I alluded to having some expensive dental work I’d had to pay for in my previous post. Well I figure I may as well document the process here!
To begin with a bit of background information I originally had braces at approximately 12-13 years old. I can’t really remember the issues that I had with my teeth that lead me to being recommended braces, but I do remember them being straight afterwards. I think the process lasted about 2 years, and at the end I was given a retainer that initially I had to wear all of the time, and then tapered down to just nighttime use. After having that for a couple of years our pet dog chewed it and we never got it replaced. I’m in my mid 30’s now so it’s probably been around 15 years.
For the majority of that time my teeth had been okay. There was some movement and shifting, but nothing that was particularly unsightly or annoying to me. Over the past couple of years my crowding has become a lot more apparent. My 2nd incisors had pushed forwards, and my front two teeth had pushed backwards. Compounded by my bottom teeth getting more and more crooked I was starting to experience problems with my teeth colliding uncomfortably when I ate, I was holding my jaw in a way that compensated for this that was causing me issues with snoring in the night too. At one point it was really getting me down, it had been playing on my mind a lot and after realising my teeth were beginning to be damaged by this poor alignment I decided I needed to do something about it.
At my next dentist appointment I brought up the topic, I was booked back in for an orthodontist appointment a couple of weeks later. At this appointment they did 3d scans of my mouth (impressive technology!). Discrete aligners and fixed braces were discussed, I mentioned I’d prefer the discrete option to have as little as a visible change to myself. My orthodontist mentioned that due to the fact I had some teeth forward and others backwards aligners might not be an option, but he’d let me know. With that I went away to wait for a quote. About a week later I received an email with a proposed treatment plan. I could have the discrete aligners, but I may also require a period in fixed braces too.
Now I’m not going to post any photos here (plenty of invisalign progress pictures elsewhere) but I will be completely transparent about what it’s costing me. My treatment is costing me £4700. This includes as many sets of aligners as I need, the logistical part of the process, a visit every 6-8 weeks, the period of fixed braces if needed, retainers (either removable or permanent) at the end of the process, and teeth whitening.
They asked for £2500 up front and the rest is just to be paid throughout the rest of my treatment, my dentist is fairly relaxed about this as I’ve been going there for a while and they know I’m not going to do a runner!
My fitting appointment was yesterday. I generally book them for later on in the day so I can just stop in on my way home, and if I’m having anything that will need recovery time done at least I don’t have to head into the office straight after it. My appointment was pretty quick, I was in and out in around 40 minutes. My orthodontist explained everything I needed to know:
The aligners need to be worn for 22 hours a day. I need to wear each set of the initial 3 sets I’ve been given for 2 weeks before moving onto the next one. If I want to eat or drink anything other than water I need to remove the aligners, then brush and floss before putting them back in. Doesn’t seem like too many rules, however they do have a big impact which I’ll get into later.
After that I got into the chair. I didn’t see the instruments used but they put “attachments” on select teeth. These are blobs of composite filling material which are there to give the aligners something to grip onto and aid them moving the teeth. I currently have 10 in total, 7 on the bottom and 3 on top. Then, and this was my least favourite part, he had to make some space between my teeth. This felt like having my teeth flossed with sandpaper. Fairly unpleasant it taking what I perceived to be a lot of force to get this moving between my teeth, but not painful.
Finally it was time to learn how to put my aligners in. I moved over to the mirror and was handed my bottom tray. This wasn’t too difficult, fairly similar to putting a phone case on. It required a bit of force but then pops into place. The top set was much harder. It went over my molars quite easily but getting it into place over my front teeth took what initially felt like a dangerous amount of force, eventually it went on. After that I was shown how to use a “chewie” to really get the aligner into place, and given a plastic hook like tool to aid removal. I was handed a box with a carry case, my next 2 sets of trays, some cleaning tablets and a pamphlet and was sent on my way, with the next appointment booked for around 6 weeks time. On my way out my orthodontist mentioned the next week or so would be difficult, and to remember why I decided to do this in the first place. I didn’t think too much about that at the time, but now I can fully understand why he said it.
When the aligners are in place they really aren’t that intrusive. They’re very smooth feeling, and thin so the worries I had about feeling claustrophobic in my own mouth and obsessing over rough bits were quickly dispelled. I wouldn’t even say they’re that painful. If you’ve ever had fixed braces they are magnitudes worse than this and the aligners are mild in comparison, probably due to the fact the movements are small and gradual opposed to a fixed brace only being tightened every couple of months.
The real shock to the system comes to the lifestyle changes you have to make for this process to work. What I wasn’t expecting was how difficult these aligners would be to remove. The first time I tried to take them out was later that evening when I was ready to eat my evening meal. Prepared with the hook I was provided with earlier and the carry case I went to the mirror and had a go. At first I couldn’t even find an edge to grip with the hook, they felt permanently attached. Immediately feelings of panic and despair start to set in, however I was warned about this. I used the techniques I’d been taught and eventually managed to release the aligners from my molars. I had less joy with the front top teeth. I started to experience discomfort from the pressure and just couldn’t see how this aligner could possibly come off. Without any exaggeration I struggled with them for about 15 minutes, and eventually with much relief and drool I got them out. By which point my meal had gone cold. The attachments felt very rough whilst I was eating and caused some discomfort against my gums. I carefully ate my meal, cleaned my teeth and struggled for another 10 minutes to get them back in.
At this point I decided I wasn’t ready to be tackling this at work.
This is where the lifestyle changes come in. While I am slowly getting better at getting these aligners in and out it is still by no means a quick and stress free process, in fact, I dread it. I decided I would take them out the bare minimum I could get away with, at least until it becomes easier. Today I took them out in the early morning before work, at my lunch at 06:30am (I usually skip breakfast), drank a big coffee and then went through the cleaning regime. I’d done my research before starting and heard plenty of people recommending an ultrasonic cleaner to keep the aligners looking good so I had this ready, I drop them in the ultrasonic cleaner with a cleaning tablet and leave them to do their thing. After that I use the inter-dental brushes, followed by dental floss, then I use a tongue scraper and then finally brush my teeth. Whilst this is my standard nighttime oral hygiene routine, it is quite laborious to have to do it every time I eat. Finally the aligners can go back on.
Normally I’m an avid drinker of tea and coffee (I’m English, what else would you expect!), and not being able to do that throughout the day was a more daunting concept than not being able to eat or snack. I’ll be honest, that was hard. At one point I even resorted to a cup of hot water just to make it feel like I was having a brew. The office cakes and biscuits looked even more tempting than usual, knowing I couldn’t have them, but the thought of having to wrestle my aligners out and go through that cleaning routine in the work toilets was more than enough of a deterrent.
My evening meal, while fairly mundane by our standards was like paradise to me. I drank a glass of juice (not normally a huge plain water drinker) and had another big cup of coffee, before heading back to the bathroom to go through the cleaning regime and put the aligners back in.
You might wonder why I’m going into such detail about this. Well going into this I knew that you can’t eat or drink (except water) with the aligners in, and that really doesn’t hit home of how much that alters daily life until you experience it. What you normally wouldn’t give a second thought to, such as coffee with friends, a piece of fruit as a snack, even temperature checking your toddlers food, these are all near impossible without planning the logistics of having a private bathroom and all of your cleaning equipment to deal with the aftermath. If you plan to stick to the 22 hour a day recommendation (if you’re spending a lot of money, surely you want the best results!) then a relaxed meal at a restaurant, or a night out drinking becomes practically impossible. If I’m out of the house, grabbing a meal on the go is off the cards. Our relationship with food runs much deeper than we realise, and becomes very apparent when restrictions are put in place. Right now I’m feeling quite overwhelmed by it all. My routine has been changed dramatically, and I don’t really know how long it’ll be like this for.
If this all sounds like too much of a burden, I’d urge you just to consider fixed braces instead. Generally they’re cheaper, they give your orthodontist better control of movement and you can generally just carry on about your day as normal with them fitted. In hindsight I wonder if I’d have been better off with them entirely. Although they’re not without their own set of drawbacks; they effect speech, they’re very visible, they cause more aching pain and they absolutely shred the inside of your cheeks and lips.
With that said my decision has already been made, I’ve committed to the plan I’m on and whether it’s the easiest or not I will see it through to completion. I will post further updates as my treatment progresses and I settle into things. Wish me luck!