x2k

Well, it's been quite some time since I posted to this blog. Mainly because it would've been boring to read (finished set 2, started set 3... finished set 10, started set 11... and so on). But now I'm in a position to review my progress.

I'm currently halfway through my 21st set. As I only needed 19 trays for my bottom set, there were no bottom trays in bags numbered 20 upwards, so I'm still using 19 bottom with my 21 top. Thankfully, I've had enough practice keeping trays clean now to stop it looking skanky!

Getting the aligners in and out has become second nature, the first couple of months were a little fiddly, but you develop a knack for it. Since that early set that got a split in them, I've not had any damages. The trick it seems is not rushing. Also, only some people have noticed when I've been wearing them. Even then, they've commented that they're very discrete. And no-one can tell when they're not in, as the attachment colour is 100% identical to that of my teeth.

The early months of the process didn't appear to be doing anything visible. Each fortnight, I'd fit the new trays before bed, and the next morning I'd wake up with them aching slightly, tender at lunch, and then the front teeth wobbly for the next couple of days. But nothing visible.

However, after about 2 months, I noticed that my obscured tooth had started coming forward into the gap a little. After another few months, I realised my top 2 front teeth were becoming straighter vertically. Since then, I've been noticing how all movements are related to each other, teeth have to move out of the way for others to slot in, etc.

So the situation right now is that my bottom set is done. They weren't too bad to start with, but the front ones are lovely and flush with each other now. There's one pre-molar that hasn't rotated much though. But to be fair, its position is fine, it wasn't one of my concerns, and the dentist did warn me at the start that Invisalign isn't great for major rotations.

My top set is the most important thing for me and was my main reason for getting braces. I had an incisor hiding behind my front 2, and the front ones were angled which meant I had a vertical gap between top and bottom sets.

I now have all of my top front teeth visible and nearly all lined up together. The previously hidden tooth is filling the gap it needed to, and has just a few more millimetres to come forward. The front 2 teeth are now perfectly straight, and the gap in my bite has TOTALLY closed! The clin check showed a massive improvement, but the realisation is amazing. So much so that the other day I felt my top set touch my bottom set for the first time in my life. Amazing

The only oddity now is that one front tooth is fractionally longer (by only 1mm or so) than the other. It's a bit strange, although not really noticeable, but this is also reflected in the shape of my previous few trays. The final few sets ahead seem to level them out, so fingers crossed.

Throughout the treatment, I've been seeing my dentist about once every 2 months. He typically checks the fit of the current trays, does some IPR to increase gaps as per his schedule, and lets me have the next few sets to keep me going. I've also been seeing the hygienist every 6 months to make sure my teeth and gums are staying healthy during treatment. Before I started, she taught me better flossing practices as my gums would bleed quite easily. At my latest visit with her last week, she complimented me on my healthy gums and strong teeth. So that's even better news.

So in summary... very happy with the results so far, they look great, my hidden tooth has come right forward, my bite has closed up totally, my gums are nice and healthy, and I'm smiling a hell of a lot more

My next blog entry will be when my treatment has finished in just over 7 weeks time, and then you can see the before and after photos!