Goodbye Invisalign

When I first started the process of having the gap between my teeth closed, I found myself reading countless blogs and watching videos made by ordinary people, about the process involved with Invisalign treatment. Having now completed the process of Invisalign, I thought it might be helpful for someone out there to stumble across this post and let it possibly influence their decision to consider having the treatment done.

I started Invisalign in May 2014. My gap was hereditary, with my dad and grandmother both having the infamous 'Costa Space' (my surname's Costa btw, this isn't a plug for free coffee). On one hand I liked it because it was such a well known thing in my family which gave me a little feeling of belonging and repping the fam, also it made me feel a little like Spongebob who is pretty cute in my opinion. I was also happy to share the gappy smile with Vanessa Paradis, who is not only a beautiful French model and singer, but also the former MRS JOHNNY DEPP! I mean if Captain Jack Sparrow is into it, I thought it could be a pretty cool look to live with!



However, the main issue I had with my gap is how self conscious it made me. Now, I know I get really anxious in certain situations, which was probably more of a cause for the low self esteem than my gap, but nonetheless I would always end up having my friends and family ordering my food when we'd go out to eat, I would cover my mouth when talking to strangers as well as my closest friends, I absolutely hated talking in front of class and socialising with new people. It made me melancholy, because as reserved and withdrawn as I tend to be, I enjoy getting to know new people, which was a really difficult thing to do, when I hated opening my mouth. I think the moment I decided I wanted to go ahead and have a consultation for Invisalign came when I started university and I overheard some girls talking about my teeth. I'm shallow enough to admit that as much as I try not to care what people think about me it's difficult to not let their opinions affect my behaviour. For me, I kept thinking 'if these girls think this, surely every new person I meet does aswell.' That spiralled into an existential crisis of 'THIS IS WHY I CANT GET A JOB OR BOYFRIEND OR MORE THAN TWO FRIENDS!'

I had wanted the gap closed since I was around 11, but every dentist encouraged me not to do it because it would result in the rest of my teeth being affected. However, when I decided to get Invisalign, I thought 'if I don't do this now, I never will.' I contacted a few practices because the procedure is so expensive and I wanted to get the most affordable treatment possible. I settled for a practice near to where I live, which offered me the treatment for £3500, which was a hell of a lot of money, but significantly cheaper than other dentists.

The treatment began with talking about the smile I wanted to achieve, then taking impressions for my aligners. Overall, I ended up with 14 aligners, and I honestly thought they wouldn't work. At first the aligners were sore, and gave me a lisp but trust me, this wears off after a few days and in the long run it's worth dealing with for the results you want. I then developed a cleaning routine, which was simply leaving the aligners to soak in a cup of water and mouthwash whilst I brushed my teeth, and then giving them a quick brush before wearing them for the day. 

Invisalign is meant to be taken out for every meal, cleaned and then put back in and I cannot stress enough the importance of consistently wearing your retainer. That doesn't mean you can't eat or drink like you normally would though. You'll probably worry about how you're going to casually remove the aligner in public for family meals etc. I tended to just pop them out whilst covering my mouth, or go to the bathroom beforehand, but trust me when I say nobody really notices you taking them out or putting them back in, it just comes naturally.

You'll also probably worry about keeping them safe. I guess this depends on the type of person you are but in the 8 months I had Invisalign I didnt lose them, apart from for five minutes on a coach to One Direction in which I felt the world me and my Invisalign treatment implode. 

Another thing is the fact they're made of plastic you need to remove and insert the aligners carefully. My last aligner broke but only out of wear and tear from wearing them for around two months whilst I waited for my retainer. Nonetheless you do need to be careful about how you handle your aligners and where you put them.

I literally got my retainer this morning so I can't advise you on how that process works just yet, but I will update you on my journey. From what I've gathered, you wear your Invisalign for as long as advised, then an impression for your retainer is made, which is a pretty long term commitment. I was told to wear my retainer pretty much every day for three months, then only at nights or in the day for a few months, then just at night and finally a few times a week. The retainer is just as important as the aligners because it keeps the teeth set in their new position.
Here's a photo of my teeth before and after treatment, I'm quite anxious to post it because it really makes me uncomfortable to show off to the world the teeth I used to have, but if the results can influence you into making a life changing decision then I'm happy to post it.

Thank you for reading this post, if you have any questions regarding Invisalign I am more than happy to reply to your comments! Good luck with any treatment you may be having or considering.

- Aimee

:) x