It’s been a couple of months since my last update and since then I’ve officially finished my last set of refinements. I completed the 5 trays on my 2nd round of refinements and was pleased with the results. I decided to wait a few weeks to make an appointment because I really wanted to make sure I was 100% satisfied with the results. I kept wearing my last set of trays like usual and after a couple weeks I decided there wasn’t anything I wanted to change. My bite felt good and I was happy with the appearance so I made an appointment with Dr. Blattner and had him do an exam to check to see if he was happy with the results or if he wanted to continue treatment. Dr. Blattner was very pleased with my results so the next step was to talk about retainer options.

The first option is a set of clear retainers that are made here in our lab by taking an impression and making models. With this option, if you ever need new retainers, you have to hold on to the models and hope they don’t break or if they break you have to get new impressions and new models made. The downfall to getting new impressions is if you have slightly relapsed, your new retainers will be holding your teeth in the relapsed position, not in the position that they were in when you got your first set of retainers. The other option is Vivera retainers from Invisalign. This option is where they digitally scan you and make you 4 sets of retainers. They are clear and look a lot like the Invisalign trays. The nice thing about the scanning is its more accurate so my retainers will fit better and the best part is they save the digital scan forever. The benefit to that is if you ever need new retainers the dentist will contact Invisalign and they will send new ones that are made from the scan. This way the record they have of your teeth is the best record because it was taken right after treatment when the teeth are in proper alignment. With this option I think I’ll be less likely to have any relapse.

After weighing the pros and cons of each option, I decided on Vivera for a few reasons. The main one is having the digital record of my post ortho smile so that I can get retainers made from this anytime I need. I know I will wear my retainers as instructed and having this option of the permanent digital record will allow me to prevent any relapse. Also, I like the idea of getting 4 sets at once, this allows me to have a backup set handy anytime just in case I lose one or break one. That way I wont have to go a week or 2 with out a retainer while I’ waiting for a replacement. Since I spent all this time working to get my teeth straight, I want to do what’s best to keep them in place and not relapse.

I received my Vivera retainers a couple weeks after my scan and they fit great! They are a little harder than Invisalign trays but they are comfortable and you can barely tell I’m wearing them. Right now I’m wearing them all the time but in 6 months I can just wear them at night.

Below are my before and after photos now that I’m completely done with treatment. I’m so excited to see my results and I think my teeth are much more beautiful now. I’m so happy with my smile and the process was so effortless. I would recommend Invisalign to everyone. Dr. Blattner was amazing and he made sure to that not only was he happy with the results but that I was too. Thank you for following me on my journey and I hope that my experience and information has helped you to decide to improve  your smile!