A recent scheduled visit to the dentist – my first after the covid lockdown- revealed lots of tooth scales that needed to be removed.

In the past, the dental clinic that I went to did not apply gum numbing gel before descaling and made me tear from the pain. This time the kind dentist applied it and it made the whole experience better – so make sure you ask for it at your next dentist visit.

After the descaling, the dentist shared with me about the Invisalign procedure to do a slight correction for my slightly crooked tooth.

Why straighter teeth is better?

Straighter teeth can help in:

• Healthier oral health due to less food stuck in between nooks and crannies in crooked teeth
• Better smiles and confidence
• Better cleaned teeth during brushing

When I was growing up, metal braces was the only way to straighten teeth and they were inconvenient – food could get stuck in between, and didn’t feel comfortable.

Now we have invisible teeth shapers like Invisalign and Zenyum which help to align teeth without the inconveniences and still looks as natural as possible as the shapers are transparent.

Basically once the dentist does the scan for you, the software will calculate and generate a shaping plan that can be between 3 to 6 months. They will send you 6 sets of invisible braces that will last you for 2 months that shifts your teeth before the next check-up and reexamination to check progress and generate the next set.

For each set, one has to wear it for 20-22 hours each day for 10 hours; that means almost the whole day, except for meal times.

I was impressed with the technology and according to this dentists’ website, the material is made from a mix of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate and 1.6-hexanediol which is safe, strong and helps look good. My limited chemistry knowledge does not allow me to fairly assess the sustainability of this resin, but I do hope they can be recycled or biodegradable. (If you know – pls share it in the comments)

The whole process is customized to each person and will cost around US$2000 onwards depending on the complexity. Some of my friends needed to extract teeth and fix current issues before using the teeth shapers.

Other oral health tips

Other than straighter teeth, other tips the dentist shared better oral health includes:

• Flossing – water flossing and string floss
• Use Mouth-wash
• Use an electric toothbrush

I have since tried to use water flossing on top of the dental string floss and like it a lot as water can reach hard to reach places that the string cannot reach. I found that it has been helpful as I can still feel the gaps between my teeth just like after scaling.

I also invested in an electric toothbrush at the dentist’s recommendation and I must say it has been one of the life-changing moments in my life! I find that I have cleaner teeth, and having 2 minutes each time I brush my teeth is good quiet ‘me’ time.

My recommendation to everyone is do at least flossing and electric brushing as part of our oral health routine!

Appendix – what I am using which has been working well for me (non-sponsored post):

• Mijia water flosser (this is not the model I use but it is a close one)
• Oral-b string dental floss
• Philips Sonic Care HX9912

For the Philips electric toothbrush, it has a pine nut shaped brush head and vibration pattern which I think is better than the rounded shape brush from other brands. This is what I concluded after watching a few Youtube videos by dentists while researching for the electric toothbrush.

Appendix 2- sign up for a Philips.com.sg account and they send a 50% birthday voucher yearly to buy most of the items on their e-store which has items from home, kitchen appliances, oral health, and even their Avent baby product range . You can thank me later!