34 Year Old and Finally Giving Myself a Reason to Smile...With My Mouth Open! - Toronto, ON

For some reason the pics didn't load with my post :S

Here they are again.

Hey Invisalign buddies!!

Well, it's been just over two weeks (17 days, to be exact!). I know I've disappeared for a bit, but I thought it best to ride this out a bit and post an honest update.

I'm now 3 days in my Tray 2, and honestly...things are going absolutely great! Let me try to recap as best as I can.

Tray 1: I honestly expected the absolute worst. Excruciating agony. Discomfort. The general sentiment of "I hate life" etc...If I can be completely honest, it couldn't have been further from that. The next day, yes, I had tenderness...but as I posted in one of my comments, I was still able to eat just fine (just much more carefully). It was completely tolerable. I've gotten accustomed to flossing/brushing my teeth four times a day...though usually in the comfort of my own home (I've been fortunate to be able to work from home a lot the past few weeks). I have eaten at work twice, and like a champ, have marched on into the washroom and brushed/flossed, without a care in the world.

I went for my follow-up apt on Thursday. I pointed out to my oath that I thought I was missing an attachment. I think she might have accidentally sawed it off when she'd originally bonded two of my teeth together - Oops! She confirmed that one was missing and re-attached it. She gave me 6 more sets and told me she's see me again in ~3 months (12 weeks).

Tray 2: I swapped out my trays Saturday before bed...popped an Advil and went to bed. I woke up Sunday morning expecting pain...and to my disbelief: nothing! THAT SAID, I did start noticing the tenderness later Sunday night. But again, nothing unbearable. The new tray was surprisingly painful to take off....I think partly because of the tightness of the new tray, combined by my 14 buttons which latch onto those trays for dear life, compounded by a new attachment I'd been living without for 2 weeks. It's now been about 72 hrs and taking the trays off is already getting easier and less painful.

I know this update isn't super detailed, but to be honest, I don't think the intricate details of my day to day routine would differ much from what we've read on these posts a thousand times before. But the point I did want to be sure to convey (to any new Invisaligners out there) is that it isn't all that bad...at least not for everyone! So while you should be prepared for the worst, know that it isn't always guaranteed for everyone. Don't get scared! :)

Random facts so far:
- There's no keeping my bathroom mirror clean with the constant barrage of flossing and tray cleaning...spots EVERYWHERE! (Am I just sloppy?!?!)
- I've quit smoking since Invisalign. There's no way my mild-undiagnosed-OCD would allow myself to smoke with trays in!
- Dry lips, yes...though not much worse than I suffer on a day-to-day basis.
- The trays surprisingly shield my teeth/gums from the frigid -30C weather outside. It's kinda nice! :)
- I still have random dreams about my trays....had one just last night, actually.
- Couldn't figure out how to use Orthowax to save my life....it just gooped up my trays, but Emery boards, let me tell you: MAN'S BEST FRIEND!!! There is NOTHING WORSE than using alcohol-based mouthwash with fresh irritation spots/areas from the trays on the inside of your lips. OUCH!
- I have NOT managed to lose weight. #InvisalignDietFail
- I have the freshest/mintiest breath EVER! Though I'm sure brushing/flossing 4X a day and quitting smoking DEFINITELY had something to do with it! ;)
- I'm pretty good with my 22 hrs a day. Sometimes I go slightly less than that, but nothing major.
- I've cheated a few times and drank either white wine or vodka with my trays in (they're clear, right? PLUS, I removed the trays and swished water - or brushed - when I could!).
- No visible changes, in my opinion (I know - it's only week 3!), HOWEVER, I will say that I've noticed a few areas that are MUCH easier to floss now. Where the dental floss used to get caught between my teeth contacts, in a few areas, the floss slides right in and right out without even trying....so that's a positive and noticeable change!
- Already I think I'm beginning to adjust to the "schedule" or routine....it's definitely a process, though I think that's the part that I like (again, refer to mild-undiagnosed-OCD above). LOL ;)
- Though I'm sure it's your head (and also due to the fact that I've just had a cleaning a few weeks ago), I feel as though my teeth are cleaner...possibly whiter? Again though, probably WAY too early for that and mostly in my head. But I'll take it! :)

I think that's it for now. Sorry if this is a bit of a random rant....I'm sure I'll have more focused posts once I have less "new things" to post about! In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few pics taken just now. Enjoy, and talk to you all again soon!

I'd forgotten to include a pic with my first set of trays. This was right after I came back from the dental office...in for ~1 hr at this point.

I'm noticing that my upper trays protrude further down than my two front teeth causing a little gap between the teeth and trays. I find that because of this, I tend to notice that gap more than if they were hugging my teeth. Oh well, perhaps that'll change as I progress through the two weeks.