Final Update - Pictures and Final Thoughts

Hello everyone,

I finally was able to obtain the final photos of my teeth! Sorry for the delay, but thanks for sticking with me.

After I completed the final aligners, I returned to Madison for my retainers and Colgate professional home whitening system. They also took final pictures.

The pictures are before I used the at home whitening (which comes with your Invisalign treatment through the Center for Cosmetic Dentistry), so my teeth are much whiter now. And I still haven't fixed my minor chip on my left front tooth, but its so minor I don't plan on fixing it any time soon.

AFTER SHOTS:









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Comparison Shots:

BEFORE



Since I let my wisdom teeth grow in, it crowded my bottom teeth and they started to twist and overlap to make room.

AFTER




The crowding and twisting of my bottom teeth are fixed. Its flush and looking great =). The top row is also straighter and my front two teeth are looking much better (I still may fix the chip in the future, that was my decision).

BEFORE



You can see my overbite and the crowding of the bottom teeth.

AFTER




Overbite was brought in a bit, and everything is looking great.

BEFORE



AFTER



Wowza, much better.

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I hope my blog has helped demistify the experience of receiving Invisalign. Dr. Kammer and the Center for Cosmetic Dentistry is the ideal place to receive your Invisalign treatment. They really are experts at this! I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for the best. I couldn't be happier with my results. Just the other day when I was at the dentist in Minneapolis, the hygienist kept telling me how amazing my teeth looked, straight and white. I really am so delighted with the results, and now I can smile confidently.

If you are at all interested in getting your teeth straightened, just give them a call ((608)827-6453 (82-SMILE), website http://www.thesmileexperts.com/) and set up a time to discuss the treatment options, no obligation and free consult of course.

Thanks again for your support and comments =).

Sorry for the delay

It dawned on me today that I haven't updated the blog in a while. So I have been so crazy with school, and over winter break I was out of town, so I haven't been able to make it back to see Dr. Kammer. So technically I am pretty much done, my teeth are looking great, and I just need to plan a time to skip some class (eeks) and head over to Madison. Sorry for the delay in the after pictures.

Until the pictures are posted (I don't know exactly how far from now), I can just tell you that I am extremely pleased with how everything has gone and I love not having to think about my crooked teeth anymore (or thinking about them getting worse as I get older). Thanks for your support and interest. Feel free to e-mail me any questions you have.

Update

Hello everyone, so this has been a crazy summer because I went to europe for a month and have been busy preparing for medical school. After the adjustment of my 10th aligner there were still some teeth that needed to move so they decided to get a few more aligners from invisalign. Dr. Kammers office actually has the capabilities to make their own aligners that are clear and similar to invisaligns but I would have needed to be in Madison during that time to visit the CCD every couple weeks. Since I was in Europe and now in Minneapolis, using another invisalign sequence was the best option. So Dr. Kammer took more molds and they created 3 more aligners for me. I only got them after I got back from europe so I still have a couple weeks until I am finished with them. Getting treatment at Dr. Kammer has been great, they are very accomodating and flexible. After I finish my 3rd extra aligner I just will find a time to drive over to Madison for another check-up, I'll just use my last aligner as an overnight retainer to keep my teeth where they are. Keep checking back every couple weeks so you can see the conclusion of my treatment. =)

Beginning final phase of treatment

Hello everyone, graduation is just a week away, i can't believe it! Today I finished my 10th aligner, and went to see Dr. Kammer for a check-up. Typically after you finish your Invisalign aligners you will need a couple more weeks of adjustmants to your teeth.

At the visit, he observed my progress and any areas that needed a little more movement. Using my 10th aligner, he used a tool that changed the shape of the aligner in order to move specific teeth. This only took a couple minutes.

Now I will wear my altered 10th aligner for another week and then come in again for a checkup. At the next visit they may make one or two more aligners to finalize my treatment.

Talk to you soon. I'd love to talk to more of you, please send me an e-mail. Cheers, J.

New Information about the CCDs free whitening

It turns out that with the Invisalign treatment from the CCD you get free professional whitening. Originally I thought it involved just putting a whitening solution into the Invisalign aligners. But, actually once your treatment is over you will get Rembrandt Take-Home Whitening Kit. Here is the description:

This whitening process makes whitening easy! With the custom-made whitening trays (a thin, transparent night guard) filled with a mild whitening agent you can whiten your teeth anywhere. For your convenience you may wear the guards at night while sleeping. Trays are worn 1-2 hours per day for approximately two to four weeks for optimal results.

Its a pretty sweet deal, since the Rembrandt treatment is not cheap.

Checking in before Spring Break

Hello everyone! To update you on my Invisalign progress, I am now just finishing aligners 6/10. This Thursday I will be going in to the CCD to get my last 4 sets of aligners. My teeth are looking great, and I can't wait to use the next couple of aligners because they will focus on straightening the bottom front teeth. My understanding is that the first couple of aligners primarily focus on moving the larger teeth setting up to make room to straighten the front teeth.

I'm also extremely excited to start using the professional teeth whitening product that I'll get on Thursday. My teeth are by no means yellow, but this should make them look great. This is of course included with all CCD invisalign treatments for no extra charge. I've stayed away from home whitening kits because they don't evenly whiten all your teeth and can produce a blotchy look. Since the whitening solution will be put into the invisalign aligners that are molded to your teeth, you will get even distribution of the whitening product and thus a great result.

Also, if you are a UW-Madison student I would love to talk to you more about my experience and tell you more about why the CCD is so great. I can't wait to see the end result, my teeth are going to look amazing!

On a side note, for spring break I will be going to Mazatlan, Mexico for a week. Maybe I'll see some of you there by chance. Also, over the summer I will be backpacking through europe for a month, by then my treatment will be complete, I'm so excited!!

Stay tuned for more pictures of me wearing my aligners.

5 weeks, Spring Semester and Publicizing

The spring semester began last week and classes are going well. I am taking a lab and no one has noticed that I have braces. My teeth are slowly but surely moving as predicted by the animation.

In the next couple weeks I will be promoting the CCD and Invisalign on the UW-Madison campus. I hope to have fun surprising fellow students that I actually am wearing braces. Be sure to look for posting and bulletin boards on campus and see what I'm doing.

3 weeks in and still going strong and cleaning conclusion

Things are going great during my winter break. Now that I have completed 3 whole weeks of using Invisalign it has become second nature. The Invisalign dieting is working pretty well too =). Instead of seeing something that I want to eat and just putting in my mouth, I have to make a conscious decisions whether it is worth the effort to remove my aligners and clean my teeth afterwards, just for a little snack. I also have gotten used to just drinking water all day, even when i have my aligners off. It is healthier for my body as well as my teeth.

As far as cleaning, I continue to brush my teeth and aligners after each time I eat. Some morning I use the Listerine pre-brush rinse and I think it works pretty well. They look a lot clearer and smell minty fresh after I soak them in the solution for a while. The active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide, so you could just use that, which is much cheaper.

Dr. Kammer informed me that the CCD does have the sonic/ultrasonic cleaners as well as the retainer brite tabs. They are resonably priced. When you go to the clinic ask about it if you are interested.

Two weeks - new set of aligners 2 of 10

Last night I was worrying about how much my teeth were going to hurt when I switched to the new aligners. But, suprisingly, they really don't hurt at all. The new aligners fit much tighter and immediately it was apparant which teeth would be moving in the next two weeks. It is more a feeling of pressure, than outright pain, its kind of hard to describe. It is nice to know that each day the teeth will move more an more until this new set of aligners fits loosely.

I have read the forums on Invisalign at www.dentistry.com and it seems like a minority of peolple have issues with aligners fitting properly and excessive pain when switching. This is probably due to badly made mold by orthodontists/dentists that are not experts with Invisalign and only do a handful of treatments per couple of months. I attribute much of my happiness on Invisalign to Dr. Kammer at the CCD, who is a premier Invisalign provider because he really knows what he'd doing (they have about 5 new Invisalign patients per week!).

I hope the pictures have helped you visualize and better understand what I have spoken about in the previous posts. Remember, just e-mail if you have any questions!

Animations from Invisalign

Below are screen shots from my personal treatment video provided by Invisalign. The molds that are made at the beginning of treatment are used to create these 3-D models and to create the aligners. The pink circles on the sides of some of my teeth are the buttons I talked about earlier.

Here is a .gif file which is the actual animation. This may take a few minutes to load...


Before screen shot:



After screen shot: This is what my teeth will ultimately look like in five months.

Before Pictures

These are my before pictures taken in the photo and operatory room at the Center for Cosmetic Dentistry.


Front smile:


Left side smile:


Right side smile:


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Top teeth:


Bottom teeth:


Open front smile:


As you can see the problems that I have are:
1) front top tooth slanted
2) moderate crowding of front teeth on bottom (caused by letting wisdom teeth in and not having them removed promptly)
3) mild crossbite on left side
4) overbite (which will be reduced)

New cleaning options...

While looking at www.dentistry.com and their orthodonic forums, I found out that there are many different techniques used to clean invisalign. It seems like each orthodontist has their own alternative to Invisaligns cleaning systems. They are as follows:

1) vinegar soak
2) hydrogen peroxide soak
3) retainer brite tabs (w/o sonic cleaner)
4) Listerine Whitening Pre-brush Rinse (which contains hydrogen peroxide)

These would be used for the daily thorough cleaning in the morning along with brushing of the aligners.

I think I'll start with the Listerine option first since I have heard good things about the product. My only concern about using these different cleaning techniques is the chance of it damaging the aligners, or making them less clear. But, I have heard that the aligners are pretty durable and are difficult to damage.

Pictures of my treatment should be coming soon. Check back.

End of first week - back home for break

Hello everyone, my finals are now complete and I'm home for winter break. What a relief! When I arrived home, I thought I would see if my family remembered/noticed that I was wearing invisalign. It was quite funny, they didn't notice for a couple hours until I told them. They said, "where are they? I don't see them? Justin you must be lying!" Pretty cool... if my own family can't notice them, no one else will.

I feel like the aligners are getting more loose, which is a sign that my teeth are moving. I expect the next set to hurt more since it will be moving my teeth twice as much.

As far as cleaning, I currently am still just brushing the aligners with a medium to hard style brush and a strong whitening toothpaste (colgate 2in1 toothpaste & Mouthwash IcyBlast Whitening). There seem to be two major options for sonic/ultrasonic cleaning. The Invisalign sold product: http://www.invisalignstore.com/ or the alternative generic version (cleaner and retainer brite tablets) http://www.dentakit.com/cosocl.html . I'm not really sure which or if any I will buy. I'm going to wait until the end of the first two weeks to make a decision. I think it is important that in the morning you brush the aligners for longer, floss, and then rinse with listerine. This leaves your teeth and mouth completely clean, and free of any bacteria.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone.

Question from viewer

What is the point of getting your teeth aligned?

For me, it is mostly cosmetic. I am not very happy with the way my teeth look in the mirror, so the aligners will help me achieve the look I want. Six years ago I was diagnosed as a tongue thruster, meaning that when I swallow I push my tongue against the front of my teeth. This has given me the overbite that I have today. Invisalign will better position my teeth so that there is more equal pressure on the teeth when I eat food.

Any other questions feel free to comment! I look forward to hearing from you.

My new e-mail that you can reach me at is:

justin.thesmileexperts@gmail.com

Contact me if you are ready to go to the CCD in Madison (Middleton), WI for your free consultation.

Fourth day - still going strong

I'm getting used to my new three meals a day with no snacking routine. I just have to eat a little more each time so that I won't crash in between meals. I have not decided yet what I will use for the daily thorough cleaning. Currently, before I put the aligners back on I brush my teeth and then throughly brussh the aligners with toothpaste. It seems to be working pretty well, but they still are not the cleanest. I will be doing some internet research over the weekend to determine the best options, looking at price and effectiveness. Invisaligns cleaning device is very expensive (100$) and the cleaning tablets aren't cheap too. Check back to see what I determine to use.

This first set of aligners have stopped hurting my teeth, so I imagine it will be smooth sailing until the next set. That is all for now, wish me luck on my Immunology and Theater finals.

Third day on Invisalign

So it is now Sunday, three days since I first got my aligners. Its going great! I have figured out my little system of how to use them. When I wake up, I take a shower and get ready. When I am ready to have breakfast I I wash my hands, remove the aligners and then go eat. Afterwards, I brush my teeth and brush my aligners as well, and then put them back on. Popping them on and off is easy, I just use my thumb and hook underneath the aligner at the back molars. For lunch and dinner, if I'm outside my apartment, I just pop them off, eat, and then afterwards brush my teeth (or you can rinse you mouth out with water, put the braces back on and then clean when you get home). It is recommended to keep your braces on for atleast 22 hours a day. The braces haven't hindered me at all, and I'm very pleased with how easy they are to use. I have no pain or headachs, except some of my back molars get sore occasionally. But this is normal, since the braces are moving the teeth.

As far as having them on, people still have no idea. It quite amazing! Also am having no speech issues at all, people just do not know that I am wearing Invisalign braces.

It is comforting to know that I can call and speak to the clinic whenever I have any questions or concerns. Many of the employees, and doctors have or are currently using Invisalign, so they are very knowledgable.

Aligners have arrived! Experience at CCD and first day using Invisalign

After about 4 weeks of anxious waiting, my aligners are complete and have arrived at the Center for Cosmetic Dentistry. I arrive at the office at 2:10, and am immediately called and taken to one of the rooms by Wanda, a dental assistant. She explained to me that today there were two major things to accomplish: first, attach the buttons on the outside of some of my teeth and second, shave some of the teeth to shrink them. The buttons are important for the aligners to remain in the correct place in your mouth, and help with moving the teeth. As far as shaving the teeth, it depends on your individual case; you may or may not need to have it done. Sometimes there is just too much crowding and there isn’t enough room for all of your teeth.

The procedure began similar to last time. I got hooked up with the dental bib and given comfortable sunglasses. Wanda first cleaned off my teeth with the powder pressure sprayer and then rinsed my mouth out with water. Then she dried off my teeth and put a gel on top of the teeth and rinsed again. Next, she attached the glue and the buttons, and then used the sealant gun (sounds scary, but it's just like the one they use for cavities, it makes the glue harden). Then she put on my top aligner and used the sealant gun again. It was quick and painless; I just sat relaxing on their comfy lounging dental chair. She then repeated the same process for the bottom teeth.

The second task was to shrink the teeth which required Dr. Kammer. He used a miniature circular metal device and a little measuring tool to make sure he shrunk them 2/10 of a millimeter for each of the 4 spots. It was not much fun, but this will allow me to have the smile I ultimately want, and it was quick.

And then bam, I’m finished. Originally I was told that treatment would take a maximum of 9 months, so when they told me I only need 10 aligners I was ecstatic. You use each set of aligners for only 2 weeks, so I will be finished in 5 months!! Theoretically the teeth should be in the ideal spot after this amount of time, but sometimes it takes a few more aligners to actually get the job done.

Before you leave they will show you the animation of your teeth moving, which is amazing. It is a 3-D model of your teeth from all different views, and you can see where and when they will be moving. They also answer any questions you have and give you an Invisalign starter kit which has guidelines for use, and carry cases for when you take your aligners out.

I cannot believe I’m finally starting!

They look great, only if you tell someone will they actually know that you are wearing Invisalign. When I tell my friends and people I work with they are very interested and amazed at how clear and hidden they are.

You may be wondering about how they feel. They fit my teeth perfectly; I actually don’t mind them at all. I’m not having any pain, and they are easy to take off when you want to eat. I just hook my nail underneath the back of the aligner on one side and pop it off. When I’m finished eating, I do a quick brush of my teeth and the aligner and then pop them back on. I also don’t have a lisp or slur or anything like that, my friends told me objectively that they can’t hear a difference.

Beginning of Invisalign Treatment - workup and molds

Today, Monday the 14th of November I began my Invisalign treatment at the Center for Cosmetic Dentistry in Middleton, WI. The center is in a beautiful and brand new office complex that has a lot of available parking. You walk into a room that feels more like a resort lounge area than a dentist office waiting room, with comfortable leather couches and seats. The front desk secretary offers to take your jacket and asks if you would like a drink. What service! Adding to the scenery is a fish tank and fountain in the corner, and comforting music.

I arrived early, at about 8:00am and was taken in right away and escorted into one of the centers state-of-the-art operatory rooms, with the most comfortable dentist chair I’ve ever layed on. Visit http://www.thesmileexperts.com/pages/moving.htm for pictures, also check out the clinic tour.

The first task of the day was to collect full mouth x-rays which involved placing a plastic piece behind some of the teeth and then taking digital x-rays. The x-rays are then brought up automatically on the in room computer where the dental assistant can check their clarity. This is done a number of times to cover all of the teeth, upper and lower.

Then she gave me these tools to show my smile for her to take before pictures. We also went into the photo room (yes, with the professional lights and everything) to take more pictures and she then showed me them on the computer.

Then the dental hygienist cleaned my teeth with a powder pressure cleaner, it is something that my dentist at home has never used. It did not have an aftertaste and was quick and painless. Then she used an instrument that detected decay in my teeth. When there is some decay it would make a noise and produce a number. My dentist at home doesn’t use this, and missed three areas of decay, I just had a cavity filled a couple of months ago. These areas of decay were noted for the doctor to evaluate physically to confirm the decay. She then proceeded to check my gums for any bleeding, which I passed (1,2,3 is a good score). Then I got to meet Dr. Kammer again who told me that I needed to get one cavity filled and use ozone therapy on the other areas of decay. Ozone therapy? Visit http://www.thesmileexperts.com/pages/services/healozone.htm to learn about it. I swear, I think my dentist at home is way behind in their technology. Within a couple minutes another dentist came in, Dr. Husseini, who fixed my cavity using resin and then used the ozone therapy on the other teeth. It was a painless procedure and was very quick! At home I would have had to book another appointment to fix the cavity, and the ozone therapy is great because small fairly new cavities can be treated without drilling or discomfort. This was a very pleasant experience, and I’m glad that all of my cavities are now taken care of, and the combined treatments were less expensive than my dentist at home charges.

The final task involves taking the molds of the teeth so that Invisalign can create the computer models of your teeth. This just involves putting some gel on your teeth and then biting down onto a rubbery gel filled mouth guard and then holding for 5 minutes. This is then repeated with the bottom teeth. It was a piece of cake, and over quickly. Finally they take a quick mold for the clinic using mint flavored gel.

And there you have it, the entire morning activities took about 2 hours, and combined about three visits in one. Now I just wait for 4-6 weeks for my Invisalign retainers to arrive at the center and then I’ll go in to be trained on how to use them properly and to answer any other questions I had.

I am very excited to get Invisalign. Dr. Kammer predicted that the entire treatment time would be about 9 months, which is so short for braced! I decided that the time is now to get my teeth straightened; it is about 9 months before I will begin medical school and then I’ll have the smile I always wanted. My teeth aren’t horrible, but I have issues when I look in the mirror. I have a mild tongue thrust and so I am worried about my teeth moving forward in front, I already have a small gap toward the gums in my front teeth. I trust Dr. Kammer, he is a premium member and they get about 6 new Invisalign patients per week that is a ton. So they are definitely experts in this, and they also are not only an orthodontic center they also perform all of the general dentistry tasks. I look forward to charting my Invisalign treatment and my experience at the Center for Cosmetic Dentistry.

Decisions, and Consultation

Early this semester I looked in the mirror, and I decided that it is time to do something about my teeth. I had let my four wisdom teeth come all the way in last year instead of removing them earlier, and as a result they crowded and twisted my bottom teeth and crowded the top. While searching for orthodontists, I came across the Center for Cosmetic Dentistry (CCD). The website is amazing, and I was impressed with the beautiful brand new facilities. It was also ideal because it is close to the UW-Madison campus where I am currently a student. I called the CCD and set up a consultation. At the consultation, Shanna answered all of my questions, gave me a tour, showed me an informational video on their big screen plasma TV in the consultation room, and made me confident in the quality of care they provide. There are many dentists/orthodontists that provide Invisalign, yet only a select few receive premium status. Dr. Kammer is a Premier Provider, which is a designation that belongs to a select group of Invisalign-certified Doctors who have achieved an exceptional level of Invisalign experience, i.e. hundreds of patients. At the consultation I even met Dr. Kammer and he looked at my teeth to assess whether I was a good candidate for Invisalign. He was fun, energetic and very personable. First impressions can mean a lot, and Dr. Kammer and the CCD definitely impressed me!