Tag: invisalign

Invisalign Journey – Eating Out Experience

With the Invisalign treatment, there’s an additional pouch that I needed to bring every time we went out. It may take up space especially if my bag is small. It was a hassle at first, but it got better as it became a habit. The first few days of wearing the Invisalign, I kept thinking of just settling my meals at home. But of course, that’s just a wishful thinking because eventually I will still have to head out and experience the inevitable.

Here’s what my pouch contains:

  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Dental floss
  • Mouth wash
  • Rubber bands (for my Invisalign treatment)
  • Invisalign casing

I have consulted a few friends who did braces in the past, and somehow all of them did the traditional metal braces. The advice I was given was to bring a bottle of mouthwash, in case the public toilet isn’t ideal for brushing my teeth. At least with the mouthwash, I can do a quick rinse and wear my Invisalign back. It indeed was very good advice as it did happen to me at the local coffee shop and hawker center.

Somehow, most public toilets I went to were clean enough to brush my teeth. It was awkward at first as my very first experience was at the Singapore Zoo. A young girl, around primary school age, kept staring at me when I started flossing my teeth and brushing. It was a very uncomfortable situation but I try to take it that kids are just being curious at why I’m doing this in a public place.

Initially, I thought the frequent visits to the toilet before and after meals would be a hassle, but it wasn’t. I started the Invisalign journey with the mindset of having better dental hygiene and the trouble would be worth it. I have seen myself flossing often and brushing my teeth as best as I could. Not that I didn’t brush well previously, but I just want to make sure what I’m doing now doesn’t cause any teeth issues like decay.

My experience thus far has been good. Getting the hang of this new habit and ignoring everybody’s stares. Overseas experience coming soon in the year 2024. Wonder how it will be considering there’s street food to eat.

Invisalign Journey – Extract the Wisdom & Aligners Fitting

10 October – The Extraction!

Finally back from a month-long holiday and I’m ready to start my Invisalign journey! The first thing on my to-do list was to extract two upper wisdom teeth. My upper row of teeth is a little crowded and the wisdom had to go. As I looked forward to my extraction appointment in excitement, I was actually a little scared because of my dentist’s phobia.

I was thankful that my appointment was 10 am in the morning and I got to rest the entire day after I’m back home.
The dentist and her assistant were nice as they calmed me and assured me everything would be fine before, during, and after the procedure. They helped make my experience less traumatizing considering I had a bad experience visiting the dentist.

The whole extraction procedure went smoothly and faster than I expected. In a few minutes, I was out and ready to head home to rest for the day. I didn’t feel any pain till the numbness wore off. It was a little stinging pain for a while and that’s it. I didn’t need any painkillers and I’m back to eating normally.

17 October – Invisalign Day!

The day I have been looking forward to finally arrived. The usual cleaning of my teeth with Dr Jessica before we started with the Invisalign fitting. It was a little longer than I expected. But everything went well as she updated me on what she was doing during the procedure.

I have two little metal to hook the rubber bands on my Invisalign. I also have some little bumps on my teeth in order for the aligners to hold on tight while I wear them for a minimum of 22 hours a day! The only time I took it off will be during meal times.

Received a total of 59 sets of Invisalign. Was given a schedule to change a new set of Invisalign each week. It will last till 19th December, and I’m guessing they’ll give me a new schedule after that. I’ve forgotten to ask, will do so during my next appointment if I ever remember.

Wearing it for the first day was a little uncomfortable. My teeth felt tight and constrained in the little aligners. My Jaw was a little sore, not sure if it’s from the Invisalign or that my mouth was opened for quite a while during the dentist visit. Removing it by myself at home for the first time for dinner took me a long time. I stood by the sink and was trying to pry open the Invisalign. I get a little frustrated when it doesn’t want to come off. But was a relief when I managed to remove them.

It was difficult to chew on my food now with all the little bumps and metal rods in my teeth. It felt weird and I was scared I broke something. Thankfully Dear was understanding of my plight, and we’ve been having smaller pieces and softer meat as I slowly get used to my new routine.

I don’t really floss my teeth, but now I have to start a regular habit. After every meal, I was told to floss and brush my teeth. And for the first time in my life, I’m flossing and brushing my teeth more times a day! I have yet to head out for a meal, probably will write an entry about my eating out experience soon.

Oh, I was given Invisalign’s very own casing to keep my aligners properly when I remove them during meal times! The whole thing looked damn high class can!

Invasalign Journey – First Consultation (16 Aug 2023)

Photo Credit: dealadentalcare

I have been wanting to get my teeth fix. Initially, it was more for aesthetic purposes, but as time went by, it was more for better dental hygiene. With some teeth in a rotated manner and a bit of overlapping, I fear that my oral hygiene wasn’t in the best condition. The traditional braces weren’t an option that I would want to choose because of the tedious brushing and care needed. I know that I won’t be brushing properly or the right way. And having aligners will be a better choice as the brushing required seem to be more or less the same way as I’m currently doing. Yes, I did a little bit of research and did some considering of which troublesome situation I would prefer to be in.

Why did we want to consult the orthodontist instead? For more information to know what’s the difference between dentist and an orthodontist, you may find the information here.

To be honest, my first choice wasn’t Invisalign because it was quite pricey and over my budget. I was considering Zenyum, however, after trying twice after submitting the required documents to proceed, I was rejected because my case was too complex for their technology. With the two rejections, I went ahead with Invisalign and booked an appointment with an orthodontist, Dr Jessica from Royce Dental.

I’ve had bad experiences with dentists since primary school and visiting the dental clinic has always been my nightmare. I get anxious and nervous the entire session and always hope to have a nicer friendlier doctor during my visit. And yes, I was feeling the jitters the day of my visit when I had my consultation with Dr Jessica. Thankfully, my experience was pleasant.

We did some scans, photo taking, and X-rays. I found out that I have an overbite. My lower jaw was much inwards and my upper jaw was trying to compensate a little by making my jaw look as normal as possible. In fact, my lower jaw’s front teeth are touching the upper gums behind the teeth. Which in the long run isn’t good for the gums. And I am thankful I’ve decided to go for the consultation and get to know my condition better. There wasn’t any hard selling, Dr Jessica did ask if I would want to go ahead with having Invisalign treatment. I could have said no, but I said yes and scheduled for the next appointments.

I’m quite amazed with the new technology as it could show me how my teeth and jaw would look like after the treatment. And I’m already looking forward to it. But first, the thing I needed to do was remove my two upper wisdom teeth. I’ve already made another appointment for the teeth removal and getting my first set of aligners. Will be updating again in October on my next appointment’s experience.