After BMW and I got engaged last January, I began to think about alllll the things I wanted to do before the wedding! And trust me, that is A LOT of things. From photographers, to the dress, to the menu and oh the travel, there are a lot of decisions to make. One thing I did know, is that I wanted to look my very best on my wedding day. Over the past few years, I’ve been focusing on my health but haven’t been very good at keeping up with my looks. It’s tough when you’re traveling all the time and trying to build your own business. Looks aren’t everything but I do know when I take the time to invest in myself, it boosts my confidence and that effects everything else I do. I decided that I wanted to straighten my teeth because I wanted a million dollar smile on my wedding day! I had broken my retainer years ago and because of that my teeth had slowly shifted. It wasn’t bad but it was something I was beginning to become more self-conscious about. Here is my story!
I received teeth straightening services from Bee Cave Orthodontics in exchange for my honest opinion and review about my experience. Thank you for supporting the companies that keep this blog going!
Straightening My Teeth For My Wedding
As a pre-teen, after I lost all my baby teeth I huge teeth that were very crooked. My mouth literally wasn’t big enough for my teeth. I was extremely self-conscious about this even as a ten year old! I definitely got made fun of for my huge, crooked teeth. My parents, thankfully, made the decision to invest in my smile and I had regular orthodontist appointments for the next five years or so. I went through it all: head gear, expanders, bands, braces, braces and more braces and then it all wrapped up with me having my wisdom teeth removed as soon as possible and a permanent bottom retainer to keep that investment (aka my smile) looking good! I had a removable top retainer that I wore for years at night even all the way through college and a few years after. It eventually broke and I just never took the time to replace it.
Because of this, my teeth have shifted the past few years. My bottom teeth are still straight because of my permanent bottom retainer but my top teeth had started to crowd again. It was only a slight crowding but I could tell and I didn’t like where things were going.
Why You Should Work With An Orthodontist To Straighten Your Teeth
When Dr. D from Bee Cave Orthodontics reached out, I was thrilled because this was something I was already considering doing before my wedding. Dr. D has a wonderfully bubbly personality and she really put me at ease even from our first time talking over the phone! Her office has a welcoming vibe and there are private treatment rooms should you want your own space.
Dr. D informed me that while those retainers you can order online do provide a great convenience, they aren’t always the best for an array of reasons.When you straighten your teeth you are also changing your bite and that effects your jaw, which is connected to your head… and you get the point. One change has a domino effect on all different parts of your body. That is why it is important to get professional consultation for straightening your teeth.
There are several different types of removable retainers on the market that can help straighten your teeth without the use of braces. I thought I wanted Invisalign only to learn that semi-permanent brackets are placed onto your teeth during treatment to help the retainers move your teeth. That is not something that I wanted and Dr. D agreed that because my smile was only slightly shifted, we could start with Clear Choice which are completely removable, clear plastic retainers.
Dr. D and her staff have a laser light that took an exact 3d image of the inside of my mouth and teeth and created the retainers off this image. Traditional molds taken by bitting down on some gooey stuff and then sent off to a lab aren’t always 100% accurate because your bite can be off when you do those and thus an imperfect mold is made and the retainers might have to be sent back before you can begin treatment. Not to mention, some people’s teeth won’t be helped by removable retainers and they might need some other treatments to straighten their teeth. That is where the importance of going to a trained orthodontist comes in. The orthodontist knows about all the current treatments available and which ones will be best suited for you and your teeth and give the best possible outcome in the shortest amount of time!
I began my treatment a few months ago and every two weeks I switch out my retainers for new ones. I go see Dr. D every six weeks for a check-up to see how my teeth are progressing. At first, things were looking great. We noticed at my last check-up that one of my teeth was not responding well to the retainers and would need additional help to get my teeth all the way straight again.
Dr. D was able to put one tiny bracket on my tooth for the next six weeks so it can move the way it needs to. I was hoping to avoid having a bracket put on (it’s clear and you can barely see it but still, ugh!) but I would rather do this for six weeks than waste all the time I’ve put in to not get results I am 100% satisfied with. Then I will check back in with her and we will hopefully be wrapping up my treatment with a bright, straight smile just in time for my wedding!
Oh did I mention she gives my teeth whitening gel that I can use with my retainers? It’s a nice little bonus of going to see someone in real life! Also, when you work with an actual orthodontist, it is her job to make sure you are 100% satisfied with your smile. That’s not something you can get with a mail-in kit!
If you are interested in contacting Dr. D about using her services, be sure to mention my name for a discount!
Dr. Adriana Da Silveira
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