular content was returning next week. I have an Invisalign update for now – so here’s this for today, then we’ll be post-less on Friday, then back on Monday.

A week ago, I went in for my Invisalign X-Rays and 3D oral scan that are used by my orthodontist and Invisalign to develop my treatment plan. X-Rays were taken like any are, but the scanner – man, if you appreciate technology, this thing is neat.

Instead of taking impressions with a weird goo that you bite into for a couple minutes (which I would have had to do, had I opted for SmileDirectClub), my 3D scan was taken via an iTero Element intraoral imaging device. A tech uses a small wand to take high-resolution scans of your mouth; it then assembles them into a 3D rendering of your mouth. It is weird and awesome all at once. I haven’t had issues with impressions before, but apparently using the scanner is better for people who have gagging issues.

My orthodontist says based on experience, my case will run about 18 months, require a single extraction, and require attachments. Attachments are small, tooth-colored nubs that they will affix to certain teeth to facilitate the process. The clear aligners will fit over the nubs. Patients report varying degrees of visibility of them; regardless, I’m fairly unconcerned. Most people in my life, including people I work with, know that I’m pursuing this. I’m not embarrassed by that much.

I return to the practice in about two weeks to review my ClinCheck – that’s what Invisalign calls the progression of their treatment plan. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to get a head-start on adjusting my eating and drinking habits to support my soon-to-be-restricted eating and drinking regimen.

In support of that, I’ve started assembling a purse-friendly care kit. Because I 1) work and 2) can’t just eat breakfast and dinner and still be a reasonable human being, at least five meals a week take place away from home. I need to be prepared.

Read more