Here's the Deal: Invisalign Tray 2

Annnnnnnnd I'm officially on tray 2! Yesterday I had my 2 week check up with my doctor (which went well) and she gave me trays 2 & 3. She had to do a little more IPR (teeth shaving to make space) in the same space she did as last time (on my lower front teeth) but other than that, she said things looked good!

I read online that's it's better to start a new tray right before you go to bed for a couple reasons: 1) if you couple it with ibuprofen, you sleep through a lot of the discomfort and 2) it gives you 8 (hopefully) full hours of consistent wear. The first 48 hours of a new tray are critical for you to hold to the 22 hours/day rule, so it also helps align with that theory. 

I woke up today feeling mostly good. One of my lower teeth is a little sore, but really not that bad. The biggest thing I noticed was that the edges of the trays are a little sharp - very much like when I got my first tray. I may try to file them down like I did before depending on how annoying it gets later today. Also, I am still sticking with the same hygiene routine as I mentioned in my last post and it's going well. I never noticed a foul odor with tray 1 as other people have told me would happen, though when I take my aligners out for dinner there's definitely an "off" odor. It isn't very offensive (to me at least) but it goes away when I brush the aligners at night. I also think that denture cleanser really does the trick for morning breath!

So far, I don't really notice much of a difference in my teeth other than my bite. My outer most lower front tooth hits my upper tooth EVERY TIME I chew and that's not just annoying, but painful. So I have to be careful when I eat and not bite down all the way. Not sure if this is from my tooth moving or if my bite has changed? I can definitely bite down further with the trays in (as seen below).

Tray 2

(March 31st, 2016)

Tray 1

(March 16th, 2016)

Will be back for another update when there's another item to report on! 

xoxo,

Honey Lea

Here's the Deal: First Invisalign Update - Day 6

Well, I finally made it to day 6! I never thought I'd see the light of day! Praise the great lady in the sky!

My teeth were seriously sore up until yesterday. I was only able to eat soft foods (mac & cheese, jello, etc). Even eating a garden burger took me about 30 minutes. I was so exhausted trying to eat and chew and not hurt myself that I couldn't bring myself to eat something else even though I was still hungry. THAT is the Invisalign diet, I presume!

The 3 kanker sores I acquired in the first 2 days of my treatment have finally dissipated. I wasn't sure which was worse - the sore teeth or the sores. A combination of both felt borderline-deadly. But I made it! I think my mouth and tongue just needed a few days to "toughen up."

It's been 6 days since I got my first tray and I can say that I am finally used to them. My mind can now focus on things other than my teeth and my saliva production has finally leveled out. My lips are still super prone to being dry and I can still very much feel and hear my lisp, though everyone tells me they can't. 

Overall, my teeth feel pretty good. The only time they really hurt is when I am brushing my teeth with my electric toothbrush. Even on the sensitive setting, my lower front teeth feel like they are being zapped by a beam of lightening when I brush over them. I might switch to a mechanical toothbrush if it becomes too "shocking." *cue comedic drum roll* 

I haven't noticed my trays smelling bad or turning a funny color. I only drink water when they are in. In the morning when I wake up, I immediately throw them in a glass of warm water with a 3-minute denture cleanser tab and let them soak while I eat breakfast and drink my coffee. Then I floss, brush my teeth, and gently brush my trays with the toothpaste leftover on my toothbrush. For lunch, I take them out to eat, then floss and rinse with mouthwash, rinse my aligners, and then put them back in. For dinner, I pretty much do the same, but substitute the mouthwash for brushing my teeth. I've never flossed so much in my life!

I bought the HUGE pack of floss picks you can get at Costco with 2 carrying cases. It's been working really well so far. I also have a 3 ml bottle of travel size mouthwash that I keep in my purse with the floss picks. I refill it from my larger bottle at home. 

I have noticed a small change in my lower "snaggly" tooth moving slightly forward. I'm probably the only person who has noticed it. No picture necessary. 

Well, that's about it, really. I'll keep doing my thing and will update you when there's something less boring to report on. I go back to my dentist and get my 2nd tray a week from tomorrow. Wish me luck on the progress report!

xoxo,

Honey Lea

Here's the Deal: Starting Invisalign!

Hi friends! Sorry it's been so long. There are many, LONG stories I can go into on why I haven't been giving 'Here's the Deal' more attention then I currently have been giving. There will be a better time on when I can go into that and now is just not that time. 

I'm getting back into blogging because yesterday I started a new adventure - I am now using Invisalign!

If I had a dime for every time someone told me I didn't need to straighten my teeth, I'd be RICH! But seriously, my teeth are actually pretty okay. I have 2 "snaggly" teeth, as I call them. They're really not that snaggly and I kind of like their character. :)

Then you must be wondering, why in the heck am I getting Invisalign?

Well, in October/November of 2015, I made a note to my dentist during a cleaning that my front teeth are particularly sensitive and I've noticed some small chips in my upper front teeth. She suggested using Sensodyne, which I currently use, but don't find it to be that much more helpful. I also really don't like the taste of Sensodyne, but that's just me. Then she analyzed my bite and said, "I see the problem! It's hard to tell unless you really are looking for it, but you have an edge-over-edge bite!" Basically, my front upper and bottom teeth are stacked on top of each other instead of the upper being slightly overlapped (that's called an "overjet"). And because my bottom teeth are somewhat crooked, they are rubbing the enamel off the backside of my front teeth making them super sensitive and fragile. Eventually (after 5-10 years) my enamel will be worn away and I'll probably have very run down and chipped teeth. To prevent this damage, I need to correct my bite. 

So I made an appointment for a consult with her and got my quote. Unfortunately, my insurance doesn't cover adult orthodontic care so that was a huge bummer. My quote was about $6k for a year-long treatment. 

I went to another doctor for a second opinion, this one came as a referral from a friend of mine who had invisalign through her. I got my consultation and lucky me, there was also a special promo - got a quote for about $4200 - not bad! She explained to me the same problem as my original dentist. I also spent a fair amount of time researching online to make sure I wasn't being talked into doing something I didn't really need. Turns out this is one of the best things Invisalign is used for!

So over the course of the past few months, I made my appointment for the dental impressions, to walk through my sweet "digitalized" treatment plan, and waited for my first trays to come in. My treatment will take about a year and I'll have 20 trays, however, this is subject to change pending my progress. Yesterday, I went in to have my attachments put on and to get my first set of trays. Here are my thoughts for the first 24 hours of my treatment:

Before going into my appointment: "Am I crazy for doing this? I like my teeth. What if I don't like the way they turn out? I'm permanently altering my own body - is it normal to feel guilty? I know this will prevent further wear and tear of my teeth. I know this will make them less sensitive. But why do I feel so bad? Why am I nervous? This is okay, right?"

Putting on the attachments: "This is really weird. What are they doing? How do they know where the attachments go on my tooth? This tastes kind of funny. I hope they suction soon, I have a lot of spit in the back of my mouth. Okay - good, she got it. Will this blue light give me mouth cancer? It's kind of warm on my lip. I don't understand what is happening. Maybe this is what real magic looks like..."

Shaving in between my teeth: "My doctor has this weird band of metal floss. She's shaving in between my lower front teeth to make some extra room. This is quite possibly the worst sound I have ever heard in my life. Like nails on a chalkboard times a million."

Putting in my first tray with attachments: "Wow, this is really hard. Much harder than my bleaching trays I had about 10 years ago. They make my teeth look so shiny. Now I have to learn how to take them out myself. Wow, that's a lot of spit dribblets. Serious spit dribblets. Will I look this disgusting every time I take them out? This alone makes me never want to eat in public. Now I have to put them back in by myself. That's weird. Now I have to bite on stuff to make them 'click' into place. That's a pretty uncomfortable feeling. But it's not so bad. I actually can't really see them that much. This is exciting!"

My first hour back at work: I have the worst lisp ever. Can anyone see my bumpy attachments? Can anyone tell if I am talking funny? I feel like I'm talking funny. Wow, my tongue is really starting to get sore. Ouch, yeah, this is not fun. I already took ibuprofen, so maybe I should call my doctor? Yeah, they said I need to go back in and have the plastic trimmed. Better - sort of. My tongue still hurts a lot.. And now my teeth are really sore. My lower left front tooth is SUPER sore actually. I don't want to take the trays out anymore. This kind of sucks." 

Getting home after work: "Well this just isn't fun anymore. I am not enjoying this. Why did I think this would be easier then braces? Why was I excited? This is lame. My mouth feel claustrophobic. Like my teeth can't breathe. Will it always be this uncomfortable? I need to take some more ibuprofen. I am super frustrated and angry at really stupid stuff. Is this because I hate the way my teeth feel? Why am I producing so much saliva? Is this normal? Joey called me from China. I don't even want to talk to him because my mouth and tongue hurts so bad. I looked up ways to buffer your aligners online to help with the sores, so I took a nail file to my aligners. It helps a little. It actually feels better putting the aligners back in then when I take them out." 

Eating my first meal - dinner:  "I can't WAIT to take my aligners out. My teeth feel really weird as I chew and I can feel all of my attachments against my lips and cheeks. I feel like my teeth are covered in food. Good thing I am eating at home so as not to make a fool of myself. I feel like I am eating really slow and thoughtfully - like I've never done this before. Like I have to think really hard how to use my mouth. God forbid my teeth rub up against each other. That would be the worst sensation ever. I spend a few extra minutes without the aligners in to finish my show. I really should put these back in but I have to brush and floss first. Ugh - this is not convenient."

Brushing my teeth for the first time: "Wow, I can actually floss in between my front teeth really easily! That shaving really did something! I hope my fancy Sonicare toothbrush doesn't ruin my attachments. This is a really weird feeling. I don't know if I like this. Ugh, now I have to put them back in. My bottom front left tooth is THROBBING. I hate this. I need more ibuprofen."

Falling asleep: "I am putting myself to bed early tonight. I need to feel sorry for myself and wallow in sadness. Am I PMSing? Check the calendar. Yep - Aunt Flow visits in a couple days. This was a really bad time to start my first tray. Oh well, need to push through. What if I swallow my tray in the middle of the night and no one is there to call 911 or save me? Or what if I get so angry, I take them out in my sleep without realizing it? I hope this ibuprofen kicks in soon. Okay, that's better."

Waking up & 2nd meal - breakfast: "My lips are SO DRY. I need to wear better lip balm. My whole morning routine has to be changed. I need to quickly eat, drink my coffee, brush my teeth, soak the aligners in denture cleaner, and put them back in. I can do this. But I so look forward to the moments when I can take the aligners out. I still feel like I have to eat with focus. My tongue feels better today, but now I have a kanker sore under my tongue. I'll use that numbing stuff on the sore spots. MUCH BETTER. I really don't want to put them back in, but I know I have to."

Back at work: "I really want to take my aligners off. They feel so uncomfortable. There's so much pressure and it's super tight on my teeth. I keep sucking on them because I have so much saliva but it makes the aligners squeeze tighter. I need more ibuprofen. Okay, good. That's helps. I keep sticking my fingernail along my aligners teasing my teeth that I'll give them the release they so crave. I almost pop one side off. No, don't do that. I know it feels good, but don't do that. Now I rub my tongue along my teeth. Is this really happening? Am I really doing this? Is this worth it? Everyone says I will feel better after a couple days. I really hope that's true. I am super annoyed. My lisp is still apparent. It's really annoying. I also can't close my mouth all the way. Talking is hard. I want to snack on St. Patrick's Day treats but that means I'll have to floss and brush again. I guess I'm on the Invisalign diet now."

And there you have it. My first thoughts on Invisalign. I'll check back in a couple days. 

Thanks for being on this journey with me! Photos below.

xoxo,

Honey Lea

Before (my natural teeth)

After attachments and with my first tray (I can't close my mouth all the way)