26 Years Old and Finally in Braces - Ontario, CA

I decided to get Invisalign at 26. Normally when we think of braces we think of teens and pre teens and a mouth full of metal. Apparently this is no longer the case. I had never needed braces prior to my 20s. I had straight teeth that I never gave a second thought to. They were perfectly fine. One day, in my 20s, I remember looking in the mirror and thinking "where did all those gaps come from". For a long time I ignored it until the gaps became so big. I didn't take any pictures with my mouth open. I would shield my mouth when I laughed. I became so self conscious about them. I went to my dentists and expressed interest in braces. He sent me to an orthodontists who recommended invisalign - invisible braces! Through an assessment, it was determined that I tongue thrust during the night and that opened up my teeth. I had my teeth examined and they sent away for the trays. I received 29 top and bottom trays. They first week of invisalign was agony! It took me a long time to get used to the feeling of having these foreign objects in my mouth and it hurt like nothing else! For a good 20 minutes after putting the trays back in after eating my entire jaw throbbed. I quickly decided to invest in Acceledent - a device that vibrates in your mouth for 20 minutes a day and allows you to switch your trays weekly instead of every two weeks. After that first painful adjustment period my experience has been great! I have has a very professional orthodontist who answers all my questions thoroughly and provides an excellent level of service. The pain has only been tenderness after that first tray and by day 3 of each tray I have no discomfort at all. I am currently on tray 25 of 29 and nearing the end. I have attached a picture of my teeth as of a week ago compared to the first week. If you are embarrassed, self conscious or unhappy with your teeth I would really recommend ivisalign. It is a discreet alternative to metal braces.

Here's a quick update. I started tray 27 this week, which is the first of three overcorrection trays. I'm not entirely sure what makes them different than all the other trays I've been using but they have a + sign on my package.

I went to the orthodontist today as I'm just finishing up my last tray from my initial treatment. There are still a few things I'm not totally happy about. A few of the things we can fix with refinements. One of my lower front teeth is slightly rotated and I want to get rid of a small gap at the top of my two front teeth. This was created because of the shape of my teeth. This will mean having to reshape/ shave my front teeth to make them closer better. I'm not excited about this. They took off my attachments and did another scan of my teeth. I'll have to wear this tray until my refinements trayd arrive. Any tips on keeping them from looking super dingy by week 5?

I've attached a picture of my teeth without attachments! Wow was it great to feel smooth teeth again :)