Invisible Tourist: X-Rays and Impressions

Tuesday 25 April 2006

X-Rays and Impressions

The first step in a course of Invisalign treatment is to take lots of X-rays and impressions of the teeth. These are then sent to Invisalign HQ in California where they do a 3D simulation of how the teeth will move around the mouth. Once the orthodontist agrees the treatment plan, many sets of aligners are made. Each set is slightly different to the last and is to be worn for 20 hours a day for two/three weeks before moving on to the next set. They are made of plastic rather than steel, but because they put pressure on the whole tooth, rather than just through one point of contact, they can be as effective as steel braces.

I fly to Budapest on Friday morning for an afternoon appointment with Dr H. I have several X-rays taken - a couple of involve staying still inside a machine for 45 seconds. The machine is too small for me so I have to crouch over and try not to move - very uncomfortable. The worst part though is taking the impressions. This involves biting hard into a quick-setting foul-tasting plastic gel. It's really important to cover all the teeth and not get any air bubbles so this takes several tries. Eventually Dr H is happy and I am released into the spring sunsine.I get a call over the weekend from Dr H to ask me to come back in Monday to retake one of the impressions as he is not happy with it. Fortunately I am booked in on Monday lunchtime for teeth whitening so this is not a problem.

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Invisalign Do"s and Don"ts

Don't eat with the aligners in Eating with alingers in is possible but not pleasant. I never realised before how much of "tasting" is actually experiencing the texture of food through the teeth, and wearing aligners removes this sense. Plus food will get stuck under the aligners and they will become really dirty really quickly. Don't drink with aligners in Drinking dark fluids with the aligners in will result visible pockets of coloured fluid inside the aligners. Somehow, the space between the teeth and alingers seems to fill with concentrated saliva which largely prevents that happening. But drinking with aligners will get the aligners dirty more quickly. . . . . . . . . . . . . Don't ever chew gum with alingers You will be amazed how quickly fragments of gum get stuck behind the alingers. They are highly visible and are a real pain to remove. . . . . . . . . . . . . Smoking There doesn't seem to be a problem with smoking with aligners apart from the oral pleasure being reduced, just as in eating. Invisalign warn that heavy smoking may discolour the aligners which seems very likely but I can't comment on that. . . . . . . . . After Eating and Drinking To get the best results, it is important that you put the aligners back in as soon as possible after eating and drinking. Ideally you will want to brush and perhaps floss, but we know that's not always realistic. Vigorously chewing gum and pushing the gum around the teeth can be pretty effective at cleaning before replacing the aligners, so always try to carry chewing gum. Putting the Alingers in My prefered method is to push the aligners on with my fingers starting from the front teeth and then to bite my jaws together to push them fully over the teeth. If you find it difficult to get the alingers on, try running them under warm water to soften them slightly. . . . . . . . . Removing the Aligners My prefered method is to use both index fingers to loosen the aligner from the back teeth and then the side teeth. I think it's a good sign if the alingers are difficult to get off - if they come off too easily, you may be straying from the treatment plan and you may be headed for trouble. There are special tools like plastic hooks to remove aligners. I use a metal crochet needle but I am very careful to avoid damaging the tooth enamel with it. . . . . . . . . Changing to a New Set of Aligners A new of aligners can be quite uncomfortable and there is a strong temptation to take them out several times a day. I have a pet theory that taking aligners in and out weakens them. I avoid this problem by wearing a new set of aligners at night and the old set during the day for the first three days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When to Change Aligners Officially every 2.5 weeks. You will feel when an old set is no longer applying much force and when it is time to change to a new set. Sometimes that happens sooner, sometimes later. A word of warning - I went away with friends (who don't know I wear alingers) over New Year's Eve and decided not to wear the aligners for 48 hours. I was amazed how much my teeth relapsed in that short time - it put the treatment back by at least a week - so it is really not recommended. . . . . . . . . . Cleaning A dirty film will build up on the inside and outside of the aligners. Cleaning with a toothbrush is possible but it is difficult to get the insides clean. Ultrasonic appliance cleaners with cleaning tablets are inexpensive and get the aligners really clean. I am experimenting to see if ordinary denture cleaning tablets will work as well as the proprietary tablets.

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Tuesday 25 April 2006

X-Rays and Impressions

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Invisalign Do"s and Don"ts