Thursday, December 30, 2010

Quick update

Not much to say really. Am going to go through with the last 3 overcorrection trays of 9 tray set (refinements round 2) and then will reassess if I need to go to refinements round 3. Argggh... will post pictures once I get to tray 9. Just switched to tray 8 on Monday.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Refinements round 2!

Well, I knew it had been a long time since I updated but I didn't realize that I haven't posted since August!! Oh my - since then the snow has fallen twice where I live, halloween has past and we've even instigated a garden light war in our neighborhood.

And my teeth... well when it comes to my teeth I suppose there's two ways to look at it. On the negative side, I had to go through a second round of refinements after getting through my uber round of 20U/13L refinements. On the more positive side, there are only 6 trays (+ 3 overcorrection trays) and I have really little attachments (see if you can spot them) this time around.

I just saw Dr. A yesterday and things seem to be on track so far according to him (I'm a bit concerned about my uppers) and I as given my 4 through 6 trays. Pictures below and my next update to come in 6 weeks!












Tuesday, August 24, 2010

wheee.... refinements round 2!

Well the good news is that I had kind of been hoping at the beginning of this set of refinements that I'd be able to get my attachments off before an upcoming wedding where I'll be a bridesmaid and I now have my attachments off. I have exactly two weeks to whiten before then too! The not so good news is that Dr. A and I decided that I am probably going to go for another round refinements. I kind of guessed this would be happen given the length of time the appointment was scheduled for but still a bit disappointed that my treatment is going to take a while longer before it's finished.

It's like playing Monopoly - except every time I get close to getting back to GO, collecting my $200 and moving on retainers, I keep getting sent back to jail for an involuntary break from treatment and then it's back to crawling slowly toward the GO again. I'll get there some day, even if it takes all 3 sets of refinements...

Here are pics of every fourth tray of this set of refinements:


End of first set of trays

Refinement tray 4

Refinement tray 8

Refinement tray 12

Refinement tray 16

Refinement tray 20

Attachments off!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

refinement tray 18U/12L update with pictures

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been really busy these past couple of weekends between hosting and attending bridal showers, helping with a friend's wedding, and starting a new job. This is supervain but I'm really glad that my teeth are so much straighter now and I feel pretty comfortable (despite all the attachments) smiling widely whenever I meet someone for the first time. First impressions are important and I think mine is much warmer now thanks to invisalign.

I'm at bit behind on posting as I'm on upper tray 20 right now (out of 23 trays - last 3 trays are over correction) and will be seeing Dr. A in about a week and a half but I have feeling that I'm going in for new molds since I've been booked for a full hour rather my usual 15 minutes in the chair. I kind of wish this was all over with but at the same time I'm not quite happy with my teeth right now and will probably go for second refinements if that's what Dr. A suggests at the end of our next appointment.

Pictures (sorry my front teeth look a bit gross around the front attachments, they seem to stain more easily):











Thursday, July 8, 2010

Refinement tray 16U/11L update with pictures

Since I've gotten my new front attachments, my teeth have felt really sore with every tray change. It kind of reminds me of my first series of trays. Hopefully, this will result in some big changes! I'm not sure what's going to happen after this current series

I had a chat with Dr. A about retainers as well. He usually puts in a bonded retainer on the lowers and an essix retainer on top because apparently having essix top and bottom takes some getting used t0 (too bulky?). Given that my regular dentist is strongly recommending removable retainers. I'm going to look into my insurance coverage to see if it will cover Vivera for the first year and then maybe I can just get the essix retainers once I'm into night time wear only. Anyhow, I think he's going to take a close look and determine if I need to go for another round of refinements after tray 20.

Pictures:







Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Kids do say the darndest things

So I was in between flights at the Seattle airport, brushing my teeth in the bathroom and generally minding my own business when a little boy (6 or 7) came up to me.

boy: what are doing?
me: brushing my teeth
boy: why are you brushing them?
me: to keep them clean
boy: but in a public bathroom?
me: that's because i'm not at home
boy: oh ok

Well that seemed to be sufficient explanation for him but it makes me wonder how many adults wonder but just don't ask...

Monday, May 31, 2010

Refinement tray 14U/11L update with pictures

I'm still here but I have to confess I'm getting lazier and lazier with my updates. In case you're wondering, I'm now changing up my lower trays (in my last 3 overcorrection trays) more slowly than my top ones to avoid wearing the last on for months on end. I've gotten a lot more questions about my invisalign (after close 1.5 years of wearing them!) since I got my new attachments. Mostly people are just curious or considering getting them themselves.

I've been a rather bad girl with my trays... Especially this past weekend since I was at an engagement party and a wedding. I managed to nurse a glass of wine, squeeze in a few courses without rushing and discretely brushed my teeth at the wedding and put my trays back in a few hours later without any trouble. What a far cry from the beginning of my treatment when I was hopelessly neurotic and on edge!

I've noticed since I've gotten my new attachments that my teeth are a lot more sore after each tray change and there seems to be some more visible changes in my teeth. For the most part things are pretty uneventful. Sometimes I feel like I want things to be over with and slow down at the same time (so that they can just as I want them before I finish this round). Most of the time, they're part of my everyday routine and I don't pay that much attention to them anymore.

Some photos:




Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Refinement tray 12U/10L pictures and 3 new attachments

Update photos from the end of tray 12:
The new attachments:
Trays on - the new attachments are a little wider than expected. My right lateral incisor has been so so sore.
Trays off

(picture here removed Sept 2020)
Goofing off with my new mitts during a trip to the mountains.
My eyes are nowhere to be seen but at least my teeth look pretty even!

Monday, April 26, 2010

More attachments

So today I got 3 more attachments for a total of 12 attachments (7 upper/5 lower). The three new ones are on my upper front two teeth and right lateral incisor. To be honest, I'm not too crazy about them. For one thing, they're much larger than I had anticipated and to me, they catch the light in a way that makes my invisalign much less discrete. Having said that, they're probably still slightly less obvious than having ceramic braces without the wire and you still have to get pretty close to see them. It felt a bit odd eating lunch just now and they're still a bit of a stranger to my top lip but I'm sure I'll get used to them.

I guess this far into treatment, I'll just try to focus on being positive and the fact that I'm pretty close to being done my first set of refinements. Hopefully, the look of the new attachments will deter from "cheating" too much with my trays so as not to prolong treatment anymore than I have to.

I'll post update pictures when I get a chance!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Can I get any sicker?

After being struck with a cold and then allergies I figured I was probably done with being sick for a little while. Lo and behold I woke up on Thursday with a toothache reminiscent of my post wisdom tooth extraction days (bottom ones were fully impacted). I was so uncomfortable I had to take a tylenol to get through the work day but I was still somewhat hopeful, figuring that the most likely explanation was nightly teeth grinding. I had been wearing tray 11 at that point for about 10 days so it didn't make sense for the pain to be from my invisalign.

When the pain returned on Friday with a vengeance, I decided it was time to action. I gave my dentist a call and managed to book myself in to see her the next day. I was a bit anxious as I left the house for my appointment - hoping that I wouldn't need a root canal or filling. Luckily, after taking a good look at my teeth and some xrays, my dentist determined that there doesn't seem like anything was wrong with my teeth.

So, after a lot of research and the onslaught of a number of other symptoms. I think what I had was a sinus infection. It's just so odd - I could have sworn it was a really bad toothache. Anyway I'm just glad that I'm not sick anymore and happy that there's nothing wrong with my teeth.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Half way through refinements! (tray 10)

... well that's if you don't include the 3 over-correction trays at the end.
In the past month, I've managed to get sick as many times as I've changed trays and so this past month has felt exceedingly long. I am hopefully getting over my second cold though and with some luck the rest of treatment should just fly by. I've got a few weddings to attend over the summer and elated about it the unseasonably warm weather we've been getting (no more snow!).
Not surprisingly, these past two trays have been pretty uneventful. The one exception being that the attachment on my left canine did not seem to sit properly and the top of it was cutting my lip. It sat properly after a few days though so no biggie. I was slightly worried though that it was the beginning of the end and that the rest of my trays wouldn't sit properly, optimist that I am.
I went to visit Dr. A this past Thursday and was given my next two trays. Only two as I am supposed to be getting more attachments at tray 13. These of course will be on my front teeth which I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, they'll be a lot more noticeable, but on the other, I really hope those front four finally move into place. It's about time! The other thing I was instructed to do was to slow down my bottom tray changing schedule. I had actually thought about it earlier but never got around to asking about it so I'm glad Dr. A mentioned it. My last trays from my previous set were pretty gross by the time my refinements arrived.
Some comparison pictures between re: tray 2 (first set with refinements) and 10:
natural smile (tray 2)
natural smile (tray 10)
Bottom and top teeth - Tray 2 (this was taken right after they added the new attachments)
Bottom and top teeth -
Tray 10
Right side - tray 2
Right side - tray 10 (sorry my attachments are a bit stained and gross - it does look like my one incisor has moved a tiny bit though)
Upper arch tray 2
Upper arch tray 10 - a little more rotation required
(picture removed Sept 2020)
A big birthday smile. Luckily, I was healthy enough to celebrate in between two separate bouts of the cold. Just like last year, I had to spend this birthday in braces but hopefully I'll be in retainers by my next birthday!

Monday, March 8, 2010

And now for a special public health message directly from my sick bed

I've been quite sick for the past week or so and am hoping to be able to drag myself into work tomorrow. While I've been quite miserable, I feel even worse that I seem to have made a couple of colleagues at work sick too. So given that I've got some time on my hands I thought I 'd draw up a list of things to keep in mind during invisalign treatment for those who are sick, living with others who may be sick and/or having a tendency to be a bit of a hypochondriac.

1. If you've decided to get your flu shot, get it early on in the season. If multiple flu shots are available, make sure you get all of them and remember that the incidence rate of various flu strains can change within the same season.

2. Even if you've gotten your flu shot and seem to be immune to a house mate's illness, don't let down your guard in case they catch a cold towards the end of the flu and unknowingly pass it along to you!

3. Always wash your hands before and after taking off/putting on your trays and try to wipe down the surrounding area as much as possible. You never know what germs you may have picked up or unsuspectingly left behind.

4. Have some hand sanitizer on hand in your purse if you use one or in various places where they would come in handy. That way if you need to pull out your trays quickly or decide to bypass a bathroom to put/take your trays on/off, you can ensure that your hands are reasonably clean.

5. Put your health before your invisalign treatment. That's not to say that it's a good excuse to be lax about cleaning your trays and dental hygiene. However, if you haven't been able to eat well for the past while and finally have your appetite back, it won't hurt to spend some time without your trays on so that you can have a bigger meal or snack in between meals if you can only eat a little at a time.

Aside from that, I try to make sure I do all of the usual things like get lots of rest, take in Vitamin C, stay hydrated. Hopefully later this week I'll be able to work out again too.

Anyhow, that's all I can think of for now. Do let me know if there's anything else you'd recommend.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Refinement tray 8 pictures and more!

Hello! Sorry I've been so lax about updating as of late.
I don't have any good excuses really aside from being on vacation and getting sick over the past week. Teethwise, it's been business as usual for the most part. I went to see my dentist just before my trip as I noticed some issues with my teeth and gums. She was really impressed (again!) with how much my teeth have changed since the first time I saw her but mentioned that I seemed to be having some trouble reaching my back teeth and below my bottom attachments (which were turning a bit yellow - yuck!) as she could tell from the build up. She checked my gum pockets and said there's been some pronounced improvement there as well. I guess I've come a long way from where I started.
In retrospect, it might have been better to have my teeth professionally after I got back from my teeth but hopefully it doesn't make too huge of a difference and I tried to be as diligent as I could while I was away. We were in Miami for a few days before our cruise (funnily enough, we were there for superbowl weekend and didn't even know it until after we booked our cruise - silly Canadians, we are) and enjoyed some really good food. This meant of course that we went to quite a few restaurants and I ended up brushing my teeth wherever I could as soon as I could. Most of the time, it wasn't a huge deal, since we ate at off peak times (empty bathrooms!) and our hotel was close to a number of eateries so sometimes I just waited until we returned. There were a couple of times (ie. Sat. before the superbowl) though when I had to just whip out the electric toothbrush in front a bathroom full of women primping and preening. I find if you don't look all embarrassed about it, nobody really seems to care but I still get the odd sideways glance (if I don't have a toothbrush in my mouth, I just look directly at them and smile warmly).
Surprisingly enough, once we went on our cruise (7 days through the Carribean with NCL), it was a lot easier to either get to our cabin or a semi-empty bathroom in between meals. Trying to keep my trays in for a decent amount of time was another matter. Between all of that food (everywhere, all the time!) and getting to various events, I have to admit, sometimes I slipped my trays in after a quick, discrete swishing and other times, I just kept them out for a bit. I thought the port stops would be more difficult to manage but we went on a lot of Cruise organized excursions and while they charged an arm and a leg, they did include lunches at nice venues with clean bathrooms. With all of that negligent tray wearing going on I ended up wearing tray 7 for a few extra days to make up.
We spent a couple more days in Miami (24C and they described it as cold!) before coming home to snow, -10C (mild by our standards), and all of the excitement around the Olympics (Vancouver's a pretty long way from where we live but it was still easy to get excited being part of the host nation). Since then I've been down with a bit of a cold but hopefully I'm getting through the tail end of it.
One thing I've noticed as of late is that I'm not quite as motivated to stop everything and put them in after meals anymore. I guess I'll just have find a way to keep myself on track - perhaps, thoughts of yet another long refinement set??
Pictures from the end of tray 8:
My crooked tooth catches the light a bit, me thinks.
It'll be interesting to see what my bite looks like at the of treatment.
Darn front right incisor.


Monday, February 1, 2010

My incredible shrinking lip and other side effects of invisalign treatment

For as long as I can remember, my lower lip has always seemed a bit thicker than my top lip (picture). It's a subtle difference but something I noted in my side profile. And while I often noted how my misbehaving incisor poking out from between closed lips contributed to my lopsided "no teeth" smile, I didn't realize how much my overbite contributed to my formerly protruding lower lip.

Funny how oblivious I was despite all of the pictures I've been taking of my teeth in the past year. It's only while playing with different shades of lip gloss (I've been having fun with new make up and cosmetic products lately but that's a story for a different kind of blog!), that I've really noticed the shape of my lips an how they've changed. They've gone from being a little lopsided and disproportionate to being much more symmetrical in shape and size. I'd post a picture but I wouldn't have a good a comparator. If I do find one, I'll try to post it up with my next tray update.

Speaking of changes. I'm happy to report that I've lost my invisalign belly! I'm so happy since we'll be in Miami and the Carribean soon and swim suits are much less forgiving than sweaters and "eating shirts". As cliche as it sounds, it left as suddenly as it arrived. In an earlier post, I'd mentioned that as my eating habits had changed after I started my treatment (3 big meals vs. grazing over the course of the day), my weight kept increasing gradually. Initially, I wasn't too alarmed as I was quite thin post wisdom teeth surgery and had wanted to gain a bit. The problem with this though was that all the weight seemed to accumulate around my abdominal area, creating a rather muffin-like effect where my waist used to be.

After some soul searching and finally coming to terms with the fact that my metabolism isn't what it once was and that this state of affairs couldn't continue, I finally made some lifestyle changes that included not overeating at evening meals and working out 3 times a week (I cook and eat pretty healthily to begin with and worked out just not that regularly). As I mentioned in my last post, it looks like my weight has finally stabilized but I've lost the belly (!!) and fit my clothes comfortably again (I assume some fat has been converted to muscle) so I'm a happy camper.

What I find neat about all of this is how changing my teeth have changed other aspects of my appearance. I guess it makes me realize how inter-connected my teeth are to rest of the body (and reinforces all of those of studies looking at dental and heart health!). I know in the past I've been a bit negligent where my teeth were concerned but now that I've invested so much into getting my teeth to where they are, I really hope I don't ever regress in that regard again. In some ways, it may have been a good thing that my treatment will end so long after the wedding as it's not a milestone after which I can slack off.

Anyhow, a couple more days to pack, get ready and connect with family and friends before we're off on trip. See you in a few weeks!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Refinement tray 6 pictures and update

I used to wonder where all of those formerly avid invisalign posters/bloggers went after they disappeared off the face internet. Now I think I know. After the majority of the correction has occurred, it's not nearly exciting to track to progress from one refinement tray to the next. It feels like quite a slow process at times until I remember that I've already gotten through 6 trays. I picked up trays 7-10 earlier this afternoon and am going to take a look to see what sort of differences I can spot between refinement trays 1 to 10. Now that I'm on refinements, Dr. A is making himself more available for questions and the like. I wish I had more teeth questions with which to impress him with my eagerness to comply or exhibit my curiosity but at this point I don't have too many questions, save one. I keep seeing this little space between snaggy the little top right lateral incisor and he explained that since my front incisors are both being intruded, I'll see a bit of space there all the way through treatment.

Other than that, I've started to lose weight again since I started working out and am going to have to readjust my meals accordingly. Nothing major, it just offsets the weight I put on initially with Invisalign and seems to be able now. It's an opportune time to lose the extra bit of flab since we're headed south for a much belated honeymoon starting next week. Perhaps when I return, I'll have an update on the challenges of wearing invisalign while on vacation.


Pictures:



My midline is finally lining up!


As snaggy finally comes forth, he's showing some signs of possible decay on the one side that developed in the shadow of the neighboring incisor. I booked an appt with my dentist for next week to see what she thinks and an early cleaning.