You may have noticed something different about my smile over the last few months! One of the main reasons my traveling came to a halt last May was to get Invisalign (& focus on my health in general). My teeth were not horrible but when your image is constantly reflected back to you (via stories and creating content) you notice these things more and it was starting to affect my work. The left side of my face would hide it more than my right, so I felt like I was always trying to angle my phone that way. Rather than just filming something and putting it up – I’d refilm it if I showed too much of that side. Yep, I’ve got insecurities too! I try not to let these things hold me back but if I can correct something to make me feel more confident – I will, while embracing that I’m a perfectly imperfect human along the way.

Why I Decided To Get Invisalign

I was lucky enough to have fairly straight teeth growing up. Although, I didn’t have a big, wide natural smile. My lower teeth were overcrowded, I had an overbite and my smile was not broad – it didn’t bother me enough to do anything about it. But in 2015, due to a car accident, my teeth started shifting. I’m LUCKY I didn’t lose any of my teeth from the car accident, one of my front teeth actually went into my nasal cavity and had to be pulled out, put back and the endodontist had to put what’s called a “stint” on my tooth to bind it to the one next to it until the root reattached. Since then, my teeth started shifting and became more and more crooked and crowded.

Getting Invisalign

I started researching orthodontists in Honolulu (my new home) and looking through reviews. I do this with everything, reviews will tell you a lot about a business (peep mine in the client love tab ;)). Also, I looked for an orthodontist that had extensive experience with Invisalign.

Invisalign classifies its ranking system based on the amount of cases the provider treats on a yearly or monthly basis. The more cases a doctor treats, the higher their provider ranking.

In your interested in Invisalign for yourself, check out the Invisalign designation that doctors and orthodontists carry in your area, by clicking this link.

I chose Caswell Orthodontics and started with a free consultation which made me feel incredibly confident choosing them over other options in the area – everything from their experience, customer service, the friendliness of the staff, process for on-boarding – being in business myself, I notice the little things like this. They had payment plan options and a discount if you paid in full (it was around $5,000 for those wanting to know but will vary from place to place). They showed me this simulation and I couldn’t wait to put those first aligners on.

At the free consultation, once I said yes to Invisalign, the process began with digital x-rays, moulded impressions and photographs of my teeth to create a digital road-map. My first 15 trays were available about a month after that appointment. You change out the trays every week as long as you have been wearing them for about 20-22 hours a day, each new tray will feel slightly tight at first until your teeth shift. It was crazy to me how quickly I noticed a difference – it was significant even after 6 weeks!

What To Expect

The first week was definitely the hardest, getting used to that I couldn’t just put food in my mouth whenever I wanted to. As mentioned before, Invisalign works best when it’s worn for 20-22 hours every day. Prior to Invisalign I would eat smaller meals more frequently, but because you’re “supposed” to brush and floss (to prevent cavities) before putting the aligners back in – I didn’t want to brush my teeth 6+ times a day lol! So I switched to having primarily 3 main meals and eliminated snacking, almost a little diet in itself. I’m not going to lie, I’ve gotten lazier about this as the weeks have gone on.

I did have a slight lisp and talked different the first few weeks or so. I just tried to annunciate more than I normally would, overall not a big deal.

Results: Before & After

I still have about 8 weeks left or so and then they’ll have to remove the notches on my teeth. It’s been fun getting DM’s from people who notice. If you have any questions, more than happy to answer them for you!