Follow an actual New Haven Family Dentistry Invisalign patient case - step by step!

Before Invisalign

As you can see, my teeth are NOT extremely crooked.  Most of my discontent comes from the canine that protrudes on the front left and the split in between lower front teeth (not visible in the photo). The general overall crookedness of my teeth is causing TMJ discomfort due to my cross bite.

My expectation is, after my Invisalign Ortho, my teeth are straight, no more "snaggle tooth" and the elimination of the cross bite will reduce or maybe even eliminate the TMJ discomfort.

Main Features

Here are a few features of the Invisalign treatment:

• Removeable aligners so you can eat, brush and floss normally.
• Aligners are changed every week.
• Teeth move little by little
• Regular progress checks with your dentist or otrhodontist
• Results can be seen as quickly as 12 months.
• There are no metal wires or bands to irritate your mouth. Most people won't notice you're in treatment
• It will not disrupt your lifestyle.

Begining the Invisalign Journey

Aligning Videos

Using the latest advances in 3-D technology, Invisalign translated Dr. Kleinrichert’s instructions into a series of nearly undetectable aligners. Each set of aligners is worn for about two weeks which move teeth gradually week by week, millimeter by millimeter until desired the results are achieved.

These videos give Dr. Kleinrichert a visual aid of the proposed treatment. As you can see, my upper teeth need quite a bit of straightening as compared to the lower.

Treatment Overview

Engagers and Aligners

Week 1  - January 3rd, 2012

My Invisalign treatment arrived at Dr. Kleinrichert's office.  Engagers were applied to nine teeth (see five engagers in the photo below). The engagers are made from the same material as composite fillings. They are adhered to the teeth with a bonding agent and set with an ultraviolet light. Engagers are so close to the color of the teeth that it makes them difficult to see. (the fifth engager is hard to see, it's partiall blocked by the upper canine)

Once the engagers were in place, the dental assistant placed the first set of aligners on my teeth (see photo below). The aligners fit extremely tight. The removal of the aligners is not recommended for 8 - 12 hours after placement. Even after 12 hours, at supper time, the Invisalign aligners were difficult to remove. Aligners are replaced by a new set every 2 weeks. My set includes 30 aligners for the top teeth and 13 for the bottom.  If you do the multiplication it will be approximately next April (2013) when my ortho will be finished.

Side note: Please follow the directions of your dentist and wear each set of aligners for the designated time - 2 weeks per aligner(s) for a minimum of 22 hours each day. Wearing them less or replacing aligners too quickly can cause damage to the roots of the teeth - shortening or resorption.

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Week 3 - January 16th, 2012

I placed the second set of aligners Sunday evening. I’m now regretting the decision and wished wish I would have waited until Tuesday evening, the exact two week mark. This second set is a little harder to get use to. I’m not sure why there is a difference between this set of aligners and the first set. Each time I remove the aligners to eat and/or to brush I need to push harder to snap them into place then I did the first set. Also, there is definite tooth movement. I can tell because my bite is a little off and I find it a little harder to chew at times. Additionally, my teeth feel different in my mouth. My tongue can tell something isn't the same, it’s a strange sensation. I'm looking forward to January 31st, when the third set of aligners will be placed. I'm curious as to what the next stage will bring!

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Week 5 - January 31th, 2012

And so begins the fifth week….

Excited to move along a little further in my ortho treatment, I pulled my third set of aligners out of the bag.  The bottom aligner pushed into place fairly easily, but the top tray was a little different story. This time the engagers prevented me from my usual routine of aligning the tray up with my back teeth and pushing on them working towards the front. It wouldn’t go on… Fail. So, now I needed a new method to get the top in.  I decided that working from the front, slipping the tray over the engagers, then work toward the back would be the trick.  Well, that didn’t work either.  Now I had a dilemma… I needed to get the trays in, and soon, so I could go to sleep.  I worked, turning the tray every which way, trying to figure out how to get the top tray in my mouth.  Finally, after approximately 10 minutes of frustration, I got the top tray to snap into place. What was the trick? I have no idea.  It just finally snapped in place… and it snapped down hard.  

Here are a couple of things I learned in the past two weeks:

First, make sure your cheeks are out of the way when you put your aligner trays in. I have caught the inside of my cheek with the aligner trays (I’ve done it on both the top and the bottom).

Second, double check for hair in your aligners before you put them on. I still don’t know how it happened but I caught a long strand of my hair and it was stuck in both the top and bottom tray.  Needless to say, it was hilarious watching me try to get the hair out of my mouth!

Even though this set was a little more difficult to place, they actually feel better in my mouth than the last set.

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Week 7 - February 14th, 2012

Happy Valentines Day! <3

I picked up my fourth, fifth and sixth set of aligners from the dentist today. The top aligners were difficult to get in, again. I think it might be due to the engager on the canine that sticks out. It's a pretty big protrusion to get the aligner over. This time I started from the upper right molar and worked it around to the right. It seemed to go on a little easier than the last aligner. 

As for change and/or movement, I can definitely see the space between the lower front teeth starting to close. I can also feel a space starting to form between the upper front teeth. I keep hoping to see movement in the canine, but it still looks the same- like a big fang. Sigh...

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