My first set of Invisalign Aligners

It's been another very busy week between work and assignments. Last night I had the pleasure of working at the MOHH pink party in aid of Action Breast Cancer. Can you believe this is all my own hair?!

Definitely have my hat sorted for the Galway races next year!! 

                                                  
Today was very exciting as I got a call to say my first set of Invisalign aligners had arrived earlier than expected. Only too delighted for an excuse to leave the books for an hour, I went over to Ace Braces to get the aligners fitted. So far they just feel a little bit tight but not uncomfortable at all. Being a speech and language therapy student, my biggest fear was that the aligners would affect my speech. Thankfully, though, this hasn't been a problem.

The best part was my family didn't even notice I was wearing them until I went up really close to them smiling like a crazy woman!!

I will wear this set of aligners for two weeks and then I will change to the second set, which I was also given today. I will go back to Ace Braces then in a month to get the little white attachments put on my teeth and the third set of aligners fitted. For optimum results the aligners must be worn for 22 hours every day so I will only remove them for eating and drinking.

Can't wait to see if my friends notice them in college on Monday! I'll keep you posted...

Happy Halloween! 

The plan for my Invisalign treatment

So the bank holiday weekend has been and gone but it was a much appreciated break. Since my last post I have been a little busy to say the least! Last week I went from home to Donegal, to Galway, to Dublin, to Carlow, to Naas for some modeling jobs in the space of just over a week, with some college work, placement and an appointment with Ace Braces in between! The modeling and my appointment with the orthodontist were exciting – the assignments not so much! But that’s to be expected…

I went to Ace Braces on Friday to make sure I’m happy with the treatment plan before I begin with my first set of Invisalign aligners in three weeks. I was shown an animation of my teeth now and what they will look like after Invisalign (see below). It looks great! The little white pieces you can see on my teeth will be there to help the aligners grip my teeth. The approximate treatment time is six months, which means I could have my new straight teeth for my graduation photos next June. I’m so excited to get started now. 

This is the animation of the different stages of my Invisalign journey:

I volunteer with Galway Autism Partnership’s youth café every Tuesday evening and tonight is our Halloween party so I’m off to put together a costume for myself. I haven’t had time to put as much effort into my costume as other years so I’m wearing a black sack and a witch’s hat like we did back in the good old days!!!

Getting my Invisalign impressions done

15th September 2014

After a lovely weekend, I went back to Ace Braces today to get my impressions done. I was so excited to get the ball rolling. After all, the sooner I get the aligners, the sooner I get my perfect smile.

This is me before my Invisalign treatment started

Getting the impressions taken was a painless experience. It was done by holding what I would describe as a gumshield of putty on my top teeth for five minutes and then the same on the bottom. The only hard part for me was sitting still and not talking  for five minutes at a time!

I also must say I couldn’t believe how friendly and chatty all the staff were. The atmosphere at Ace Braces definitely isn’t one I would usually associate with a dental clinic! I think this will make the whole experience much easier and all in all I’m feeling very positive. I love meeting nice people!
My next appointment is in five weeks to talk more about my Invisalign treatment, the different options that will be available to me and just to make sure I am happy with everything.

After my visit to Ace Braces I came back up to Galway and my clever Dad has solved the space issue in my room. I’m now the proud owner of a bunk bed at 22 years of age! I’ve posted a picture below. So much more room for activities! The sun is even out now. A trip to Salthill is in order I think.

Life is good...

 

An introduction to me!

12th September 2014

So September is here which, for me, means back to Galway for a new college year, living in a new box room, with a new blog and a diary bursting with plans. I have so many hopes for the year ahead and am very excited to be back in Galway with the girls. By next June I hope to have a degree in speech and language therapy, some money to travel and a brand new smile to come with me! Maybe that’s me being a little optimistic but we’ll see!

I have always been conscious of my teeth in photos. I’m not sure if it is even something that other people notice but when I see a photo of myself, the first thing I notice are those two teeth that are sticking out. My fangs as I call them! As I started doing some part time modeling when I came to college I began seeing more and more photos of myself and my teeth really started to bother me. Below is a picture of me from a photoshoot I did last summer. The only thing I can see in this photo is that left canine tooth!

I never seriously considered getting anything done to correct this until this summer when I heard about a free consultation service in Ace Braces in Tullamore. I thought I might as well go for a consultation as it wouldn’t cost anything to see what my options are.

I went along to Ace Braces and was pleasantly surprised by what they could offer me. Dr. O’Regan and all the nurses were so helpful and seemed genuinely interested in finding something that would best suit my needs at this time. However, the thoughts of getting train tracks at this age didn’t really appeal to me. I didn’t think I could handle a restricted diet along with the stress of a thesis and everything else that comes with final year college (I eat a lot when I’m stressed!!). I could also say goodbye to any modeling jobs for the next six months, which would mean less money to pay for my travels next summer and more importantly to pay for the braces themselves.

However, Dr. O’Regan and his team at Ace Braces told me about Invisalign treatment which seemed like a perfect solution to my problem. I hadn’t heard of it before but from what I’m told you are given clear removable aligners that you change every two weeks and as you change them, your teeth gradually begin to move. I will have to tell you more about the specifics when I get them. What also swung the deal for me was Ace Braces’ 0% interest payment plan. As a full time student there was no way I could pay for this treatment in one lump sum so this will definitely be a big help.

Still, the best part, for me, is that they are almost invisible. I must admit, I am skeptical but I’ll say nothing until I get them in 8 weeks time and you can be the judge! On Monday I am going back to Ace Braces to get impressions taken of my teeth. These will be sent away and, all going well, I should be able to start the Invisalign treatment in around 8 weeks. I’ll keep you posted but for now I have a more pressing issue to deal with: how to make your box room more spacious when there’s a shower in one corner and no room for a desk!

All suggestions greatly appreciated...