When we think about the quest for youth, our skin sins are the first things that come to mind. But have you ever considered how your smile could play a part in the ageing came? A recent study revealed that 4 in 5 women agree a healthy, straight smile can make you look younger with 95% of the women asked indicating it could shave 7 years off your face![1]
Braces, however, go a little too far in the direction of youth: more for those sporting a school uniform and spots than working mothers. Enter Invisalign: the much-hyped alternative to braces that are favoured by celebrities and grown ups who don’t fancy a mouth full of metal but are all for the beautifying benefits of straight teeth…
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign treatment consists of a series of nearly invisible, removable aligners. Formed for your unique set of teeth, the aligners are changed every two weeks as your pearly whites gradually move and straighten.
Bespoke software, ClinCheck®, will show you exactly how your custom-designed aligners will move your teeth over the course of your treatment so you can see the expected result before you get there. Just the kind of crystal ball gazing we love.
Because they are removable, Invisalign solves many of the problems braces-wearers complain about: you can brush and floss normally during treatment, there is no irritating metal involved, and, best of all, the aligners are virtually invisible.
The Road Test
We asked Rescu. Reader Jennifer Wilson, to road test Invisalign. Now half way through her treatment, we checked in with Jennifer to see how it’s all played out so far….
RESCU: What inspired your decision to have your teeth fixed?
Jennifer Wilson: Admittedly, there are two celebrities to blame (or praise) for my decision to get my teeth fixed in my 40s!
RESCU: Did you consider braces?
Jennifer Wilson: I had traditional braces as a young teenager – but there was never any pressure to wear retainers for the long term and I assumed back in those days that once my teeth were straightened, they would remain as such forever more.
Sadly, after only a few years, the bottom ones in particular started moving and, combined with wisdom teeth popping up, the bottom ones were decidedly turning into misaligned tombstones.
RESCU: Why did you wait until you were in your 40s?
Jennifer Wilson: More than two decades on, my teeth have come back to haunt me. I’m lucky to still have pretty strong teeth and only a small filling. Although sensitivity and bruxism have started and I’m no longer thrilled with the colour, it’s the lack of straightness that bothers me most.
Aside from the obvious effect of straight teeth, it’s the overall rejuvenation to the face and attitude which I believe gives you a much more youthful appearance.
RESCU: What was your first appointment at Lifestyle Orthodontics in Bondi Junction like?
Jennifer Wilson: Following a really thorough briefing on the process and what to expect throughout the treatment, it was off for the 3-D scanning. This was slightly uncomfortable, but mainly because I have such a small mouth and since I tend to clench my teeth when sleeping, keeping my mouth open for any sustained period for any type of dental work tends to be uncomfortable.
The next step was to have images taken with a device placed in my mouth to keep to my lips bared to really show the teeth.
I was told that in a few weeks I would receive my personalised set of plastic aligners and decide whether or not to go ahead with Acceledent – a device which can cut the time of wearing the trays in half. In my case, this means six months of treatment instead of twelve. What’s not to love?!
RESCU: Tell us a little about your initial experience with Invisalign
Jennifer Wilson: Putting them in the first time takes me immediately back to the age of 13 again and braces — oooh, the pressure my teeth felt! Removing them was no simple process and then of course the body’s reaction to something foreign in the mouth is to produce a tonne of saliva.
The first 24 hours I experienced more pressure than I thought I would, but nothing that some ibuprofen couldn’t handle. Although I must say talking became an issue as my mouth slowly developed a few grazes from the aligners and the pressure built throughout the day. I was surprised that I slept so well with them. And they definitely felt better when I woke in the morning.
After 6 days with them in, I found it considerably easier. Still tight by the end of the day – but I have been super strict with my hours of keeping them in.
RESCU: Can you tell us a little about your experience since then?
Jennifer Wilson: Throughout the process I was still in two minds as to how comfortable they are. I must say that when I do not have to talk much during the day (fairly rare considering I work in PR), I tend to find them fairly benign. But during those days that I have meetings, am doing a lot of phone calling and pitching – woah, definite ulcers!
With this in mind, I’ve decided it’s a little like being pregnant – uncomfortable at times, but the outcome will be just fabulous! The changing of them weekly really feels like it speeds up the process too which is exciting.
By around the tenth aligner, I was noticing all these tiny gaps where my teeth used to be pressed up against their neighbour – and now they have a boundary line between them. I was amazed at the change in just ten aligners.
RESCU: In terms of comfort levels, how did your experience with braces compare to that of Invisalign?
Jennifer Wilson: I had braces back in my early teenage years. The difficulty with the traditional metal braces at the time was the constant mouth grazing and ulcers that resulted from the friction of the metal on my lips. Whilst I’ve had some abrasions with Invisalign, it’s nothing compared to the level I experienced with my braces. And the regular visits to the orthodontist for tightening of the braces was inconvenient and really painful. I used to dread those visits, not to mention the annoying piece of metal that always seem to protrude out behind the back molars and into soft mouth tissue. Ow!
I love with Invisalign that the process feels more seamless – and that the ‘tightening’ comes with the placement of fresh aligners (weekly for me) in the convenience of my own home. Changing them of an evening before bed really is ideal as the discomfort can be lessened with mild pain killers and the aligners settle in as you sleep. The first day or two of a new aligner can feel a little tender – but it’s amazing how quickly you adapt to it.
RESCU: Where are you in the process now and have you noticed more changes?
Jennifer Wilson: With 27 aligners in total, I’m now officially past the halfway mark! And it truly is amazing to literally watch the progress and movement of your teeth. For example, I have what I think is a considerably wide gap that has developed between my front upper left tooth and the tooth to the left. This has been happening over the past 13 weeks, and when the time came to snap in set 14 – wow, I could certainly tell something was happening with those top teeth. For the first time, my upper front teeth really feel like they’re being moved. It’s clearly to make room for the tooth to the right of my upper front tooth to straighten up.
Comfort-wise, now that I’m halfway with my Invisalign treatment, I’m at the point where I literally have been having moments of forgetting that I have them in – and then having a slight panic attack that I’ve forgotten to pop them in after brushing my teeth. And of course, the most obvious benefit is that unless people already know I have them or I tell them, then they truly don’t know I’m undergoing alignment treatment.
Check back in with Rescu. for Jennifer’s next Invisalign report.
For more information visit Invislign.com.au and lifestyleorthodontics.com.au
Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are that of the patient and do not necessarily represent the views of Align Technology, Inc. In rare cases, allergic reactions can occur. Not intended for patients with active periodontal disease. Invisaligntreatment requires a prescription. Results may vary.
[1] 1000 participants were shown the same women with only the state of their teeth altered and asked to compare how much older one image looked than the other.