The Finishing Touches

Last week I was back with the lovely people in Ace Braces to get my retainers fitted. I have a tiny wire on the back of my top and bottom teeth now to help keep them in place. They felt a bit strange at first but I quickly got used to them. I also have clear retainers (they look like my Invisalign aligners) that I wear every night. It's so worth it to make sure I keep my lovely new smile.

I have also been using the whitening kit that I got in Ace Braces. It has really been the icing on the cake and I'm thrilled with the results! I have some of the bleach left so I can top them up when they start to go dark from all the cups of tea! 

It's brilliant to be finished my treatment just before Christmas. The only downside is that I've spent a fortune on lipsticks to show off my new smile! I feel like it's a new accessory to my outfits now! Below is a picture of me heading to our work Christmas party at the weekend. Smiles all round! :) :)

The Perfect Smile :)

I can't believe it!!! My Invisalign journey has come to an end and I couldn't be happier with the results. At my appointment in Ace Braces yesterday, I got the attachments taken off my teeth. This is a very quick and painless procedure. When they were off we could really see the full results of the treatment. It was even better than I'd expected. I haven't stopped smiling since!

My new smile :)

When I had finished admiring my new smile in the mirror, I got impressions taken for my retainer, which I will wear every night to make sure my teeth stay in place. I also got a small wire put on the back of my teeth to provide extra insurance that they won't be move. It would be devastating now if they ever moved out of place. The permanent retainer behind my teeth will take a little bit of getting used to but I'm sure after a few days I won't even notice it. The only disappointment was when I came home and nobody noticed I had got the braces off! They said the Invisalign aligners were so clear that they didn't notice I was wearing them anyway!!!

Close up of the finished result!! 

For anyone considering Invisalign I can honestly say it will be the best thing you ever do (I'm not just saying it!!). The whole process has been so easy from start to finish. Kevin and the girls undoubtedly had a major part to play in this. They have been a pleasure to deal with. For a friendly, efficient and expert service, I cannot rate Ace Braces highly enough. There's always a friendly face to greet you in Ace Braces or a friendly voice on the phone if you need to reschedule appointments or have any questions about your treatment. Kevin and the girls take great pride in their work and are perfectionists when it comes to providing their clients with their perfect smile.

I was also delighted to hear that Ace Braces can provide teeth whitening kits, which is a perfect way to finish off the perfect smile. I started the process last night, which I'm very excited about. It will really be the icing on the cake! It just involves

placing some clear gel into my retainers at night for 14 nights, or less if I'm happy with the shade. I will let you know how it goes and post some before and after pictures too of course!

Tayto Park

I've had yet another busy couple of weeks (just how I like it!!). 2 weeks ago I went to Edinburgh for a weekend, which was a lovely break. We did all the usual touristy things and ate and drank far too much as there was a food festival on! I was popping in and out my Invisalign aligners so often to taste all the different foods that I'm now a total pro! As always I had the box for them in my bag and was able to discretely take them out without anyone noticing. Over the long weekend I went to Tayto Park with my little sister and her friend (I was more excited than they were!). I had never been so I really enjoyed it.

Even Mr. Tayto has Invisalign!!!!

I am wearing my last pair of aligners from this set now. I found this pair tighter than usual for around 3 days but I see it as reassurance that they're moving! I'm going back to Ace Braces next week to check my progress and decide if I will be making anymore refinements. I'm absolutely delighted with the results so far. I don't think my smile could get much better. I'll take a close up picture for you over the next couple of days so you can see the improvement :)

Back on the road...

I am now wearing my fifth set of aligners from this set. At this stage, it's just second nature to me to wear them and take them out before meals. I usually carry the box for my aligners around in my bag when I'm on the wards so that when I'm going down for tea or lunch it's so quick to pop them out and put them somewhere safe. I got loads of compliments from some of the nurses yesterday on how clear the aligners are and how straight my teeth are looking now. A couple of them are talking about going to Ace Braces for a free consultation. I'm starting a trend!!

In other news, I'm back on the road again! I got a new car last week and I'm really enjoying being independent again. I'm going to Dublin on Saturday to see the "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" play. I'm not usually one for going to plays but it got excellent reviews so I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Apart from that I've been keeping fairly quiet as I'm trying to rest my back in the evenings after work. Between my super quick recovery, my new job, my new car and my new teeth, though, I just can't stop smiling! :)  

New Job :)

I'm delighted to report I am now back on my 2 feet and will have completed my first week of my new job tomorrow. I'm loving the challenge so far and have really settled in already.

Today I put in my 3rd set of aligners, which I will wear for the next week. They feel a little bit tighter now tonight, naturally enough, but by tomorrow I won't even notice them. The girls in the office only noticed I was wearing them today when they saw me take out of the box after lunch. Below is a picture of me heading off to work and wearing my aligners of course! It's like a "first day at school" picture. My Mum insisted!!

According to the pedometer on my phone, I have gone from taking an average of 10 steps a day over the past five weeks to 10000 steps a day now that I'm working! So at only 9pm, it's bedtime for me!

Goodnight all!

Call me Grace!

My recovery since the accident has been going really well. I am walking without the crutches now. All sympathy and breakfast in bed is well and truly over!! Sitting around all day doesn't really suit me anyway. I'm delighted to be back on my feet. I have also had some extra motivation to get back up and about as I have been offered a 3 month contract as a speech and language therapist in Naas Hospital. Although it's a short contract I'm absolutely delighted to get the chance to gain some postgraduate experience. It also means I don't have to leave the country just yet. My family are very relieved!

A few days ago I had my appointment with Ace Braces to get my next 8 sets of aligners. Again, I will change each set of aligners every week so in 8 weeks I will go back to Ace Braces to assess my progress. At this stage I am so used to wearing the aligners that I barely notice they're there. Sometimes, when I'm talking, I notice that my mouth becomes quite dry when I'm wearing the aligners. This is a very minor inconvenience to have to deal with, though, in fairness.

With the accident I didn't get a chance to share photos of a job I did in the Shelbourne Hotel in August. It was definitely one of the highlights of my modelling career to date. I had the huge honour of modelling one of Grace Kelly's original dresses from the Newbridge Silverware museum. I doubt Grace Kelly had Invisalign but Rachel Kelly does so, as always, I wore the aligners for the whole evening and nobody passed any remark on them!

Still Smiling!

I have just had an eventful few weeks to say the least! I started a new part time job in an insurance company but unfortunately this was cut short as I was involved in a car accident on my way to work the week after I started. Luckily, though, I walked away (not literally!!) from the accident relatively uninjured.

I have a few fractures in my spine and a fractured shoulder but they are healing very well and I am starting to get up and about again thank goodness. My poor little car, however, is gone to Dacia heaven! But most importantly I don't have any permanent injuries and all of my lovely new smile is still in tact. All of the nurses in the hospital were intrigued by my Invisalign aligners as they hadn't seen them before. They are definitely a great conversation starter apart from everything else!!! 

Thank you Ace Braces

My new bedroom!!! 

When I was in hospital I received a beautiful orchid from Ace Braces, which was such a lovely surprise.  They have also been more than accommodating in letting me rearrange appointments. I am now wearing my 8th set of aligners. I have 8 more to go after this. To be honest I found it difficult to wear them as much as I should in the hospital as I was totally bed bound and couldn't get up to brush my teeth as much as I usually would. Now that I'm home, though, it's been much easier to put the aligners back in after meals. I am being extremely well looked after here! My parents have put a bed in the sitting room for me so that I don't have to go upstairs! I have watched almost everything on Netflix at this stage so if anybody is looking for recommendations just give me a shout!!