Smilelign Update & Teeth Whitening

Since i've last posted i've been back for a visit to my dentist as he had to take further moulds of my upper & lower teeth as my upper aligners kept snapping in half.  He explained that Smilelign weren't happy with how my canine teeth weren't moving which i wasn't too bothered about at the start of the treatment as my main focus was getting my two front teeth straight but the more my front teeth have started to move i've slowly started to become more aware of my upper canines as they aren't perfectly inline with my other teeth. Smilelign have recommended me to have a further five upper aligners which i will wear over the next 15 weeks to complete my treatment and bring my canines more inline. I was given the first upper aligner out of the five when i went for my check up last week and i have to admit the fit of this aligner is perfect, it fits my upper teeth perfectly and doesn't look like i'm wearing aligners at all. My last aligners all fitted well but this one just feels stronger and a much better fit. The best news is that i've been wearing it for over two weeks and it hasn't snapped or broken in half!  It was an optional decision to take the further aligners but i decided that i've come this far that i will carry on and take the last five upper aligners. As far as Smilelign are concerned my lowers are completed and with a little building up on my front two teeth they will be perfect.

My dentist has kindly included teeth whitening treatment within the course of my Smielign treatment. I started the teeth whiting process that evening and as recommended i am starting on my upper teeth first. I've been whitening my upper set for just over two weeks now and i have to say that the difference between my upper and lower set is amazing! It's a very gradual process and as i am very inpatient i was expecting to see results after the first evening but two weeks down the line i have started noticing results! I still would like my upper set to be whiter so i am going to carry on whitening them every evening until i see my dentist this Thursday and see what he recommends.

Here's a picture of the teeth whitening product i'm using. I will do a full updated post on how i'm getting on with the whitening product in a few weeks.

Smilelign Update

Just a quick update to let you all know how i'm getting on with my treatment.  
I'm currently on my last lower aligner; number six. I'm due to finish with aligner number six on Thursday and i should also be finished the whole of my Smilelign treatment but i'm not too sure if that's going to happen now. 

I've had a few problems with my last upper aligner. Firstly it cracked and then snapped in half so i went back to visit my dentist and he took some more impressions which he got them sent off so i'm currently waiting on my new aligner which is due to come in when i visit him on Thursday.  It's  so annoying as my uppers are so close to been finished! I have the smallest movement left with my upper two front teeth and then they will be finished! I'm currently wearing half of the upper aligner that broke, i was told it's better that i should carry on wearing half of the aligner to stop my teeth moving further whilst i wait for the new one; the only problem is, is that it gives me a bad lisp and has cut the side of my mouth a few times.  I'm hoping once i get this new aligner that it doesn't crack again and that i only have to wear it for a few weeks and then i'm finished!

I'm still so happy with the results I'm seeing. I guess I'm  just getting impatient and wanting to see the finishing results! It will all be worth it in the end to have perfect straight teeth! 

I will post a quick update with how things go when i go for my visit on Thursday. 

Smilelign- How i clean my aligners.

I thought i'd do a little post about how to clean clear aligners. Over the last few months i've found many useful tips and tricks on how to keep my aligners clean and hygienic.

What i use:
*Water
*Soap
*Brace/aligner toothbrush
*Small pack of toothbrushes
*Nitradine Disinfecting tablets
*Sensodyne Pronamel Extra Freshness Toothpaste

I firstly picked up a brush that is specifically designed for braces and aligners, the brush head is a lot smaller and softer so you can get a good clean on your aligners and most importantly it does not scratch them. I brought this brush from my dentist for £1 but i'm sure you can pick them up in places like Boots. 
I also decided to pick up a pack of smaller brushes in Boots so i could get a really good clean on my aligners. (Can you tell that i'm slightly over the top with the whole cleaning process, i'm just so worried about food still been in the aligner and decaying my teeth.)

My dentist advised me on what i should be cleaning my aligners with. When i got my Smilelign aligners and box i was given a box of Nitradine disinfecting tablets that are designed for dentures and removable dental appliances. These tablets are priced at £13.99 for a pack of twenty which is a 10 week supply. My dentist told me to keep these tablets safe and not to use them until i get my final set of aligners as these are going to be with me for many years to come. In the meantime with my current aligners that i'm changing every three weeks i've been cleaning them with soap and water, it's been very hard not to clean them with toothpaste as i feel that this would give them a better clean but i was strictly told not to do this and that i can scratch my aligners which i definitely don't want. I clean my aligners in the morning after breakfast, after lunch and then after dinner before i go to bed. 

Since having the clear aligners i've noticed at certain points of the treatment my teeth have been feeling rather sensitive especially when i move onto the next aligners and i've found Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste really good. I can definitely notice the difference in terms of sensitivity after i use the toothpaste. 

I hope this posts helps a few of you out there with clear aligners especially if you are new to the system.

Smilelign Aligner Number 4 - Update

So it's been a few weeks since I last posted on here. I've since finished aligner number 4, visited the dentists for a check up and moved onto aligner number 5.

When I last posted I mentioned I was having problems with my upper aligner. My upper aligner actually broke in half so I made a call to my dentist who made a call to Smilelign and asked them to make me a replace aligner. I waited just over a week for the new aligner to be delivered so for that week I wore a broken aligner which I thought wearing a broken aligner was better then no aligner at all. 

When I went to the dentist to collect my new aligner he suggested that i carry on wearing my upper aligner 4 for a few weeks seems as it was my last aligner and my front teeth haven't completely finished moving. He also looked at the progress of my lowers. My lowers haven't been moving as much as I wanted but he assured me that this does happen and decided to file in between my lower front teeth to help them move. It felt slightly strange but it wasn't uncomfortable. My lowers are also slightly smaller in comparison to my other lowers so he explained once I've finished my treatment that he is going to build my two front lowers up so they are all the same size. 

I've been wearing my upper aligner 4 and lower aligner 5 for a week now and have noticed a slight movement with my lowers. My upper aligner however has already cracked, I'm keeping an eye on it and still can feel pressure on my upper teeth so I don't think i need to call the dentist yet but I will if it breaks in half. 

My next post will hopefully be one of the last one's regarding my treatment if all goes to plan as in two week time i will move onto my final lower aligner. He did suggest to carry on wearing my upper aligner 4 until I go back to see him in just under 5 weeks time. 

I've attached some photos below of the current progress. 

Smilelign UPDATE!

Sorry i haven't posted in a while, things have been very hectic with work, going to see family in Dublin and taking a long weekend break in the Lake District.

I've been getting on very well with Smilelign and the results i am seeing with my upper teeth is amazing! I'm on aligner number three and i am due to swap to my final upper aligner tomorrow. I still have a few more aligners to go on my lower set as they are worse than my uppers.

I am so happy with my uppers, they have moved along well and I can really notice the results especially with the one tooth that slightly overlapped, there is just a little bit of moving left which should happen when I put my last aligner in tomorrow. It's strange to think that my upper set will all be finished in the next three weeks! I can't believe it!

However things haven't progressed as much as I wanted them to with my lower set. They haven't moved much even though the aligners seem to be going in fine and after three weeks become loose they just haven't moved. I did visit my dentist three weeks ago and he advised me to carry on with the next two lower aligners and then when I go back for my next visit that he may need to do some filling on my two front teeth as they may not have enough room to move. I will keep you posted on that. 

Aligner number three went in ok, I put this aligner in during an appointment with my dentist, at first it felt like I didn't fit quite compared to the other aligner previously, my dentist knew exactly what to do and trimmed some of the edges at the back off and the aligners went in much better. About two weeks of wearing the aligner i started to notice that they were starting to show wear which i discovered was due to grinding my teeth every night! A few days before i was due to move onto aligner number four my brace actually spilt where the wear was, i called up my dentist and he said that as i'm only a few days away from moving onto the next aligner that i should be ok, he said i could move onto the next aligner a few days early if it broke completely but i was very delicate when taking it out and managed to get it to last till the Friday.

I've just moved onto aligner number four which is my final aligner for my upper set and have worn it two days and it has cracked already! It still feels tight on my teeth but i'm still not completely happy that it's broken so quickly. I'm going to see how i get on and if it cracks more than i'm going to have to book in to see my dentist. I'm slightly concerned that when i get my final aligners to put in every night when i go to sleep they are just going to crack after a few days or weeks then what am i going to do? That is one questions i need to ask my dentist and will fill you in on what he says.

So far i'm happy with how the treatment is progessing i just wish that my lower set were moving too as i feel like once he makes some room between my two lower teeth that i'm going to be a few weeks behind with my treatment plan, i will update in three weeks time and let you know how i got on when i go and see him again.