Second Time Around?! - Baltimore, MD
I had braces when I was 15 but only for a year...
I had braces when I was 15 but only for a year (yippeee!!). Like most, I didn't wear my retainers after the braces came off - too painful at night - so my teeth shifted. At 22 I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed so more shifting. At around 25 - 27 I had another set of retainers made hoping I'd be more diligent since I was older...NOT! LOL!!
Since then, I've noticed how self-conscious I've become after looking at photos of myself. I have a huge smile - almost all 32 - but I love to smile! I love to laugh so I knew I needed to do something. I didn't want to go back through braces and fight the retainer thing again. I realized my new dentist also does Invisalign so I decided to jump!
I knew about Invisalign but didn't do much research before agreeing to the treatment. I had no idea about the attachments. I believe that was the most painful part of the process - just kidding! It did take a while putting them on but I don't have too many - 3 on each side so that's 12 teeth total (maybe that is a lot now that I've counted).
So far, so good! Yes, the first new trays are painful but because you put them on before bed, I just take Ibuprofen - no problem! I'm truly excited to see how this all turns out. I think there might be more refinement or "fine tuning" at the end of the 15 trays (30 weeks) cause I couldn't really tell the final look from the video.
My insurance covers adult orthodontia so it was a reduced amount - ~$3500 instead of $5000. Insurance gives $1500 towards that amount. The rest I was planning to use from my FSA.
I'm only on my 2nd set of trays and haven't seen much difference. I can only tell because of the tightness of the teeth when placing in the new aligners so that must mean something's moving. I did have problems with the cleaning part but after reading some reviews / posts from doctors on this site, went with plain liquid soap instead of toothpaste. I've ordered the retainer brite to use so we'll see if that continues to keep the abrasive factor out of the equation and help with any type of buildup.
I just want to be happy with my smile. I plan to have them whitened just a tad when all is said & done. I will post updates!
ShanJohn_NC's provider
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Halfway There...
It came to light that I've been drinking clear liquids with my aligners in (white wine, lemonade, etc)...a HUGE no no!! I was focused on the fact the liquid was clear (no staining) when in actuality the sugar in those drinks are just sitting on my teeth taking their toll (forgot the exact medical term)...sigh...
Now this really puts me in a quandry (sp?) with respect to the 22hr goal. I was already below this line but it will be even more difficult since I can't even drink wine with the aligners in (like as I sit here typing this update)...
My dentist is happy with the movement and is more excited than I am - or at least until she showed me my starting point. Now I'm excited!! Progress indeed...
I just wanted to send the warning shot to those in the same boat as me thinking they can get away with drinking anything other than water with their aligners in place. You've been warned!! ;-)
If you've made it to your second set and aren't having any difficulty getting used to the trays you will probably (hopefully, don't want to jinx you, haha!) be just fine. Its amazing what getting into our 30's does for discipline and ability to comply, isn't it. ;)
Can't wait to hear when you start to see some changes!!