Hi everyone! I thought I'd give everyone an update after one week of treatment! So far things are progressing pretty smoothly and I haven't had any issues at all with my aligners.

What I've done: Worn my aligners for at least 22hrs a day for the last week like I'm supposed to!

What I'm feeling: My teeth got used to the movement/soreness pretty quick. After the first day of some soreness, I haven't had much at all since then. The aligners fit on and off pretty smoothly, but I do not have very many attachments. From what I've seen, the more attachments you have, the more difficult it may be to take on and off your aligners. 

I've also been surprised that so far only one person was able to notice my aligners! And she only knew because she was one of the first people to hear me speak after inserting the aligners in (Kim from our front desk). Everyone else has been surprised that I even had anything in! They really are hardly noticeable!

The one issue that I have noticed is that these aligners must be kept clean on a regular basis. They accumulate plaque fairly quickly, so it's important to brush your teeth AND your aligners as often as you can throughout the day. Mouth rinse may also help keep your breath nice and fresh. 

Progress: Teeth are gradually moving! My bite has changed ever so slightly, but I knew that was happening already. We'll keep track as time goes on!  

I (Dr Jason Chan) have started self-treatment with Invisalign! I will be keeping a log here of my treatment with some pictures for you to observe as I go through all the hurdles with Invisalign treatment. This is a new experience for me and should be fun and rewarding!

What I did: Today, I have started by doing some IPR (Interproximal reduction - removing small amounts of tooth structure at the areas where they contact; this gives us more room to move the teeth) on a few of my teeth, adding composite attachments (small pieces of tooth color filling material that allow the aligners to hold onto the teeth better), and finally fitted the first set of aligners in. 

So what am I feeling: My initial feelings were that the aligners felt really tight. This is pretty normal as with each set of aligners, they will be placing slight pressure on certain teeth to move the teeth. My speech was slightly changed because of the aligners sitting on the tongue side (lingual) side of my front teeth. My tongue will eventually get used to this and I think my speech will be back to normal soon. Having to remove the aligners when I eat or drink (anything but water), is a little annoying, but not much trouble. These aligners are by far more comfortable than the metal braces I had before that were always scratching my lips. All of the things that I've been feeling have been expected. Now I can sympathize with patients when they go through it! 

Progress: We'll see in a few days!  

Happy (belated) New Year!  Here's to a better year in 2012! Hopefully one of your resolutions will be to take good care of your teeth! We can help you with that. Schedule a check-up today!