This morning I had my final appointment with my orthodontist, I am now Invisalign-free!

I started with Invisalign braces back in March 2012. After some refinements back in Spring (one of my teeth wasn’t turning as planned), and an extra two months of treatment, the books on my orthodontic treatment have been closed.

I had my attachments on my lower teeth removed at the end of June. The top attachments (or “buttons”) were removed today (including the extra one they had put in over the winter to get that stubborn tooth to rotate). I was given a set of retainers to wear full-time for the next few days, then nightly thereafter.

The retainers closely resemble my regular Invisalign trays, but are a tad bit sturdier.

I am beyond happy with my smile now. It’s amazing the sense of confidence one has with a set of well-aligned pearly whites!

I killed two birds with one stone today and got my semi-annual cleaning done at my dentist later on in the day, so now my mouth is truly glowing!

Thanks to the staff at City Orthodontics for their friendly and professional work over the last 18-months. I was even given a mylar balloon with the word “Congrats” written on it (makes a wonderful conversation-starter on public transit… I should try that tactic in the future), as well as a cute water bottle (ironically, filled with candy).

So, what did I think about the Invisalign process? I think if you’re considering orthodontic treatment as an adult, if you have the extra cash (and if you’re responsible, because remembering to keep your trays in and proper hygiene are important), definitely go this route. Every time I told someone that I wore braces, they didn’t notice at all because Invisalign is so “invisible”.

Sure it was a bit of an inconvenience to have to remove them every time I would eat a meal (sometimes I kept them in if it was a light snack, but was careful to brush right after), and took a few days to get used to every couple of weeks when I would put in my new trays, but I wore them for at least 22 hours each day for the last year and a half and my smile has changed for the better.

Plus I’ll probably be still brushing my teeth four times a day.

Post-Invisalign smile and the “congrats” presents from my orthodontist!