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. 

Here We Go! Tray 1 Day 1

Well...it has begun!  I went in for my appointment at 4 to get the buttons put on my bottom teeth and to get my first set of aligners.  When the put the thing in my mouth to open my mouth up I was very confused when they started putting the cement on my top teeth.  After the ortho's hand was clear from my mouth...as best I could I said, "I thought I was only going to get it for the bottom teeth today?"  After much talking back and forth with another girl they said that the first three aligners for my top teeth wouldn't do any moving but they were sent by Invisalign anyway.  After all the going back and forth and one of them saying "Should we ask the doctor?" they just went ahead with it.  

Making the buttons- I thought that the buttons would be actual little things they cement onto my teeth but it wasn't.  What they do is they put some cement (or whatever it's made out of) in the general area on the teeth needing the buttons and then they put on an aligner with the slots where the buttons will go.  They then press it on so that the cement goes into the slots which shapes the button the appropriate way.  There is a series of spraying, sucking, blue light stuff that happens but I forget the order.  After leaving the aligner on for a few minutes, they pop it off (with some applied force) and the buttons are done.  

They did the buttons for the top and bottom but two of them on the bottom wouldn't stay on so they had the doctor come.  Then the talk about it only being on my bottom teeth began again.  The doctor said, "Yes because the first 3 aligners for the top are ones that don't move the teeth but they make them together so they sent them anyway."  When she realized they did the buttons for the top teeth she said, "You didn't think to ask me before?"  All of this was annoying but whatever...she told me that they could take them off if i wanted after I felt what they were like.

The doctor did the two buttons that kept popping off and then got rid of the excess cement (I think) and then she went on her way after talking a little more.  The girl who had done all the buttons came back, gave me my next set of aligners and cases, and explained them.  She began to take the bib off of me before I asked about making it so I only had to wear the top.  She then proceeded to help a mirror while I tool the top aligner out.  She clearly didn't realize I meant that I wanted the buttons gone too. Clearly the last thing they wanted to do was to take them off and then put them back on in a few weeks.  BUT...me being me...sorry...I don't want to wear an aligner that's not going to do anything and I don't want little things stuck on my teeth just for the sake of being there.  Had I not mentioned anything I would understand them leaving them there.  It was the fact that I brought it up right when everything got started and they didn't listen to me.  It was a misunderstanding and was the only real hiccup of the process but all is good now.

As far as how things are going...so far so good.  They're not that hard to take out.  I think I'm still doing to very gently for a fear of breaking something.  But it's certainly not as hard as people have made it seem.  I didn't feel any pressure at first but now I am starting to...still very very little.  It might be more in the morning when I wake up but it's all part of having a perfect smile. :)  My speech isn't affected too much.  I feel like I'm saying the /s/ sound a tiny bit different but nothing too drastic.  That will go away in a day or two.

Pros
-not as bad as people made it seem
-buttons aren't as big as I thought they would be
-my teeth will be super clean from constantly brushing (haha)

Cons
-ortho not listening to me! (haha)
-spit bubbles inside the aligner

Last pictures before Invisalign

Kindergarten Friendly Explaination

So...I teach kindergarten and in an attempt to get one of my students to make it so I don't have to talk to him a lot in the future due to him not following directions...I explained Invisalign to them.  I told them what it was going to be like and how my teeth will hurt on some days.  I also told them that it will make me feel better if they are extra good and I don't have to talk to them a lot about following directions.  Kindergartners are so cute in how they always want to please you.  We will see if this actually works!

Tomorrow is the day!!!

Before Picture

Not the best picture...pushing out my bottom jaw a little...anyway.  Here is a before shot of my teeth.  You can see the bottom tooth that is the most crooked as a result of the "permanent" retainer breaking many years ago and my now gone wisdom teeth causing crowding.  The top tooth above that one is sticking out a little because of the bottom tooth constantly pushing it that way.  There are some other things out of place obviously but those are the major ones. 

Excited to Get Started... is an Understatement

After years of thinking about it and a year of actually looking into it...I'm very excited that I will be getting my first set of aligners on Tuesday.  I am a typical case of...I had braces when I was in middle school, didn't wear my retainers like I was supposed to, and not I'm paying for it.  Well...in my defense I had a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth that broke twice and wisdom teeth that played a role in crowding my bottom teeth.  

Finding the right orthodontist was key for me in regards to time it would take, type of treatment, and cost.  In the beginning of my research I was thinking about doing Invisalign on my top teeth and regular braces on the bottom teeth.  Although having metal braces was the last thing I wanted at 25, my insurance would cover a portion of the regular braces part.  I found a place that quoted me $4,500 for the Invisalign/regular braces combination.  They gave me a time frame of 9 months to a year.  At first I thought that insurance would cover more than they actually would.  When I learned that insurance would only cover $305 I decided that I would rather pay that extra money and not have to deal with metal in my mouth.  So...the search continued.  I went to another ortho and was given a CRAZY price somewhere in the $8,000 range.  The reason being (I think) is because they were going to charge the full amount for Invisalign and the full amount for regular braces even though I was only getting half of each one.  On top of that, they told me that I would need to be in them for a year to a year and a half.  Needless to say...I eliminated that ortho really fast.  FINALLY...the third time was the charm.  I went to My Dental Care Center and I knew I found the right place.  The staff was very nice and helpful and was willing to work with my regarding price.  They told me it can cost from $5,600 to in the $3,000 range and being that my teeth aren't that crooked they can take $1,500 off for "chair time" since I won't be in the office a lot getting worked on.  This took my price down to $4,100...which was already cheaper than any of the other places.  Then...to make things even better...they said that if I was willing to pay in full they would give me an additional 5% off.  After all was said and done my total was $3,850.  Cheaper than all other places and there also weren't any charges for records which wasn't the cast at the other places.  They also told me that it would take approximately 9 months.  I loved My Dental Care Center so much that I paid for it at my first visit, got my x-rays/molds, and photos taken right then and there.

1 Week Later- I went back to see the images that Invisalign sent back of how my teeth would move over the course of my treatment.  I was extremely pleased with what I saw and was ECSTATIC when I was told that if all goes well...it will only take 5 months!!!  There is a chance that things will not move exactly as planned which might require a "phase 2" but it will be free of charge and should only add on 2 more months or so.  Even with 2 more months added on...I'm still happy it's not the year to a year and a half I was told previously.  

On Tuesday I go to get the "buttons" on my bottom teeth and my first set of aligners.  I only have to wear aligners on my bottom teeth for the first 6 weeks (I think) because my top teeth do not need to be moved as much as my bottom.  

I am so excited!  (I might not be saying that Tuesday night)  I have been doing a lot of research, reading about other people's experiences (the good and the bad), and just want to get going.  No matter how much of a pain it is to take the aligners out to eat, how uncomfortable it is with new aligners in...I know it's all going to be worth it in the end because what I have contemplated for almost 3 years will finally be complete.