I’m back to give you another Invisalign update! Now this feels crazy to say but I’ve finished my first set of 20 aligners! It’s incredible to see how much my teeth have changed over the past 20 weeks; I can not only tell the difference in my smile but also in cleaning my teeth and the amount my food trapping has reduced. I have noticed using interdental brushes and floss to be much easier and quicker because of the positioning of my teeth now being straighter.
During my treatment, there have been 2 teeth that have been stubborn and have been flagged a couple of times whilst I have been scanning using the Dental Monitoring app. I spoke to Dr Derek about these and he recommended that I go for a ‘Refinement Stage’ where these teeth would be focused on to get them into their final position. I was happy to go ahead with this even though it meant having a few more aligners for a little bit longer. Therefore, I booked in to see Gabi to have an intra-oral scan completed and for her to take some photos to send off for my account with Invisalign. Dr Derek will then discuss with one of the team members from Invisalign my case and will be able to decide on how long my refinement may take and see what can be achieved. So, I am currently in my last aligner and will discuss with Dr Derek soon about what the next stages are and have my new aligners fitted.
How have I been maintaining clean aligners when I’m wearing them 22 hours a day?
I have been using a ‘Zima Pod’ to keep my aligners fresh and clean during this process. This is a cleaning device which uses ultrasonic frequencies to clean the aligners. The Zima Pod actually advertises to clean multiple intra-oral appliances, such as mouthguards, nightguards and even some dentures! It has been useful in giving the aligners a full clean alongside what I do daily with a soft brush and soapy water. I will continue to use my Pod once I have my ‘Vivera Retainers’ fitted at the end of my treatment and have already got other members of my family to try out the Zima Pod with their own nightguards and retainers!
Hopefully, I will have my refinement aligners fitted soon and these will complete my Invisalign treatment and I’ll be able to inform you with my end results the next time I write an update for you all!
