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So there I was at 49 years old, sitting on the...
So there I was at 49 years old, sitting on the couch- feeling defeated. What was happening to my body? Who said nature could sneak in and wrinkle my skin, fatten my stomach and cause me to need bifocals? How could this happen? My mind still felt 30!
Unwilling to sit by and let nature take its course with my body, I decided that it was time to take action. The big question was where to start? I discovered quite a few areas that could use a little tuning and tightening. Of course, I could have started with diet and exercise, but that's too obvious and where's the fun in that anyway? No, I wanted to do something daring and glamorous and where better to start than with my teeth?
Armed with my new conviction, I consulted with two orthodontists and a dentist so that I could claim to be fully informed before making a choice.
I immediately questioned my decision, when I arrived at the first orthodontist's office and noticed that I was at least ten years older than everybody - Dr. included - in the office. I sat in the waiting room with the rest of the tweens and teens who were waiting to be seen. I even watched a few music videos featuring bands that I'd never heard of. The orthodontist was very nice and assured me that she treated adults as well as children (Hmmm.....). I left the appointment with mixed feelings. I was a good candidate for Invisalign but the experience wasn't what I expected.
So, onto another orthodontist and then a dentist. I felt much more at ease in both of those offices. There were patients of all ages and the dental chairs were more private (did I mention that the first orthodontist had about 10 chairs side by side so that I could enjoy music videos and orthodontist treatments amongst my 10-14 year old peers?). Same feedback as the first orthodontist - I was a good candidate for Invisalign and only needed to address some minor crowding on the top and straighten a couple of crooked teeth on the bottom. In the end, I went with the dentist and don't regret my choice at all.
With all the decision making done, papers signed and money exchanged, it was time for some actual dental work. I was very excited to get the process going and showed up for my first appointments full of enthusiasm. To say that that first appointment was fun would be an overstatement. Up until that time, I had no idea how wide my mouth could be opened with the help of dental instruments, foam wedges, toothpicks.....no, I don't have a clue what they used, but it seemed like the technician kept putting things in so that I couldn't move my jaw.
Next came the photographs. Not X-rays, actual photographs with a real camera. The technician was so close that I'm sure she got several shots of my tonsils and maybe my esophagus.
Following that came the impressions. Good grief! There has got to be a better way to get impressions than to overfill trays with a slimy substance, have a patient displace said substance by biting down and then having that same substance ooze into a patients throat where it feels like it's going to close off airways. I cheered myself by remembering that my own children had gone through this process with their braces and they didn't seem to be permanently scarred.
A few weeks later I got the call that my aligners were ready and that I'd need to come in to see how well they fit.
Remember how I said earlier that I had seen 3 professionals prior to committing to Invisalign? Never once, in any of those appointments, were attachments mentioned. I had heard of them from reading and knew that some people had to have them. but assumed that I was not one of those people because they were never mentioned to me personally (ahhhhh......I never asked either). Much to my delight, I only had to wear 16 aligners. Much to my horror, I had 19 attachments - yes, 19! I looked like Barnacle Bill from Pirates of the Caribbean :)
Needless to say, the "invisible" part of Invisalign wasn't happening. My aligners were lumpy and I felt self-conscious. At first the attachments were sharp and bothered the inside of my mouth so it felt better to wear the aligners. Plus, when I wasn't wearing the aligners, my mouth definitely looked like something really weird and unhealthy was going on.
With that said, life marches on and I got used to my new look. I told people at work what was going on so that they wouldn't have to speculate behind my back. Many of my coworkers were kind enough to say that they hardly noticed - yeah, right.
To date, I have successfully completed all 16 sets of aligners and am on set 3 of 8 refinements. The doctor removed all of my attachments for the refinements and I couldn't be more thrilled!
After the initial shock of the non-invisibility of Invisalign, I can say that the following months were pretty routine. I had some discomfort when I'd change aligners but nothing serious. There were occasional sharp edges on the trays which were annoying for a day or two, and I got complacent about brushing after every bit of food or drink that I consumed.
One of the biggest things I've learned during this time is to be patient. If you really want to change your smile and straighten your natural teeth it's going to take time. It will also be inconvenient and at times embarrassing. More often than not, I forget that I'm even wearing aligners. They become a natural part of your daily routine and people will forget you even wear them.
Unwilling to sit by and let nature take its course with my body, I decided that it was time to take action. The big question was where to start? I discovered quite a few areas that could use a little tuning and tightening. Of course, I could have started with diet and exercise, but that's too obvious and where's the fun in that anyway? No, I wanted to do something daring and glamorous and where better to start than with my teeth?
Armed with my new conviction, I consulted with two orthodontists and a dentist so that I could claim to be fully informed before making a choice.
I immediately questioned my decision, when I arrived at the first orthodontist's office and noticed that I was at least ten years older than everybody - Dr. included - in the office. I sat in the waiting room with the rest of the tweens and teens who were waiting to be seen. I even watched a few music videos featuring bands that I'd never heard of. The orthodontist was very nice and assured me that she treated adults as well as children (Hmmm.....). I left the appointment with mixed feelings. I was a good candidate for Invisalign but the experience wasn't what I expected.
So, onto another orthodontist and then a dentist. I felt much more at ease in both of those offices. There were patients of all ages and the dental chairs were more private (did I mention that the first orthodontist had about 10 chairs side by side so that I could enjoy music videos and orthodontist treatments amongst my 10-14 year old peers?). Same feedback as the first orthodontist - I was a good candidate for Invisalign and only needed to address some minor crowding on the top and straighten a couple of crooked teeth on the bottom. In the end, I went with the dentist and don't regret my choice at all.
With all the decision making done, papers signed and money exchanged, it was time for some actual dental work. I was very excited to get the process going and showed up for my first appointments full of enthusiasm. To say that that first appointment was fun would be an overstatement. Up until that time, I had no idea how wide my mouth could be opened with the help of dental instruments, foam wedges, toothpicks.....no, I don't have a clue what they used, but it seemed like the technician kept putting things in so that I couldn't move my jaw.
Next came the photographs. Not X-rays, actual photographs with a real camera. The technician was so close that I'm sure she got several shots of my tonsils and maybe my esophagus.
Following that came the impressions. Good grief! There has got to be a better way to get impressions than to overfill trays with a slimy substance, have a patient displace said substance by biting down and then having that same substance ooze into a patients throat where it feels like it's going to close off airways. I cheered myself by remembering that my own children had gone through this process with their braces and they didn't seem to be permanently scarred.
A few weeks later I got the call that my aligners were ready and that I'd need to come in to see how well they fit.
Remember how I said earlier that I had seen 3 professionals prior to committing to Invisalign? Never once, in any of those appointments, were attachments mentioned. I had heard of them from reading and knew that some people had to have them. but assumed that I was not one of those people because they were never mentioned to me personally (ahhhhh......I never asked either). Much to my delight, I only had to wear 16 aligners. Much to my horror, I had 19 attachments - yes, 19! I looked like Barnacle Bill from Pirates of the Caribbean :)
Needless to say, the "invisible" part of Invisalign wasn't happening. My aligners were lumpy and I felt self-conscious. At first the attachments were sharp and bothered the inside of my mouth so it felt better to wear the aligners. Plus, when I wasn't wearing the aligners, my mouth definitely looked like something really weird and unhealthy was going on.
With that said, life marches on and I got used to my new look. I told people at work what was going on so that they wouldn't have to speculate behind my back. Many of my coworkers were kind enough to say that they hardly noticed - yeah, right.
To date, I have successfully completed all 16 sets of aligners and am on set 3 of 8 refinements. The doctor removed all of my attachments for the refinements and I couldn't be more thrilled!
After the initial shock of the non-invisibility of Invisalign, I can say that the following months were pretty routine. I had some discomfort when I'd change aligners but nothing serious. There were occasional sharp edges on the trays which were annoying for a day or two, and I got complacent about brushing after every bit of food or drink that I consumed.
One of the biggest things I've learned during this time is to be patient. If you really want to change your smile and straighten your natural teeth it's going to take time. It will also be inconvenient and at times embarrassing. More often than not, I forget that I'm even wearing aligners. They become a natural part of your daily routine and people will forget you even wear them.