Crowded teeth with bonding - Invisalign/Acceledent journey at 34

The past 6 weeks since my initial consultation have been the longest 6 weeks of my life! Seriously, it seemed like forever! :) I had my scans, clincheck, and I have a life too, but all I could think of is getting my aligners. I've been waiting for this moment for so long…This morning I went in, I was like a little girl all excited. I was given all info needed, got Tray 1/28+Refinements, and the device to speed up my treatment, Acceledent. I was actually quite familiar with everything, thanks to all of you, writing about your experiences! :)My day has been going well, no pain, just pressure and a bit of a lisp. My tongue is doing ok after exploring everything that's been new in there, no cuts or sores, the edges of this aligner seem to be fine. This week is just about easing into treatment, getting used to things I guess.I will be receiving Tray 2 (and few more) next Tuesday, since I'm changing aligners every 7 days. That week will be surely challenging, as I will be getting about 12 attachments and IPR. Oh well. It's ridiculous, but the thing I'm really nervous about, is how bad it's going to look…Also, I have a bonding situation. It's been there for many years. Bulky and ugly from underneath, but it makes my teeth look straighter…from a distance. :)My upper teeth are really crowded,overlapping, and I just really wouldn't have felt comfortable with removing the bonding all at once. I'm glad my orthodontist has offered to remove it gradually as my teeth get straighter. I know it's going to be tricky,but I'm hoping for the best.Anyone else starting this spring?Last edited 05/19/16

I can’t say I feel pretty, but the attachments (11) look better than expected. The procedure didn’t take long, maybe half an hour or so, no pain, no discomfort. Honestly, even the IPR was fine. It felt sort of good, I could feel that little space opening up in between my teeth, and I was thinking, finally, I will be able to floss properly! Yay! :) The attachments are not too bulky, and they don’t seem to be too sharp either. We’ll see. It just feels like there is food stuck all over my teeth. I guess it will take some time to get used to them. It’s also a bit harder to take the aligners out, but I haven’t needed the outie tool yet.

Hope it’s not going to be tricky eating out, though. Last weekend was fine with Tray 1 without attachments. I was able to fit everything I needed in a clutch, managed to enjoy my food and wine without rushing (only had breakfast those mornings) and after dinner just brushed and rinsed really quick in public/private restrooms. Later at home, I gave my aligners a Brite-bath, and did the daily ‘brush-floss-periostick-waterpik/mouthwash’ routine. It was fine. Hope things stay the same now that I have the attachments. Mirror will be needed for sure!

I do feel pretty self-conscious, but never liked my smile anyway, so I figured, few more months of not smiling properly, trying not to expose my teeth too much while speaking, or covering them with my hands, will be ok. :) Can not wait to finish though, I’ve been wanting straight, healthy, beautiful teeth for so long!

I’m really puzzled. And a bit frustrated. We had a birthday get-together yesterday and I had to take my aligners out to be able to chat with friends! These pesky air bubbles wouldn’t give me a break, kept popping all over my front teeth!! Soooo annoying! When I was on Tray 1, I thought the aligners must be loose, since it happened couple of days before changing to Tray 2. Then again, the same thing happened. But now, I’ve just switched to Tray 3! Unreal. The funny thing is, this is the last thing I’ve expected. I thought I’m going to be in pain, will be on soup diet, have mouth sores and heavy lisp… but air bubbles??