Recommendations Anyone?

While I was out shopping today I noticed a lot of toothbrushes, toothpastes, etc on sale. It occurred to me that pretty soon I was going to be going through a LOT more oral hygiene products.

As someone that is very particular about taking care of my teeth (sitting through having 8 fillings replaced changes a person) I have come to find favourite products over the last few years. Also being a creature of habit means I rarely stray from them.

Currently I used Pearl White daily whitening toothpaste, Colgate Max White Sonic toothbrush/ Colgate 360 Sonic depending on which I grab at the time, Plackers floss picks, and Listerine Whitening plus enamel protection mouthwash.

As you can see that's a lot of whitening products. I realise though that once I get attachments on my teeth this perhaps is not the best idea as I don't want to have any spots on my teeth when I have them removed.

So my question is: does anyone have any good recommendations for non-whitening products that work well? Keep in mind I'm in Australia so my brand options are pretty much Colgate, Oral B, Macleans, Sensodyne, Pronamel, Listerine, and maybe a couple more I'm missing.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Lime Green Teeth Goobers

Monday marked step 1( or step 2? step 1.5??) of my Invisalign process.

I had a 40 minute appointment set aside for records and moulds to be taken of my teeth to be sent away for those magical aligners which I will get my hands on in 6 weeks.

The whole process was fairly straight forward and went without a hitch.
First off the orthodontist took pictures of me smiling and not smiling, standing distance away, from the front and the side.
Then came the lovely plastic lip retractors. Let's just say it's not a great look and I certainly felt like I was dribbling all over myself but a quick check assured me I wasn't. Multiple pictures were taken from different angles to ensure that he got a clear picture of everything he needed. Then came another lip retractor to hold my top lip up while a mirror was place in my mouth to take pictures of my upper arch, then the reverse for the lower arch.

After that came the moulds. Now I had read lots of blogs about people having issues with this part of the process and gagging issues, however having had moulds done before for a bite guard I wasn't too worried. First was just plain putty for about 5 seconds with the orthodontist pressing firmly but not hard, then a much more liquid solution was placed in the tray over the top and pressed back in my mouth for 2.5 minutes. The second (bright lime green) solution was definitely more squelchy (for lack of a better word) but I had no issues with feeling like it was running down my throat or anything. Top and bottom done and it was over. The hardest part of the whole experience was trying desperately not to laugh while my very funny orthodontist was cracking jokes. For example, being told that while normally he can get a clear mould in one shot, sometimes it takes two or three goes and that I would know he'd need to do it again if he screamed, swore, and threw things. That's not easy to listen to given how easily I laugh, especially not with a mouthful of fingers and trays.

All in all there were only two unpleasant parts to this whole process. First, the smell. The putty had a very fake berry scent to it. Some people may like it but I certainly didn't. That's not to say it was unbearable, just not my favourite thing in the world.
The second down side? The green. Designed to get a perfect mould? Works fabulously. Designed to not stick in crooked, twisted, Invisalign-needing teeth? Nope. Luckily right after I was offered mouth wash, floss, and a mirror.

Tips for anyone going through this process:
1. Stay calm and breathe through your nose.
2. Dont' worry if you feel a slight oozing, it's totally normal and starts to set up in a few seconds.
3. Ask for floss after! Lime green is not attractive when it's jammed between your teeth.

Consultations and Costs

So I went to the orthodontist for a second consultation with him (three years after my initial consultation with him). The consultation for me is what sold me on this particular orthodontist to begin with. So here's a rundown on how the process went.

First I called to make an appointment at which time the clinic manager asked if I had any X-rays recently taken of my teeth. Knowing the kinds of X-rays I would require were different to the recent ones I'd had done at my dentist 2 months prior I said no. Once they took all my details they discovered they still had my old X-rays from 3 years ago still on hand. After making a time and date for the consultation they told me they would send out all the information I would require in the post. This would include a short questionnaire including my personal details and questions about what I disliked about  my teeth and what I would like to receive from my orthodontic treatment. I will add at this point that this orthodontist requests the X-rays be done before at the appointment and brought with you and that they are also bulk billed.

Later that afternoon I was called back and told that she had spoken to the orthodontist who was happy with the X-rays they had previously taken, that I would not need new ones taken and to just come along to the appointment and if he felt like new ones were required then I'd be able to do that after. A nice touch I might say because it meant I didn't need to spend time doing something unnecessary and I wasn't expecting that kind of service at all.

I received the conformation letter, questionnaire, and some brochures about Invisalign to read two days after I made the appointment.

At the consultation appointment the orthodontist looked back over my old X-rays and ushered me into a very lush chaise lounge (not a dental chair) and looked over my teeth. At that time I raised the issue of a small crack in a molar I have and asked if he thought I should have it filled before starting treatment (which would involve my tooth being carved out and filled in). He said not unless it was causing me a lot of pain (which it isn't). Something he told me that I wasn't aware of was that now in Australia if you need to stop treatment for some reason (such as a tooth cracking and falling out of your face, requiring urgent dental intervention to save your poor chompers) that it was not a problem at all. In the past if you needed to stop treatment it would cost a buttload (an official unit of measurement in my books) of money to basically start a whole new course of treatment. Now if that were the case then we could stop treatment, have my tooth fixed, take new moulds, and send away for new aligners at no extra cost. Now I'm not sure if this is the case with just him or Australia wide but it is something I would certainly ask about.
He then asked if I would like him to go back over the way Invisalign works (which I did just so I'd be sure, even though I was fairly confident from my time reading blogs and forums) and then went on to cover what he would plan to do for my case.

After seeing him I went back out to speak to the clinic manager who printed out a full rundown of costs involved. I also discussed if it was possible to work out a payment plan (something they offer anyway) around my insurance so that I would be able to get the most possible back. Not a problem which is great.

So here's what my quote looked like:

$7500 was the total cost ($2000 will be covered by my insurance). This will include all appointments, aligners, refinements, two sets of retainers and a years worth of supervision of these, and fixed braces should Invisalign not work how we planned or should a combination of both be required.

And the breakdown of the overall cost looks a little something like this:
$1600 at the first appointment to take the moulds, plus $250 for records ($144 will be covered by my general dental insurance)

$1650 six weeks later when the first set of aligners are fitted and then 17 monthly payments of $250.

So after confirming all the details with my insurance company I called to set up my first appointment, at which time they actually made the first 3 appointments for moulds, then fitting, then any attachments 6 weeks after the first set.

A week from now is my first appointment so I'm definitely excited. The only downside is that the way the dates work out means that I will end up having them fitted 2 days before an assessment at university and 5 days before a weekend trip away, and the attachments right around exam time. Realistically I could postpone those appointments a little but I would rather just get started ASAP.