When I removed my trays before dinner tonight, I could already see my center front upper gap has closed even more - my central incisors are SO close to almost touching now. And it's been less than 24 hours since I inserted this set (& it was another "yowza" one).
And I can feel in particular my 2nd premolar on my upper right with this set - it must be moving about the max of .25 mm with this set. Also have been meaning to report that it seems my two upper central incisors take turns almost in their movements - one moves with a set, then the other "catches up" with the following set. I can easily see that they are not "even" yet - one is always just a bit ahead of the other. Not that anyone else could likely ever tell, but I'm aware of it.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Saying adios to #13...
Upon my request, my dental office kindly sent my Before shots to me. Since I neglected to take any of my own before my treatment began, this is the first reference I've actually seen to compare my progress so far right from the very beginning.. Believe me when I say this is taking some nerve to post these.
My ".avi" files that show a screenshot of the end of each tray set's movements. It's really cool because I can click through the sequence from set 14 to the last set (23) & actually see which specific teeth will be moved by each set. From here on in, on the uppers it'll be pretty much all concentrated on my right side as they all move toward the center more while the premolars on that side move outwards & widen my arch. The left side have pretty much moved into their final positions, while the front central incisors will continue to straighten inwards.
First, this is how my teeth appear today - after 2 weeks with set #13:
Showing how my bared teeth actually looked before my Invisalign treatment began -
before the "button" attachments were even bonded on:
Now you can REALLY see how much my teeth have moved for only being a little more than halfway through.
Here's the comparison of my open mouth - it's much more apparent how my arch is widening & how much the gaps have become smaller:
My lowers have a ways to go before they start actually looking better.
This crowding takes a lot more movement to see improvement:
Profile shots:
My ".avi" files that show a screenshot of the end of each tray set's movements. It's really cool because I can click through the sequence from set 14 to the last set (23) & actually see which specific teeth will be moved by each set. From here on in, on the uppers it'll be pretty much all concentrated on my right side as they all move toward the center more while the premolars on that side move outwards & widen my arch. The left side have pretty much moved into their final positions, while the front central incisors will continue to straighten inwards.
First, this is how my teeth appear today - after 2 weeks with set #13:
Showing how my bared teeth actually looked before my Invisalign treatment began -
before the "button" attachments were even bonded on:
Now you can REALLY see how much my teeth have moved for only being a little more than halfway through.
Here's the comparison of my open mouth - it's much more apparent how my arch is widening & how much the gaps have become smaller:
My lowers have a ways to go before they start actually looking better.
This crowding takes a lot more movement to see improvement:
Profile shots:
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
A Coupla More with Set#13
To show the difference from Set#15 (on left) since my first tray set (on right):
(Set#15 will be ~5 weeks from now):
The midline gap gets smaller & smaller:
As it was after I finished Set#11:
To give you an idea of what's happening with my crowded lowers -
they've steadily been moving outwards & separating to make more room for them to be able to straighten out. Soon, they will begin to level out in line as some are pushed downwards.
Here they are now:
As they were just 4 weeks ago with Set#11:
My mouth is small as my dentist has told me. Every time I try to get a good pic, it's like I need those retractor things to get a wide open view.
(Set#15 will be ~5 weeks from now):
The midline gap gets smaller & smaller:
As it was after I finished Set#11:
To give you an idea of what's happening with my crowded lowers -
they've steadily been moving outwards & separating to make more room for them to be able to straighten out. Soon, they will begin to level out in line as some are pushed downwards.
Here they are now:
As they were just 4 weeks ago with Set#11:
My mouth is small as my dentist has told me. Every time I try to get a good pic, it's like I need those retractor things to get a wide open view.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Set #12 Comparison Pics
This is how my teeth are today -
2 days before switching to Tray 13 - in week 25 of my plan.
Below is the comparison from Set #8 ( 2 months ago).
View from left side now:
Left side at Set #8
First tray set on the top -
jump to set #15 below them (6 weeks from now)
When that set is finished I'll be 30 weeks in of 46 in my initial plan.
The pic below shows the inside view looking down from above the trays.
Not sure if you can see this well enough, but look closely at the front ones to see how much they will have moved inwards - that's going to make a huge difference in what I see in the mirror.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Latest CheckUp
Saw my dentist for a 6 week checkup again yesterday & all is going well. Was pleasantly surprised when she told me that both her husband & herself are also in treatment.
Also got to view my Clincheck for these next 3 sets: looks like there will be most of the movements in my premolars - widening outwards to round out my arch. More steady changes in my top & bottom anteriors as well. We discussed retainer options & because of the problems my dentist has seen with permanent wire retainers bonded to the backs of the front teeth, she does recommend using the special Invisalign retainers because of that. Apparently, the wire can sometimes shift - or even break - & before seeking treatment, the damage caused by movement is already done. OK, so that's another consideration. The Invisalign retainer will only need to be worn nightly after any refinements are finished. Possibly only needed a couple of times a week overnight after a year or so, depending on how my teeth cooperate. I'll still wait to decide until my treatment is finished - that way I can see what is working for the others finishing their treatment sooner.
Also got to view my Clincheck for these next 3 sets: looks like there will be most of the movements in my premolars - widening outwards to round out my arch. More steady changes in my top & bottom anteriors as well. We discussed retainer options & because of the problems my dentist has seen with permanent wire retainers bonded to the backs of the front teeth, she does recommend using the special Invisalign retainers because of that. Apparently, the wire can sometimes shift - or even break - & before seeking treatment, the damage caused by movement is already done. OK, so that's another consideration. The Invisalign retainer will only need to be worn nightly after any refinements are finished. Possibly only needed a couple of times a week overnight after a year or so, depending on how my teeth cooperate. I'll still wait to decide until my treatment is finished - that way I can see what is working for the others finishing their treatment sooner.
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