Smile CSRA

First Set of Invisalign Aligners

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Today I went for my first appointment at Carter Orthodontics to get my first Invisalign aligners! I was very excited and a little nervous. The main thing I worried about was how uncomfortable the aligners might be at first. Having seen both of my teenage boys go through Damon Braces with Carter Orthodontics, I was expecting a bit of pain on the first day. Thankfully, it was not bad at all. The boys didn’t want to bite down on food at all and requested milk shakes. I was able to eat dinner with no pain at all. Certain teeth are definitely more sore than others but I took some Advil and they are fine.

Cheryl, Carter Orthodontics’ Clinical Manager, was very friendly and knowledgeable about Invisalign and was able to answer all of my questions. I was worried that I couldn’t chew gum for bad breath anymore. While that is true, I can have mints as long as I don’t bite down on them. She even said I can drink Coke and tea, but it might stain my teeth. I think I’ll stick to water. She also gave me a sheet of instructions and went over them with me. She even gave me her cell phone number and told me to call anytime I had questions. How’s that for service?!

The coolest part of the appointment was getting to see a computer animated 3D image of my teeth. It showed my teeth before, during and after the Invisalign process. I took some video of it and am including it in this post.

When I came home my husband looked at my teeth and said the space between my two front teeth had already closed up. I looked in the mirror and it was true! I was so excited! I have always had that space between my front teeth. Unfortunately, when I take the aligners out, the space is still there. But it has only been one day. I’m already much better at pulling the aligners out and putting them back in. I’m really excited about the Invisalign process and glad that I can be documenting the process to help other people make this decision.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. – Melissa

Invisalign Records Appointment

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Invisalign Before Photos
These Invisalign Before photos are not the most flattering but I look forward to the end result.

I went to Carter Orthodontics for my Invisalign records appointment on Jan. 25, 2010. Impressions and pictures of my teeth were taken for digitization purposes. Monica, the Records Technician, was very nice and worked to make the molds as comfortable as possible in my mouth. She squeezed what looked like purple caulk onto my teeth and had me bite down. Within a few seconds it started to harden and after a few minutes she was able to pull the molds out. I was nervous that I would gag on it and embarrass myself but the material didn’t move past my teeth. Then she squeezed the same material into plastic molds that she put in my mouth, one at a time, one for the top and one for the bottom. Then she put the molds in my mouth a second time to make sure there weren’t any air bubbles in the material. She also took several photos of my teeth and then gave me a print out of the photos she took. She told me they would be sent off to the lab and it would be 4-6 weeks before my aligners would come in. Once the aligners were delivered, Dr. Carter’s office would call me and set up an appointment.

The impressions of my teeth were digitized in order for Dr. Carter to work with a computerized 3-D image of my teeth. Then, Dr. Carter planned my tooth movements throughout my entire treatment. I’ll be able to see a virtual representation of my teeth before, during, and after completion of the Invisalign process so I can see what my smile should look like when I’m done with treatment. From Dr. Carter’s treatment plan, customized aligners are created for me to wear at each stage of my treatment. While the number of aligners varies for each individual situation, a full set of treatment typically includes 20-30 aligners per arch.

I am really excited about my Invisalign treatment. I have waited a long time to have this done. I’m so glad there is Invisalign. I really didn’t want metal mouth at 42! I have to meet with clients routinely in my Internet Marketing Director position and it’s important to look professional. I will be blogging about my experience and also put some youtube videos online so Dr. Carter’s blog followers can understand the Invisalign treatment better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks, Melissa

Invisalign Consultation is Free!

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In November I had my first Invisalign consultation at Carter Orthodontics. I’ve never been happy with my smile and after my two teenage sons went through the braces process with Carter Orthodontics, I decided it was my turn. I have an inherited space between my teeth that seems to be getting wider as I’ve grown older. My teeth are not symmetrical either. Because my bite is so off, I constantly bite the inside of my cheeks or burn the roof of my mouth behind my front teeth. And my bottom teeth are pretty crowded.

After filling out some paperwork, Dr. Carter’s Patient Coordinator took me back for a panoramic x-ray. Then she took me back to an exam room to wait for Dr. Carter. My x-ray was displayed on a 60″ inch flat screen. Dr. Carter examined my teeth and called out some measurements to his assistant who typed it into a computer. Then he told me I was definitely a candidate for Invisalign treatment. Because of my asymmetrical bite, Dr. Carter said he would have to either move one tooth back at a time to make my bite symmetrical or I would have to have one tooth pulled to make the teeth move more quickly into place. Moving one tooth at a time will take 20-24 months or if I have the tooth pulled, it would only take 16-18 months. I’m thinking that I’ve waited this long, a few more months won’t hurt.

After Dr. Carter answered my questions, the Patient Coordinator came back in to talk about the Invisalign process and the cost. Once I make my decision, I will call the office and set up my first appointment to have the molds made of my teeth. I am very excited about having a new smile. For years I’ve looked at photographs of myself and wished my teeth looked better. I’m always very conscious of my teeth when people are taking pictures of me. I’m tired of being self-conscious about my smile and I’m ready to do something about it. Dr. Carter did such a wonderful job with my boys’ smiles. The before and after photos of my oldest son are so inspiring. I know Dr. Carter can do wonders for my smile too. And he recently became an Invisalign Premier Elite Provider which means he’s in the top one percent of all doctors experienced in the Invisalign system nation-wide. I’m definitely in the right hands.

If you have any questions you can leave a comment here and I will do my best to answer you. Hopefully this Invisalign blog will inspire others to get the smile they have always wanted. If you’ve gone through the Invisalign process, I’d love to hear from you too!

Thanks for reading!

Melissa