40 and Ready to Smile - New York

Allegedly. No really I think I'm down to the final four trays! My doctor is going to have to make a very very very compelling case for more refinements. I'm. So. Over. This. Not that it's bad any more. It's actually so manageable it's boring. The thrill is completely gone. I just want to move on with a plastic free mouth. That's all.

So you guys...501 days later I have only 29 days until I go in, get these bloody attachments removed, and get molds made for my retainer.

Allegedly.

Oh, and some gum surgery but I'm just going to put that out of my head for now. I'll be sedated and stuff. It'll be a super nice nap and when I'm done, brand new gums and painkillers.

The happy news is I should be daytime plastic free by late summer, just in time for a friend's wedding! Oh how I remember the early days of Invisalign looking at my ClinCheck and seeing how major social events would coincide with my progress. Oh how far I've come.

Let's recap the 501 days, shall we?

- Four wisdom teeth removed, and I can't remember how many childhood fillings replaced. 73?
- Originally scheduled for 34 trays with significant IPR
- Significant Xanax required for said IPR because I'm a wimpy wimp
- Early days marked by Advil and obsessively watching my ClinCheck
- Considered calling the whole thing off and getting everything pulled for full dentures
- Freaked out over foaming nature of Zoom Whitening Gel and thought I might die as a result
- Discovered brushing your teeth in airports and airplanes is awful
- Realized how many unisex washrooms exist in NYC restaurants
- By Tray 15 I was a pro and laughing with my mouth open
- By Tray 20 I was on vacation, taking selfies with an open mouth smile
- 9 months in before somebody asked me if I was wearing braces and I ecstatically confirmed
- Somewhere in there my original doctor left and I inherited a new doctor
- Somewhere in there I also got a new phone and lost my immediate ClinCheck video access
- At Tray 21 we stopped and started a new plan. Attachments off. New molds. Whole thing
- Plan 2 came in at 26 trays, more attachments including front teeth, no IPR and AcceleDent!
- At Tray 12 one tooth was being a jerk so...IPR, new molds, new plan involving rubber bands
- Before new trays came in, Tray 12 SNAPPED so went back to Tray 11. Meltdown commenced
- Plan 3 came in at 13 trays with a nighttime rubber band hack to help along my jerky tooth
- Rubber band hack hurt but worked
- Now on third different type of whitening gel which is less foamy. I miss the foam though

And today, here we are 42 trays later, at Tray 10 staring down my last month. Also I once went to a organic food street festival with my dentist after running into her on the street.

If you're reading this, considering whether or not you should go ahead with Invisalign...do it. Yes it's expensive. Yes, it hurts in the beginning. Yes, it drags on FOREVER. Yes you will question if it was a mistake. Yes, there's way too many travel tubes of toothpaste, travel toothbrushes, floss, and mouthwash to be bought.

And yes, at some point you'll wonder why you didn't do it years ago. And yes, yes you will feel a happiness that is realer and deeper than before because finally you feel free to openly express it.

Totally worth it.

That's it for me, for now. See you at the finish line.

On Tuesday I went in to pick up trays 13 through whatever. I had felt that bottom tray 12 wasn't seating well enough, especially over the one stupid tooth on my right side that had so far to come back and get pulled up. And I was right. So I was asked to give it a few more days to see if that helped - with the warning that more IPR might be needed.

So I went in this morning nice and anxious, and that one stupid tooth is still being stupid. So I got a little IPR on a few teeth, nothing insane, though nothing that I'd call pleasant. And then...my third set of scans and impressions. My mouth was wide open like a dead trout for so long, and it's so cold here, that my lips are still recovering from being dry and cracked.

The plan is to resubmit for a new bottom with hopefully a bigger attachment, but also we're moving to a rubber band solution. I feel like I'll never be done with this. Because of one. stupid. tooth.

Good news? They didn't have to take off all the attachments to do the impressions, and the new bottom trays will probably only require replacing one or two. Because getting the attachments off was also not one of my favorite things. Definitely enough spacing to finish up so really no IPR. And my top teeth are looking ah-mazing. Like honestly if my top teeth were my starting teeth, with even some movement needed, I don't know that I would have done anything about them.

Happy New Year! Month 14 of Invisalign in progress.

This is tray set 9 of 26 of my mid-course correction to avoid the dreaded IPR and with the introduction of Acceledent. With the original 21 I had already completed that's 30 trays TOTAL complete and 17 to go. Phew!

So far this round has been pretty easy. I've had a few icky transitions but nothing like I used to. If you can handle the cost of Acceledent, do it. Not just because time gets cut in half, though I won't lie to you people that part is amazing. But because there's so much less pain, and my teeth seem to be tracking with the trays much better with it. And my teeth were moving really well before. I love this thing.

There's literally nothing else to report aside from the fact that I open mouth smile all the time in pics. It's vulgar almost! Showing off this smile of mine. Here's a side by side of the very beginning and just 15 minutes ago. Why didn't I do this years ago!?!?!