Week One of Invisialign

Almost done with the original number of scheduled for the top. Two left to go. My top teeth moved very quickly - after the first two trays i noticed changes. However, after the first few i seemed to plateau a little bit and have not seen any more changes. I am almost certain that I will have to start over by getting fitted again for "refinements" Very disappointed about that.

The bottoms are a little less that halfway done. No huge changes after the first few trays either.

The Invisalign experience does get a tiny bit easier to deal with after awhile, but it is just a little annoying when you pay thousands of dollars for treatment that doesn't work the first time. I am all for refinements if that is what i have to do to "get my money's worth" , though. I couldn't imaging stopping treatment until my smile is - not necessarily perfect- but straight. 

I am 25 and started treatment because of overcrowding. I had traditional braces at 14 and didn't wear the retainers. 5 years later all my front bottom teeth had crowded in and pushed my bottom right incisor forward. My dentist said i was a good candidate and i have 8 trays for the top and 14 for the bottom. The pain is minimal, completely controlled with an advil here and there. I have the most trouble taking them out because i have lots of attachments (5 on the top and 5 on the bottom). So the little bit of pain that I do have is from taking them out to eat.

However, there are some things that I wish I had thought through a little better. I did not realize how much they would alter my lifestyle. I work at a job that gives me a 30 min break only for lunch. After I wrestle these things out of my mouth (terrified that i am going to either a)pop off one of the attachments b) rip the aligner c) torque the aligner too hard to cause it to change shape so that it won't do its job properly), eat as fast as i can while my teeth are tender, rinse the aligners, brush, floss, brush the aligners....I have spent at least 20 of my 30 minutes taking care of these things.
i can't munch on popcorn at the movies.

I can't go out with my friends and sip on a beer or a margarita at a bar without running to the bathroom to brush.

I can't snack if i am working late and only have 5 minutes to grab something before i have to help take care of another patient.

I can't say that i would have made a different choice if i had thought (or been told) about all of these things beforehand. Yes my situation is a little different because of my job, but i still think maybe it could affect other people the same ways too. My doc told me to try to have my aligners out for less than 45 minutes per day. I wonder if that's what everyone gets told? I want to follow the rules exactly...because i want the treatment to go as planned and be over with on schedule. But this is something that's gonna take lots of forethought and planning.