Smile Direct Club - My Journal - Newport Beach, CA

Ok, I'm such a slacker and feel terrible for not posting more often. To be honest though, I think my posts may have become a bit redundant had I updated more because I really developed a pretty boring routine: complaining for the first two days of a new set that they were too tight, forgetting they were in for the next ten days and complaining again two days before it was time to remove them that they were getting slimy and loose haha.

I will say that the progress has been astounding to date. I'm so so pleased with how my teeth are looking, and how accurate the progress has been compared to the 3D composite. I just love this service. Take a look at the pictures to see. I just put my second to the last set in so I am 4 weeks away from the end of my plan, and I really have no complaints. I tell my husband, even if I stopped today I would be so happy with the results. What a journey and worth every penny!

So just a quick update: Tray Five was probably the worst pain I've had so far, but relatively speaking it's not horrible, just in comparison to the others it was a bit tighter and more painful. Tray six so far has been a breeze. No pain, just tight when snapping in, but nothing aching in any of the teeth. My bottom teeth seem to be closing in and creating a semi decent arch as far as I can see. Still a ways to go, but I'm definitely seeing progress. Something weird that has occurred. One of my front top teeth has developed two small holes in them. They're not terribly noticeable but a bit troublesome. I don't know why this would happen, as I brush and rinse my teeth/aligners at least four times a day. I don't know if my teeth being trapped in these casings for extended time is creating a breeding ground for germs and so they're more susceptible to cavities or what not, but these are on the front of the teeth and I don't feel any pain like a normal cavity ache. So I don't know. I need to do some more research... Will be changing to Tray seven on Wednesday, which based on my 3-D treatment video should be when I start to see major changes. Looking forward to it. It'll also mark the more than half way point for me as I have 13 trays. Exciting! Overall, I think this service is exceptional and haven't had any major problems. Will recommend it to others for sure if all continues to stay positive. :)

So I wanted to update on Tray Three, but there really wasn't anything exciting to say! I went a couple of days at the beginning with some pain, but nothing beyond the regular pain I have for the first 48 hours when I switch to any new tray. I DID get some weird blisters on the bottom right side gum line next to my inner cheek. Not sure what that was about, but beyond that it was relatively uneventful. When I switched to Tray Four (the one I'm currently on now), WOAH. I had some SEVERE pain the first few days, especially on my bottom front where my biggest problem area is. The teeth didn't ache below the gums like they do with a regular tooth ache; this was a throbbing that existed in the top of the teeth down into the walls and out into the neighboring teeth, obviously a tension ache from the pressure that was being applied. I was miserable. BUT it didn't last longer than three days or so. If you can just get past the initial throbbing on any Tray, your teeth find a way to get comfortable and the pain subsides. The other strange thing I noticed with this Tray and the last is that the gums behind my wisdom teeth on both sides of the bottom have separated from the teeth for a couple of days. This space was created where the tooth would separate from the back wall of my mouth and it was horrible! Any contact with food or water was terribly painful - I'm not sure why this happened, maybe because of the teeth moving, but it occurred on one side first for a few days, and then the other side after I changed trays. Luckily it only lasted a period of time and then closed up in both instances, so it's no longer a concern. The funny thing I've started to enjoy is that after a period of time wearing these alingers, they just start to become part of your face. I know that sounds weird, but I don't even notice them anymore! You know how sometimes you're frantically looking for something and realize it's either in your hand, or if it's glasses, they're on your head? I did that yesterday. "Oh no, I forgot to put my aligners in before leaving the house! Oh wait, they're in my mouth..." haha it's a great feeling after the first couple weeks of uncomfortableness and the cuts in my mouth. I'll be changing to Tray Five on Tuesday, so will post again soon. Here are some new photos; hopefully you can see some changes. :)