Though very self confident and seemingly assured, Saira is actually self conscious about her protruding teeth and actively sought out Invisalign treatment to help her to increase her confidence.
"I am delighted and very excited to be using Invisalign clear aligners. I am finally going to get my teeth straightened and gain the confidence to smile without feeling self conscious or nervous. I love smiling and laughing, but have found that in photographs I don't smile as much and tend to keep my mouth closed and cover up my teeth. I like to think that I am a confident woman, but for me confidence comes from being the best that I can be and that includes me looking my best and feeling good about myself.”
Many people believe it is too late to straighten their teeth when they reach adulthood; they believe the time to wear fixed, visible braces are the teenage years when tooth straightening is an acceptable rite of passage. However, Saira, who is 45, has chosen to correct the alignment of her teeth with Invisalign clear aligners in the knowledge that the treatment is discreet and her day to day media activities can continue unimpeded.
“ I have always wanted my teeth straightened and now with Invisalign aligners I feel there is a non-intrusive method that can improve my teeth whilst I still get on with my life being a mum, TV presenter and businesswoman."
With Invisalign treatment, Saira will be able to continue to talk for a living. She can happily continue presenting on ‘Loose Women’ and Martin Lewis’ ‘Money Show’ confident in the knowledge that her speech will be unaffected – or, if necessary, she can remove her aligners for the duration of the filming. Removability is another key feature, allowing people in public facing roles to perform unimpeded.
The contemporary Invisalign clear aligners straighten teeth as effectively as traditional wire and bracket braces, but are as clear on teeth as contact lenses are on eyes, making them ideal for anyone for whom discretion and ease of use are all important. The treatment involves a series of clear aligners (which look like a flexible, slim and sophisticated version of a transparent gum shield), which are changed every two weeks to ones of slightly different dimensions, incrementally moving the teeth towards their final desired position little by little without the need for metal stuck to the teeth. In addition, as they are easily removable, Invisalign aligners can be taken out for eating, drinking and brushing, making them a life enhancing choice.
Jaw dropping technology
Align Technology is one of the world’s largest users of 3D printing technology and produces 175,000 individual aligners every day; each one a class I medical device and every single one is customised for an individual patient’s dentition at the right stage of their treatment. The aligners are made according to each dentist’s prescription – 37 per cent of which come directly from 3D scans sent electronically to the company. The patient first comes face to face with the technology on their very first appointment. Saria’s was with Hanel Nathwani from Reading Smiles, who was able to take a 3D scan of her mouth using Align’s innovative intra oral scanner called iTero, eliminating the need to use mouth gagging putty and moulds. Within minutes, the scan was projected onto a screen and Hanel was able to illustrate every stage of her treatment using the Invisalign Outcome Simulator. This produces a 3D animation, illustrating the projected progress of the teeth as they move week by week to their final position. The combination of iTero scanner with Invisalign Outcome Simulator has been ground breaking for Hanel, as he explains:
“I am really excited to be treating Saira and am confident we will achieve an excellent result for her. I was delighted that I was able to use the new iTero Element intra oral scanner for her diagnosis. The detail that I was able to show her of her teeth was illuminating. The iTero scanner is a truly a ground breaking innovation within dentistry and has completely transformed my patients’ experience with Invisalign treatment. Before I began using iTero, I would have taken putty moulds of Saira’s teeth, which many patients find quite uncomfortable, additionally, sometimes several moulds are needed in order to achieve a good level of accuracy. With iTero, there is no need for moulds; all that’s required is an intra-oral scan using a hand held wand that captures a digital image in mere minutes. The scanner takes a true recording of the surfaces of the teeth in 3D, which is imported into the Invisalign Outcome Simulator application, and, within minutes, can formulate a 360 degree image of where the teeth will end up at the completion of Invisalign treatment. This can be incredibly compelling, and we have seen patients burst into tears after seeing how their teeth could be after a lifetime of feeling conscious over their smile.”
Saira is excited to begin her Invisalign treatment and to build her confidence to smile without feeling self conscious. Hanel projects she will complete treatment in 18 months’ time and we will be following her progress. If you are interested in learning more about Invisalign clear aligners, including the location of your nearest professional in the treatment please visit www.invisalign.co.uk