Tray Twelve

Sorry I haven’t written in awhile! I cannot believe I am now on Tray 12 (changing to Tray 13 tomorrow!) Everything is still going great! I was on vacation from October 9th until October 15th (My birthday ). My boyfriend and I went to Mexico for a week! It was an amazing vacation, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the weather was beautiful! I had a dentist appointment for new trays, a check-up, and some new x-rays on the 16th. Not going to lie, I was not looking forward to it; normally I am very excited to see my orthodontist, hear that everything is going great, and get some new trays! But this time, I was actually quite worried. While I was on vacation I only wore my trays at night. I usually abide by the recommendations of wearing the trays for 22 hours (or close to that) but while on vacation I couldn’t seem to remember to carry them, and I was constantly eating, getting lots of drinks, and I hate wearing them without brushing my teeth! Basically for a straight week, I only wore them at night. I was petrified I would be scolded for not wearing my trays and my next ones wouldn’t fit or be very painful!

Thankfully, when I confessed my sins to my Ortho he completely understood and said that’s fine once in awhile. He told me if I can’t get my next set of trays in, then I will take them home, continue to wear my old ones for a few more days and keep trying the new ones. Simple! Fortunately my new trays fit, a little more tight and painful than usual, but it doesn’t matter because they fit! I also got screened for bacteria growth (because while wearing the trays your teeth can have a tendency for bacteria growth, causing cavities and gum disease) I also got checked for cavities or potential cavities, good news: my bacteria growth is very low, no cavities, and no potential for cavities. My Ortho actually said I have a very boring mouth! (I was assured this is a good thing...)

I also wanted to point out the fact that before I got my Invisalign trays I was wearing down my teeth due to my nightly grinding (which in most cases was so loud it woke my boyfriend who then shook me awake because it was such an awful sound...) Since wearing my Invisalign, obviously I haven’t been damaging my teeth because the trays stop my teeth from actually grinding together. But I have noticed that I don’t wake up with jaw pain or headaches as often anymore. My Ortho informed me that could be thanks to Invisalign which has changed my bite pattern dramatically; causing my jaw to not be as tense at night, which could be minimizing my grinding. Another plus!!

I have definitely become more relaxed about wearing my trays, popping them in and out without worry, and I find them very comfortable. Even when I change my trays I can usually take them out the next evening for dinner with minimal pain (during the first day I still stick with smoothies, it’s just easier). I still change my trays before bed so I can sleep through most of the initial pain.

I have read in some reviews that Invisalign ruins your social life and personal relationships, but I have to completely disagree. I understand that each person has their own experience with Invisalign, and some are better than others, but for myself I am doing everything now that I always have. If I want to go to the pub or a restaurant with friends and drink and have appetizers, I do. Yes I understand popping your trays out to eat is a minor inconvenience but having the ability to be able to do that and eat whatever you want, I think trumps that minor inconvenience ten times over. Most of the time it has become a joke with everyone saying, “Oh wait Lindsey has to take her teeth out!”

I only have four more sets of trays for my bottom teeth and 11 for more upper. The time is flying by.

Tray Nine

Over half way through my bottom teeth and only 15 left for the top! Everything is going great!!

Tray Five

I have had my trays in for just eight weeks! Time is flying by, I can’t believe in just 6 months my bottom teeth will be done! I changed to Tray Five 5 days ago, which leaves me with 12 for the bottom and 19 for the top. Changing to new trays is much easier now; I just snap them in, no filing necessary. Immediately the pain is quite intense and stays that way for the first day or two, but nothing unbearable, just learn to deal with minimal food and lots of protein shakes! It is not so much painful the entire two days, but a very unpleasant constant pressure, like something is clamping on each tooth. I have found the longer you leave the trays out in the first couple of days, the harder and more painful it is to get them back in, it subsides very quickly though. Changing them on a Saturday night is perfect, if I toss and turn that night and can’t eat on Sunday it isn’t a big deal.

I have definitely become more relaxed about brushing after meals, I feel if I have a cookie or some tea then rinsing with water at my desk is fine (I know! It isn’t ok!) It is just extremely time consuming to run off to the bathroom every time you eat! Being a stickler for wearing them all day as long as possible makes me just want to get them back in as soon as I can! Yet somehow, embarrassingly, I have managed to leave the house twice after forgetting to put my trays back in, leaving them on the bathroom counter. The first time I was backing out of the garage, panicking I run back in and put them on, which was fine. But the second time I managed to get halfway to my destination before remembering I wasn’t wearing them (yes, this is how comfortable you get with them!) much to the amazement of my boyfriend. Unfortunately I spent that evening without them, putting them in as soon as I got home! I never imagined I would be comfortable with the attachments, as it feels like little pieces of uncooked rice stuck on your teeth, constantly distracting my tongue, but as well, I don’t even notice them now!

I have also become one of those Invisalign users who just pop the trays in and out wherever I am, much to the disgust of my coworkers and family. When I began this I vowed I would never be like that, make sure I do it privately so that no one would see me shove my fingers in my mouth and pull my ‘teeth’ out, drool and all, but after two months I’ve become that person!

I had a cleaning at my dentist about a month ago and I got the all clear, no cavities and my teeth and gums look great! I also got to watch my Clincheck (the short video which shows the movement and end result) which was very exciting!

I have found my teeth are extremely sensitive now, drinking cold beverages is hard and causes pain in my front teeth, I’ve just learnt to always have a straw handy! I’m also using sensitive toothpaste and Listerine to try and help. Again, another great benefit to Invisalign: No one has noticed that I am wearing them, and most of the time when I point it out, people had no idea and think that I’m just wearing a clear retainer! I definitely feel some movement, but it’s hard to notice in pictures and in person. Here are some recent pictures! (It’s Stampede time here in Calgary so ignore the plaid shirt)

Tray Two

I have now had my Invisalign Trays in for two and a half weeks. I switched over to tray two on Sunday night (May 27th). It was, again, shocking how tight they felt. It caused immense pain in my gum line and jaw; the pain went up and resulted in a headache! But it was ok, I planned for this; I had switched the trays over a few hours before bed, and thought I could just sleep through the pain, as I had heard so many other people had done. Not the case. After an extremely restless sleep, tossing and turning much to the dismay of my boyfriend, I was exhausted for Monday morning. It was hard to lay down because even something as soft as the pillow, causing pressure on my jaw line resulted in discomfort. Lesson learned: Change tray on a Saturday night!! (If I have a restless sleep, I will be ok on a Sunday)
For the first day I had an extremely hard time removing the trays to eat or brush, so it resulted in lots of smoothies and protein shakes (fine by me!) and rinsing with mouthwash. I have found brushing the trays with a soft toothbrush and some toothpaste the best method in keeping them clean, and it’s fairly easy. I usually do this twice a day. (I actually soaked them in mouthwash for about 20 minutes while eating one day, went to put them back in and they had turned green, the colour of the mouthwash! After much scrubbing they did return to clear, but I don’t recommend it!)

At the moment I am very vigilant about keeping everything clean as I am a bit of a stickler with clean, white teeth, but as time goes on I may get a lot more lax due to how time consuming it is! I have seen some changes so far, my teeth seem to be moving back, making room for the front teeth to come down and lineup. Also my back bottom molars were slanted inwards (towards my tongue) and I definitely feel them straightening up. I will post some pictures soon because I feel nothing is noticeable at the moment. I filed the new trays, with a soft emery board, before placing them in my mouth, and hurray! No cuts on lips, no rubbing, they feel great. I have completely gotten used to wearing them, no irritation at all! I read one person’s blog and they said “Get through the first two weeks and your home free”. I couldn’t agree more. The first two weeks are quite awful, but now I talk, sleep, relax completely naturally. The pain when changing the trays is expected, as they are extremely new and tight, but it lasts one night, even by the next morning I was a million times better.

The Beginning

My appointment with my orthodontist was at 3:50 in the afternoon of Monday, May 14th 2012. I was so excited I could hardly breathe! I had been for my consultation and molds 4 weeks earlier. The consultation is when they take pictures of your teeth, from every angle, not a very pleasant viewing; the Ortho will make his estimation of price and length of treatment. The molds were slightly unpleasant, but nothing unbearable. The mold substance is very soft, and goes hard in your mouth within seconds, requiring the Ortho to basically yank them out, again slightly unpleasant. I’ve heard a lot of people say they felt like gagging due to the fact the molds go all the way to the back teeth, I luckily didn’t have this problem. The mold appointment took about 20 minutes, and the consultation takes 30-40 minutes, depending on how many questions you have!

I got about 11 attachments (sometimes called buttons) fitted, bottom and top. The attachments seem to be like gel they apply to your teeth in small dots, and then harden with a UV light. The taste isn’t delicious, but as long as you keep your tongue away it isn’t bad at all. The hardest part is keeping your mouth wide open for 20 minutes! They then scraped and picked off any access gel and filed down a few of my teeth so the trays would fit correctly. During this time, they periodically put smaller, thinner trays in your mouth that are prototypes of your Invisaligns, don’t be fooled they are not your actual trays! I was excited because they seemed so small and thin and bendable, and was disappointed when I found out they weren’t the real trays! Once the attachments are completed, I was fitted with the real trays; these immediately feel a lot heavier and tighter. Once clicked in, you must bite down (which hurts!) on small plastic tubes, this is to ensure correct fit. We practiced taking them in and out a couple of times (took me several minutes, and a lot of drool and tissue…) but I promise it gets faster each time!



First Trays!



The first night I couldn’t take them out, so I gargled with Listerine and drank a smoothie. The entire evening my tongue was fiddling with the trays, it acts like a territorial animal, wondering what has entered its domain! I couldn’t stop it! I spent ten minutes chewing on a “chewie”; small plastic tubes that supposedly help the trays stick to your teeth. The pain/pressure was intense, I had to take a few painkillers, just to dull the ache in the gums and jaw, but my ortho warned me about that. The most awkward part is just getting used to the feel of having plastic in your mouth which tastes and feels very strange.

I’m now on day three, Thursday May 17th, and most of the pain has gone away. One issue I have now is the plastic is scratching up my top lip, causing them to be quite sore. I filed down the plastic with an emery board, and it definitely helped. I think my lips just need to get used to them. I haven’t been able to eat much, the most painful part is definitely the gums, I’ve been eating soft foods for the past few evenings and lots of protein smoothies! I’m MUCH faster at taking them out and putting them in (still a little drool!) I’ve learnt you can’t be afraid to really pull (they won’t break, I don’t think, and contrary to how it feels, your teeth will stay in your head), also I find it works well if you unhook the back using your nails, and pull around to the front. I have been chewing my “chewies” for 10 minutes every day. So far I have been very vigilant in keeping the trays in, due to the fact that it is still quite painful, so if I leave them out for any longer than an hour the pain intensifies when I put them back on. It feels as though the teeth have shifted already!

I can definitely vouch for the Invisalign diet, I don’t snack anymore, and drink about 5 bottles of water a day, and because of the pain right now I haven’t been eating much. But I’m sure this will change as time goes on, as each day it is getting better and better! I have been brushing my invisaligns with my toothbrush, gently, then rinsing with cold water and they come up quite clean. It is very nice to be able to remove them, have a drink (of something other than water) and eat, clean my mouth out properly (brush and mouthwash!) and then put them back in. No one has noticed the braces unless I have shown them and they are impressed that they are so clear and can actually straighten my teeth! The only parts that are noticeable (I think) are the attachments, but again, nothing I have complained about compares with not having to deal with actual metal braces!






 



A picture of my boyfriend and I from Hawaii three years ago.
As you can see; my crooked teeth aren't very noticeable in pictures!