BIG SMILES on the blog today because I finished my clear aligner treatment with Lewis Orthodontics in Edmond, Okla.! I can't recommend Dr. Lewis enough, my entire orthodontic experience was fantastic and I am so pleased with how my smile turned out. I shared about my first two weeks with Lewis Orthodontics and did a Q+A in THIS blog post, but I am going to recap the process for you from start to finish below, in case you are curious about how clear aligners work (note, Dr. Lewis offers traditional braces, as well).
I was blessed to grow up with really straight teeth - I never had much of a need for braces. As I got older, though, one tooth started to shift, move forward, and turn a little which crowded my front teeth. Being a blogger, I take an obscene amount of photos and videos and that tooth really irked me when I would look at it. It wasn't a major snaggletooth by any means, but I was concerned it would continue to shift more over time. Several of my friends had clear aligners and recommended them, so I decided to get ahead of the issue and fix my snaggletooth before it got worse.
I chose to go with the OrthoSmile brand of clear aligners - it is very similar to the name brand "Invisalign" but it was created by Dr. Lewis herself to be more budget friendly. The trays can be made / printed in-house which saves a lot of time and money (especially if one breaks mid-treatment). OrthoSmile clear aligners start at $149 per month!
Free Consult
The clear aligner process starts with the initial consult - which is FREE, I might add! You can schedule a consult with Dr. Lewis by clicking here OR you can sign up for a virtual consult here. At this appointment (if in-person), they take x-rays and pictures of your teeth, discuss the different types of treatment available, and talk about the cost, payment plans and insurance options. It is basically an explanation of the process and a road map of your treatment plan.
Initial Scan
Once you decide to take the plunge and begin ortho treatment, it's time for your first scan! They basically stick a tool in your mouth that takes 3D pictures of your teeth to create a digital mold of your mouth (way better than the OG putty molds, yuck). The first digital mold is your starting place and all of your clear aligner trays are based off of that moving forward. Dr. Lewis will access the scan digitally and create the small, weekly adjustments that will be reflected in your trays. The scans and digital tray molds will then be sent to print! Depending on how many trays you need and the current wait time, the printing process will take anywhere from a week to a month or two.
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| Here is photo from right before I started treatment & one a about seven or eight months in. You can see I'm wearing the trays but they aren't overly noticeable! |
Installation
When your trays are all printed and ready, the team at Lewis Orthodontics will install the attachments. These are little clear or tooth colored buttons that are glued onto specific teeth to both hold the trays in place and act has handles to manipulate how the teeth will move throughout the treatment process. It differs from person to person as to how many attachments you need and what teeth they go on. After all of the attachments are glued on, Dr. Lewis will put your first tray in and will make sure it fits correctly. From then on, it's up to you to wear your tray as much as possible and switch it out every week to progress forward in your treatment.
Dr. Lewis instructed me to wear my trays 24/7 unless eating, brushing or cleaning the trays (I soaked them for about 20 minutes every morning while I ate breakfast and drank coffee). You are allowed to drink water with them in, but eating is a big no-no. Don't tell Dr. Lewis but I did occasionally drink iced coffee, alcohol or Diet Coke with my trays in (you're not supposed to, oops), I just made sure to swish with water and/or brush afterwards.
Check Ups & Re-Scans
Every eight weeks or so, it's time for a check up with Dr. Lewis! These appointments are quick and painless, they just ensure that your teeth are moving according to plan. If they aren't, adjustments can be made on the fly. After you finish your first round of trays, they will re-scan you (if needed) to print more trays (while waiting for new trays, you continue to wear your last tray). You will repeat this process as many times as necessary until your smile is perfect!
Attachment Removal
When your treatment is complete, the attachments can be removed! PRAISE! To remove them, the staff basically just files them down with an electric tool (sort of like what they use for fillings) until they reach your teeth. It is pretty painless....dusty and noisy, but painless. Then, they take more x-rays and pictures for before and afters. They will scan you one last time to create a retainer tray that you wear 8 hours a day (aka only while sleeping) to keep your teeth in place moving forward. To celebrate, you get to pick your favorite candy (or an alcoholic beverage if you're an adult).....I of course chose Sour Patch Kids and ate the entire cup in 24 hours.
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| Look at this before and after! Wowza! |
Looking back, the clear aligner experience was a lot easier than I anticipated. I got used to wearing my trays pretty quickly. At first, it really hurt to put the trays in or take them out, but the pain and overall tenderness went away a few weeks after starting treatment and I could pop them in and out easily while on the go. They only ever hurt the first night after putting in a new tray, and advil would always help me sleep through the pain. The trays would occasionally rub on my lips/cheeks/tongue and cause a little sore, but since you change to a new tray every week, the sore spots never lasted long. Yes, I had a bit of a lisp at first, but it went away pretty quickly!
Wearing the trays also really helped me keep my serial snacking in check - I only took them out if something was really worth it!! I always made sure to carry mini waterless toothbrushes with me so I could brush after eating while traveling for work out when out with friends. I also bought several plastic retainer holders off of Amazon to keep in my purse, my kitchen, my car, my bathroom, etc.....that way I never had to wrap my trays in a napkin and risk throwing them out by mistake! It was a little awkward and annoying to take the trays out in front of people at a restaurant...hello saliva!...but I always just made a joke and laughed it off.
I was honestly shocked at how white my teeth were after getting the attachments removed. I think that is because I swished + brushed so much and always flossed at night. I would definitely suggest staying on top of brushing (and cleaning your trays daily with Retainer Brite) because I've seen other people with stains and attachment marks post-treatment. Brushing also kept me from getting cavities since the trays were never sitting on dirty teeth.
Overall, I'm SO GLAD I chose Lewis Orthodontics and OrthoSmile clear aligners! It is obviously more cosmetically appealing but also much more convenient as the physical time at the orthodontist is very minimal since you change the trays out yourself every week as opposed to having wires manually adjusted like you do with braces. My treatment took nine months total and am so pleased with my results! I've been flashing my pearly whites non-stop since getting my attachments off...it feels so good and looks even better.
Have you ever had braces or clear aligners? If not, would you want them? Even if you just have one problem tooth like I did, I think it is 100% worth it. I highly recommend Lewis Orthodontics if you're in the OKC metro area....schedule a free consultation and tell her I sent you!
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