I Got Aligners to Straighten My Teeth. Here's 6 Things I Wish I'd Known Before

Before I first got teeth aligners, I took to the internet to get the intel from those who had bravely gone before. “Does it hurt?” “Is it uncomfortable?” “Is it worth it?”

To rewind, I've always had a protruding left incisor. Where the rest of my teeth are pretty straight, one was crowded out by the rest and was pushed forward until it straddled the top of my left middle tooth and my left canine. It's always something I've been aware of, and I've never liked my smile because of it. With my job evolving, I'm on camera more and more these days, and whenever I was speaking or reviewing a product, my tooth was the main thing I'd always zone in on.

So, after I got married last September, I decided to do something about it. I decided to head to Dr. Sam Jethwa at Bespoke Smile on Upper Wimpole Street in London. I'd seen his work previously and liked the natural look he creates with his dentistry, plus his before and after pictures gave me confidence that I'd be able to achieve a smile I was happy with through him. After a thorough consultation, where we spoke through what I wanted to achieve (to straighten out my top teeth and move my incisor in line with the rest), he recommended clear aligners.

“Clear aligners form a huge part of our cosmetic dentistry, either as a single treatment option combined with whitening and/or composite bonding, or as a pre feather veneer treatment if using [ultra thin] porcelain veneers. Putting teeth in the best position gives us a better chance of great aesthetics and can, if done with correct planning, reduce tooth preparation. Clear aligners also allow a patient to achieve movement discreetly, rather than traditional metal braces,” says Dr. Jethwa. “However,” he adds, “they only work if they are worn.”

Dr. Jethwa made a mould of my teeth to get the clear aligners custom made for me, then created around 15 different sets (each worn for between 2-4 weeks) to gently reconfigure my smile. I'd go in for check-ups to ensure I was on track every two to three months and by the end of nine months, I was ready to see my new teeth.

Having been through the process with Dr. Jethwa, here are some things I wish I'd known before I got aligners…

1. You'll get so used to removing them in public

It's a weird one to get used to, but you'll end up being far less mortified pulling out your dribbly aligner in front of unsuspecting colleagues than you would have thought.

2. You'll get the hang of lisping

It may come and go, depending on how close you are to the start of your journey and where you are in each aligner cycle. After getting over having the aligner in my mouth initially (which took a few days), I found that the tighter they are (when you first put a new aligner on), the less I lisped. By the time my teeth had moved into place and the aligner felt looser, I'd lisp ever so slightly, but no-one else really noticed. In fact I had colleagues who didn't realize I'd had them in, even a few months into the process.

3. Your teeth may have to be filed

Before you have visions of the sharp little sharp teeth that are filed to a point before certain veneers are applied, this is not like that. We're talking less than a millimeter across a few different teeth, which collectively can create the tiny space you need to allow your teeth to sit straight. The process feels like if sand paper and floss had a baby and basically shaves off a fine tooth dust, rather than slicing off actual chunks of tooth. It's honestly not traumatic and visually, you'll barely notice.

4. Snacking will be an issue

If you're a grazer, you'll have to switch habits. It's a bummer, because I like to eat my lunch over an afternoon, returning to it as I go. Same with dinner, I'll snack through the evening. You can't do that with an aligner as you're supposed to keep in in for 18-20 hours a day to get the best out of it and stay on track. I also heard friends say they lost weight when they were wearing their aligners, since they were unable to snack. Not me. I waited until my allocated aligner-free slot, would eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, snack-load, and then pop my aligners back on.

5. You can only move your teeth so much

Be realistic about what you can achieve with aligners and whether they're the right choice for you. I've always had thin gums, so Dr. Jethwa had to make sure he tailored the treatment to me and kept the movement gentle so as to not disrupt the rest of the anatomy in my mouth. "When a patient has thin or receded gums, orthodontic movement can cause this to worsen, so gentle pressure and limited movements are recommended," he said. Therefore, if you're looking for a dramatic shift, aligners may not be your best option.

6. It will be sooooo worth it

Even if it feels strange for the first few weeks, your aligner will feel so familiar by the time you finish the process that you'll probably even feel a bit weird about parting ways with your little teeth buddies at the end. Granted I much prefer the freedom in the day to snack when I want now, but I opted to have a retainer at nighttime to prevent my teeth from moving back, versus a permanent bar attached to the back of my teeth. In fact, I prefer sleeping with my retainer in than out now.