"The shapes, sizes and placement of these attachments is determined by the clever computer software," he explained. The attachmentsĭuring my third appointment, Teki added some tiny attachments to four of my teeth using composite bonding.
I found my teeth were quite sore after the first day, and there was some rubbing against the inside of my lips to begin with, but by day two the pain had gone and (slight lisp aside) It was as though I wasn’t even wearing them. You can take them out to eat and drink hot beverages, but it’s important to floss and brush before popping them back in, for obvious hygiene reasons. Seven weeks later, my first three aligners arrived, along with some cleaning crystals and a storage pot (although they shouldn’t be in there a lot – you need to wear them for at least 22 hours a day or the treatment might not work).
It felt strange seeing my own teeth so clearly, and made me realise just how wonky they actually were! A rubber nozzle was moved around the inside of my mouth, slowly building a detailed image of my teeth on screen, which could then be turned over and viewed from different angles. With bad memories of having traditional moulds taken as a child (there was a lot of gagging involved), I found the scan stress-free and relaxing. I had a follow-up appointment to scan my mouth for the made-to-fit aligners. The custom-made aligners are made of a thermoplastic material and worn for two weeks at a time, the next one continuing the straightening process where the last one left off. I was told my treatment would involve wearing 14 different aligners over a seven-month period. And the man matches the mood, with a calming presence I can only imagine is a tonic for tense dentist goers (I’m unsurprised he has thousands of followers on Instagram and a year’s waiting list for his services).Ī post shared by Invisalign | Composite bonding a consultation and check-up, Teki informed me I would need the Lite treatment (there are three altogether, the other two being Express and Full). I visited his chic north London clinic, Teeth by Teki, which feels more like a spa reception than a dentist. “Therefore the front teeth have less space and eventually become overcrowded." “When we grind our teeth, the muscles we use push the back teeth inwards over time ” explains Teki. Invisalign is, in part, so advanced thanks to the 10-million-plus patients it has treated over the years - allowing it to work in an almost algorithmic way to treat varying cases in the same amount of time as traditional braces.Īlthough I’ve never been horrified by my teeth, the front two have always sat slightly crooked, with some crowding at the bottom. A lot of new patients with veneers tell me that if they had known they could get the results they wanted by straightening their teeth and having composite bonding, they would never have gone down that route." Invisalign v Tracksīraces were once synonymous with Ugly-Betty-style train tracks - an absolute vibe on some people (and available on the NHS), but not for everyone. "So what you do to them and how you look after them has become more important than ever. "You only have one set of teeth, and people are living longer these days," says Dr Sowdani (referred to by his clients as Teki). I visited Invisalign diamond provider and go-to dentist to the influencers, Dr Teki Sowdani, who gave me the lowdown on exactly what to expect. If you’ve been tempted by Invisalign in the past but were unsure exactly what the treatment involved, what results you could expect or how much money it was going to cost you, read on.
Is it me or are other people’s teeth looking really good? Perhaps I’m spending too much time on Instagram, where you can whiten your teeth and blitz your blemishes with the swipe of a finger? Or maybe people are actually spending more money on their dental these days?