Another reason to smile!

I have so much to smile about this weekend, apart from it being a bank holiday! Yesterday I handed in my thesis, which means no more college for me! I'm not really sure how I feel about this yet! While the exams and thesis have meant days of hibernation in my room, I've loved my time in Galway. Now, the daunting task of hunting for a job begins... But first, I am taking a well deserved break and I'm heading to Kinsale for the weekend with 9 girls from my class. To say I'm excited would be an understatement!

My Invisalign journey may also be coming to an end quite soon. It only seems like last week since I started! I am now wearing my 12th set of aligners and I'm loving the results so far. My classmates hadn't seen me for a while until yesterday and they couldn't stop complimenting my smile! I have an appointment in Ace Braces next Tuesday to assess my progress and decide if further aligners will be needed to make some extra refinements. Exciting times overall!

*Video* - Taking in and out my aligners

Below, I have attached a short video of me talking about my Invisalign experiences so far. I also show you how easy it is to take in and out the aligners. As I said before, the aligners must be taken out before drinking hot drinks.

When things go a little awry!!

I put in my 11th set of aligners last Friday but, as I took them out before dinner that night, one of the little attachments on my tooth fell off! Oops! I continued wearing the aligners as usual over the weekend. I was a little worried that having an attachment missing would slow down the process. This was the first time anything like this had happened since I started the treatment in October. 

Anyway, it turns out this was no big deal. First thing Monday morning, I rang Ace Braces and got an appointment to come in straight away. It only took 10 minutes for them to put the attachment back on - a very painless experience! 

Almost a week on now, and all attachments are still in place, and my teeth are really starting to move. I haven't stopped smiling all week! (This sunny weather is helping too of course!!). 

Pink hair, don't care!

So an update on my Invisalign journey and life in general...

I finished my final exams last Friday and the sense of relief is wonderful! I also moved on to my 10th set of aligners on the same day. The aligners felt tighter than any of the previous ones for the first couple of days. Nevertheless, I still went out to celebrate on Friday night and ate a sirloin steak with all the trimmings without any trouble!

On Sunday, I modelled for a hairdressing championship in Dublin, which was a great experience. For the competition I had to have some pink dye put in my hair, which I was a bit apprehensive about. Surprisingly though, I've grown to like it! Maybe I'll keep the new hair to go with the new smile! When I chose to begin my Invisalign treatment with Ace Braces I thought the main attraction for me was that I could take the aligners out for my modelling jobs. However, the aligners really are so discrete that I have never bothered taking them out for a photo. I'm wearing them in the photo from the competition below.

My new pink hair!

Invisalign on tour!

I can't believe it's St. Patrick's Day tomorrow already. Time is flying. I'm now over 4 months into my Invisalign treatment and I've only 6 weeks left in college.

I'm now wearing my 9th set of aligners and I think I'm smiling more than ever! I actually like how lovely and shiny the aligners make my teeth look!

I've been to Barcelona since my last post and of course my Invisalign aligners came with me. I had just changed my aligners the night before the trip and I can honestly say that I did not have one second of pain or discomfort. I ate out a couple of times each day and knowing that I did not have to worry about what I ordered for dinner was a huge bonus. I had the conveniently sized box for the aligners in my bag all the time and I would just pop in and out the aligners before meals without even thinking. I will be posting a video of me taking in and out the aligners later, just so you can see how effortless the process is. I know it sounds too good to be true!

Before dinner in Barcelona

Congratulations Ace Braces!

I had my appointment in Ace Braces on Monday to get my next 5 sets of aligners. When I was there I was delighted to hear of their recent success at the Irish Dentistry Awards. At the awards they won, not one, but FIVE awards!!

It's great to see their lovely team and hard work being recognised and I must say, I'm very proud to have the "Best Dental Team" straightening my teeth!

I continue on with my 8th set of aligners this Friday. I'm also off to Barcelona for the weekend :) I had a Ryanair voucher that was burning a hole in my pocket!! If anyone has any suggestions of what to do and see in Barcelona please comment below... Adiós!

My 7th Set of Aligners

Hope everyone had a lovely Valentines weekend! I hit the slopes of Kilternan in Dublin for my first ever skiing lesson, which was very exciting! I'm very proud of the fact that I managed not to fall or break any bones! We were in a class full of very young kids so there was unbelievable pressure to not make fools of ourselves!!!

I am now wearing my seventh set of Invisalign aligners and I honestly could not fault the whole process. This week I am really noticing how much my teeth have moved since I started the treatment. And they have done so with minimal discomfort or effort on my part. This has been so important to me as I am extra busy this year with my final year of college and would not have had the time or patience for any pain or restricted diets! 

Speaking of college, I am finishing my final year placement this Friday. I've really enjoyed it but can't believe how quickly the time is going. I'm heading back to see all the lovely people in Ace Braces next week to get my next aligners. I'm always excited to get my next set of aligners as it means I am one step closer to having perfectly straight teeth.