I have never liked my smile. It is very gummy, my front upper teeth are crooked and my teeth look very small. I lost a lower molar about 20 years ago and recently noticed that my teeth were starting to move to fill the void. Before getting an implant to replace the molar, I wanted to have my teeth straightened and whitened. I also wanted all the work done before I retire and am on a fixed income. After much research (much on this site) and many YouTube videos, I decided to get Invisalign Aligners from Dr. Brodsky, whose practice is in the top 1% in the country per the Invisalign web site. My insurance does not pay for braces, so I'm paying for them with part cash and part credit card. I received my first tray (of 16) yesterday (8-11-2014). I was originally told I would have 20-22 trays, so only having 16 makes me very happy. The trays are very snug but I have no pain. I did have to file the front of lower tray because it was going to rub my inner lip raw... I got it before it did. I do feel like the center of my lower lip is a little numb and I hope is temporary. In one month I will get my attachments with tray 3, 13 total per the ClinCheck video. Updated on 25 Aug 2014: I switched to tray #2 after my last meal yesterday. As with tray #1, the aligners are a little snug but not painful. After day 3, tray #1 was no longer snug feeling. This morning tray #2 is already feeling less snug. This leaves me a little concerned. So many people write about needing to take ibuprofen because their aligners are so tight. I'm not having that issue at all. Either my teeth move very easily and quickly or the aligners are making some very very small changes. Maybe once my attachments are added (in 2 weeks) my story will be different. I'll post more pics after the attachments are added. :-) Updated on 25 Aug 2014: I forgot to mention that I my mouth ad lips are very dry, so matter how much water I drink. After some Googling, I find that this is common, so I'm not that concerned. I am finding it a challenge to be able to find a place to brush and floss on the days that I work (I'm freelance). I'm not always in a place with potable water, so I have to make sure I have bottled water and some hand sanitizer. I found a recommendation for CloSYS mouthwash that should help me make sure I get my mouth clean on those hard to brush days. I also use Retainer Brite twice a day on the aligners. I brush the aligners with the foam created from the little sonic cleaner that came with the Retainer Brite kit. I saw no discoloration on my #1 trays in comparison to the #2 trays by doing this. I had ordered a 2 year supply from Amazon when I thought I was going to be in the aligners for 18 months, so I have plenty to spare.
