POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
30 Years Old, Pregnant, and Finally Got Invisalign! Lancaster, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I am a 30 year old mother of 3 boys (6, 4 and 2)...
WORTH IT$5,100
I am a 30 year old mother of 3 boys (6, 4 and 2) and I'm currently 7 1/2 months pregnant with a little girl. I have always had crowded, slightly crooked teeth but I tried not to let it bother me much when I was younger. After I got pregnant, about 6 months ago, I noticed a drastic change in my bite. Suddenly, and almost overnight it seemed, I had what felt like a huge open bite. It worried me that I would have such a drastic shift in my teeth so quickly but mostly I was having a difficult time eating because of the open bite. A few months after I noticed the change my husband and I were completing our yearly health benefits enrollment where I discovered that our dental insurance would pay more than half of the cost of orthodontic treatment for me. I immediately made an appointment with an orthodontist, who I loved! He said he thought I was a perfect candidate for Invisalign and it was his favorite way to fix the issues I was facing. He also explained that my bite changed suddenly for a couple of reasons. 1. Being pregnant my body is producing massive amounts of hormones that are meant specifically to loosen joints (to allow the body to give birth). He explained that where teeth attach in your mouth are actually joints and the extra hormones had most likely allowed for my teeth to move so easily. 2. I had been pressing my tongue against my teeth (tongue thrust) when I swallow and also when I felt stressed. My tongue was causing this awful open bite!
For financial reasons (I had to put down a deposit to start) I wasn't able to start right away. Once we had the money saved up for my deposit I went in and had the digital scan done of my mouth. I loved that I didn't need x-rays because I didn't want to expose my baby to the radiation. After that I waited!
I had weighed the pros and cons of starting treatment while pregnant before I signed up. I decided that #1 my husband was on board now for me to do it so I had better start it in case life got in the way of that. #2 I was already uncomfortable from the pregnancy, why not just get it over with? #3 I spoke to my aunt who was about 10 months into her own invisalign treatment who said that she thought I would be able to handle it. #4 I loved that I would have the ability to take the aligners out during labor/delivery/recovery and I could have a break here and there from the treatment. Obviously with traditional braces I wouldn't be able to do that.
It took about 6 weeks for my first sets of aligners to come in and I started my treatment on 8/26/14. I will have 36 sets of aligners all together. I noticed the moment I popped the first aligners in my mouth that this was not going to be a painless or easy process! I honestly had to fight back some anxiety about having all the plastic in my mouth. By the time I got home that evening I was really questioning whether I would be able to stick to this for the next year or so. I was in pain, not only from my teeth being moved but I had already developed sores on my tongue from some rough edges on the aligner. My husband was very encouraging, and has been great through this whole process! He had traditional metal braces as a teenager and made sure I knew he understood the discomfort and frustration I was feeling. By the next morning my whole mouth was aching, and being 7 months pregnant I was only allowed to take regular tylenol for the pain. I was wishing for some ibuprofen that day!! By the next afternoon I felt drained. I know I am chasing 3 young boys and I'm in the 3rd trimester, but I couldn't even talk. I wound up on the couch asleep by the time my husband got home that afternoon. The next few days were similar. There was much pain, and many mouth/tongue sores to deal with on top of adjusting to my new lisp.
To top off my glorious first week I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes 3 days after getting my first aligners. All the soft foods I wanted to eat (mashed potatoes, bread, pasta, ice cream etc.) were suddenly off limits to me. My high risk doctor told me I needed to up my protein intake by a massive amount and to "EAT MEAT!!" The last thing I wanted was to try to chew through any kind of meat! I also have been subjected to finger pricks to check my blood sugar 4 x's a day, which has been lovely on top of the mouth discomfort. I have been determined to continue with my treatment AND have a healthy pregnancy so I'm being creative with my protein intake. My diet also requires me to snack between every meal, which means I'm brushing my teeth every couple of hours. It's getting old.
I stuck out the first week like a champ though. By my 7th day of treatment I had noticed a huge difference in my bite already and could tell I could eat more easily. I went ahead and took some updated pictures and couldn't believe what I saw! There was already a massive change in the way my teeth looked to me. On top of that, because I'm bruising 8+ x's a day my teeth were noticeably whiter. This was exactly what I needed to feel confident that this was the right decision for me. I know the process is going to be long, but I will only be pregnant another couple of months and I know it will be easier after I have the baby. I'm excited to finally have a smile I'm proud of and now that I feel like I've adjusted I'm looking forward to my next set of aligners!
Two weeks after my second set of aligners go in I will go back to my orthodontist to have the buttons put on. I hope I don't change my mind after that...I will have 6 across the top and at least 4 across the bottom. I hope I will have time to keep this updated throughout my process. This website really helped me make my final decision on whether invisalign was going to be right for me or not. I loved reading all the stories, and seeing the before/after and progress photos. I'm going to post my before pictures and after 1 week of treatment pictures. Anyone else see the difference?
For financial reasons (I had to put down a deposit to start) I wasn't able to start right away. Once we had the money saved up for my deposit I went in and had the digital scan done of my mouth. I loved that I didn't need x-rays because I didn't want to expose my baby to the radiation. After that I waited!
I had weighed the pros and cons of starting treatment while pregnant before I signed up. I decided that #1 my husband was on board now for me to do it so I had better start it in case life got in the way of that. #2 I was already uncomfortable from the pregnancy, why not just get it over with? #3 I spoke to my aunt who was about 10 months into her own invisalign treatment who said that she thought I would be able to handle it. #4 I loved that I would have the ability to take the aligners out during labor/delivery/recovery and I could have a break here and there from the treatment. Obviously with traditional braces I wouldn't be able to do that.
It took about 6 weeks for my first sets of aligners to come in and I started my treatment on 8/26/14. I will have 36 sets of aligners all together. I noticed the moment I popped the first aligners in my mouth that this was not going to be a painless or easy process! I honestly had to fight back some anxiety about having all the plastic in my mouth. By the time I got home that evening I was really questioning whether I would be able to stick to this for the next year or so. I was in pain, not only from my teeth being moved but I had already developed sores on my tongue from some rough edges on the aligner. My husband was very encouraging, and has been great through this whole process! He had traditional metal braces as a teenager and made sure I knew he understood the discomfort and frustration I was feeling. By the next morning my whole mouth was aching, and being 7 months pregnant I was only allowed to take regular tylenol for the pain. I was wishing for some ibuprofen that day!! By the next afternoon I felt drained. I know I am chasing 3 young boys and I'm in the 3rd trimester, but I couldn't even talk. I wound up on the couch asleep by the time my husband got home that afternoon. The next few days were similar. There was much pain, and many mouth/tongue sores to deal with on top of adjusting to my new lisp.
To top off my glorious first week I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes 3 days after getting my first aligners. All the soft foods I wanted to eat (mashed potatoes, bread, pasta, ice cream etc.) were suddenly off limits to me. My high risk doctor told me I needed to up my protein intake by a massive amount and to "EAT MEAT!!" The last thing I wanted was to try to chew through any kind of meat! I also have been subjected to finger pricks to check my blood sugar 4 x's a day, which has been lovely on top of the mouth discomfort. I have been determined to continue with my treatment AND have a healthy pregnancy so I'm being creative with my protein intake. My diet also requires me to snack between every meal, which means I'm brushing my teeth every couple of hours. It's getting old.
I stuck out the first week like a champ though. By my 7th day of treatment I had noticed a huge difference in my bite already and could tell I could eat more easily. I went ahead and took some updated pictures and couldn't believe what I saw! There was already a massive change in the way my teeth looked to me. On top of that, because I'm bruising 8+ x's a day my teeth were noticeably whiter. This was exactly what I needed to feel confident that this was the right decision for me. I know the process is going to be long, but I will only be pregnant another couple of months and I know it will be easier after I have the baby. I'm excited to finally have a smile I'm proud of and now that I feel like I've adjusted I'm looking forward to my next set of aligners!
Two weeks after my second set of aligners go in I will go back to my orthodontist to have the buttons put on. I hope I don't change my mind after that...I will have 6 across the top and at least 4 across the bottom. I hope I will have time to keep this updated throughout my process. This website really helped me make my final decision on whether invisalign was going to be right for me or not. I loved reading all the stories, and seeing the before/after and progress photos. I'm going to post my before pictures and after 1 week of treatment pictures. Anyone else see the difference?
martimimartin's provider
Replies (2)
UPDATED FROM martimimartin
1 month post
On to tray 3 with attachments!
Just as I thought - I haven't been able to update as often as I would like but that's just the life of a homeschooling, pregnant, mom of 3 boys!
I adjusted fairly quickly to wearing the aligners although it has been a challenge with my gestational diabetes to eat as frequently as my doctor would like. For my GD diet I am supposed to eat at least 6 times a day. Taking out the aligners, eating, brushing and putting them back in has been a huge pain in the butt and honestly I find myself not eating nearly as often as I am supposed to because of it. Between the GD diet and the invisalign I haven't gained any weight in the past 6 weeks in spite of being 32 weeks pregnant. My doctor is not concerned and the way I see it it's less I have to lose later so whatever. I'm looking forward to being able to leave my aligners in and having to eat/brush as often once the baby is born.
I received my 3rd set of aligners and had the attachments put on my teeth on 9/22/14. I have quite a few of them. There are across my 6 upper teeth with 2 each on the canine teeth and on 4 of my bottom teeth. I noticed after the first day that one of the attachments on my lower teeth has already come off so I have to deal with getting that fixed as soon as I have time. I guess I got off lucky because initially I was supposed to have even more attachments as I can see on my aligners but my orthodontist decided I could do with less. I don't see the attachments much when the aligners are out but when they are in they look pretty prominent to me. I was a little disappointed but this is a part of the journey so I'm sucking it up and dealing with it.
Pain-wise O.M.G. I feel a whole new level of discomfort now that the attachments are on. I can really feel the pressure on a few of my teeth leading me to believe they are working!! Taking them out is the worst part of the pain but luckily that only lasts a few seconds. I noticed today when I woke up the roof of my mouth is swollen and puffy so I need to check to see if the aligners are rubbing on my gums or if it's a byproduct of my heavy handed flossing.
These trays have definitely been the hardest to adjust to so far. I am trying my best to keep them in as much as possible because I know that the more often I have them in the faster the discomfort will go away. As far as how my teeth look I didn't see a huge difference with tray 2 like I did tray 1 but I think my orthodontist really likes his patients to get used to a full month of aligners before he adds the attachments so they don't go running screaming for the hills haha. I probably would have! I have seen some minor changes with the 3rd trays but I have only worn them for a couple of days. I will add some pics!
I adjusted fairly quickly to wearing the aligners although it has been a challenge with my gestational diabetes to eat as frequently as my doctor would like. For my GD diet I am supposed to eat at least 6 times a day. Taking out the aligners, eating, brushing and putting them back in has been a huge pain in the butt and honestly I find myself not eating nearly as often as I am supposed to because of it. Between the GD diet and the invisalign I haven't gained any weight in the past 6 weeks in spite of being 32 weeks pregnant. My doctor is not concerned and the way I see it it's less I have to lose later so whatever. I'm looking forward to being able to leave my aligners in and having to eat/brush as often once the baby is born.
I received my 3rd set of aligners and had the attachments put on my teeth on 9/22/14. I have quite a few of them. There are across my 6 upper teeth with 2 each on the canine teeth and on 4 of my bottom teeth. I noticed after the first day that one of the attachments on my lower teeth has already come off so I have to deal with getting that fixed as soon as I have time. I guess I got off lucky because initially I was supposed to have even more attachments as I can see on my aligners but my orthodontist decided I could do with less. I don't see the attachments much when the aligners are out but when they are in they look pretty prominent to me. I was a little disappointed but this is a part of the journey so I'm sucking it up and dealing with it.
Pain-wise O.M.G. I feel a whole new level of discomfort now that the attachments are on. I can really feel the pressure on a few of my teeth leading me to believe they are working!! Taking them out is the worst part of the pain but luckily that only lasts a few seconds. I noticed today when I woke up the roof of my mouth is swollen and puffy so I need to check to see if the aligners are rubbing on my gums or if it's a byproduct of my heavy handed flossing.
These trays have definitely been the hardest to adjust to so far. I am trying my best to keep them in as much as possible because I know that the more often I have them in the faster the discomfort will go away. As far as how my teeth look I didn't see a huge difference with tray 2 like I did tray 1 but I think my orthodontist really likes his patients to get used to a full month of aligners before he adds the attachments so they don't go running screaming for the hills haha. I probably would have! I have seen some minor changes with the 3rd trays but I have only worn them for a couple of days. I will add some pics!
Replies (3)
September 25, 2014
wow yeah I see the difference too! and major props for being able to juggle so many things.
you're a super mom and can't wait to read more updates :) :)
September 26, 2014
I forgot to mention the whole putting an aligner in for the first time just before bed--so you don't have to take it out for at least 8 hours. I hope your doctor already mentioned that.
And hey, I'm a homeschooling mom, too! I only have three girls and there will be no more children, but seriously, I have a good idea of your pain. We're currently going through assessments with two of them as well, for special needs. My brain is fried.
Good luck in everything, and we'll look forward to hearing updates whenever you have the time :).
And hey, I'm a homeschooling mom, too! I only have three girls and there will be no more children, but seriously, I have a good idea of your pain. We're currently going through assessments with two of them as well, for special needs. My brain is fried.
Good luck in everything, and we'll look forward to hearing updates whenever you have the time :).
October 16, 2014
Hoping things have calmed down with the pain since the last time you posted :)!
PreOrtho also had a tongue thrust when she started. She said she'd start exercises for that along with her treatment but I don't know if she ever completed it. Her treatment is nearly over--she's got 5 aligners left and maybe a refinement. She's also super nice, and a great font of wisdom :D.
I think it's fascinating that the relaxin can affect teeth. I feel like I remember someone else on here having a massive change in her teeth after pregnancy but the name has currently slipped my mind. It seems like it would mean faster movement as well while in the aligners, but also faster slippage when you're out of the aligners. It might even out. Definitely curious to see how that goes!
Getting used to the buttons will be a lot like getting used to the first tray was. There may be some sores. Have some ortho wax on hand--you shouldn't need more than one small tray.
I have a friend who went through gestational diabetes--all that same stuff you talked about. Normally I'd say caring for a newborn with Invisalign would be more difficult than being pregnant (late stages) with Invisalign, but not in your case. The gestational diabetes is a huge bother, and it will likely be a relief caring for a newborn after that! Plus, you're a pro with three others, so yeah, I think it'll lighten the load for you :D.
So exciting! I hope you keep updating us! And yes, I do see a huge difference already!