Top Ways to Boost Your Smile, In Case Your OCD Like Me

Ever since I straightened my teeth with Invisalign I've been completely OCD about my smile. It's to the point where I'm looking at every celebrities smile and comparing mine to it. Apparently some of them (like Jessica Biel) even move their gums so their teeth are the "ideal" height and width.  According to an Invisalign study, almost three in four (73%) Americans would be more likely to trust someone with a nice smile.  A nice smile, not a perfect smile.  So here are ways I've been boosting mine and satisfying my obsession. I started using fancy toothpaste.   Theodent Classic Whitening Crystal Mint to be exact, with a combination of Crest 3D White products.  My newly aligned teeth deserve to be pampered with pretty toothpaste.  That's how crazy I am now, but I will say that it's an all natural whitener that makes my mouth feel clean and my teeth sparkle.  I've also been obsessed with Crest 2D White Multi-Care Whitening Rinse and probably overuse their 2 Hour Express Whitestrips, which I don't recommend you do at home.

Another thing I've been doing is wearing lip color!  I want to draw all of the attention to my mouth now.  I used to always play up my eyes, but now I finally feel confident enough to make accentuating my smile an option too.  Tip: Use a blue based red lipstick to make your teeth look whiter.

Check out my new smile here!

*I am a spokesperson for Invisalign (sponsored) and I have received complimentary treatment, but all of my thoughts and actions are my own.

I Can't Stop Smiling, Thanks to Invisalign... My Before & After Pictures

I never thought I'd have such a beautiful smile.  And that's not me being arrogant, it's true.  I deserve the right to brag about it today and probably for a few more months, because I've dedicated the past seven months of my life to abiding by the rules of Invisalign and it paid off. I'm very close to being done with my treatment and my smile is as close to perfect as it can get.  Let's just say, I can't stop smiling!  Check out my before and after pics! After switching my aligners every ten days, I'm almost at the point where I leave my last set of aligners in to allow my teeth to heal in their final position.  Then, I'll only have to wear them at nighttime (and trust me I will for the rest of my life).  The past few months flew by and my orthodontist, Dr. Hung, kept me on track by always showing me my ClinCheck and the progression of my teeth to date and how they'd look by my next visit if I continued to be consistent with my aligners.  Today, I'm proud to smile and even more excited to wear a bold lip look.

Check out my the before and after below of my ClinCheck images!

*I am a spokesperson for Invisalign (sponsored) and I have received complimentary treatment, but all of my thoughts and actions are my own.

Before & Afters: 5 Months into Invisalign Treatment

It's to the point where I feel naked without my Invisalign.  I'm five months into my treatment and my orthodontist just told me I'll most likely be finished at the end of November!  I can't believe how much my teeth have moved, but beyond that, I'm still in shock by the fact that I underwent orthodontic treatment at 29.  Check out the before and after pics of my treatment now.  They're getting more drastic!

The gap in between my front two teeth is closing!

My bottom teeth are almost completely straight!

*I am receiving free Invisalign treatment, but my thoughts and actions are true.

An Update on My Journey Through Invisalign

I've been wearing Invisalign since the middle of May and now, just four months later (and 10 aligners), I have a completely different smile.  While I'm not done with my treatment yet, I can't believe how much my teeth have shifted.  My journey to a 'perfect' smile is almost complete and wearing the aligners 22/7 has been a cinch – I'm serious.  I change them every ten days now and actually crave the tight feel of a new set because in my mind, I know that means they're working.  Check out the video that shows how much my teeth have already shifted.  Only a few more months to go!

*I am a spokesperson for Invisalign (sponsored) and I have received complimentary treatment, but all of my thoughts and actions are my own.

The Truth About My First Few Weeks Wearing Invisalign

I have to say I'm completely amazed by my Invisalign treatment so far.  Of course I knew that by following the rules and wearing my aligners 22 hours a day (yes, I've been wearing them all the time!) my teeth would move, but now that I'm in treatment and actually doing it, I'm amazed.  Many of you have been writing in asking how it's been going so far and here's the real deal. I'm on my third aligner and wearing them has become second nature.  Every two weeks I switch aligners as they keep getting a bit tighter and shifting my teeth in different ways.  But I'm not going to lie, the first week was a bit rough.  Even though it took Joe (my live in bf) a full 24 hours to notice I was even wearing them, my gums felt tense, and since I wasn't used to wearing them, my speech was a bit off for a day or two.  I had to practice saying words with "S's" in them and would discretely go to the bathroom before meals to take them out, because I was a bit embarrassed.

After the first few days my attitude about wearing the aligners and experience completely changed.  I was speaking clearly again and forgot I even had them in.  I even wore them for my most recent on air gig!  I'm confident when I speak and even slide them out at dinner tables politely behind a napkin like it's no big deal.  My teeth have definitely already shifted.  The first thing I noticed was my bite.  It's different!  I'll keep you updated on progress, but if you continue to have questions, please don't hesitate to ask along the way!

*I am a spokesperson for Invisalign (sponsored) and I have received complimentary treatment, but all of my thoughts and actions are my own.

My Motivational Tool Throughout Invisalign Treatment

Last month I posted that I was starting a journey to a better smile with Invisalign and recently visited my orthodontist, Dr. Hung to check out my ClinCheck prescription.  We video taped it, because I just had to share how advanced this technology is!  It actually shows how my teeth will move throughout treatment.  Talk about motivation!

*I am a spokesperson for Invisalign (sponsored) and I have received complimentary treatment, but all of my thoughts and actions are my own.

A Journey to A Perfect Smile... Naturally

Confession: I almost got veneers.  Last fall I went to my dentist, Dr. Lombardi, to discuss what I was going to do about my imperfect teeth.  In case you haven't noticed, one of my front ones was a slight bit darker than the rest thanks to a root canal I had when I was eight and I have a space between my two front teeth.  Because of his dedication, he fixed the coloring in front, but when it came down to the idea the instant gratification that Veneers would've given, we both decided they were a bit too invasive for me as I wanted a more natural mainstream look.  Enter Invisalign... Yes, I'm a 29 year old professional woman who's about to wear aligners.  That's one way you could look at it, but according to my orthodontist, Dr. Hung, his average patient is a 31 year old woman.  I've partnered with the brand and it couldn't have happened at a better time in my life.  I was truly considering the treatment when they came to me to discuss how we could work together.  I had to promise two things before getting started:

1. I would wear my aligners 22 hours per day while in treatment.
2. I would wear them every night for the rest of my life (or as long as I want straight teeth) after treatment at night.

I made the commitment and learned that the mission was a little more complicated than closing a small space in between my two front teeth.  Let's just say that at the end of treatment I'll have a million dollar smile.  I have to note that the space in between my front teeth never bothered me that much until I started doing on-air work.  It reads as black on camera, which is not attractive!  In order to fix it, Dr. Hung will be fixing my bottom crowding, the angle of my top teeth and positioning of my lateral incisors (the one's next to my two front teeth).  Who knew my mouth had so many issues?

I was really impressed by the technology Invisalign uses called ClinCheck, which took a digital scan of my teeth and will be able to show me a time frame of how they'll be moving month by month.  Dr. Hung says I'll be in treatment for a little under a year.  My journey started with the consultation and aligners are ordered.  Yes, I'll be keeping you posted along the way!

*I am a spokesperson for Invisalign (sponsored) and I have received complimentary treatment, but all of my thoughts and actions are true.

Beauty Gadget Review: Tanda Pearl

Confession: the most recent beauty gadget I'm testing makes me drool.  I'm not drooling over it because I'm lusting, I'm actually drooling because of it.  It's the Tanda Pearl, an at-home teeth whitening device that has been making me smile a whole lot more (as if I don't all of the time anyway!). I'm often weary about beauty gadgets as they normally cost a pretty penny and I don't think they ever really live up to their expectations (mine are super high), but of course I try them anyway just in case.  This is like bringing the dentist office to your bathroom.  If you ever had your teeth professionally whitened, you know the dentist puts a gel on your teeth and then you sit under a light for about 20 minutes a few times.

With this little gadget, it fits into your mouth like a mouth piece and you fill the gaps with a thick gel on both sides (same concept as the dentists office).  I like that it covers your teeth all the way around your mouth and not just the front.  With the press of a button, it activates and I wear it five minutes twice a day.  After the first day I noticed results but after a full five days, I was really impressed.  Totally worth the 10 minutes of drooling a day! My teeth look awesome!  This beauty gadget is BeautySweetSpot approved.

You can get the Tanda Pearl at Neiman Marcus for $195.