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*Treatment results may vary
Doesn't look like much...
… but it's big to me!
As of today, I'm Week 3 into my Invisalign program. I've got 22 aligners for the top and 18 for the bottom, with my dentist recommending 2 weeks per aligner. I don't have a huge problem, but I've always been self-conscious about my smile, as my top two front teeth kind of indent and I don't have an overbite, so my top lip curls under when I speak or smile. Vanity!!! So the idea is that my bottom teeth will be pulled back and my top will be rounded forward and pushed out a bit, along with my upper lip. Sorry - I don't have the technical terms for all of this!
I have a +20 year old veneer on my top right hand front tooth, so the attachment on that is the biggest of them all which isn't ideal, but I'm getting used to it. I have 14 attachments in total - 8 on top and 6 on bottom. It was a bit of a shock that they were a part of this process at all, and I have to admit that if I'm in a social situation, I'll tell whoever I'm talking to that I'm on Invisalign, so I can put it out there and get over my own self-consciousness that they might be staring at my lumps, wondering if I've got grubby teeth with bits stuck to them. Again - vanity!!!
Once I've finished this whole caper, I'm going to get a new veneer which will be shaped properly and then all of my teeth whitened to be consistent. I started a whitening treatment a few months back, but it wasn't worth going beyond the initial phase, as the veneer doesn't bleach, so I didn't want a case where everything else looked all white and shiny but the veneer was dull and dark. So I'll just have to wait until the end for that glittering prize!
My first two weeks were nothing shy of horrendous. I had the first set fitted on 15 December and after a couple of days I had developed ulcers on my tongue and gums which made the week before Christmas with umpteen social/business functions hard to bear (read - hell) and I was downright miserable. First time in my life I've been the first to leave a party - never mind several of them - and it was noted!! I regretted starting when I did at the time, but in hindsight, there's never a good time to start so I'm glad I've pushed through the pain barrier of what is possibly the hardest time of the year to get going with Invisalign.
I existed on strong painkillers and Kenalog paste to put over the ulcers in the first week and a bit, and was later recommended some Difflam numbing mouthwash by my chemist, which despite the fact everything tasted foul, it was better than constantly feeling like a bear with a sore head - literally… Poor bears with sore heads… No wonder they're so vicious…
After the first few days of not being able to take the pain anymore, I went back to the clinic and had the aligners shaved back a bit, which gave some relief, but I guess this princess just needed to toughen up a bit in the end. Great tip though, as for the second set, I got out the nail file and smoothed back the edges I knew were problematic from the first lot and had little trouble with them.
I'm now into a pretty good routine with the aligners and proud of how easily I can pop them in and out! Since starting to read the various blogs on this site, I've taken on the advice of PreOrtho and made up the homemade mouthwash, which tastes disgusting but makes so much sense. Thank you PreOrtho!! I religiously use the little Piksters dental brushes several times a day and they are a godsend for discreetly being able to tidy up if I'm out and about and don't have time for the full routine, and of course I brush and floss a few times a day. I don't think my teeth and gums have ever been in better shape. I'm being totally compliant and although I don't time it, I'm definitely getting in more than 22 hours a day so far.
It wasn't a given that I was able to qualify to get treated with Invisalign as I had some gum disease and bone deterioration which I needed to get under control before I got the go-ahead, so it took the better part of a year of extra discipline with my dental hygiene before my dentist allowed me to get started, and the additional routine now is something I'll no doubt stick with post the course. I think the fact it wasn't my right to be able to get Invisalign will ensure I stay true to the program and remain vigilant thereafter, as I feel I had to earn it!
It'll be interesting over the next few weeks, as I'm in a fairly public role with my work, and given the silly season was in full swing when I first started, I haven't had a chance to fully road-test my public speaking skills as yet. I'm back at work after a couple of weeks' Chrissy break on Thursday, so I guess I'll find out soon enough.
My brother's 50th was a few days ago and I gave a speech, and was a bit self-conscious of my lisp, but got past it. For the most part it's pretty subtle - it's just new to me, but getting less of an issue as each day passes. I think these things are definitely more the problem of the speaker than the one listening. Anyway, I think it's a shot at being a bit more humble, which, given the total self-indulgence of Invisalign, is a bit of an oxymoron and probably something I need to learn how to do better!
Anyhoo, to quote a common phrase I hear often these days, "First world problems…"!!
As of today, I'm Week 3 into my Invisalign program. I've got 22 aligners for the top and 18 for the bottom, with my dentist recommending 2 weeks per aligner. I don't have a huge problem, but I've always been self-conscious about my smile, as my top two front teeth kind of indent and I don't have an overbite, so my top lip curls under when I speak or smile. Vanity!!! So the idea is that my bottom teeth will be pulled back and my top will be rounded forward and pushed out a bit, along with my upper lip. Sorry - I don't have the technical terms for all of this!
I have a +20 year old veneer on my top right hand front tooth, so the attachment on that is the biggest of them all which isn't ideal, but I'm getting used to it. I have 14 attachments in total - 8 on top and 6 on bottom. It was a bit of a shock that they were a part of this process at all, and I have to admit that if I'm in a social situation, I'll tell whoever I'm talking to that I'm on Invisalign, so I can put it out there and get over my own self-consciousness that they might be staring at my lumps, wondering if I've got grubby teeth with bits stuck to them. Again - vanity!!!
Once I've finished this whole caper, I'm going to get a new veneer which will be shaped properly and then all of my teeth whitened to be consistent. I started a whitening treatment a few months back, but it wasn't worth going beyond the initial phase, as the veneer doesn't bleach, so I didn't want a case where everything else looked all white and shiny but the veneer was dull and dark. So I'll just have to wait until the end for that glittering prize!
My first two weeks were nothing shy of horrendous. I had the first set fitted on 15 December and after a couple of days I had developed ulcers on my tongue and gums which made the week before Christmas with umpteen social/business functions hard to bear (read - hell) and I was downright miserable. First time in my life I've been the first to leave a party - never mind several of them - and it was noted!! I regretted starting when I did at the time, but in hindsight, there's never a good time to start so I'm glad I've pushed through the pain barrier of what is possibly the hardest time of the year to get going with Invisalign.
I existed on strong painkillers and Kenalog paste to put over the ulcers in the first week and a bit, and was later recommended some Difflam numbing mouthwash by my chemist, which despite the fact everything tasted foul, it was better than constantly feeling like a bear with a sore head - literally… Poor bears with sore heads… No wonder they're so vicious…
After the first few days of not being able to take the pain anymore, I went back to the clinic and had the aligners shaved back a bit, which gave some relief, but I guess this princess just needed to toughen up a bit in the end. Great tip though, as for the second set, I got out the nail file and smoothed back the edges I knew were problematic from the first lot and had little trouble with them.
I'm now into a pretty good routine with the aligners and proud of how easily I can pop them in and out! Since starting to read the various blogs on this site, I've taken on the advice of PreOrtho and made up the homemade mouthwash, which tastes disgusting but makes so much sense. Thank you PreOrtho!! I religiously use the little Piksters dental brushes several times a day and they are a godsend for discreetly being able to tidy up if I'm out and about and don't have time for the full routine, and of course I brush and floss a few times a day. I don't think my teeth and gums have ever been in better shape. I'm being totally compliant and although I don't time it, I'm definitely getting in more than 22 hours a day so far.
It wasn't a given that I was able to qualify to get treated with Invisalign as I had some gum disease and bone deterioration which I needed to get under control before I got the go-ahead, so it took the better part of a year of extra discipline with my dental hygiene before my dentist allowed me to get started, and the additional routine now is something I'll no doubt stick with post the course. I think the fact it wasn't my right to be able to get Invisalign will ensure I stay true to the program and remain vigilant thereafter, as I feel I had to earn it!
It'll be interesting over the next few weeks, as I'm in a fairly public role with my work, and given the silly season was in full swing when I first started, I haven't had a chance to fully road-test my public speaking skills as yet. I'm back at work after a couple of weeks' Chrissy break on Thursday, so I guess I'll find out soon enough.
My brother's 50th was a few days ago and I gave a speech, and was a bit self-conscious of my lisp, but got past it. For the most part it's pretty subtle - it's just new to me, but getting less of an issue as each day passes. I think these things are definitely more the problem of the speaker than the one listening. Anyway, I think it's a shot at being a bit more humble, which, given the total self-indulgence of Invisalign, is a bit of an oxymoron and probably something I need to learn how to do better!
Anyhoo, to quote a common phrase I hear often these days, "First world problems…"!!
I gave up smoking last year - I can say that now...
I gave up smoking last year - I can say that now that it's 2015 and it feels GOOD... That was in March 2014, so I'm over 9 months into my quit. In Australia, ciggies are horrendously expensive. My habit cost me around $20 a day, and they've since risen to about $25 a day for the amount I was smoking. Invisalign is a rewarding and positive way to spend the cash I'm saving!!
Provider Review
Dr Omelia Wan
She da bomb!!