Invisalign Treatment in Charlotte

Now that I am done with treatment, I wanted to write a final post about my experience for all the others out there that might be debating getting them or not.  I began my treatment on 5/30/2017 and completed my treatment on 10/3/2017.  That is four months of wearing the clear aligners to correct the issues I was having with my smile.  That is crazy fast!! I went into it thinking I would have to wear for much longer, possibly a year even, so only having worn them for four months was amazing.

Before & After Pictures

(Get ready to be all up in my business with these pics and excuse the mugshot pictures, they tell you not to smile!! LOL)

Here are my before photos:

And here are my after photos:

As you can see, my bottom teeth were very crooked in the front due to crowding, and a similar issue was happening to the top of my teeth.  My top teeth were what I really cared about since that is what you could see when I smiled.  Here is a picture with an example of my teeth taken a couple of years before I started treatment…and it had only gotten worse.  But this is the best picture I can find to describe it.

You can see how the front tooth was starting to shift over the one next to it and it caused a shadow and an unevenness with my smile that I wasn’t very happy with.

Here’s a picture now of my smile…nice & even!!

Final Thoughts on my Invisalign Treatment

One thing I really loved about having my treatment done at Clearsmile was that I really felt like I was in the drivers seat in terms of my results and what I wanted, and Dr. Webb made it all happen.  Going into this I knew I just wanted to fix that one tooth on top that was shifting and then straighten back out the bottom teeth.  I was given 25 trays of clear aligners that I changed every 5 days.  I used my AcceleDent device at least 20 minutes everyday (it helps accelerate treatment, you can read the post about that here.)  After my initial set of trays, I had the option of continuing treatment with what is known as the “refinement” trays…basically they totally perfect your teeth and I was going to have 15 of those trays.  But since my personal goal was to just get my teeth back to where they were before they started shifting, I was very happy with my results from the first set of aligners so I talked with Dr. Webb about it.  He said his goal is to make me happy with my smile, so if I was happy, he was happy!  So we took the attachments off of my teeth that day and I had the bonded metal retainers put on. You can see them in my after photos.  I also wear clear retainers just at night to keep the teeth in place and I take them out in the morning.  I can also use those same retainers for whitening by just putting the whitening gel right into the retainers.  You get that free with the Groupon deal…mentioned below!

So if you’re looking for Invisalign Treatment in Charlotte, Clearsmile Orthodontics is hands down the best place to go.  I wholeheartedly recommend them and they even have an amazing Groupon offer going on too which will save you some money!! And if you mention my name, you will get an additional $50 off treatment.  Now is the time!! If you’re like me, in 4 months, you could be done!

If you have any questions, leave them below or feel free to email me!

xo,

Bess

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• INVISALIGN AT CLEARSMILE ORTHODONTICS: THE INITIAL CONSULTATION AND INVISALIGN DELIVERY APPOINTMENT
• INVISALIGN WITH CLEARSMILE: THE FIRST 5 WEEKS

Invisalign Update

So where am I with my treatment??  I am on tray #19 out of #25.  I think that means I am in the home stretch!! My treatment has been so great and really easy.  I know I didn’t have traditional braces as a kid so I can’t really compare my experience, but minus the first few weeks just getting used to something new being in your mouth and on your teeth, the rest really has just become a habit and runs like clockwork!

At my last appointment, I had to get a few of my bottom teeth shaved down on the sides.  This is not necessary for every Invisalign patient, but with the crowding I was experiencing in the front of my teeth, I had to have it done so the teeth would have space to move and fit back together nicely for a perfect smile I know that sounds sort of scary but it isn’t at all.  Dr. Webb took this tiny piece of what basically looked and felt like sandpaper in between a couple of my teeth and just rubbed the paper back and forth.  The actual amount of tooth that is “shaved” down is very minimal…like less than half of a millimeter minimal  He did warn me that I may experience some short term tooth sensitivity following that, but I did not, even with my already normally sensitive teeth! So, if you have to have this done, not to worry, it is really quick and painless.  And, as Dr. Webb told me and it’s true, after the shaving was done was when I really started to see those bottom teeth move.  He was so right.  I can’t believe how fast they have moved.  I think at this point the final trays are really just perfecting my smile and my bite.  But to the naked eye, my teeth are really straight now and I’m not even done with treatment yet.  I’m pumped to see the final product and it’ll be here before I know it!!

If you’re thinking about doing it, just bite the bullet and go for it.  The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be done and have your perfect smile! (Don’t forget, if you’re in Charlotte and go see Dr. Webb at Clearsmile Orthodontics, he will give you an additional $50 treatment if you mention my name and blog. They also have this Groupon deal right now!)

AcceleDent Optima

If you’ve read my previous posts then you know I’m also currently using the AcceleDent device to minimize discomfort and speed up my treatment process.  Well, I have recently upgraded to the AcceleDent Optima.

AcceleDent® Optima gives patients faster and more comfortable orthodontic treatment with braces or aligners. AcceleDent Optima is the most advanced accelerated orthodontic device with a comprehensive suite of technology driven features. Simple and easy-to-use, AcceleDent Optima is clinically proven to speed up tooth movement while reducing orthodontic discomfort.

I just use it for 20 minutes a day.  It’s hands free so you can go about your business reading, watching TV, cooking dinner, whatever it may be.  There is also a new app for your phone that syncs up directly with your device and it sends you push notifications as a reminder to use it, a clock that counts down how much time you have left during your 20 minute cycle, and it tracks your daily usage too.

How does it work?

“AcceleDent Optima’s patented SoftPulse Technology applies precisely calibrated vibrations called micropulses that transmit
through the roots of your teeth to the surrounding bone. This gentle vibration helps increase the cellular activity and speeds the rate in which your teeth can move.

I have no doubt my AcceleDent devices have shortened my treatment time.  It will be interesting to see at my final appointment how long I was actually in treatment versus how long I would have been in it if I had not used an AcceleDent device. I know it shortened it and I am so glad for that!! I will let y’all know

xo,

Bess

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Before I begin, let me back up and first give you the reason behind my decision for Invisalign.  If you know me or have paid attention to any pictures that I’ve put up, you may be thinking that my teeth are pretty straight and I don’t need braces! Growing up, I never needed braces or a retainer or anything like that.  I was very lucky that my teeth just came in very straight!  But over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed my teeth have been shifting…mostly the bottom teeth in the front but also I was starting to notice my front top teeth shifting out of place.

Here are some pictures we made at the first appointment that show the top front tooth that is starting to shift to the right and you can see from the aerial view where the front teeth are really starting to rotate and are crowded. I also have a cross-bite in some places.  Sorry for the up close and personal!!

The bottom teeth didn’t really bother me too much because when I smile you generally couldn’t see my bottom teeth. But once I started noticing the top doing it and I could see it in pictures, etc., I decided I wanted to try to fix it before it got worse, because judging by the movement my teeth had over the past couple years, it was going to get worse.  So in came me making an appointment with Dr. Webb at Clearsmile.

Clearsmile Orthodontics is Charlotte’s sole Invisalign-only orthodontic office.  It’s located in South End, the office is new and super nice inside and out, the staff are all very friendly, and Dr. Webb is great!  Dr. Webb has been designated as an ELITE Invisalign Provider.  Elite providers are doctors that do at least 50 Invisalign cases every 6 months, and Dr. Webb did over 150 in the last 6 months.  So, he knows what he’s doing, in other words!

I gained that clear understanding that I was in good hands after my Initial Consultation appointment with Dr. Webb.  During this appointment, I had my pictures taken of all angles of my mouth and teeth, as well as my digital impressions.  Some offices use that goopy (medical term) stuff that you have to bite into and hold in your mouth for 4 minutes (but it feels like forever) so as to take molds of your teeth to use for impressions.  Dr. Webb’s team can take digital impressions basically by using a wand that scans over your teeth and populates a digital image directly into the computer.  Those impressions get sent to Invisalign, where they manufacture your aligners.  It’s important, however, to know that the orthodontist is the one that is in control of your care and your treatment and why it is important to seek an elite-level provider for your treatment. Dr. Webb is the one that wrote my prescription, designed my treatment plan, and instructed Invisalign to manufacture the aligners that he created for me from that digital impression.  He really knows what he is doing through lots of experience, and because of that experience it leads to more predictability and, therefore, better results in less time.

Not everyone will have their impressions made at their initial consultation appointment, but I knew I was ready to move forward so I went ahead and had them done.  If you’re still deciding about getting them or not, you’ll likely just have the complimentary consultation appointment and would need to come back to get the digital impressions made if you decided to move forward.

I was called back by the office just about a week and a half later with the great news that my aligners had come in, and from there I made my appointment to go back and get them at the delivery appointment.  At this appointment I had the Invisalign attachments put on a few of my teeth (this is where the aligners attach to your teeth, similar to how brackets function with traditional braces) and learned how to care for my aligners as well as how to take them in and out.  I left the office wearing my first set of aligners, and with my next 5 sets in hand. I will be changing my aligners every 5 days and my next appointment with Dr. Webb is at the end of this month to check in and get my next set.

I believe that usually you would wear your aligners for 1 week at a time, but I decided to get the Acceledent device to help speed up my treatment process.

I am SO glad already I decided to do this because it can speed up orthodontic treatment by as much as 50% and reduce discomfort by up to 71%.  It’s obviously too soon for me to speak to it speeding up my treatment, but as far as the reduction in discomfort goes, I can agree to that 100%.  I will touch on that more in my next post following my next appointment.  In that post I will recap my first 25 days in Invisalign as well.

Talk to you then!

xo,

Bess

PS- I should also mention that Dr. Webb has a traditional orthodontic practice in South Park, Webb Orthodontics, but as a way to build up his new Invisalign practice, they are running an amazing Groupon deal right now ($1,500 Value Towards Invisalign Treatment Including a Pre-Treatment Records Package and Free Whitening after Treatment) Click here to read more and get the Groupon.  Also, be sure to check into your dental insurance and what they offer, mine offered up to $1500 off adult orthodontic treatment which was a huge help!

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