Ohhhhhhhhhh We're Halfway There!!!!

I'm halfway done with my Invisilign!!!  Today I switched to set 6 of 10.  Hopefully I won't need any refinements when I'm done with the 1o trays and this will be it.  

Something I've noticed with this tray and the last one is that it hasn't been fitting perfectly on one of my very back teeth.  After I wore the last tray for a few days it worked itself out so I'm guessing that this one will do the same thing.  I read online that it's a common thing and the fact that it's the very back molar makes it not as big of a deal as if it wasn't fitting correctly on a tooth more towards the front.  When I bite down on it or push on the tray on that tooth it feels normal again so I think it's just a matter of the tray material loosening up a little. 

I haven't noticed too much of a difference in my top teeth.  My over analyzing mind has even been telling myself that I feel like it's pushing one of my from teeth (the one with the power hinge) farther back in the wrong direction (crazy I know).  The reason why I'm thinking crazy things is because one of my front bottom teeth is hitting on the back of the front tooth and it hasn't in the past.  I'm sure every movement has a purpose...little by little.

I don't think my bite has changed much yet.  I have had a deep bite all my life...even after having regular braces.  Unless Invisalign works some sort of a miracle...I"m expecting that to always be the case.

 Here are some other pictures comparing my teeth before starting Invisalign and after I took out tray 5 tonight.

 

Almost halfway done already!!!

On the 29th I went in for another appointment at the orthodontist and got my next two sets of trays.  I am not on set 5 out of 10 and on May 13th I will officially be halfway done!  That is if I don't need any refinements after the 10 sets of trays.  Set 5 felt really tight right off the bat and I was expecting it to be sore for days to follow but surprisingly it wasn't.  

I was a little unsure of how my first top aligner (set #4) was fitting where the power hinge was on my one top upper tooth.  It wasn't going all the way up to my gums like it does on the other tooth.  I called the ortho and went in to get it checked.  They told me that when the power hinges are made, it is made normally and then crimped down to make the hinge punch out.  Once they explained that it made more sense.  I just wanted to get it checked because if it was hitting my toothe in the wrong spot it would effect the way it tilted my tooth...which wouldn't be good! haha

Having the top in felt really weird at first and it made me feel like people would notice it a lot more.  Now that I've had it in for several weeks it feels totally normal and not as cumbersome as it did at first.  It just took a little more getting used to than the bottom did because I was used to having it on the bottom because my retainer that I had pre-invisalign was basically the same.

I didn't take pictures this time because things look basically the same...tiny movements at a time make it so that you don't notice it every new aligner.  I'll take pictures after this aligner or the next (#6)

I started with the bottom now I'm here!!! Number Fourrrrr

I just got done eating dinner and went in for my post dinner brush which has become as routine as breathing (ok maybe not quite that routine) but the difference this time is that I started wearing the top aligner!!!  For the first three sets of aligners the top was a "passive aligner" which means it didn't do any moving of my top teeth which resulted in me not having to wear it.  I guess when Invisalign makes the aligners they automatically make the set whether you need both or not.  I don't know why but I always get nervous before I put a next set of aligners...maybe it's nervous excitement! haha

Wearing the top is certainly going to take some getting used to but I'm sure it will become second nature just like the bottom did.  For the most part I don't think it's that noticeable from a distance.  With the bottom I never had anyone ask what was in my mouth or anything.  That's not saying that people didn't notice...they just didn't mention it.  I think more people will notice with it being on the top now too because of the buttons/attachments on my canine teeth and it making my teeth look shiny.

I finally know the real name of what I have been calling the "built in buttons".  On two of my bottom teeth and now two of my upper teeth there are these built in things that push on my teeth.  They are called "power hinges".  What they do is fix teeth that are tilted inward.  The power hinge holds the top of the tooth in place while the shape of the aligner pushes the bottom portion of the tooth out into the correct position.  I have one of the power hinges on one of my front upper teeth which I think makes it more noticeable but I would rather have a power hinge than a cement button/attachment.  The arrows in the picture below are pointing to the power hinges.  

Well...here's to having sore teeth on the top and bottom for the next few days! :)

 

Tray 3 & Upper Attachment Nuisance Round 2!

I went today for my first appointment since starting Invisalign.  I was told that these kinds of appointments would be quick being that they are just to check that things are going/moving as planned and to get the next couple sets of aligners.  

I heard one of the girls tell another "We took the top attachments off remember?"  I just thought...."Ya you did because you messed up last time!"  The girl then told me that they were going to be doing the top attachments today.   I immediately thought "Here we go again." when she said that being that on my first visit to get started they put attachments on the top when I didn't need them yet (see previous posts for that mess).  So...I asked, "When will my upper teeth actually start moving?"  I was told that they would start moving with the new (#3) set of aligners.  I still didn't think that was right because I remember being told when I went in for my ClinCheck that the first THREE set of aligners would move the bottom only and I would only need to wear the bottom because the top aligners for the first 3 sets were "passive" and it said so in the bag they came in.  Thinking that I must be wrong (which I rarely am...hehe) I let he continue with putting the attachment cement/material on my teeth.  As the material was setting I heard the girl behind me looking at the aligner bags for what seemed like a long time.  She then got up and left...hummm?!?!?!  The doctor was in the room beside me (which they're all open with no actual doors) and I heard the girl talking to her and she said the word "passive".  Immediately I thought..."I KNEW IT!!!".  The girl came back and continued messing around with the aligner bags behind my head for about another 5 minutes.  She then did her thing with forming the attachments to the correct shape.  After she was done I asked, "Is this aligner another passive one?"  She told me again that it wasn't and that my teeth were going to start moving with this one.  She finished up and left and then another girl came in to give me the new set of aligners.  She opened the bag and held it out to me so that I could take out the aligners.  I put them in and then looked at the bag, which said....PASSIVE ALIGNER.  I asked this other girl about it and she didn't know the situation so she didn't know what was going on.  When it comes down to it...at least the top attachments are on so I won't have to go back in 2 weeks just for that BUT...come on!!!  Messing it up once is understandable...but TWICE?!?!  I do like my orthodontist but sometimes I wonder where people's heads are at...haha!

 

I was worried about the attachments on top being noticeable but they're not as bad as I thought.  I have 4 attachments on each side...one on each of my canine teeth, 2 on the next tooth on my right side, and 1 on the tooth after that on the right side, 1 on the tooth after my canine on the left, and 2 on the tooth after that on the left.  I had put one of the passive aligners in on top before just to see how it felt and was worried because it felt very bulky compared to having just the bottom.  Now that I have the attachments it obviously fits a lot tighter and is less bothersome.  Also, that is with it being an aligner that doesn't do anything.  One that actually moves my teeth will be even tighter than the passive one.  

 

I have started to notice small changes so far.  I still feel like my bight is constantly changing which makes sense being that my bottom teeth have been moving and my top haven't.  I'm sure once my top teeth start being moved with the next aligner things will start matching up again.  I've noticed that when I bite down that the bottom tooth that was my main concern/the one sticking out the most isn't touching the back of the top tooth that is over it.  That definitely tells me that it has started to be pushed back into place.

Bring on Tray #2

It seems like I had tray 1 in for forever but today after school and dinner I put in tray 2 of 10 on the bottom.  I was expecting it to be hard to put in but it wasn't at all.  I've read about people really struggling to get it in and even having to bite down on a towel to pop it into place.  Maybe later on it will be more difficult but it wasn't at all this time.

My old aligner (aligner #1) is now resting in the red case.  The red case is for the previous tray as a fall back in case I would happen to lose or break the current tray I am in.  

I can tell that this tray is pushing in new places but it isn't causing pain yet.  I'm sure it will be like last time and I won't feel pain until the second full day in the new tray.  I'm not going to post a new picture of my teeth yet because you can't see any changes yet.  I can feel them...but not see them.

I go back to the orthodontist in two weeks for my monthly check up and to get the next set of trays.

Boring

So...I've had tray 1 in for 5 days now (got it on Tuesday March 4th) and I think all movement with this tray is done.  I felt "pain" on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mostly and it was gone by Saturday.  When I say "pain" I mean that I didn't bother eating my usual daily snack of raw carrots.  When eating/chewing other things I felt a little funny with how I had to chew them to make it not "hurt".  I keep putting "pain" and "hurt" in quotation marks because it wasn't that bad.  I'm sure once I get further into treatment I will feel it more.  

Me being the impatient person that I am, I'm already wanting to put in tray 2 but I know I can't.  I kinda like the "pain" because I know then that my teeth are moving.

I have noticed that my bite is off.  Granted it was off here and there before Invisalign.  Before Invisalign there were days that my teeth/molars would only touch on one side.  Right now since I only have Invisalign on the bottom, my top teeth hit the buttons which is altering my bite as well.

Overall...I can deal with 3ish days of "pain" with each new tray.  I can deal with the constant brushing, flossing, and rinsing.  For an impatient person the worst part is waiting for each new tray and then end...haha
 

One day down...153 to go!!!

First day at school with Invisalign :)

Tray 1

Buttons: 3 on the left and 3 on the right
(a little easier to see in black & white)

The first full day wasn't so bad.  I have started to feel it more than I did yesterday.  One side is a little more sore than the other.  People who knew I was getting Invisalign at school would ask to see it today when they first saw me and when I stuck my bottom teeth out many of then said, "You can't even tell." or "Oh yea I see now that I'm up close."  I think it will be more noticeable once I have it on the top too...but certainly not at noticeable as it would be if I had regular braces!

Having to brush after every meal is a pain but not that bad.  I'd much rather do it and have super clean teeth than not do it and have who knows what happen.  It works out that if I do eat my usual snack of fruit and veggies that I can just do it during my planning time and brush while the kids are still at essentials.  

The only "con" of today is that around the bottom edge of the aligner on the inside...it is rubbing my tongue.  It feels like the edge is rough where it was cut or something.  I have read things about people using a nail file to smooth it out.  I'm going to give it another day to see if I get used to it before I give that a try.  

I am stocked up and ready for brushing on the go!  I got 2 collapsible toothbrushes...one to keep at school and one to take with my in my purse.  The little tubes of tooth paste are so I don't have to carry around a big one all the time.  Same thing with the little bottles of mouthwash.  I have one big bottle at home that I will use to refill the little ones when needed.  The box in the back are these cool little cases for the flossers.  I didn't know they existed but they will definitely help by making it so I don't have to carry around the whole bag all the time.