From Snaggletooth to Straight Smile? Being Patient is Difficult! - Omaha, NE

I'm 28 and have always been bothered by my front incisors being twisted, effectively turning my smile into a somewhat scary thing. Sure, they're fairly symmetrical in their twist, but who wants to be called a vampire by your younger cousins other than around Halloween? :)

In recent years, I noticed the teeth shifting more and becoming less symmetrical (the pictures from the past don't lie, right?), so taking action become more of a priority. Now or never; my dentist advised me that waiting may make treatment very difficult. The stars aligned and I recently took on a new job with an HSA…voila! I can now afford to have my grimace fixed.

My initial consultation was in July. Records were taken at the end of September, after I got my ducks in a row. I feel fortunate that my records were taken digitally and no goop or icky pulling molds were needed. This will also allow for a mess free refinement at the end of treatment.

When the ortho told me I could go with traditional braces or with Invisalign, I was elated. (However, there is a chance that I will need traditional for a short period at the end of my treatment anyway…it all depends on the incisors and canines. The only thing it would affect is treatment time.)

My ortho e-mailed me PDFs of ClinCheck shots and cleared up the questions I had about gaps, gum line, etc. (I know, I was too thorough!) Within two weeks of giving the ortho the green light, my first trays were in the office and I made my appointment to have my attachments put in.

My records were $300.00 and with a deposit of $500.00, my payments over a two year period will be $187.50 per month. Straight teeth for less than my car payment? Yes, please.

On Monday I had the appointment to put in my attachments. All 15 (!!!) of them. I only counted 13 (only, ha!) on my ClinCheck PDF, but I guess they were simply not all visible. I wasn't aware until I researched after the fact that teeth are acid etched before cementing the attachments to the teeth (so that's what they were doing…). Not surprising, but I would have appreciated some warning/explanation.

The technician applied the acid and let it do its thing, and followed with the cement. The attachment trays were inserted by the ortho and pressed firmly into place. There was a lot of pressure and a little pain removing these trays, and one of the attachments had to be re-applied. The ortho cleaned up some of the glue, but as much pain as this was causing me brought that to a quick halt (it was very hot with the friction and my bottom front teeth are quite sensitive)! Finally, my first trays were inserted by the technician and I was asked to stand before a mirror and remove and reinsert them. Talk about awkward! With all of these attachments I wondered if I would ever be able to remove them without feeling like I was pulling out teeth!

Let it be known that the directions for removal in the manual are not best for everyone! With all of my attachments up front, it's impossible for me to remove the retainers starting from the back…I have to get my nails under them on my canines/the teeth around them and pull straight down. There is no other way in this situation! :)

I was given a package of (two) Chewies and instructed to use them multiple times throughout the day, as well as a red and a blue case, orthodontic wax, and my second and third trays. My ortho's office recommends cleaning the retainers daily with denture cleaner (the effervescent kind). So far this has been easy (they soak while I eat breakfast) and successful at avoiding any odor or buildup problems.

Removing the retainers has gotten much easier in the five days I've had them. I had a terrible amount of pain on the second, third, and fourth days, despite constant use of ibuprofen and Advil PM to help me sleep. I finally tried Orajel and it offered a tremendous amount of relief. I really think this is because I haven't been using the Chewies except for briefly right when I insert the trays (I've read just today that the Chewies help move the teeth more quickly so the retainers do not have to apply as much constant pressure). Today, on day five, I am finally just feeling pressure and none of the terrible bruised-teeth or itchy-root pain (it's so difficult to describe until you've experienced it). The attachments are gradually becoming a little less rough on the inside of my mouth, however the roughness is a good reminder to get the trays back in my mouth when I've had them out for mealtime. A major adjustment I've had to make is carrying lip balm with me everywhere, as my lips have become dry and cracked. I'm pretty sure I'll have the lisp for the length of my treatment.

About that length of treatment? I have 24 trays on my lower teeth and 44 on my uppers to look forward to. 20 months, and that's not including the refinement we will be doing close to the end…or the possibility of wire braces if my canines and incisors are uncooperative. I have read so many complaints about length of treatment, but few of these patients have even half the length of treatment I am facing. We're sliding bones around! It takes time and patience!

Attaching the initial images that were provided of my treatment expectations. I'll include a photo or two when we get to the tray 2. My front teeth won't be moving until a year into treatment as we are making room for them in the interim, so I likely will not include TOO many photos until then.

Just a brief little update adding a "before shot". I'm awful at taking selfies, so I've cropped my sister out of this shot taken a few weeks ago. (Although, her straight smile next to mine sure was an eye-opener.) Ten days into tray one and it's smooth sailing…I just feel like I have a full mouth most of the time. ;) I'll post a close up of the attachments next week!