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)