#aligners

This is the story of Ms. Dianne & Mr. David who travelled all the way from the UK to Stunning Dentistry - Ranked No.1 Dental Clinic in India.

From finding dentists in England to reaching Stunning Dentistry India, here's a glimpse of their journey. 

There are a lot of different things that can go wide of the mark with our teeth. Even though it may only be a small cause for anxiety to a few, a lot of individuals feel that their teeth necessitate being in just right, faultless condition. The teeth are the most visible thing at what time an individual smile. 

Maintaining teeth is to a certain extent difficult, basically for the reason that so many things can go wide of the mark. To begin with, it may be some straightforward (but uncomfortable) issue like plaque or yellowing of the teeth. Or else it could be a bit more serious, like misalignment of teeth or every so often even an ailment like a root canal. For all such setbacks, the natural way out is to go to a dentist, so as to make the most of Clear Aligners for Teeth.

In recent times, there are dentists who are making use of their diverse acquaintance gained as a result of studying different fields of medicine, to achieve treatments that uphold the aesthetic natural look of teeth as much as possible. 

A simple case in point is the treatment of misaligned teeth. At what time a patient’s teeth have grown out of percentage, the standard dentists will push them back hooked on place by using Clear Aligners for Teeth. Even though these are beyond doubt effective, there is a lot of hesitancy and self-doubt created next to the steel brackets and wires.

Cosmetic dentists just make use of a set of clear, artificial aligners. These aligners are more or less transparent and so they are not noticeable, and the treatment is still efficient. They are called Invisalign in the marketplace.

Not including misalignment, there are other issues akin to the yellowing of teeth. This happens for the reason of eating in excess of colored food, or drinking tea, or even smoking. For whatsoever reason it ensues, cosmetic dentists recommend great whitening solutions. 

There are two types of whitening systems. In the foremost type, the dentists will lighten your teeth in the workplace, or draw on laser treatment. But if you are not at ease with this, you can have a dentist-managed bleaching procedure done in your home itself.

Every so often, a patient can boast an infected pulp. In such a case, a root canal surgical procedure necessitates being done. The root canal is an unfilled portion surrounded by the root of the tooth; it is this unfilled portion that contains the pulp. The surgical procedure entails removing the pulp, cleaning the polluted portion, and after that filling it again. This is a very susceptible process and one that all cosmetic dentists are skillful at.

i have official spent the most money ever on myself to wrap my teeth in plastic and get a lisp in the hopes that i’ll stop getting pain from my teeth pushing each other out of the way and tension headaches

almost immediately as i paid for it i was over come with guilt

for WASTING MONEY

my money

that i earned and saved

on something that bothers me both physically and mentally, as my family has a history of terrible dental disasters and i have nightmares about my chompers crumbling in my mouth

had to justify to myself spending so much on something that breaks down to cosmetic (intermittent teeth pushing pain aside) when its my choice to do so

here’s to the next six months of pressure and discomfort as my teeth get pushed to where they should be and hopefully a future where i don’t end up with dentures at 40

Okay, so if you remember from my last article, I started my smile journey with SmileDirectClub at the end of May. And this past Tuesday I just reached the one month mark. So, I decided to post an update piece about how things are going, my progress and so forth.

Progress

As I mentioned in my intro post, based on my smile plan I knew that I wouldn’t see any dramatic changes after the first month. Even though I can definitely tell which teeth are being moved by the pressure being applied, for the most part there aren’t any major changes. Keep in mind, the only teeth doing any major movement are my front 12 teeth (top six and bottom six). However, as you can see in the pic above, I can see some minor shifting from teeth that used to have some very minor crowding that are no longer overlapping. Note that in the start pic I’m wearing my top aligners and in the current pic, I’m not wearing them at all.

Adjusting to the feeling of wearing aligners:

Hands down, the first week of aligners were the most painful. And I’m 100% sure that’s because it was an entirely new experience and my mouth had to get used to wearing them. As promised, by the end of the first week, my mouth adjusted and the lisp went away. But it wasn’t until the second week where my teeth really stopped hurting. So, now when I switch aligners, my teeth or only super sensitive for the first 24 hours.

My smile plan is a 1 / 1 / 2 plan. This means that for weeks 1 and 2 of each month, I’m wearing a new set of aligners each week. But for weeks 3 and 4, I have just one pair of aligners for the two week period. Last month it felt like in weeks 1 and 2 there was a lot of movement happening with my teeth and then not so much in weeks 3 and 4. It truly felt like my bottom aligner was nothing more than a retainer to prevent my bottom teeth from slipping back into their original position. There was minimal detailing on my bottom aligner and it was technically loose enough that I didn’t even need to use the outie tool to remove them. And my top aligner only had minor pressure on it that went away within a day or two of my two weeks of wear.

Adjusting to life with aligners

To be honest, I’ve gotten used to the routine of having to do the ole brush, rinse, floss, and clean aligners routine before putting them back in my mouth. The first week was a pain because all I could think about was when I could eat or drink. But after time, I’ve gotten into a routine and typically only take my aligners out three times a day—unless I have to go into the city for events, or go out to eat.

For the most part, I’m home. And that makes it really easy to give my teeth the thorough cleaning they need without feeling like everyone would be watching me. Having said that tho, I still don’t pop these guys out every two seconds to eat or drink something other than water. I avoid removing them unless I’m really going to eat...or drink red wine.

I’m also pretty Type A about keeping my retainers clean. Every morning I soak them in a 1:1 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water while I’m eating my breakfast. And I also brush my aligners every time I’m prepping to put them back in after a meal.

Switching to new aligners:

I always shift into a new pair on Tuesdays and I try to put them on no earlier than 9PM in the evening. I find that it takes a good 12 hours for my teeth to get used to the new pressure. This past Tuesday—after two weeks of minimal pressure—it was pretty uncomfortable when I switched to the new pair. I ended up taking a couple Tylenol to help ease the discomfort. So, avoid putting in a new pair of aligners in the morning—unless you’re a masochist.

Anywho, I’ve seen people ask questions (in general, not directed at me) about what to do with old aligners. As you can see, I have several retainer cases from SDC. My purple case houses my current set of aligners when I’m not wearing them. Then I took a LED brightener case and labeled it “last week’s aligners”. That one (obviously) holds last week’s aligners. I strongly recommend that you keep your previous pair just in case you misplace your current set of aligners or there’s an issue with the fit. This will ensure that you won’t regress and have your teeth shift back. Anything older than last week’s aligners I toss.

So, when you’re ready to switch to new aligners, I like to do a few things to ensure that the fit is as comfortable as possible. Every week your aligners will come in these pre-labeled easy to open plastic bags. So, something I do preemptively is to file down all the edges on my aligners. I was originally using a paper file/emery board. But I’ve since switched to a ceramic/glass mini file that came in a three-piece set of files I ordered on eBay years ago.

After filing, I put my aligners in and wait for an hour or two. If any area feels particularly uncomfortable, I take them out, rinse and apply the orthodontic wax to prevent uncomfortable rubbing or cutting on my gums, mouth or tongue. And this is probably my only real gripe with SDC and dental aligners in general. Every week (or two weeks) is a new surprise of “where will it irritate you”.

The takeaway: Invest in whatever items you need to ensure that you can wear your aligners as comfortably as possible (not including the tight pressure issue in the beginning of a new week of aligners). If you don’t, your mouth will be raw and you’ll give up before you can even see any measurable results.

Going out with aligners:

So, even though I’m mostly home, I do go out to events from time to time—or out to dinner or lunch with the hubby. And that means that I have to go through the whole take ‘em out. put ‘em in routine. I’ve learned it’s best to take a kit with you so that you’re prepared. And that kit is featured in the title card, but I’ll walk you through it. 

This tote looks big but it’s actually not. Anywho here’s everything I carry:

I went on Amazon and bought additional outie tools because I didn’t want to take the risk of losing the only outie tool that came with my aligners in my SDC box. I thought a three-pack for $11.55 was incredibly reasonable. So if you like to be prepared, I highly recommend you buy these.

I have yet another retainer case from SDC so I keep this one in my tote so I never have to worry about wrapping my aligners in a napkin and accidentally throwing them away.

I also keep a travel kit of dental supplies: toothpaste, toothbrush, mini flossers, mouthwash and the new Listerine Ready Tabs. An interesting tidbit, the toothbrush I use is from Doctor Plotka and features bristles that also act as flossers and are antibacterial thanks to the silver infused tips.

While at home I keep a very thorough and consistent routine for cleaning my teeth before putting my aligners back in, my outside routine can vary a bit depending on what’s going on. I always brush and use mouthwash. But if I’m not actually eating anything, I don’t always floss—especially if I know I’m going home immediately after an event.

So, now that I’m well under way, I still think SDC and aligners in general are a great and low profile way to improve your smile. It’s definitely a bit of a sacrifice, but the end result should make it all worth it!

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge and improving your smile—especially if you have a wedding coming up—then make it a little easier with this cool promo. When you use code TABSMILES you can choose between a free Smile Shop Scan or 50% off the cost of an Impression Kit, and save $100 on aligners. Head on over to www.smiledirectclub.com to start your smile journey!  

Get the full story on my SDC smile journey here.