By: Dr. Elizabeth Eggert
Where did Ashley start?
Ashley came to Eggert Family Dentistry as a new patient in the fall of 2016 with pain in the areas of her wisdom teeth, also known as 3rd molars. The panoramic image shown below shows the need to have her wisdom teeth extracted due to the impacted angle and their inability to erupt on their own. They were also putting a lot of pressure on her erupted second molars. With the impaction, Ashley’s teeth were also becoming more crowded, which she didn’t like. Dr. Jeff referred Ashley to an oral surgeon to have her wisdom teeth extracted and that took care of one problem.
Ashley was also experiencing tissue recession, mostly due to the crowding and current position of her teeth. One option Dr. Jeff discussed with Ashley was the possibility for gingival grafting (gum-tissue grafting). In a grafting procedure, tissue is added to the root surface to cover the root back up again and increase gingival height and thickness. For Ashley, this may have worked, however, due to her crowding, the ability for the graft to last a lifetime was very unlikely. Therefore, Dr. Jeff suggested Ashley consider orthodontically moving her teeth. Ashely was most interested in Invisalign and had read about it from our blogs, learning that we do that procedure here at Eggert Family Dentistry in North Oaks, MN with Dr. Elizabeth Eggert. Dr. Elizabeth met with Ashley and determined she would be a great candidate for Invisalign!
What was involved?
Ashley went through the “Invisalign Records Process.” At that time, we took impressions and photos of her teeth and sent them to Invisalign so they could create a 3D simulation of how her teeth could move with Invisalign treatment. Ashley was very happy with the simulation, which showed a significant improvement to her crowding.
During the Invisalign Records Process, Dr. Elizabeth also noted with Ashely a fair amount of muscle tension and while Ashley didn’t initially report having frequent headaches, throughout treatment, she noticed a difference in her tension and that she no longer was having headaches. It is amazing how people learn to live with what ails them, but how much better they can feel working their way to healthy!
Ashley’s case was expected to consist of 28 aligners that she would wear 22 hours a day. Ashley’s case called for a few “buttons,” which are attachments on the teeth. Basically, these small buttons allow the Invisalign aligners to grip onto your teeth more effectively (similar to a traditional orthodontic metal bracket). These attachments help move the teeth more effectively. Ashley was very compliant and consistent in wearing her aligners as instructed and was able to complete her case after the expected 28 aligners, needing no refinements!
What does Ashley think?
When we asked Ashley what she thought about the Invisalign process, she said her only thought is that it was more appealing than getting traditional braces. “It’s been really nice! It has reduced my headaches and that was the biggest thing, and it has reduced the crowding too.” She says that if she were discussing Invisalign with someone considering the treatment she would tell them, “It’s definitely worth it. Don’t get discouraged the first few weeks; it gets better. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it gets much better.”
We are so happy that we could help Ashley on her journey and fulfill our motto of providing “Dentistry for a Lifetime of Smiles!” Congratulations, Ashley on your wonderful results!
