August 19, 2012

I Got My Attachments

I didn't know attachments existed and I almost let them be a deal breaker. After seeing videos on youtube I  was not excited about having them put on my teeth. It seemed to take away the "invisible" element of Invisalign to a large extent.

By the time I found out they'd be necessary, I was 3/4ths the way through the process and had paid in full. LOL. The options were either suck it up or lose the invested time and figure out how to get my money back. I'm not saying it was an easy choice. The attachments are on for almost a year, but the already having paid part did help encourage me to proceed. Ultimately the attachments were far less noticeable than any braces would be and I was in it to get my teeth straightened.

The attachment appointment:
  • The whole process took no more than 30 minutes for 11 attachments.
  • They started by slipping on a retainer tray to make sure my teeth were where they needed to be at.
    • The retainer came off loose and they were happy with my progress so far.
    • The dentist mentioned at this point that all new trays would be more aggressive in terms of movement. FUN.
  • To get the attachments on she primed each tooth that required an attachment with a little wash to make the surface less smooth where the attachment would go.
  • Each attachment placement got a coating of glue and a UV light treatment to help cure the bond.
  • They popped on my new trays (now with bumps for the attachments) and cured  with the UV light again.
After the attachments were seated:
  • My teeth felt pretty rough. Lots of excess glue, but the dentist assured me this would come off over a course of weeks as I brushed my teeth.
  • The new trays were HARD to get off. Given I was trying to be careful not to pop the attachments off, but she wasn't lying about the movement being more aggressive.
  • No pain from the attachments, but the suggested wear time before removal was 3 hours to let the glue set for a while. I went for 5. She kept telling me she expected me to pop one off so I want to try my damnedest not to!
How they look:

I can definitely say that I'm shocked how invisible they are when the trays off. Impressed even. With the trays on...not so much, but I'll let you be the judge.

Attachments front view
Attachments side view
Attachments with trays front view
Attachments with trays side view

All my trays after this have attachment bubbles. I can't loose break or lose trays because none of the old ones will fit!

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