POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
diary of a middle-aged woman who never thought she would have to wear braces after menopause-Oceanside, CA
ORIGINAL POST
I am officially in menopause as of February. Back...
photogirllaMarch 14, 2015
$4,200
I am officially in menopause as of February. Back in October, my otherwise reasonably straight teeth started dancing around in my mouth. I had x-rays done and there is no bone loss, but the teeth definitely are crowding on the bottom and shifting around a little on the top. I went to an orthodontist my dentist recommended for a consult, I was considering getting clear regular braces.
But because I have a lot of porcelain crowns and veneers, the ortho said I was a better candidate for Invisalign . Plus I have had 2 root canals and apparently they can adjust the pressure better with the trays then with the wire and bracket method.
I got my first set of trays March 3, I am a week and a half in on tray 1. I have 15 months scheduled. This is going to cause me to go totally gray.
The first couple of days were quite painful mainly for my tongue, and like others I have the dreaded Cindy Brady lisp. Unlike many of you, I am coming from always having had a reasonably pretty smile to wanting to keep it that way as I get older. It's a slightly different psychological state, because my teeth aren't bad now, I don't have the motivation as some of you do to have these radically improved teeth when I'm done. My hope is they will pretty much be back to where they were, but it's not going to be a life-changing, confidence boosting transformation like so many of you are experiencing. This makes it a little harder to tolerate the idiosyncrasies involved.
I get the buttons in two weeks. I dread this, because I am finding the trays tricky to get out as is. I am fairly clumsy, (thus the veneers), and am likely to break the tray, break my teeth, send a button flying out the window, etc. Especially the bottom tray, the top is easier although I suspect that will change with the buttons. I also worry about my crowns and veneers and the pressure I am putting on them yanking on these trays.
I am also starving! The 22 hour wear time is difficult because even gobbling my food down, I am still barely making it having to clean the trays, floss, rinse, brush the teeth, use the baking soda and water, etc. I used to graze because I have low blood sugar, but I'm worried that brushing my teeth this often is going to wear on the enamel. They feel kind of gritty; I used to brush 2 to 3 times a day not 5 . So I've been skipping any snacks, but I'm not sure that such a good idea as I can't go that long between meals.
Anybody have any food suggestions for snacks on the go with proteins that don't require flossing? I am a photographer and I'm often on set on location where I can't exactly whip out dental floss in front of clients:p. I love protein shakes are probably the only non chewable thing but they, make me a little… Gassy. Also not a particularly useful skill set when directing a shoot.
I will keep posting on here as I appreciate reading everyone else's posts. There's some helpful advice and camaraderie which is definitely needed while going through this deceptively easy process. It is not as easy as it appeared to be, I still wish I could've had regular braces, mainly for the eating issue. I've lost 3 pounds in eight days, by the time I'm done with the Invisalign, I will be invisible myself!
Cheers
But because I have a lot of porcelain crowns and veneers, the ortho said I was a better candidate for Invisalign . Plus I have had 2 root canals and apparently they can adjust the pressure better with the trays then with the wire and bracket method.
I got my first set of trays March 3, I am a week and a half in on tray 1. I have 15 months scheduled. This is going to cause me to go totally gray.
The first couple of days were quite painful mainly for my tongue, and like others I have the dreaded Cindy Brady lisp. Unlike many of you, I am coming from always having had a reasonably pretty smile to wanting to keep it that way as I get older. It's a slightly different psychological state, because my teeth aren't bad now, I don't have the motivation as some of you do to have these radically improved teeth when I'm done. My hope is they will pretty much be back to where they were, but it's not going to be a life-changing, confidence boosting transformation like so many of you are experiencing. This makes it a little harder to tolerate the idiosyncrasies involved.
I get the buttons in two weeks. I dread this, because I am finding the trays tricky to get out as is. I am fairly clumsy, (thus the veneers), and am likely to break the tray, break my teeth, send a button flying out the window, etc. Especially the bottom tray, the top is easier although I suspect that will change with the buttons. I also worry about my crowns and veneers and the pressure I am putting on them yanking on these trays.
I am also starving! The 22 hour wear time is difficult because even gobbling my food down, I am still barely making it having to clean the trays, floss, rinse, brush the teeth, use the baking soda and water, etc. I used to graze because I have low blood sugar, but I'm worried that brushing my teeth this often is going to wear on the enamel. They feel kind of gritty; I used to brush 2 to 3 times a day not 5 . So I've been skipping any snacks, but I'm not sure that such a good idea as I can't go that long between meals.
Anybody have any food suggestions for snacks on the go with proteins that don't require flossing? I am a photographer and I'm often on set on location where I can't exactly whip out dental floss in front of clients:p. I love protein shakes are probably the only non chewable thing but they, make me a little… Gassy. Also not a particularly useful skill set when directing a shoot.
I will keep posting on here as I appreciate reading everyone else's posts. There's some helpful advice and camaraderie which is definitely needed while going through this deceptively easy process. It is not as easy as it appeared to be, I still wish I could've had regular braces, mainly for the eating issue. I've lost 3 pounds in eight days, by the time I'm done with the Invisalign, I will be invisible myself!
Cheers
UPDATED FROM photogirlla
11 days post
Tray cutting my tongue
photogirllaMarch 15, 2015
The bottom tray does not extend all the way to my wisdom tooth nor does it extend all the way to my gumline. This is cutting into my time. Is this normal, does anyone else have this design?
Replies (5)
March 16, 2015
Dental wax is your friend! I am 59 and on trays 8, changing weekly. The first few days the insides of my lips get cut, but the wax is a lifesaver. Occasionally I need to use it on the bottom front tongue side as well.
March 16, 2015
I tried with no success to get the wax to stick. I can see this will be a godsend when I get my buttons. But for now, the problem is there is so much saliva and my tongue rests right against it, the slippery underside part, so the wax falls right off. It's not that the tray is sharp, it's that there is a gap and an edge between the tray and my gumline and my tongue gets hooked in it, almost like a crochet hook. I'm going to call my ortho and see if this is supposed to be like this with the gap not going all the way down to my gumline. I realize they probably can't change it, but I'm asking anyway!
March 16, 2015
Wax will stick. Just dry the tray and your gums off and smear it into position, a tiny bit at a time. (Been there, done that.) But here's a warning: make sure the wax is white! My dentist gave me some red wax (the kind they use for modeling in the office) to use in a pinch the day I got tray 1. It permanently stains the plastic. Good thing I only used it on the linguinal side so it didn't show.
March 16, 2015
Thanks for sharing your photos. I think this is a common problem. Have you tried dental wax yet?
UPDATED FROM photogirlla
14 days post
Tray 2-- ok who put my head in a vise??
photogirllaMarch 19, 2015
The first tray was tight, but the second one, which many on the board suggested I am put in before I go to bed, immediately put tremendous pressure on at least 4 teeth. It snapped in easily, so I thought, hey, not so bad. Then literally two seconds later, I was like, woah! It's really quite incredible, they feel like they are being pushed by the millisecond. I took an ibuprofen to try to offset what I know will be a lovely headache in the morning.I still don't have the buttons yet, can't wait for those because those will push these things out into my lips and tongue even further:(
I need to get control of my eating here. I know my teeth are going to be too sore to chew for the first time tomorrow. I also have blood sugar issues, I'm lactose intolerant, and have to watch blood pressure so I'm careful with what I eat. My multiple salads a day is not going to cut it here. I don't think Kayle is the best choice for sore teeth. Does anyone have any low salt, filling, chewable food suggestions? I've lost 3 pounds in 10 days without trying, as entertaining as that is, it can't continue the entire time I'm on these things or I will be a middle-aged catwalk model!!
Also nobody gave me any chewies or even suggested them. Do you recommend them? And what about this acceledent machine, can you use it if you have crowns, root canals and veneers?
I need to get control of my eating here. I know my teeth are going to be too sore to chew for the first time tomorrow. I also have blood sugar issues, I'm lactose intolerant, and have to watch blood pressure so I'm careful with what I eat. My multiple salads a day is not going to cut it here. I don't think Kayle is the best choice for sore teeth. Does anyone have any low salt, filling, chewable food suggestions? I've lost 3 pounds in 10 days without trying, as entertaining as that is, it can't continue the entire time I'm on these things or I will be a middle-aged catwalk model!!
Also nobody gave me any chewies or even suggested them. Do you recommend them? And what about this acceledent machine, can you use it if you have crowns, root canals and veneers?
Replies (7)
March 19, 2015
Maybe I'm just lucky, but I would never describe my experiences to date as "pain" (trays 9 this morning). Yes, lip cutting can be painful, but tooth moving has only felt weird...disconcerting even to feel wiggly teeth at this age (Don't get any ideas, Tooth Fairy! You're not welcome here!) Meat will get caught in IPR spaces, but otherwise my only eating accommodation is to cut food into small pieces rather than biting off a mouthful with my fron teeth. Don't anticipate and worry about pain ahead of time. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised, like me! (PS: I have 15 attachments, applied Day 1. 51 trays, changed weekly. Severe crowding, hope to be done by Christmas 2015.)
March 20, 2015
Yes, I totally recommend chewies. I use them every time I re-insert my trays. Some fruit that would be okay for those first few days when the pressure's on would be berries, bananas, and pineapple. All super- nutritious. The teeth will settle down in a day or so. Hang in there!
March 22, 2015
I have an acceledent I'm using with traditional braces and I love it!! Not sure if it cuts time but def cuts the pain!! Yes you can use it with any of those things I have a implant crowns and bonding no problems:-)
March 22, 2015
Really? Good to hear that. Did your doctor recommend it or did you just get it yourself. How do you use it?
March 22, 2015
My ortho told me about it!! You just put it in your mouth (tray connected to a small device) for 20 minutes a day:-)
March 31, 2015
Maybe you could get your kale in by making smoothies with frozen fruit? Or maybe smoothies with spinach and flax seed since I'm not sure how well kale turns into a smoothie...frozen avacado is good in smoothies(healthy fats, high calorie, should help keep you full!) and the cold may ease the pain. No one suggested the chewies to me either, I had to ask about them at the orthodontist and they gave me some!
Replies (19)