Done with week 6! Received 4 new sets of aligners...

Today, I had my appointment at the orthodontist. I received 4 new sets of aligners. Thank god... because I had just broken part of one of my top aligners!

The orthodontist said everything was moving exactly right! He even asked me what the longest time period I've gone without having them in... I told him 1 hour! He was a little shocked, but very happy to hear that! I'd be shocked to hear that too about ME, but not having them in really hurts my lips because I would keep feeling the buttons constantly rub against them.

Looking at my teeth right now, there seems to be some holes appearing between my top teeth. I've heard people call these 'black triangles'. I hope this is temporary as my teeth shift.

End of the first month with Invisalign... off to Prague, CZ

So, it's now been a whole month! It feels like I've had these aligners for a lifetime now! I don't see any real difference. But, everytime I slide on a new pair, it feels tight.

I'm currently on vacation in Prague, CZ and Budapest, Hungary. Food here is amazing! I don't feel like I'm rinsing my aligners as much as I want to here because I'm out of my comfort zone:(

Funny story... we were eating lunch at a restaurant, and I didn't have my invisalign tray holders with me... so I put them in a paper napkin. I must have been really swept up in conversation with my boyfriend, because when the bus boy came to clear our table, I threw my napkin on my plate. Ten minutes later, I realized my aligners were on the plates that he cleared. Instant panic mode set in! I had to find the bus boy and try to explain to him and the other waiters that I needed the napkin that he tossed. Only problem... none of them understood english! They finally realized I threw "something" away and guided me to the trash. I had to reach into the trash to get my aligners!!! EWWWW. They must have thought, 'this American is crazy'!

End of Week 1!

So, it's been a week!

Here is what's happening:

1. My boyfriend has nicely informed me that I should start taking some breathmints. I like to believe that my breath is naturally minty, but I guess if I want him to kiss me, I better start stocking up.

2. My teeth feel like they are being ripped apart! I dont feel that squeezing together as much as I feel them being pulled away from each other. Also, my tongue has felt that a little sore.

3. I'm also sucking a lot! I keep feeling that my saliva is being trapped in my aligners. So, I keep sucking. It's driving me crazy!

4. I feel like when I'm talking, I sound like I have a lisp. People tell me that I don't sound funny, but I feel like I have a hard time getting words out!

Hopefully some of this is paranoia!

Day 2!

So far, I haven't experience the "pain" everyone has warned me of... my teeth feel a little tight, but that's all! I'll update in the next week!

Day 1 of Invisalign!

Today was my big appointment day to get my attachments (buttons) placed on and to receive my first set of trays! I've been looking so forward to this!

My hygenist first showed me a template, similar to the aligners, of where the attachments would be placed. I needed 11 attachments! 7 on the bottom, 4 on top. I asked her if that was a lot and she said, nope, some people get 20+. She used the template to mold on the attachments. One wouldn't stick on my lower teeth, so she tried again. But, the second attempt failed too. She said that it was the first time one didn't stick, whick made me worried! The ortho came in and said that it was ok, because some of them he asked Invisalign to put on the template and some Invisalign put on. They will monitor that tooth to make sure it will move.

After the attachments were placed, I felt around and it really felt awful. It literally feels like something is stuck to your teeth that doesn't belong there. They show me how to put the first set of invisalign trays on. It instantly felt so weird to have them on... it's plastic on your teeth, and I honestly felt like I wanted to rip them out. She then showed me how to take them off, which was very tricky.  My first attempt to put them on and take them off myself was pretty slow because I kept thinking I would break them. She reassured me that with a little jiggle, they would pop out!

A few things my ortho gave me:
1. My first 3 invisalign trays
2. A set of invisalign tray holders, 1 red, 1 blue. I think I will keep the red one in my bag with me at all times and the blue one at home.
3. Some wax, which I should use to rub on the trays if my teeth get irritated
4. Emory boards to use to filed down the trays in case they irritate my gums

So far, they don't really hurt, but I've been reassured by friends that have had them, after a day or two, I would feel the effects and it will be a little painful. Let's see how the first 24 hours go!

Move over teeth!

I went to Dr. Shefferman to get a consultation and to help determine if I should get braces or Invisalign.

Background:

I have an overbite, and my front and bottom teeth protrude out a bit. My bottom teeth hit my top teeth and sometimes cause me pain. Some mornings, I wake up with my teeth clenched and have a lot of tension in my face. This causes pain throughout the day. On top of the pain, I notice that I often don't allow my teeth to sit on top of each other and leave my teeth open, but my lips closed. This alleviates the pain, but I sometimes wonder how it would feel if I could just let my teeth rest on each other. I also dont like how my teeth look, especially from the profile. My teeth look almost straight when you look at me head on. However, from the side, my teeth look slanted and protruding out. Not a good look and I dont like any pictures from the profile.

My initial consultation with Dr. Shefferman involved taking pictures with a digital camera and him examining my teeth alignment and bite.


I asked him whether Invisalign or regular braces would help fix my bite problems and my pain. He informed me that I would be a good candidate for Invisalign and that my pain should go away from just using the retainers. Hallelujah! I was told many years ago by several orthodontists that Invisalign would not be suitable for me.


After he reassured me, I decided to sign up for Invisalign!


Today, I went in for my X-rays and pictures to be used for the 3-D imaging. The pictures for the 3-D imaging involved having a tool press against my teeth and snapping away. The tool tended to dry out my mouth and caused some sensitivity. Still, it was kind of cool to see my teeth popping up on their monitor screen. I could see just how bad they looked!


Scanning the top half was a breeze. For the bottom half, my orthodontist had to come in and shave my bottom teeth first. He informed me that the shaving was to make room for them to move around. If he didn't shave them, my teeth would protrude out even more - no thank you! The shaving would have no impact on sensitivity and he informed me that he's done this on most of his patients (of which most are adults).


The shaving process was pretty quick - about 5 minutes total. He took a series of strips (that kind of looked like a high end sand paper) and started sliding them in between my teeth. He took each strip and sanded in between a few times. He used a total of about 5 strips - so that's 5 times he sanded between my teeth. Afterwards, he took a piece of floss and demonstrated how easily the floss would now go in between my teeth.The assistant then scanned my bottom teeth to be sent off.


Now, I have to wait 6 weeks to receive my first set of aligners and to have bumps put on to keep them in place. Excited!


Total estimated length = 1 yr


Total price = $6600 (yes it's steep, but it includes retainers; also, in case I need more treatment after 1 yr, they will order more aligners for free until my smile is perfect)