36 Crowding & Overbite - Pakenham, AU

Your teeth look very similar to mine when I started. I'm on 18 of 23 now. The slower it moves your teeth the better. It has to move a ligament which isn't designed to move. Plus it has to dissolve jaw bone on one side and build it on the other as the movement progresses. That needs to be done very slowly. I did not notice much pain at first and there was never a lot of pain but some discomfort. About tray 4 you'll know it's working. After tray 8 on mine, I haven't felt any discomfort whatsoever even when putting in new ones. What did happen to me was it took awhile for my tongue to toughen up as the edges of the trays liked to slice at it. I used ortho wax on the edges of some trays and that worked great. My tongue eventually got used to it. Don't lapse on your dental hygiene even for a day. I found some clear pop (soda depending on where you live) sweetened by Stevia that I drink as my treat for the day. I did crack one of my aligners taking it out so they aren't indestructible, but they're pretty tough all things considered. You'll master taking them out eventually. I use my two thumb nails and start in back on the lower ones and use my two pointer fingers to take out the tops also starting in back. It helps to have a big mouth lol. Good luck!

Congrats on starting your treatment! I was really self conscious with my attachments as well... you will eventually get used to them. It'll take some time. Sometimes the first tray is the "get used to them" tray and there won't be any movement. My first tray was like that and I didn't get my attachments until tray 2. Some trays will cause more soreness than others. I didn't notice any major movements until about tray 7. The first thing you should start to notice is a difference in your flossing. You will also be able to tell which teeth they are focusing on as you move through your treatment. Oh, and your bite will change as well, so don't be alarmed if one side seems "off" for a bit. One thing to keep in mind is that the trays stain very easily. I was using the breath spray for a short time when I first started treatment and it stained my aligners yellow... I've never eaten any candy or mints while wearing my aligners. One time I tried to eat a banana just to see if I could eat with them in and it didn't work out well. LOL. :)

I read through the comments and I love my community members!  They give great advice :D.  I look forward to following your progress!

I had 15 attachments, so I feel your self consciousness! I think they're less noticeable to others though. I've never had anyone ask me "What are those bumps on your teeth?" when I've been eating or talking without my trays. So people were either oblivious or didn't care to ask! I didn't have too much pain at first either. I don't think I ever had to take pain meds when first changing trays. But I also usually changed them at night and slept through it I guess. The mornings would be a little sore, but nothing distracting.

Congratulations!!  So no refinements for you?  Do you know what kind of retainers you'll be getting, and whether you'll be wearing them full-time for some months?  Or will you be getting the bonded retainers?  So excited to see your pics without attachments!!!