INVISALIGN DAY!!!

Hello fabulous fans!

I have been out most of this week on babysitting duties for my little nieces. I got a crash course in what it would be like to have 3 girls! So far I realized it's a lot of playing mediator in little arguments and listening to who can out-talk the other! In other words, DRAMA! But even though it has been challenging at times, it is so nice that my daughter and her cousins are like sisters, fights and all.:)

I wanted to talk about the upcoming Invisalign Day in our office, on Monday, April 26. We are so excited about this day! Why is it different from any other day? Well, for one, it's all about Invisalign! What could be more exciting than that? We have seen so many smiles transformed with this product. And without pain and suffering! Patients who come for Invisalign are usually there because they can't wait to get their next set of aligners. They can't wait to see their updated photos and see the changes in their mouth. It is so fun for me (and the patient) to look at these photos. Not only do the teeth change, but usually you see big changes in the gums, especially if there was a lot of crowding. The gums begin to be less puffy and red, and the patient can clean and floss more easily, and then the teeth somehow appear whiter. As an Invisalign patient gets further into treatment, he or she starts to pay closer attention to their smile and take better care of it. It's amazing! These are patients who actually want to be there, are excited to be there, instead of most people who dread their dental visits. It is very rewarding to be able to provide this service to our patients.

So for Invisalign Day, we try to get as many candidates ready before the actual day. If anyone is interested, we make an appointment for the consult before the Invisalign day, and take any records that may be needed.  If the patient has treatment to be completed, we will get everything finished before starting Invisalign.  Then, on Invisalign Day, we can take impressions for these patients and they are on their way to getting their aligners!  Of course we will also see any interested patients for consults on that day as well. For patients who get started during the month of April or on Invisalign Day, we are rewarding them with a $500 match and complimentary teeth whitening. For any patients who take their impressions on Invisalign Day, we are also offering a 5% discount!  We will have some raffles, goody bags, refreshments, and fun! It's a day to celebrate these patients!

We have done Invisalign Days in the past and they are usually quite successful. They are very motivating for our staff and are a great team-builder! We at Esthetic Dentistry, have seen the power that these little plastic trays hold!

Hope to see you on Invisalign Day!

:) invisaligngal

Electric Toothbrush...do I REALLY need one?

The simple answer is YES. I am a big proponent of electric toothbrushes.  I think everyone should have one! When I see a new patient, I usually deliver my little "electric toothbrush" speech after I give the "floss daily" speech and "brush tongue" speech and "don't forget to see us every six months" speech. But people generally don't want to hear too much preaching from their dentist, so sometimes I refrain from the electric toothbrush talk. If a person has relatively good oral hygiene and seems to be in control of his/her manual toothbrush, I might not mention it in the first visit. But believe me, I will bring it up at some point, fanatic that I am.

I am not promoting any particular kind of electric toothbrush, but I will tell you why I LOVE MY SONICARE in a bit....

The benefits of an electric toothbrush are many:

1) an electric toothbrush is more effective at removing plaque than manual brushing

2) gum recession can be prevented or reduced

3) gum health can improve significantly

4) it can whiten your teeth

5) it encourages longer brushing times, usually at least 2 minutes

So you can see why I tout this wonderful invention! ( I also happen to love the Waterpik, but I will save that discussion for a later time). With the constant motion at a constant speed, plaque comes off much more readily and easily with an electric toothbrush. Also, many many people suffer from receding gums. Most of the time this was caused by aggressive or incorrect toothbrushing technique. Many of us grew up thinking the harder we brush and the harder the bristles are, the cleaner our teeth will be. Granted, it probably does take all the yuck off your teeth but at the same time it abrades the outer layer of the teeth and starts to wear down the gums. If the recession is severe, a gum graft may be indicated, which is not the most pleasant experience. Usually though, we are just trying to prevent the general gum recession from getting worse. A lifetime habit of aggressive brushing can be hard to break, so why not let an electric brush do the work for you?

It would make sense then, if plaque is coming off more readily, then that means there will be less plaque in your mouth, less plaque irritating the gums....hence, less gum disease! Yippee! Less bleeding, less swelling, healthier gum condition, good breath...even better!

Also, because the electric toothbrush is so efficient, it takes off those darned surface stains people get from drinking all those delectable drinks like coffee, red wine..etc. It really does make your teeth whiter and stay whiter!

Most of these fancy brushes have a built-in timer as well. It is fantastic, because they give a 30 sec pause so you can brush each section of your mouth for the same amount of time. Two minutes go by in a flash! Try doing that with a manual brush. Most people brush for about 20 seconds, tops. Time yourself! See how you do!

The Sonicare is my electric toothbrush of choice. I cannot live without this thing. When I try to brush with a regular brush now it feels so awkward and archaic. I feel like my teeth are still dirty for crying out loud. I am not trying to say one cannot brush well manually. It is definitely possible. I am saying I have become so incredibly spoiled by my Sonicare that I can't go back!

This device is amazing. It moves in a quick sweeping motion, which is very effective at removing plaque while at the same time very gentle on the gums. I was once one of those aggressive toothbrushers (chalk it up to my Type A personality, oldest child in a Korean family, etc) so I have quite a lot of gum recession. It has the timer, and even a UV sanitizing station for the brush heads! Love it!

I wish I could just give these to all of my patients but alas, I am not the Donald Trump of dentistry. But I do offer it at a reduced price from the retail shops. I'm telling you, it is an investment well worth it...the best insurance you can get for a lifetime of healthy gums. Cheesy, I know. But I speak the truth!

All the best,

invisaligngal

What are ATTACHMENTS?

Hi! Today I thought I would talk about these little things called, "Attachments." Maybe not the most exciting blog topic of the year but it is a question that potential Invisalign patients have on their mind! So what are Attachments? And why do we have to use them? Basically, there are 3 main components of the Invisalign system:

1) the aligners (the clear trays)
2) IPR (Interproximal reduction, or "polishing" in between the teeth to make space)
3) ATTACHMENTS

Attachments are small "tooth-colored fillings" that are placed on the outer surface of certain teeth. My patients like to call them, "knobs", "blobs", "thingys", or "thingamajigs." They are made of the same material that we use for tooth-colored composites. The purpose of attachments are many. Sometimes the aligner alone cannot effectively move a particular tooth in the way we want. Attachments may be used for:

1) rotating teeth
2) pulling a tooth down
3) pushing a tooth up or sideways
4) helping to keep the aligner in place
5) pushing teeth back

As you can see the role of attachments can be really important! So although it would be great to just wear the aligners and get straight teeth, in many cases at least a couple of attachments are necessary. Coupled with the aligner, the attachment helps to create forces to push/pull/rotate a tooth. These little knobs are more helpful than they look! And they are still wayyy better than wearing a mouth full of brackets!

Attachments usually stay on for the duration of the Invisalign treatment. They vary in shape and size. Most of my patients say that after a short while they get used to them and don't really notice them at all. Also, once you place the aligner over the teeth, it is even less visible.

One similarity with brackets that I have noticed: you have to really brush well around the attachments during your treatment. Just like brackets, the attachments can be receptacles for plaque and all that icky stuff. If it doesn't come off, then eventually you may see those little white spots or decalcified areas that can become permanent after the brackets or attachments are removed. But that is what is so great with Invisalign. You can remove the aligners so it is so much easier to clean around the attachments! No wire to try to get under and wrestle using that darned floss threader!

I just read through this post and actually counted 6 exclamation points. I never thought I could get that excited over attachments!

I must be a true Invisalign geek.

Your invisalign gal :)

Who Does Invisalign?

Hello fans!

I am keeping to my New Year's resolution and updating my blog. I hope you are all reading it! :)

I thought I would talk about the kinds of patients we generally see, the people who come through our doors asking for Invisalign, or those people who didn't even know about this fabulous treatment. Doesn't the saying go, "You don't know what you don't know," right?

The most common expression I hear from patients is, "I had braces as a teen and I lost my retainer." These people probably had very straight teeth for a while, but without that retainer, the teeth like to MOVE. They get all confused and don't know where they are supposed to be. "Should I stay in this new place? But I kind of miss the old one...maybe I'll just inch a little closer to that space for awhile..." This is what we call, "orthodontic relapse." The teeth just want to go where it's more familiar, and that is why the retainer is SO important. The retainer tells the teeth and reminds the teeth where their new position is. It reminds them constantly. The philosophy is that eventually, the teeth will figure it out and stay there. These patients are usually the ideal Invisalign patient. They know how their teeth looked straight, and sometimes it doesn't take much to get them back to that place.

Another common thing we see is lower crowding of the front teeth. This can range from mild crowding to more severe. We tend to see this get worse as we age. People think this may be due to wisdom teeth coming in, but that is usually not the case. For whatever reason, people experience this "forward (or mesial) drift" and then lower crowding results. The consequences are several. One of course would be esthetic. Crowded teeth just don't look as nice as straight teeth! The second is hygienic. It is simply much more difficult to floss and clean crowded teeth than it is straight teeth. Plaque and tartar build up in these crowded areas more readily, and when stains occur in these places it can be more pronounced. As a result, the gums can become red, puffy, and appear generally unhealthy. In addition, a patient may notice that the edges of his teeth are uneven. This is often due to the bite being compromised in some way. By straightening out the teeth, it can improve the bite as well as the overall symmetry of one's smile.

Often, a person will come in wanting ONE tooth fixed. She might say, "I don't like how THAT (and she will point to it) tooth is sticking out." After we take initial photos, we talk about the tooth in question as well as other issues she may have. Patients are amazed at what they see in their photos. Some are fascinated, while others become self-conscious and horrified. When the Invisalign treatment is complete, most patients are pleasantly surprised at the results of fixing not only that one tooth, but the others as well!

Occasionally a patient might need an implant for a missing tooth, but maybe the tooth above or the tooth next to the space has drifted a bit too close into the space. Invisalign can help to push those teeth back to where they belong and even create a "fake" tooth while the patient is in Invisalign!

We have teens all the way up to adults in their 60's and up doing Invisalign. It can be quite transforming. People feel like their teeth even look whiter once their teeth are straight. It's really more like they are able to keep them cleaner!

The more I work with Invisalign the more I love it.

TTYL....

Invisalign Gal :)

Fashion forward and Invisalign?!?

Happy New Year! It's been a while since I have blogged. My resolution is to be a better blogger! My patient, Emily, came in the other day. I've talked about her in a previous blog entry. She went home for the holidays and spent some time with family. Remember her sister? She is in Invisalign treatment as well. Is this ringing a bell? So Emily tells me that they were "comparing" their Invisalign stories...looking at each other's aligners, seeing who has more ( her sis does), who has more "bumps" or attachments (Emily does). So Emily's sister is about 4 aligners ahead of Emily at the moment (Yes I have joined in on the friendly sisterly competition! Makes it more fun.). Being slightly more experienced in the ways of Invisalign, her sister gave her some tips on cleaning the aligners, what happens when you drink red wine (stains!) , and also presented Emily with a gift. It was a Kate Spade makeup bag! Now I know all you ladies are oohing and aahhing, because what gal doesn't love any Kate Spade bag? This was a really cute one, white with big black polka dots and a hot pink satin lining. Love it! But what Emily loved even more was what was inside. It was her own custom-made Invisalign Care Kit! Lip balm, a mouthwash spray, denture cleaning tablets (you can use these for cleaning the aligners), a cute purple aligner box, floss, toothpaste, and a toothbrush! The bag has a plastic covering, so it won't get wet. The size was perfect to fit in any purse or to even carry around on its own, and you can look stylish while still taking care of your Invisalign! And nobody has to know. When Emily showed it to me we were laughing like little girls. My husband came in, curious about all the commotion. When I excitedly showed him Emily's bag, he did that amused half-smile which stated, "I am glad you are having a good time but I really don't know what all this brouhaha is all about." That's fine. I'm used to that look!

See my invisaligngal page for photos of the fab bag!

So what IS Invisalign, anyway?

I thought I might start with some basic questions like, What IS Invisalign? Are they braces? Are they invisible?? How do they straighten my teeth??

Invisalign is a clear aligner (or tray) system. The aligners are custom-made to your mouth and you receive a series of aligners.  Each set of aligners are worn for a period of about 2 weeks, for 22 hours a day. The aligners are removed only to eat, drink, and brush and floss your teeth.

They are not technically "braces" although often they have been given the moniker, "clear braces."  They are trays, similar to home whitening trays, but much thicker and stronger.

Having been a patient myself, I can say that yes, Invisalign is basically invisible! Only if someone gets real close (and you would probably really like this person or else this person was one of those "close" talker-types), he might think your teeth look a little "shinier" than usual.

Within each aligner, small movements are "programmed" into the tray. Over the 2 week period, your teeth slowly adjust to the new position of the tray. As you move on to the next set of aligners, the teeth continue to follow and adjust to the new positions.

So this is basically what you need to do Invisalign in our office:

teeth (har har)

crooked teeth (har)

OK let's be serious! You need:

1) A full set of xrays.  We need to determine that there are no active areas of decay, gum disease or other problems  before you begin treatment. If you suddenly needed a crown in the middle of your Invisalign treatment, then the aligners would no longer fit and then you would need to order new ones, and pay more $$$ so why not figure this all out ahead of time, no?

2) Face photos and Tooth photos. We need these as your "before" photos to help with the treatment planning of your case. It is also a great comparison tool at the end of treatment to see how far you have come with your smile.

3) Impressions. These are commonly called "molds." We take a plastic tray, fill it with some gooey material and then place it over the teeth with light pressure.  It's a good thing I do Pilates because sometimes I do feel like I am using almighty strength to make sure the impression material covers all the teeth! Then we sit like that, you with this tray in your mouth, me with biceps pulsing for about 2 minutes. I stare down at you, you stare up at me, we stare around the room, and I might hum a little tune as we wait for the material to "set." Then when it's time to remove the tray there is generally a suction that prevents it from popping right out. This is actually a good sign. It means I achieved a good "seal" around the teeth. But there is always a moment when I first tug at the tray and it doesn't move, that I see your eyes open ever so wide wondering, "Is this thing going to come out?" Luckily, moments after that the tray has already come out! Then repeat for opposite arch. By that time, you are an old pro.

4) Bite record. We tell you to open wide, and then we place another gooey purple material along your lower teeth. One patient likened this to being "caulked." He also started laughing hysterically which was bad timing as I had just placed the gooey material. I had to use my mean voice, oops I mean stern,  to tell him to now,  'BITE TOGETHER!' Patient obeyed. Wait 30 seconds...

Sit up, then we give you a mirror and tissue. You look in the mirror and look horrified at all the green and purple goo that has dried on your chin, your lips, sometimes your neck, and even in your mustache (hopefully you are male). A second later you laugh as you realize the pieces of goo peel right off. Granted, some of the pieces peel right off down your shirt, but is it really going to hurt anyone?

This whole process usually takes about 45 minutes, if you do it all on the same day. If you come just for impressions and bite record, it's usually 15-20 minutes.  Then you leave the office and will return in about 3-4 weeks for your new INVISALIGN aligners! Exciting!!

C ya,

invisalign gal

My "perfect teeth"

I was thinking today about my teeth. Yes, I know, how unusual for a dentist to think of such things! To be perfectly honest, I was thinking about the absolute hell I went through to achieve this smile! In the end it was all worth it and I get compliments all the time, mostly from patients who seem to think I am some sort of smile snob. They look nervously at me while I talk to them about Invisalign and what it can do for them, and somehow they believe I was born with perfect teeth. Wow, nothing could be further from the truth!

I started out with upper braces in the sixth grade. I don't have much recollection of this time, except to say that the braces did not add any glamour to my class picture that year. But I could also blame it on the fact that I had succumbed to yet another BAD perm, or that I had not yet been introduced to brow waxing (and would not be until my wedding, unfortunately). Who can say? I think I wore them for about a year. I also don't recall any sort of retainer or follow-up after this. 

Fast forward to college. It was at this point that I realized that I needed braces. AGAIN. My upper teeth were all crooked and seemed to stick out, although my side tooth (the lateral, if you want to be technical) retruded back, so that in pictures, with the right shadowing, it appeared that my front tooth was missing or at least very very dark. Not a good look, let me tell you. Especially because I was still suffering with the "bad Korean perm" affliction. Anyway, I saw this orthodontist in my hometown who declared that I had a condition called "tongue thrust." I tentatively asked, "What does that mean?" To which the doc tactfully replied, "You're like a lizard. Your tongue sticks out when you swallow, but it should go up." I was slightly horrified, to say the least. 

This resulted in braces for the second time. Top and bottom. I was lucky enough to get the clear brackets on the top 6 teeth but the rest were all metal. I had to wear the suckers for at least a year and a half. And I was in college. Yay me. 

It wasn't so bad. I adjusted. I knew I would be happy in the long run. So I accepted the punishment and moved forward. Until the visit back home where the orthodontist told me, "Now you need head gear. And elastics." What the....?!?!  I went back to school and held an emergency meeting with the roommates. I showed them this new torture device and explained that I would be wearing it at night for the next 5 months. As they all began to snicker, I exclaimed, "Get it all out NOW because I don't want to hear a word about it later on!!"  I wore the damn head gear but it was not easy! Half the time I would find it under my bed the next morning.  A few times I would be going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and one of my roommates would see the back of my head with the head gear straps and burst out laughing. Then there were the elastics. Those were a challenge, especially when talking. Once, I was looking at the summer job board alongside another student. I said something to her and a second later, my elastic flew out of my mouth and sprang right past her eyes! She was like, "What was that???" Boo for elastics! But they worked...

I also went to TONGUE THRUST THERAPY. Yes, you are reading this correctly. I would go to this lady's house, I guess she was a tongue thrust therapist? Actually she was a speech therapist. She had me practice putting my tongue in the right position, she told me to put tic tacs on the tip of my tongue until it melted, and other strange exercises. Whether this really worked, I doubt it. But I remember that my university health insurance paid for it, so I thought, well why not try to squash the lizard in me?

But FINALLY, I got those braces off.  It was a day of celebration! The doc put fixed upper and lower retainers so I wouldn't have to worry about wearing retainers every night. It was a pain to floss, but I tolerated it for a good 10 years. Then I became a dentist. And I married a dentist. And jointly we thought, "Well those retainers have been on long enough. Let's take them off!" So hubby removed the retainers.  I was thrilled. Guess what happens next...

Now about 2 years later, I found myself wearing Invisalign! I was guilty as many of my own Invisalign patients. I had previous orthodontics, but was not faithful in wearing my retainers! But in my case, I had them and thought I could stop wearing them. My teeth shifted! Or as we say, I had orthodontic relapse. My case was minor,  but it was enough to prompt me to do something. I wore Invisalign for 5 months and it worked out beautifully. Now I DO wear nightly removable retainers and will for the rest of my life! 

invisalign gal ;0

Invisalign runs in the family

I saw this great gal, Emily today. She is vibrant and full of life and couldn't wait to get started on her Invisalign treatment. She came to us looking for Invisalign because her younger sister (by one year) had just started treatment herself! I wish I could say Emily's sister was my patient, but her sister lives in Colorado! But I thank her sister for getting Emily motivated! Emily had never had impressions  or "molds" taken of her teeth before.  So with those patients I am always a little worried that they might gag or be uncomfortable with the process. But Emily was so positive and ready to go. We took those impressions and got them both on the first try! She was thrilled and actually uttered the words, "That wasn't bad at all. That was actually FUN!" Now I can't say I hear those words too often from my patients. So it was a nice change! Emily also mentioned that her sister's treatment time was supposed to be longer than hers. I think she was excited about that. Competition between sisters? Nah! Never happens! :)

Starting Invisalign Gal's Blog!

Hello Friends!

I am really excited to be starting this blog! I have never "blogged" before, unless you count keeping a journal...is that just the antiquated form of blogging? In any case, I certainly never expected to start a blog, and who knew it would be all about Invisalign! When I first got certified I just had no idea that Invisalign would open so many doors and make me excited about coming to work everyday. It is great to meet so many new patients who actually want to be there! OK, so maybe I am stretching the truth a little here. But patients are genuinely interested in seeing how their teeth are moving. We take photos regularly, and people love to see them. The patient might say, " I don't think my teeth are moving," but once we show the pictures, it is obvious that things are changing. What has also been surprising is how much I have learned about people and their lifestyles, simply based on their use of the Invisalign aligners. One patient has discovered which gum won't stick (Orbit) to the aligners, another drinks hot coffee through a straw, a patient's new puppy keeps chewing up his aligners...one young woman left her bottom aligner at the Playboy mansion, and yet another gal put her aligners through the dryer! And they still fit!

It has been an interesting journey so far. I'm sure there are more stories to come!

Your invisalign  gal

Welcome to Invisalign Gal

Welcome to the Invisalign Gal Blog page! We've recently installed new ways to stay connected to us- Facebook, Youtube, and our very own blog! Visit us by clicking the icons at the top right of our page.

We look forward to seeing you soon,
Dr. Lee - your invisalign gal