Severe Crowding and Ready for Perfect Teeth! New Jersey, NJ

I've always wanted straight teeth but kept pushing off getting braces. Unfortunately, a lot of time has passed and I'm in my mid 20's now wondering why I didn't just do it when I was in middle school. When I heard Invisalign was an option for me, I jumped on the opportunity since I wouldn't have to wear the metal braces. My orthodontist is great and really accomodating which is making this process a bit easier.

I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth out the week prior to getting my Invisalign trays (on purpose- it was painful). My back molars are supposed to be pushed back further to fill the hole during the recovery process to create more space. I have attachments on almost every tooth with the exception of my back teeth which I got put on the first day. I also have brackets on my bottom tray to use elastics daily as well. I have 92 trays (I change trays weekly instead of biweekly which I prefer) but towards the last 6 months of my treatment I'll be changing trays every 5 days to speed up the process.

This is my third full day on Invisalign and my tongue/mouth is cut up pretty bad. I've used the wax to help with the inner portions where my tongue sits that are sharp. I've also used a nail file to help shave down the sharp areas but it's difficult to get into the middle of the tray due to the width of the nail file i have. I'm thinking about purchasing an electronic nail buffer to use on the low speed to get into the smaller areas of the trays. I saw a review about that, has anyone had experience with it?

My teeth are sensitive and hurt but I was expecting that so during the first night I had my trays I took Advil just to help relieve the pain. I kind of like it knowing that my teeth are moving. The brackets that hold my elastics are really digging into my mouth and I'm not sure what to do there. I've tried putting wax but it doesn't stay, I've tried shaving it down but I can't shave it too much since it needs a flap to hold onto the elastic.

I keep telling myself it will be worth it in the end and am excited to see the results! Reading all of the reviews on here have really helped me so I hope I can also give insight to someone else.

I've switched to my 2nd set of trays a few days ago and my mouth has really gotten used to them being in my mouth which is a huge relief. The brackets that hold my elastics is still uncomfortable since they protrude out but the good news is my tongue and my mouth are both no longer feeling cut up. I've been using a nail file to shave down any possible sharp edges which has definitely helped. For anyone feeling a lot of pain at first, it does get better!

I average about 21-22 hours a day wearing them and I wear my elastics whenever I have them in. I'm on a schedule now so taking out my trays and flossing/brushing after doesn't seem as tedious as it was the first week. I actually think my teeth are getting whiter so I'm not minding it as much.

I can't see a difference yet (in my clin check, it shows I won't be able to see a big difference until 8 months in) due to Invisalign really creating space in the back first to shift out my crowded teeth but I can feel it! When I'm flossing there's more space in between my back molars that I can floss extremely easily now.

Looking forward to changing my trays and seeing results!