Diary of an Invisalign User - Gold Coast, Australia

DAY ONE!!!

I'll try to keep this regularly updated.

Background on me: 45 year old male with teeth that look straight out of a Dickens screenplay (see copies of scans attached). No fillings as Ive always brushed & flossed, just overcrowded to the point where Im biting my upper lip inadvertantly when I eat. Did my research, chose Invisaline because they will hopefully have minimum impact on my worklife. I'm in corporate software sales and do a lot of presentations so need to look and sound professional. No time for unflattering braces or lisping.

I was told I'll need 29 trays top and bottom over about 16 months. After that Ill need a permanent wire across the back of both sets of teeth, plus a night retainer to stop it all moving back and returning me to my sharkboy profile.

So, got my first three sets of trays today. Got an accelledent as well, plus a load of extras (electric toothbrush, water bottle, cases, nail file, removal tool). Was given about a half-hour introduction from a dental assistant to insertion and removal, plus care & cleaning tips.

As this is the first tray they have not put the buttons on my teeth yet - that comes in a fortnight. Impressions so far:

Not too bad. I notice them allright, but there's certainly no pain as others have described. Ive got to be aware not to "feel" the sharp edge of the tray with my tongue. It already rubs when I swallow - and with these in your funhole you swallow a lot. I've had to modify the way I swallow to avoid a sore tongue. My lower lip is also rubbing on an edge, Ill have to see how that turns out. I spent the day sipping from a glass of water and that really helped.

Aside from the edges, the are quite smooth and slippy and actually feel quite nice with some nice give in them when you bite down. My lower teeth always felt quite sharp on my tongue - especially the underside - and could actually cut it depending what I was up to (enough said about that) but the trays provide a nice smooth cover.

My wife was very happy with the fact you cant see them at all but made a few frank observations when I took them out at the table before dinner, stating in no uncertain terms that I wasn't to do that at restaurants or when we had company as It looks like I'm removing dentures. Ill have to plan ahead for work lunches. I actually got anxious about losing my first eight hours of gains taking them out to eat and hurried to brush my teeth and replace the trays.

The accelledent was surprisingly gentle - it was fully charged, but didn't buzz as much as I was expecting. Turns out from some googling that this is how its meant to be.

OK A few notes on how I fared in the first week:

1. The first couple of days are the worst. Tooth soreness & annoyance factor are the main things but after day three Id gotten over that. You get used to it pretty quick.

2. They need cleaning. They build up plaque the same as your teeth, and you can see it in the trays. It also smells & tastes funky so keep the brushed clean. I thought it was the plastic discoloring due to stress at first but it turned out to be plaque. This was despite never eating or drinking anything other than water with them in, brushing immediatley after eating or drinking anything else, and rinsing them after removal and before re-inserting.

3. My water bottle has become my best friend. Regularly sipping from it keeps my mouth comfortable and breath fresh. I also carry toothpaste & a brush everywhere - a smal tube 3/4 empty folds up neatly into my jeans pocket if I dont have a bag to carry. My teeth look whiter already with the extra brushing

4. There's a sweet spot on the acceledent that vibrates your teeth the most effectively. If you bite too firmly it doesnt work well at all- you only need light pressure.

5. They are totally invisible when worn. No one at all has seen them without me removing them first. I'll be interested to see how this changes once the aligning dots and rubber bands go on in a few weeks.

End of Week Four was yesterday and I got my dots on 24 hours ago.

Not real happy right now.

Uncomfortable process, especially when my teeth were polished & they kept hitting sensitive spots. I'm normally pretty zen about dental treatment but this took a lot of deep breathing and retreating to my "happy place". An hour later It was all over. This in itself was par for the course and I was expecting it, but the aftermath is a different kettle of teeth.

The first thing I noticed immediately after was the dots won't let me close my bite. I thought they had left some of the dot compound in the grooves of my teeth by accident and I tried unsuccessfully to pick it out with my fingernails. Right away I mentioned the fact I can't close my bite and so cannot chew, but was advised that this is a necessary part of the treatment to correct my bite and allow my lower back teeth to adjust.

I've tried to eat three meals since, and find it very difficult. As I can no longer chew properly, I have to try and mash the food against my teeth with my tongue. I get half chewed food stuck up between my cheeks and my back teeth and have to wait until after eating to hurry to the bathroom to brush it out. This is going to be very awkward as I entertain a lot with my job and business meals are a daily occurrence. I'm going to have to stick with soup & pasta.

The dots and guards are noticeable. Previously no-one could see them, but the very first person I saw after getting them asked me what I had on my teeth. My better half is not happy with the look. I'm also lisping a lot, as air gets in the back of the guard and bubbles up around the front.

I can only hope this settles down quickly and my ability to chew returns. I dont know If Ill be up for this if it it takes 18 months. Ill post an update in a week to report on how it's progressing.