“Started invisalign this week!! ”

Hopefully I am on my way to finally having straight teeth for the first time in my life. I have always been self conscious about my teeth. A lot of people think I am always in a bad mood because I would hardly ever smile when facing people. If I would, I would turn my head away so my teeth would not show. There has never been a day that went by that I wouldn't think about my crooked teeth. There is crowding and a canine tooth sticks far out from the others.

I heard about Invisalign a few years ago but never took it too seriously. After thinking about it, if I would have started when I first knew it was out there, I would have been done with the procedure by now! Two months ago my dentist had me see a Periodontist to get treatment for my gums. It turned out that they also offered Cosmetic Dentistry and Invisalign. So, while I was there I asked a lot of questions about the process.

To make a long story short, about a month and a half after the gum treatment, I have started my first Invisilign tray! I have a total of 28 trays so it's going to be a long haul but I plan on sticking with it. Especially after all the $$$ I had to shell out of pocket (insurance does not cover any of the cost).

After two days it seems to be going OK. There is a little trouble getting the bottom tray off. It seems to be a lot tighter than the top. With some patience I can get one side off and get my finger under it and slowly work my way around to the other side. Putting the trays in is easy at this point. I do have buttons so that may be why it's somewhat tough getting them off. Otherwise,it isn't too bad.

I do notice the trays in my mouth. Of course I was expecting that since there is a foreign object in there. If I have my mind on something else I don't really feel them but at some point I go back to feeling them. In time, I'm sure it will go away.

One thing I have noticed while wearing them is that my mouth and lips dry out very fast. I think I read that it's normal. I just have to keep wetting them down with water or my tongue.

My speech is somewhat affected. The first day I sounded like Sylvester the cat. I have to try and think ahead about what I'm going to say to minimize the speech problems. Maybe this will go away in time (?).

I'm going to take pictures of my mouth before and after each tray to see if the progress is noticeable. I don't expect dramatic results right away but after never having straight teeth, the slightest improvement will be welcomed.