Most everyone have a preferred angle when it comes to taking photos. For example, if you are to pose with Amber Chia for a picture, she will always stand on the right side (check this old post from Cheesie), therefore showing the left side of her face to the camera. This is mostly because we are not exactly symmetrical.

hidden smiles
many props were used to cover the lower half of my face, hehe

As for me, the left/right side thing doesn’t affect me. I have a very different approach instead, over the years, I have perfected the skill of  having my mouth inconspicuously covered. Variety of props were used, my hands, coffee, beer, fish ball, pizzas, etc.

The reason is simple, I don’t have a great set of teeth, or jaw line for that matter.

the overbite and not-so-aligned teeth
the overbite and not-so-aligned teeth

My teeth has several “problems”:

  • they are not aligned, lower set of teeth’s completely skewed to a side too
  • i have a pretty severe overbite, to the point where I have to cut noodles using my upper teeth and tongue (something I did without realizing)
  • I have old fillings and metal crown that’s not terribly sweet looking
  • one wisdom tooth at the bottom jaw (I don’t have any in upper jaw) is pointing side way, and the other is surfacing (yes I just reached the ripe age of 21 :P)
  • my front bunny teeth chipped (notice the “n” shaped curve?) during a fall when I was young

the model of my teeth and jaw
the model of my teeth and jaw

Haze has started putting on braces a few months ago to correct her teeth as well, and has been encouraging me to do the same.

After a pretty long research, studying, and procrastination, I am finally doing something about it. I will be getting Invisalign and some other treatments to fix these teeth once and for  all.

I wouldn’t say that Invisalign is the answer to everyone’s crooked teeth problems. You have to be a right candidate for it as it is for you. The benefit is obvious, it is pretty much impossible for others to tell when you’re wearing it, and it usually take less time to correct the teeth than traditional braces.

putting in the Invisalign starter kit
putting in the Invisalign starter kit, both trays already on in pic 4.

The disadvantages?

The biggest of them all – you can take them off.

Well, you need to take them off in order to eat. As with any method of adjusting the position of your teeth, it can get very uncomfortable/pain. With traditional braces you have no choice but to bear with it, but with Invisalign, you can take them off and throw them away. Invisalign therefore, is terrible if you aren’t disciplined enough to keep it in 22 hours a day.

Oh, and the constant cleaning. The clear trays can get dirty very quickly, and you’d have to brush it at least 3 times a day, and preferably after every meal. This is a pretty huge commitment, but something not something that is terribly difficult. After about a week of forcing myself to do that, it became sort of a habit anyway, and this is from someone who used to only brush teeth once a day.

Then of course, there’s the price. Invisalign is quite a fair bit more expensive than traditional braces in Malaysia (actual cost depends on your condition). However, since payment is pretty flexible (one shot, half-half, monthly, every visit etc), you can always spread it out. I think of it as a one year project and more than worth delaying having a new car for the same period of time.

mydentist.com.my
mydentist.com.my at Jalan Ipoh, I’ll be visiting this place pretty often

I am now on my starter kit with one set of trays just to let myself get used to having them in my mouth, the first set of Invisalign  trays that will actually align my teeth will be coming in a few weeks’ time. Will be documenting my journey to better teeth here.

Can’t wait!

Finally Getting My Teeth Fixed
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60 thoughts on “Finally Getting My Teeth Fixed

    • August 23, 2012 at 2:03 pm
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      Ken Wooi: sure will 😀

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  • August 23, 2012 at 11:04 am
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    OMG you’re a genius never noticed the hiding teeth thing

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    • August 23, 2012 at 2:03 pm
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      Tim: hee-hee, trickery!

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  • August 23, 2012 at 11:18 am
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    Here’s to better looking teeth! All the best! 🙂

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    • August 23, 2012 at 2:03 pm
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      iamthewitch: thank you thank you.

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  • August 23, 2012 at 11:54 am
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    I heard Tom Cruise wears it too 😛
    Any tooth extraction involved?

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    • August 23, 2012 at 2:04 pm
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      Nymphadora: that depends, I believe I’ll have to remove one of my wisdom tooth but that should be it. Extractions are needed for those with crowding problems.

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  • August 23, 2012 at 12:04 pm
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    Aww you should have gotten the traditional braces! It’s like a rite of passage for so many people..heh. And at the end of it all you’re going to be wearing retainers that look exactly like those Invisalign you’re wearing now! =D

    Reply
    • August 23, 2012 at 2:05 pm
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      ropsofContentment: haha I’m too old for this rite of passage thing! 😛

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  • August 23, 2012 at 12:40 pm
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    can’t chew tough food at the mean time? 🙂 but it sounds simpler than the traditional ones..

    FiSh @ ohfishiee

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    • August 23, 2012 at 2:06 pm
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      FiSh: no problem in chewing at all, but I think whenever you put in new aligners, some teeth might hurt a bit and thus chewing hard food could be tough for the first 2-3 days. I’ll find out soon. 😀

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  • August 23, 2012 at 1:23 pm
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    Great!! You will have beautiful set of teeth soon 🙂 good luck!

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    • August 23, 2012 at 2:06 pm
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      Christine d: that is the hope, thanks 😀

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  • August 23, 2012 at 3:19 pm
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    Good Luck with the treatment master! Nice bike you have there,lol.

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    • August 24, 2012 at 8:14 am
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      Kash: haha thanks, an old bike that’s been with me for ages. 😀

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      • August 24, 2012 at 3:28 pm
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        I hope to be riding again when I get back! But have to do test again,damn it!

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        • August 24, 2012 at 6:04 pm
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          Kash: ah, that’s simple anyway. I too am thinking of taking test for full B license.

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          • August 24, 2012 at 9:06 pm
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            Oh, that’s good to hear. I have to convert my Irish license to Malaysian one first. Do we have to sit for L license exam?

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            • August 25, 2012 at 5:59 pm
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              Kash: not too sure how that goes. :/

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    • August 24, 2012 at 8:14 am
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      quaintly: hehehe, jimat air!

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  • August 23, 2012 at 3:55 pm
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    well, never too late for beautiful tit… opps i meant teeth. heheh

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    • August 24, 2012 at 8:14 am
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      eiling: is that your subconscious speaking!? hahaha

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  • August 23, 2012 at 7:55 pm
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    Stand on right side show left face meh? Not right face ah?

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    • August 24, 2012 at 8:14 am
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      Mellissa: correct maaa, try and see. haha

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  • August 23, 2012 at 9:44 pm
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    yay to better teeth!!! sorry i burst out laughing at your problem no 2

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    • August 24, 2012 at 8:15 am
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      kimberlycun: hahaha ya it’s actually damn weird now that I think of it.

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  • August 23, 2012 at 9:47 pm
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    so, the duration is one year…. traditional (metal) braces at least 2 years…can pengsan wait so long . invisalign is very expensive. maybe the instalment payment can be think about. whats ur total cost? 5k?

    Reply
    • August 24, 2012 at 8:16 am
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      yen: my treatment is a bit more than that, ya but you can always spread out the payment to lessen the financial pain. lol.

      Reply
  • August 23, 2012 at 10:44 pm
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    With bad teeth still can get hot girls, what chance do other guys have when you have great teeth? No fair!

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    • August 24, 2012 at 8:16 am
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      Kong: said the married man!

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  • August 24, 2012 at 7:51 pm
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    I kinda have your lower set of teeth…gonna monitor your journey before considering going for Invisalign.

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    • August 25, 2012 at 5:59 pm
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      missyblurkit: hope that helps 😀

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  • August 26, 2012 at 12:29 am
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    i have a bunny teeth too but I am so scarred to get it fixed…so i jus let it be..lol..

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    • August 26, 2012 at 4:22 pm
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      Cindy: haha, don’t be scared la.

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  • August 26, 2012 at 10:53 pm
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    The whole thing cost RM5k? Only?

    I remembered xiaxue did hers for like 6k-8k in Singapore currency.

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    • August 27, 2012 at 9:54 am
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      Adam: the whole thing definitely cost more than RM 5k. hehe

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      • September 1, 2012 at 11:54 am
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        err… can i know if it’s almost 10k? or 8k? what’s the range?

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        • September 2, 2012 at 11:33 am
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          suze: I believe it’ll be over 10k

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          • September 7, 2012 at 6:33 pm
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            wow… big amount…
            thanks for answering. 🙂

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  • September 5, 2012 at 10:45 pm
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    a KY with straight teeth!? hahahaha very excited for you!!!

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    • September 5, 2012 at 10:56 pm
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      aud: hahah thanks thanks, in a year’s time!

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  • August 22, 2014 at 2:14 pm
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    My good friend and her dad, Dr.Foo and his staffs are the best dentist. Very friendly,gentle and professional. Definitely worth the investment for your pearly whites!!

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    • August 22, 2014 at 2:35 pm
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      ML: couldn’t agree more!

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  • October 26, 2014 at 10:02 pm
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    Do you mind to share the approximate total cost of your whole treatment?

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    • October 27, 2014 at 9:28 am
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      csy: it’s in the teens or twenties, mine’s a little higher due to difficulty of the case, including the gum contouring procedure and so forth.

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      • October 30, 2014 at 1:32 pm
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        Thanks, to get a better estimation, does it cost you RM20k?

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  • February 20, 2015 at 1:08 am
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    Hi KY, can you share with me the durations offered for the installment payment? As it is a large sum, I would like to consider it financially ahead.

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    • February 21, 2015 at 10:50 am
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      Sam: the installment plan can be discussed with the dentists. Usually it’s a bigger sum to start (downpayment?) and then you just pay a smaller sum every month or every visit. Treatment can take 1-2 years.

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  • March 2, 2015 at 10:14 pm
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    Hi KY .. i am planning to get invisalign as well can i know about the progress have you achieved the shape you wanted is it straight now ?

    How much was the total cost ?

    Thank you 🙂

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    • March 3, 2015 at 9:04 am
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      iila: I’ll make another updated post soon, but so far the progress has been great, just a bit to go but it’s getting there. If you see some of my latest pictures you can sorta see them. Total cost is highly dependent on the individual case, but expect to be more than RM 10k for sure.

      Reply
  • July 1, 2015 at 1:41 pm
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    Hi KY,

    How are you, My name is Ivan and we are selling ultrasonic cleaner for Invisalign/retainers cleaning.

    We understand that the ewww feeling when you have to wear your invisalign with debris on it, and brush just doesn’t good enough to clean the retainer.

    Can I tell you more about our ultrasonic cleaner?

    Reply

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