Where do I begin?
I've finished my initial Invisalign treatment and my gap has gone from 6mm to about 0.5 mm or so (I'll post pics soon)
6mm to 0.5 is a huge change. basically you cannot tell I have or...umm... had a gap unless if we are having some type of nose to nose contact :) then again... no reason to be that close to my face.
So I attented my dental visit and Doc was pretty impressed with the movements. I,too, am very satisfied with the results so far.
All of the pain and discomfort was definitely worth it,although I'm not completely done.
My options were;
(1)to use bonding to seal that final 0.5 opening and my treatment would have been complete
OR
(2) Endure a bit more pain and discomfort from more aligners called refinements.
Bonding
What is it?
Bonding is the application of a tooth-colored composite resin (plastic) to repair a decayed, chipped, fractured or discolored tooth. Unlike veneers, which are manufactured in a laboratory and require a customized mold to achieve a proper fit, bonding can be done in a single visit. The procedure is called bonding because the material bonds to the tooth.
What it's Used for?
Bonding is among the easiest and least expensive of cosmetic dental procedures. The composite resin used in bonding can be shaped and polished to match the surrounding teeth. Most often, bonding is used for cosmetic purposes to improve the appearance of a discolored or chipped tooth. It also can be used to close spaces between teeth, to make teeth look longer or to change the shape or color of teeth.
Sometimes, bonding also is used as a cosmetic alternative to amalgam fillings, or to protect a portion of the tooth's root that has been exposed when gums recede.
I decided to go with option #2. Why ? Because bonding would increase the width of my teeth,not that it would be that noticeable, and I definitely do not want that. I've had enough issues as is with trying to conceal my gap for so many years that when this treatment is completely over I just want to to be 'normal' and have a beautiful open-mouthed smile.
So my decision was made and I pretty much 'started over'. Impressions of my teeth were taken,again. Pics were taken,again and refinement aligners were ordered. Did I mention its free...well nothing really is free... but I didnt have to dish out any more money.
They took about two weeks to be available which means that I was stuck with my final trays in for about a month... eew. Anyway, the upper tray ended up cracking and ultimately broke off, near my left upper incisor. Spent my last week with the broken tray in as i did not want to risk having my teeth regress.
At my new dental visit I had another round of IPR (basically shaving the sides of my teeth,creating spaces in order to have a tighter seal once the teeth have moved) done and my new aligner #1 was inserted. Ouch... just the memory of the tension on my back molars is making me cringe. After the first day, no more pain...well almost none :) Pics will follow as well as updates on my refinement aligner tray numbers. Btw I received about 9 sets... Yikes ! Thanks for reading and be sure to return for rifinement updates and the grand finish.
FYI : Interproximal Reduction (IPR)
Interproximal reduction (IPR), also known as tooth stripping, is a procedure that is sometimes undertaken as part of the Invisalign treatment process, which is a well-known form of invisible braces. This is because in some cases there is not enough space available to move teeth into the desired position when using Invisalign, and so instead of removing teeth to make space the IPR procedure is undertaken.
