My Invisalign Journey Comes to an End

Today was a big day for me...the day I had my Invisalign buttons removed forever.  Some of you may be asking yourselves "You had Invisalign, how could we not have known this?!".  Well I thought about documenting my experience, but I wanted to keep it quiet and see who noticed.  I planned to start the Invisalign process a few years ago.  I had my pictures taken and my consultation and needed to have a filling done before I could get my impressions done.  However, right after I scheduled my appointment I found out I was preggers so I had to put the Invisalign (and the filling) on hold.  Last year I was finally ready to get it all done.  I had my impressions made, paid an un-Godly amount of money, and got started. 

I was lucky because I only had to wear them for about 9 months.  You see, my teeth weren't really bad by any means.  I had braces when I was a kid and wore my retainer at night just like I was supposed to.  Apparently you can outgrow your retainer (which I did) and my Orthodontist  never told me this.  It wasn't fitting me properly and at the same time my wisdom teeth started pushing down, causing some of my teeth to crowd.  The major issue was my left front tooth, it was pushed out.  Looking at me straight on you probably would never know, but if I tilted my head back it was oh so obvious.  As the years went by it moved more and I couldn't deal with it any longer. 

I started my Invisalign back in June 2011.  You get a new set of trays every 2 weeks that gradually move your teeth where you want them to go.  The first 2 sets were great and I barely noticed them myself.  I didn't tell my parents or my husband when I got the first set and they never knew I had them in.  I had to tell my husband for him to know.  But after those first 2 sets, I was cursed with getting "buttons". 

These buttons are enamel colored cement blobs on your teeth that are put on to help move them in different directions.  There was only one button that bothered me, it was pretty big and stuck on my top, right,  3rd tooth back.  All the others were pretty small and were far enough back in my mouth that they weren't noticeable.  As noticeable as I thought they were, it still took months for anyone to see them.  Once you have the buttons put on, it's harder to get the trays in and out because the trays also have bumps to accommodate for the buttons. 

After 9 months of Invisalign, I had my buttons removed this morning and I don't think I have stopped rubbing my tongue over my teeth since!  I'm done with any movement, but I still have to wear retainers for a few months during the day and then just at bedtime.  I'm stuck with my last Invisalign trays (bumps and all) for about 2 weeks until my actual retainers come in.  I chose the Vivera retainers which are through Invisalign and are basically the same as an Invisalign tray only a little stiffer so they're not as likely to crack after wearing them for months.  They have no "bumps" and are smooth and clear just like my first set of trays. 

I'm so so happy I went through the Invisalign process.  I'm thrilled with my teeth and, for me, it was totally worth paying the extra money to not get metal braces.  I'll ask for some before and after pics from my orthodontist and hopefully can post them soon. 

If you have any Invisalign questions, feel free to ask.  I'm an open book!