I have always wanted to straighten my teeth. My lower teeth were especially crowded. I really wanted them straight but did not want the nuisance of wires bands and braces. Invisalign seemed to be the perfect solution to my problem. No mouth full of metal!

First Visit - Records

My Invisalign adventure began in March of 2002. I had an office visit of about 30 minutes. First they took digital pictures of me and my teeth- I hope I looked alright!

Next I sat in an x-ray chair and had a panorex taken - this is easy. They took the impressions of my teeth- this too was quick and easy. Taking the impressions was painless. I had a tray filled with a blue material that smelled like "berries". After a few quick minutes out came the impression. Everyone was happy- they said I made a great impression!

Aligners Are Made

The information from the first visit was sent to Align. In a few weeks Dr. Jones showed me the 3-D computer prediction of how my teeth will move. This was really cool!

I was amazed to see the teeth move on the computer. They called this the "clin-check". If you look, you can see the computer generated animation of my teeth as they move.

Delivery Visit

After about 30 days my aligners were delivered. I was so excited! This visit was about 15 minutes. Several tooth colored attachments were necessary. It took a few short minutes to bond them in place. They cured them with a bright blue light. After that was done they showed me the attachments. I could feel them with my tongue, but could barely see them in the mirror. They said that many cases require these attachments.

Now I was ready for the aligners! They snapped into places easy. They asked me to practice taking them in and out. After a few tries I got the hang of it. They gave me a red and a blue retainer case. I was on my way to straight teeth!

At first my tongue had to get used to the aligners. It was a little like anything new- glasses contacts- you know it takes a while to get used to something new. After a day or so I felt comfortable with my aligners. I did feel like my speech was weird at first, but by the end of the first day I did not notice. No one else could even tell they were in my mouth.

I learned that there is a definite "trick" to removing the aligners. They came out easy if I lifted the back first working both sides forward. It was really easy after a little practice!

I learned to carry a tooth brush and tooth paste with me so I could clean my aligners as well as brush and floss my mouth. This left a clean feeling when I put the aligners back in after eating. I noticed that I wanted to drink water a lot more with the aligners. The biggest plus was that I was snacking less and so I lost some weight- lucky me!

At first I really could not tell my teeth were moving. Then after about 3 or 4 sets of aligners I could begin to see and feel the changes.

After 3 months Dr. Jones checked my progress and gave me another set of 6 aligners for the top and bottom. They said the aligners were fitting find and that the movement schedule called for some shaping of the crowded teeth to make some room. This was scheduled for my next 3 month visit.

At the 6 month visit you could really tell that the teeth were moving. The top teeth were almost finished and looking fantastic. This was the visit to reshape the contacts between the lower teeth. Dr. Jones checked the teeth and determined the areas to correct. He uses a little disc and some sand paper. It was painless and took seconds to do. I think this visit was 5 minutes or less. I am so happy with my progress!

I am so comfortable with the aligners that I feel weird when they are not in my mouth. It has now been a year. It seems like I just started- the time really flew by! I had one more reproximation- that's what they call shaping the teeth. The teeth really move fast once this is done.

I have 2 more lower aligners to go and I am finished! It was so easy. Yes..YES.. YES...I would do it again. Now my sister wants to start!

Invisalign was the right thing for me and I hope you will agree the right thing for you!"