few quick pictures

Wearing bottoms and tops.

Bottoms without the aligners. Still uneven but much better than before.

3. I think. Yes. 3.

Heyo.

Changed into 3rd aligner of my refinements on Tuesday night and this is the first aligner in the refinments that I really feel. The first and second had pressure, sure but not a lot, and not compared to when I first started(or have I become used to the pressure even?). One of my bottom teeth was a tiny bit sore yesterday eating a sub(tearing more than hard chewing). I think it was the high one that needed to be pushed down. Also was a bit sore taking off the aligners last night for a snack(just in that one spot). Also was studying last night and noticed that my teeth felt...not sore but just sort of like flossing too hard or picking gums with a toothpick. I think I clench really hard(almost always probably but more so) when I am concentrating and noticed I got that feeling when I took by study break. Top incisor that is moving down doesn't hurt. I was aware of it yesterday but now thats gone.

Think I might be getting a cavity. After having an energy drink last week it hurt to brush in one particular spot and then it went away after a few days so I don't know...hope not though! I have had a perfect record since like grade 7.

After this school madness ends(Tomorrow, thank God) I will take some pictures of my progress. I think my bottoms are starting to look better.

Finally!

They called this morning and said the aligners were in and asked if I could come in like 2 hours after they called. Luckily I didn't have my usual lab this morning and could.

So I will have 7 more on top and bottom and no attachments(they gave me 4 for now). I don't know how the tooth will be brought down without attachments but I am not the ortho/invisalign tech person so we'll see I guess.

These fit my teeth a lot better(still not perfect though. Maybe I'll take pictures this weekend).

The packaging date says the 4th of November so I guess they weren't as fast as usual. Oh well though. I am just happy to finally have them. The old ones are so gross now that it is nice to put on nice fresh ones(without the indents for the attachments too!)

No pain at all. They were really easy to put in. I can actually feel a difference with my back molar already(it wasn't touching the other molar well(only on the inside was it touching and now it's more even). Front teeth felt a little weird when I took them off for the first time but other than that no pain, hardly any pressure and I will report back if something eventful happens before I change next.

first "last apointment" :)

I had my last appointment today. I got in and was asked if I was happy with the result. I said there were still some things I wanted to change and showed them. Then the ortho came in(he was doing a big procedure apparently) and shaved off my attachments and then looked at what he thought needed to be done and he said the same things as me. Right lateral needs to come down a bit more, and my bottoms need a bit more more to get even.

So we agreed on a refinement and he evened out my teeth a bit by taking off all the cracked edges since it would be noticeable on the aligners(as it was last time - so I am happy!). The teeth look really good and they are so smooth without the attachments. I can finally bite all the way down. It feels strange!

Then they took pictures of the teeth and then they took impressions again. The top was worst. I was laying back all the way and I could feel it against my throat and it took everything I had not to jump up and yank it from my mouth. Then she did the bottom and it seems that my mouth doesn't fit any of the templates they have because I could feel it against my very back tooth on one of the sides and it was really tight. Then she did the bite stuff(tasted minty this time! I remember it being really nasty last time). Then she took some pictures of me just smiling and of my jaw or whatever. She said that they are fast right now 7-10 days and they will phone me when they get them. I doubt I will be as lucky as last time to get them under a weeks but oh well. I am curious as to how many I will get this time around.

I also hope I am lucky as to get attachments which STAY again. I am fairly certain I will get them on all the teeth that need to move(either up or down) which is I think 3 teeth because I don't see how they will move without them but what do I know?

As I left she was like "so wear your old aligners until you get your new ones" and I had totally forgot about them! I put the top on and I seriously was like "are these mine? did I put the right one in?(which Is totally stupid because if I tried to put the bottoms on top it wouldn't even fit on). They just SLID on and are so loose(though after a few sections the suction comes and keeps them on). I have had aligners with attachments for so long I forget what it is like to be without them!

And here are some pictures. I am not doing the videos anymore since it's just redundant. I may even delete them unless someone thinks they are helpful. I really think that they are not. Maybe before I had a camera but I really just say the same things as I say here - only less.



Top: You can see those horrible bottoms. I believe he is moving the high right one down and the one next to it up. And the second incisor tot the left in the picture will be pulled down to match the other one(even though I am fairly certain that tooth is just smaller - also the gum line is different on those two teeth. On MY left the gum is higher than on my right(also probably helps make it look smaller)
Middle: Same picture basically
Bottom: Me smiling and biting naturally.

Picture update

here is a picture of what my teeth look like without the aligners in as of the 3rd day with set 17 in. Ughh the bottom teeth. They look crooked because of all the unevenness of the edges.
My smile as of right now. Pretty excited to see my clincheck come to life.

edit:

Just for reference, what my bottom teeth(and top!) looked like at about aligner 4ish. I want them back like that...

17! Боже мой!

Holy makral!

I changed into the 17th set on Tuesday. I went in and he tried to floss my teeth and saw that it could close up more(especially the two front ones) and said to use the last 3 sets(thank god). He also said to come in when I am done and have my attatchments shaved off and when the hygenist/assistant asked "impressions?" and he said I wouldn't need any and they'd make retainers. I don't know how I feel about that. Yes, the gap is so close to being gone(WHEE!) and I am really happy with my tops but my bottoms are so uneven still(and only one more aligner on the bottom) and I will always wonder if the midline couldn't be fixed if I don't ask so when I go in I will ask him If I could correct those problems with refinements. It's possible I am being over picky, but I mean they are free so why not at least ask, right?

No pain at all on Tuesday. I even was able to pry them off about an hour after changing for lunch and it wasn't too bad. He asked me if there was a lot of pressure when I put them in in the office and surprisingly, there wasn't hardly at all. I would say the least since I started. I didn't even take an advil or anything though my teeth had that odd feeling, not pain just like irritated gums that lasted until about 11 am. I don't know if it was from them working OR if it was from me grinding at night(It is very possible). Otherwise nothing else to say.

I will take pictures this week and put them up. When I first take my aligners out the gap is gone but I do get a slight black triangle on the top so I'll have to also ask about that and maybe IPR and refinements. It is so crazy the change I can't even remember. He showed me my old pics this appointment and whoa man. The space was even bigger than I imagined.

I was even telling my roommate about them and she was asking me a lot of questions and said she is going to look into them.

Video 16th

16th aligner pictures

See how bad they look. My poor laterals are too short for the aligners.

Ugh. Bottom teeth without the aligners. They look so uneven now.
Smile without aligners. Gap is almost gone!

16. Still alive,

Changed into the 16th set on Monday night, late.

Had some advil but I could tell these would have been painful if I hadn't. The next morning it hurt to take the aligners off(off my bottom right canine where the button is and my top left canine and left lateral incisor), I actually let out a cry when trying to get it off my top left teeth. That morning it hurt to bite a banana(and not a green one!) with my front teeth. Luckily by my lunch/supper at 4 it didn't hurt to bite into anything like that and this morning it didn't even hurt to take the aligners out.
These aligners are still worse yet for not fitting around my lateral incisors on top. They are getting worse with each aligners! I WISH they looked as it is on my aligners with the central and lateral incisors matching up. I still feel my front teeth are too big. I don't know how this is possible though and hate to think of what the 18th and 19th are like if they are getting worse each aligner! They also don't fit as good on my central incisors. This kind of sucks because my brother is having his wedding reception next weekend and I will be talking with a lot of people. Oh well though. I feel stupid complaining about it.

I will post pictures of the aligners in and my teeth's progression as well. Camera is charging up and I will get to it today or tomorrow.

And in other news, my Brothers wedding was two weeks ago and I am happy to say I actually smiled with teeth for some of the pictures. It was kind of liberating :)
Also got some compliments from the bride about how great they were looking. Her friend came up to me and was talking and then said "oh, you've got your braces off already!" and I said "Um....no. Actually I am wearing them right now" and then pulled the bottoms half off so she could see what they were like. Needless to say I had about 3 other people come and question me about them. They were all amazed that they were "just like a retainer" and wished they'd be around when they went through orthodontic treatment.

15

Put in the 15th set last night and a bit of pressure but no pain and this one had the least pressure. My molars were a tiny bit sore when I bite down hard(just my right side) but not really anymore. And this is the first set where my two front teeth are sore. First. It is only after I take out the aligners and eat. There is no pain with the aligners just sitting on. Kind of amazing that I went 15 aligners pain free when you consider those teeth moved the most

Had an appointment today. He only gave me my next set(16th) because after that it is overcorrection and he needs to see me to check the contact points on my teeth I guess. I don't see how it is "over correction" though since on my clincheck the gap is still closing on the 16th aligner and doesn't appear to disappear until the 17th. But I looked and they did have the little "+" next to the number on the package. Anyone know anything about this and want to leave a comment? If not, I'll try at archwired later this month.

It was funny though. He was looking at my teeth and he asked Lindsay to pull up my before pictures(I regret not turning around and looking at them now. I will ask to see them at my next appointment since I didn't take any before I started.) Anyway, he was like "Oh, it was huge"[the diastema]I tried not to laugh though because he sounded so surprised by the change. Silly dentist....


Anyway, the gap is small enough now that I when I floss(I like the thick floss with lots of wax on it- not the tape stuff) it gets stuck between my front teeth now. Yay! Also when I look in the mirror from not too close, it looks like I have no gap at all. Squee! I also showed my dad and he said "You're wearing your teeth" and I assured him "No, I'm not. This is them au natural. Not encased in plastic." Not gonna lie, that felt pretty good.

Next aligner I will post pictures(if I am home. If not I will by early September)

Clincheck pictures

My ortho office has got ortho sesame(site that has your appointment times, financial info, newsletters clinchecks, ect) and for that I am SO greatful because I can watch a shortened version of my clincheck online rather than asking to see it at every appointment.

Here we go. Prepare for the horror.


My teeth before treatment and at each aligner. Sets 1-18(18 being my last on the bottom)


After my last aligner(top only) at 19. Ideally, this is how my teeth should look.




On the right: My lower arch before treatment and on the bottom, at aligner 19
On the left: My upper arch before treatment and after on the bottom

I showed my parents this and they said "your teeth were not that bad!" and I am like "believe it. You see what you wanted to see. They were this bad"
Although, I have to admit. It has been so long that it is hard for me to remember back then. I can't believe just how bad they were.

As it turns out, my midline will be off in the end. I am sure I can find a way to live with this though ;)

And journal update for my 14th set.

July 29. 08

Took two advil before I even started. As always, put the bottoms on first. A little hard to get on. I had to sort of squeeze the molars together just to put them on(so, it seems as if the arch is widening further). When I put the first one on I noticed that it cuts into my frenum a bit. A little bit of discomfort on that front. It only hurts when I put the aligners back on for a minute or two so not too bad yet. What is happening is that piece of skin is quite thick and sticks out past my teeth(if you were looking at my teeth from a side view) so it is like this little ridge between my two front teeth and the aligner isn't built to accommodate that skin so it cuts into it horizontally when the aligner is on. I don't see any cut on it when I take the aligner off thank goodness. I don't want to get it infected or anything. Next appointment, that is if it isn't hurting my then, I will ask him what we are going to do about that. I would kind of like to not have a fenectomy but we'll see. If it is necessary then so be it. I just hope I can find a place that lasers it off rather than cuts and then stitches. I would rather pay extra....

13

I changed into 13 while away at work. This set didn't hurt at all. Figures, since 13 is my lucky number. In any case, I am hoping I don't have another "12" again but it isn't the end of the world it I do.
Again, there was a lot of pressure on both the tops and bottoms and the bottoms felt tighter and like always the pressure is a type of pressure that pushes IN towards my throat like it is moving the teeth back.

I also have a bit of a mess on the inside of my cheeks. This is the first time this has happened since my first aligner when my mouth was getting used to the aligners. What happened is it looks like The Carver has gotten the inside of my cheeks rather than the outside(old Nip/Tuck reference though I suppose a more fitting one would be "The Joker" since I am under the impression he cuts peoples smiles wider like the Carver did). There is a ridge that has turned white on the inside of my cheeks sort of following the line where my aligners meet. It isn't swollen anymore and is going away. At least it didn't hurt.

The gap is closing in, really exciting.

I found a link for a really great slide presentation titled "Ask the expert: using clincheck to achieve the optimal smile design"
Talks about midlines, black triangles, tooth size and proportion, overjet, buccal corridors, gingival heights of contour, incisal edge position and others that I am too lazy to type out. It is an interesting read on the ideal smile though.

http://www.aligntechinstitute.com/files/ATEArchive/pdf/Jones.Ate.May15.2008.pdf

Pictures ahoy. WARNING: Extreme close ups = gross

Just a wee update about my teeth. The soreness was gone yesterday by noon, thank goodness and it's been all good since. Bit of soreness popping the aligner off my bottom right canine because of the button. But I deal with that every couple of aligners anyway so nothing new.

I took a lot of pictures of the aligners, against different backgrounds and lighting to see what would turn out best. Turns out there is something decent about most of the ones I took so I will probably post a lot of them.

As always, click on the picture to see it REALLY well(and big)
Left: upper 1 , lower 1
Right: upper 13, lower 13(my NEXT set)
You can see how my aches widened a bit. Especially in the front of the mouth.

This is my upper number 13 and upper number 1 upside down so you can see the difference and see what the aligners look like(especially the "bridge" of plastic between the gap that I was talking about)And this is them right side up. Sorry. I couldn't get it any clearer. Damn flash.

If you click on this one you can see the details of the aligners fairly well
Just lighter. My first Top and Bottom aligners on the left, #13s on the right

On to the teeth.


This is my teeth WITH the 12th aligners on









Just wanted to show you how the aligners the look in comparison with no aligners so I am
not wearing any on the top but I am wearing my bottoms. They aren't too noticeable.





My teeth without aligners after roughly 2 days in aligners #12. My bottoms look horrible, there is a black triangle between my front two and they are even more uneven now. I don't remember my bottom teeth looking that bad but unfortunately I don't have good pictures of my bottom teeth from before I started. I know my ortho does on his dolphin program so I will look when I go in for my appointment.




My teeth sans aligners when I smile naturally.
The midline is still way off.

Overall I am happy with the results so far and I am only on the 12th aligner. I have 7 more to go on top and 6 more on the bottom. It is nice to know I am more than halfway done my initial treatment so far :)

Don't know when I will do pictures again. Probably in August or September unless I see a really huge change before then.

I have an appointment with my ortho soon so I will update after I ask him all my questions and get a check up.

Toodles!

Well.....

It finally happened.

I woke at 3:30 and my mouth was very sore. I was regretting not taking some advil last night because I couldn't sleep until 7:30(thank goodness today is Canada day and we have a holiday). It hurt if I lied on my face in a certain way(and I am a side/stomach sleeper, I can't fall asleep lying face up) and it hurt to even touch my bottom arch and top together even slightly, not even clenching. Most of the soreness was on the bottom which still baffles me! The arch must be expanding or something because most of the pain was in the premolars and first molars though it hurt virtually everywhere. Yet my two front teeth? Nothing.(this isn't me complaining!)

Oh well. I am finally paying my dues :) I was wondering what was wrong with me. At least I was scott free until my 12th aligner.

I will see if this is how it will be going for the rest of my aligners. I won't forget the advil next time!

Starting to get hungry since I haven't wanted to eat but the last time I did eat was at 4 in the afternoon yesterday and I am starting to get cranky. Wish me luck pulling these bastards off!

12.0

Just changed an hour or so. I put the tops on first, usually I put the bottoms on first and there was a lot of pressure and when I put the bottoms on top of the previous bottoms it seemed a lot smaller. So a lot of pressure on both upper and lowers. Looking at them in the mirror they have that problem on the second incisor where it extends past the tooth AND on a new tooth this time
(same tooth, just on the other side). I wonder if maybe my teeth were supposed to have been pulled down into those spaces or if they just don't fit as they should. I guess I will see at my appointment(haven't made it yet. Office is closed today and tomorrow so I will make an appointment on Wednesday if they can get me in next week. I think they should, I mean for pete's sake it takes like 5 minutes). Also looking in the mirror it looks like the plastic is cutting into the skin between my two front teeth(frenum). It doesn't hurt so I shall see how my daily glass of orange juice goes tomorrow morning :)

I was looking at the cost of whitening treatments since I think that is something I am interested in after treatment. I didn't realize that to get it done professionally is so expensive. Yikes. Anyone reading have any luck with some "take home" kinds?

I shall post pictures possibly Wednesday once my teeth move a bit with this set.

пока!

Invisalign video 4.

11!

I was away at work for two weeks without a computer but I wrote down in a regular journal:

06.17.08

Last night I changed my aligners at 7:30. They didn't fit snugly but today they have settled nicely. Lots of pressure on the top and bottoms. When I looked at aligner 11 compared to aligner 10 it looked so much smaller(the gap) but I didn't really notice a big difference this morning. Did notice that these squeaky clean aligners make my teeth look a whole lot whiter than those old ones. Still have that second incisor problem where you can see the aligner extending farther than the tooth does. Oh well. I don't know why I even document that anymore. Seems it is there to stay.
Flossing this morning was a treat(/sarcasm). It wasn't bad but more tender than I have had this far. It was only in on part by my bottom fang and the tooth next to it. It was a bit sore to take out the aligner in that area too since I have an attachment on that tooth.

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What else new....hmm well, I was at dinner with my parents and when I took out the aligners to eat my dad was like "oh I guess I see some progress" and when I turned my head he was like "your teeth go in now." Like the opposite of an overjet(?)- top front teeth are angled ever so slightly towards my throat. I will have to ask about that when I go in for my appointment next. I also don't like some of the movements of my bottom teeth(which, with the exception of the fang I really liked before treatment). I realize that I am in the middle of this process so they are still moving.....I just don't want them to end like this. Also don't see any improvement in my mid line and i am wondering if they were even going to correct that. Blast! I wish I had my clincheck to see. If not, I will be asking for it to be at least improved when I get refinements. I bet to fix it would take.....10 or so aligners seeing how I am about half a tooth out....and I don't have that time.

And I guess on that pessimistic note, I am concluding this post. More this coming week. I will take pictures and maybe do another video or something....or maybe wait until next week when I change aligners again.....we'll see I guess.

Some stuff I forgot

I seeeeeeeeee progress! I told my mom that my gap looks smaller and she said "let me see" and then said "it looks the same." Hmmf. Well maybe to her who never saw a problem with my teeth in the first place! I can tell. When the aligners are out and I try to fit the tip of my tongue through the gap it hardly fits in anymore. I definitely used to fit more through!

Someone else noticed the aligners too. At work someone asked if I wanted some food and I declined. This happened a 3 or 4 times and since I don't have breaks at my work(seriously, crazy 13 hour days, 7 days a week where you pray you even get a bathroom break) I didn't think I'd have time to eat and brush and floss more than once on the job(if that) and after awhile he asked if I was one of those girls who "doesn't eat" and I was like "Oh hell no. I love food it is just that I ummm have Invisalign" and he goes "Oh, I thought I saw something yesterday." I didn't realize so many people even knew of Invisalign but he was a fellow gapee so maybe that is why, or maybe I just lived under a rock until like 2006

What other info can I give.....
Oh, when I took the aligner off this morning my frenum hurt a little. And was sort of all peely and gross at the bottom, like it was soaked in saliva all night(ha, can you imagine? / sarcasm) but drinking orange juice or eating didn't hurt it at all and tonight it looks fine. Hope all goes good with that.

10!

I changed into number 10 today. I can't believe it. Only 9 more to go on top and 8 more on the bottom. Insane! Time has sure flown, It hardly feels like I have had these things two months.
I guess that is what happens when you progress slow and have no problem or pains. When I put these ones in there was a lot of pressure but they weren't hard to get in. The pressure was gone in about 2/3 minutes though and now I am back to not feeling them. I wonder if maybe since my teeth developed later(lost my last baby tooth in like grade 8, I kid you not) if maybe that is why I don't have pain. Because my teeth aren't fully rooted in place like adult teeth are. This would explain why i still haven got my wisdom teeth yet(dentists estimate their eruption in 3 years when I am 24)

That annoying bump on the surface of the tooth on my last aligner isn't on this one too, thank God. and These ones went down all the way too, they fit snug like I have had them on for a week or so. I think this is the first set where they have done that. Usually I have those air pockets for a day until my teeth settle. Whoo!

Video 3

9.1

So I changed aligners last night...or early this morning I guess.
They were easy to get on but felt a lot of pressure. Really glad I put them on last night rather than this morning. It isn't that they hurt, it is just when there is that pressure, it is hard to not think about the aligners. And as is customary when I get a new set on, I push them with my tongue a bit in the places there it isn't settled. And I discover that there is something is not right. On my premolar on my left side on the highest part of my tooth I can feel something sharp. So my first thought was "Oh god, my teeth are so sharp they are punching holes in the plastic" so when I checked this morning it just appears that there is a slight defect on that area. There is a little tiny ball of plastic there. So not too bad. The incisor thing I have had a problem with my last few aligners is still there. I am sure it will be with me to the end.
Didn't seem to notice a change that was really visible when I took the aligners out to eat this morning. My right canine on the bottom was quite sore when I was popping my aligners off and it was a bit tender to floss between my first and second incisor on the right.
But that is everything I have to say so far.

edit: I forgot to say, I had my moment where I totally forgot I had the aligners in. I mean, I am sure it had happened before - a long time ago - but I was really made aware of it this time. We had a long weekend and I was going to our family's cabin and my mom was asking me if I had everything packed and was listing everything and went "you have your teeth?"(Ha ha ha my parents call them my "teeth" like "do you want some of the supper we cooked, or have you already put your teeth back in?") and in my head I went "oh my god!" and quickly checked with my tongue and sure enough - they were on. It was pretty exiting for me. I am sad, I realize.

8.9

Nothing much new to report.
I was stupid on the weekend though.
I was going out, but was drinking at a friends house before going to the bar and had my aligners out while I drank(cherry juice and raspberry vodka....so really red and I figured it would stain) and before we were ready to leave I went and brushed my teeth but we were in a rush and I forgot my aligners and it wasn't until I was in the car on the way that I realized I didn't have them. So anyway, I had to wait until 11 the next morning to get them back. I was really worried but they went on alright. Same amount of pressure as when I change aligners, so my teeth really moved! No pain putting them back on but when I got back from the bar and was trying to sleep without the aligners....wow. Really hard! My teeth felt so sharp all over and poking my mouth, and my front teeth really ached to bite down on them. So, I guess that is just another reason to not forget! I am thankful it's painful when I have them out for a longer period than when I put fresh aligners on.

Despite the fact that nothing bad has happen(yet!) from that little incident, I will be more careful from now on. Damn these aligners, they make me feel guilty.

8.1

Changed aligners late last night. They were easy to get on but I think I felt the most discomfort with these since my second set, they felt really tight and had some pain high up in one of my front incisors -like in the root area for a couple of minutes. The tightness only lasted about 20 minutes(either they settled a bit or the extra strength advil kicked in. I don't know which but after that they felt fine. Again, they didn't sit properly on all my teeth but they are fine today. Feel like week olds already. No pain flossing, brushing or eating so I say "yay." I feel it would be stupid - maybe I am just superstitious- to say that things have gone well so far. But I just did I guess. I am sure in a month or two I will have some crisis, come on here and complain about how I was being too optimistic.

I haven't used efferdent in over a week. The last set were getting pretty gross near the end there. I think I am just paranoid about using it because I have heard that soaking them in denture cleaner(anything other than water actually) can cause them to become brittle and I think I may be kind of rough taking them off. And I do NOT want a cracked aligner.

Oh, and sadly this aligner has the same problem as the last one - the plastic extending past the tooth making the aligner visible. I bet all the rest do which is unfortunate but definitely something I can live with.

Okay, I am going to go have supper now. Which includes corn on the cob :) Something I am thankful I can even eat. Sometimes I really love Invisalign!

Picture time!

I am taking a bullet for you all. I took some pictures with a good camera to show you what the aligner looks like when you are really close to someone and the picture turned out really great. You can see what the gap looks like and you can see those little swirly designs on the aligners too BUT my lips were all gross since I had just lip chapped and there was some chunkage. So I am showing you the picture even though it is pretty mortifying. It had better be helpful to someone!

This one is to show you where this aligner isn't fitting the teeth that well. See the incisor there? It's driving me insane. I hope my other's aren't like that too.

And this one was for you too see what the buttons look like when the picture isn't blurry. They are quite noticeable but lucky for me they are not on my two front teeth or two bottoms and non of the other teeth really show when I talk so unless I am taking pictures with my mouth open all the way like this no one ever sees them.

7.2

Just a quick update.
So, I can really feel movement with this set. Yesterday afternoon I was so aware of my molars - they felt so weird but it didn't hurt to eat or anything it also didn't hurt to remove the aligners for supper last night so that's good. And I finally noticed a difference in my gap this morning, I mean it's not a huge difference, but it's cool that I can notice the change now.
Sad thing about this set is they don't fit very well, I mean they fit but they don't fit the contours of my teeth as well so they are pretty noticeable in one place. It's driving me crazy but I am sure it isn't as noticeable as I think it is. Its on my second right incisor. The aligner goes further down than the tooth does. I have seen other people's pictures where their aligners looked worse, so I don't want to complain!

седмые и много снегов!

Боже мой! Сейчас у нас есть больше снег, чем у нас в январе. Штормовой ветер, морозы жуткие и ещё снег постоянно идёт! Уже пошёл снег 4 дня. Мне надоел холод!

Okay, enough about the unexpected effing snow.....

Alright, so I was runnnig a bit late today, had to throw most of my breakfast out, ran to the subway (Okay I lied) trecking through a good 15-20 cm of unshovled snow, just made it, then almost fell in the street because I was trying to quickly cross and there is so much snow on the street and no snow plow has gone through, finally made it but almost got blown away the wind was so strong and my face was covered in snow. I just sat down, and they took me in. Got a different room than usual, walked past there storage office and by the looks of it(and I saw their client list) they have a lot of invisalign patients. Lindsay gave me my 7th set and I put them on. They went on fine, lots of pressure though but no pain or anything. Then she got the ortho, He had her pull up all my pictures on some sort of "dolphin" program. I thought that was just a name but when she pulled them up some there was some dolphin noises. He looked at my teeth said that they looked good, said my gap is closing nicely and has gone a long way already. He said they are closing in nice and straight and not tipping which is a worry with closing gaps(this I know because of all the extraction and tipping talk at archwired). He said it that happens it will be a bit harder to fix(I am assuming that means real braces). When schedualing my next appointment he said not to get lazy with summer and keep up wearing them as much as I have been. I said no problem! I said I would likely be in the middle of nowhere until mid august so he gave me all the aligners until then under the condition that if I get back into the city before then I come in for a checkup so he can check my progress. I am sure I will get in in June or July so I am not too worried and its cool to have basiclly 7 aligners. And shamlessly, I looked at them all as soon as I got back here. After about the 10th aligner there doenst appear to be much change - at least not compared to what is going on right now and previously. I heard them say that aligner 16 and on is "overcorrection" and I have the 15th aligner. So I will only have 4 more left on top and 3 on bottom after I get through all these. Exiting! I also asked to see my clincheck up until the 7th set to see what I've been through so she showed me. I assumed they had them all on their computer but they go to aligins website and then type in their username and password and then go through the clinet list to my name(a lot of people in treatment and awaiting treatment. I was so surprised at the amount of people). So she showed me the stage at each aligner and wow, there HAS been a lot of change - I just wasnt aware, the teeth really moved "in" and the gap has closed quite a bit. It was really encouraging to see, and another reason I love invisalign.

As I've typed this my right central incisor is not hurting per say, but I am definatly aware of it especially under the gum line - It's moving for sure. Again they don't fit perfectly on my molars like usual.

What else is new? Aligners are getting so easy to take out it was like back before I had buttons. I have started not being lazy and using denture tablets. I don't know if it is because I don't get the water hot enough, or I dont leave them long enough but it doesnt work that well. I mean, it gets most of the grime off, but the place where it really gets bad is the very last molars in the crevices and along the very back and even the efferdent doesnt get rid of it. I will try using it from the start with this new set and see if it makes a difference since I started well into my second week out of almost three with these last ones and by then they were getting really hard to clean with even a toothbrush and paste. Anyting else new? Oh! I was at a family funtion(dad's side of the family this time) and at this point I wasn't even thinking "I wonder if anyone will notice" because I am that used to the aligners already that I don't even think about them anymore. Well, I was talking to this one cousin of mine and out of the blue she goes "do you have tops and bottoms?" and I am like ".......yeah" and she is like "how are you liking it?" and I said "It's been really great I really recomend it. The only annoying thing is there is a ton of great food here right now and I don't want to go through the whole process of taking them off and then taking up time in the already crowded bathroom here to go through my routine." Later I told my brother that Dawn had noticed and he said that she has doing a whole lot with her teeth in order to get them straight over the years(everything but actual braces I think) so I am chalking her noticing up to the fact that people who are going through orthodontic work themselves, or don't like their teeth often notice other peoples.

I am done my finals, and have one more to do - a take home and no longer have internet in my apartment because we are in the process of moving and have had the phone and internet switched over to the new place(which is like 45-60 minute drive from where I am now) so I won't be able to get out a new video until I go home(back to my hometown) on Monday or so. I will also be able to take pictures with a real camera too. I am exited about that.

And now I am literally dieing with hunger. Gotta go.
Until next time,

Robin.

Really quick video

I have gotten some PMs on youtube asking for another video of what the aligners look like and how noticeable they are with a gap. I tried to do this video in the best light I could so I hope you can see a little better than my last video. I really can't get any closer though or the focus goes blurry so if this doesn't answer your questions, I am sorry but you will just have to wait until the end of April when I can take pictures of my teeth and aligners with a real camera.

Picture updates: Aligner 6

Some comments first of all.
1)I tried to organize these
2)I couldn't get the same camera angle because well....it's hard to do yourself
3)Pictures are, again, grainy. It is either grainy or if I get too close it just gets blurry. Lose, lose situation.
4) Yes, my teeth are yellow. Can't wait until treatment is done and I can whiten them. It seems that my front teeth are okay but the ones further back are not. I don't know if this has anything to do with this yellow vitamin liquid I drink daily....I should monitor this...
5)The front on picture of my teeth with the aligners in looks better than it actually is. But the other pictures didn't really turn out so this one will have to do until a another couple of sets down the road.

6.1

It is settling down nice. The aligners on my "trouble teeth"(the molars where it never sits right the first day) are almost perfect. This set feels tighter this morning that the others did at this time. The molars really hurt to eat on today especially the left side. None of the other teeth hurt though. When I put the aligners back on the two front teeth felt the most pressure and I can still really feel it. I can't tell if the gap is getting smaller yet. Damn these things, the change is so gradual I am not even noticing it. I wonder at what aligner I will start to actually notice change. I am betting on number 11. Maybe I'll be able to see soon -hopefully they give me my next five at my appointment at the end of the month since I don't know when I will be able to get into the city for an appointment this summer. Hopefully in early July. The only time I know for sure is mid august and I don't think they will let me go that long without an appointment. We'll see I guess.

шестые!

Changed into the 6th set tonight....this morning, whatever. I originally tried about 4 hours ago since I had had supper and figured I would put them in after I ate rather than just before I went to bed but I don't know if I was being to sensitive or my teeth really moved when I had the aligners out to eat but I tried the top and couldn't get it over my front teeth. I got half on but the right sides would sliding on top of the buttons so I just said "eh, I'll try again tomorrow" but when I went to get ready for bed I was curious and tried to put them on and it wasn't too bad. It was harder than the past ones but those always just slid right on. I feel like I am so cautious with these things and removing and putting them on. Oh well I guess, better safe than sorry.

Pressure points on this set are the premolars and molars. Feels really odd! Though this set still isn't as bad as the second set. They feel comfy even - if a little stiff. I shall see if there is a difference in the gap tomorrow when I take the aligners off. I can see on the aligner itself that the gap is growing smaller and smaller. The triangle piece of plastic between the two front teeth gets smaller and smaller and soon it wont be there any longer!

I don't see any change happening to my midline. Maybe it is moving(at a pace slower than a one legged 97 year old running a marathon)but at this point it doesn't look like it.

The last set was really hard to get clean(I like to really clean the aligners before I put them into retirement). I didn't realize it had gotten a bit murky in the crevices. I will have to be even more careful with this set since I will be wearing it almost three weeks. Man, I am going to have this set until school is done, finals done and I have moved. Seems like a long time. And as I typed that sentence I got a sharp shooting pain up where I assume the actual tooth is for a second. Gone now. I hope that doesn't continue.

More news tomorrow when these bad boys settle a bit.

Almost a week into 05

Man alive, my bite feels weird without the aligners in. I can't tell if it is because I am used to the way the aligners make me hold my jaw so it feels weird without it like that(especially since they are out for like a half and hour so it isn't enough time to get used to it) or if it is because it has been so much of a change already. Probably both I am sure but when I try to close my mouth and bite the back molars together it is hard, and sort of makes my jaw tired. and my bottom canines feel like they stick out so much(I think it is just the attachment though).

Nothing else new, except at Easter I decided to have a chocolate snack and took the trays out and put them in the blue case and then after I finished brushing my teeth I noticed that I had somehow closed the lid ON part of the aligner. I have never moved so quick as I did when I went to click the lid of the case open. I was so happy it never got wrecked!

My family didn't notice except one cousin who wanted me to try some food and it was about a half an hour before we ate and I said no and when she asked why I said I had braces and she said "oh" and that was all. No questions or anything. I am sure at Christmas no one will notice either. Oh well, I will and that is what is important.

EDIT: It is March 29th and I noticed as I was eating that if I close my mouth-bite down on my right molars I can't really do the same on the other side. My molars no longer touch but my left bottom canine feels very prominent. It feels so bizarre!

05

Changed into my 5th aligners last night at midnighish before I went to bed.(and this morning when I was brushing them-WOW are they clear. The 4th set is slightly less clear than them and I didn't even realize!). There was a lot of pressure on my bottoms. They didn't fit snug but today they feel like normal and were very easy to get off again. When I ate breakfast this morning none of my teeth hurt at all. There seems to be no sore spots as of yet. This set makes the gap appear even smaller. But any excitement I get over that is gone when I take them off and it looks the same as it always did(well, I am sure it has moved, but I can't tell the difference). Oh well I guess. It makes me want to keep in the aligners at all times so I quickly start my routine as soon as I am done eating. My next appointment is over a month away, but I am getting exited to get my next couple of sets, make sure everything is alright, as well as see my clincheck of my progress so far.

Well I am going home for Easter tomorrow and I'll see if my extended family notices anything different about my teeth. Doubtful.

I took some pictures but I think I will just wait until the next set to put some up. I don't think there is enough progress to really warrant putting up new pictures.

The Invisalign Process

Found this video on youtube awhile ago and thought it would be good to put on here for anyone who is thinking about getting invisalign. It is an interesting video showing what happens after your dentist or orthodontist send the molds away until you get your aligners.

Quick update

Tomorrow...or tonight actually will make this one week with set 4. I just wanted to write this down quickly in case it is something of a running sensation. I have only experienced it with the last two aligners, so 3 and this one. What happens is a day or two before I hit the week mark(and lasts for a few days) is pain in my molars(either side or both(this time it is one side, last time it was both) when I eat. So much so that I have to chew with the other side or the front teeth. And this is only with really easy to chew food(subway sub for example or a soft brownie like granola bar). Now, I don't know if this is because I am grinding those teeth at night or if it is just from regular movement. I assumed that when you put an aligner in-within the first 3 days your teeth are all moved and it is just a matter of keeping them like that until it is safe for the tooth to move it again. Now I am wondering if they move at different times.(eg. front moves right away and then they go back to the back teeth. Because I noticed that with both set 3 and 4 that that is how the pain progresses. First the front teeth hurt, then the canines(though the pain isn't as bad as the molars), then the premolars and molars. So I don't know what's going on. I guess I will ask my ortho when I go in next if this pattern continues.

4.1

Don't think there is much more new info to add. I woke up early and my teeth were hurting a little bit from the way I was laying, I don't remember any of the others hurting like that. The aligner has settled on my teeth now(and I no longer feel like they are suctioned to my teeth when I suck the saliva out of my mouth). I can't really see any difference with the aligners out, but when I have them in the gap looks a lot smaller. I am sure it's just psychological but it is making me feel better. The second right incisor hurts like a mother today. Hurts to touch it, brush it. I am assuming this is one of the aligners where the focus is on that tooth(it needs to come up to line up with rest).

While I was eating my bottom right canine(the fang) keeps hitting my top teeth and it is really jarring as it is quite sensitive and creates a bit of pain every time that happens. I cannot wait until my bite is all fixed so I no longer have to worry about that. What else.......Oh! I was preparing myself for it taking 5 or so minutes to take the aligners out this morning for breakfast and cleaning and they popped out so easy! Just like my old set into its second week. I am sure it is just that I have found a good method for myself for getting them out-Because I know they are still tight!

04

Just popped some extra strength a half hour ago and took out my 3rd set(man, they were a breeze to take out- I will miss that!) and just put in my 4th set so I can let it do its work while I am sleeping rather than having to adjust to them during work which is kind of annoying(I always read about that tip of forums but was scared to loose 11 hours and didn't want to hold off another day to do it(damn my impatience!)...I feel like I will make up lost time with my 6th aligner which I will be wearing almost 3 weeks since my ortho won't be in on my usual day). I put in the bottoms first and my, was there a lot of pressure! and it feels like the pressure is from the front pushing them back. It is making my jaw feel a bit stiff. Then I put in the top and wanted to pull it off. It didn't hurt, there was just a lot of pressure that I, due to my memory(the size of a goldfish!), had forgotten since set 3 wasn't that bad(though, looking back it may have not been so bad because that was the good part of the appointment. Finally getting it on after the attachment process was a treat. I may have deceived myself!). My head feels a bit funny. Sort of like when you are sick and your head feels "tight" and "stuffy". The aligner fits perfectly on the top but the place on the bottom that is always ill fitting the first 2 days is there, as well as the same thing on the other side on the bottom as well.

Anyhow, that's the quick update from the front line. Just did a paper proposal and am heading off to bed. Will report tomorrow more when I think of something worthwhile to say.

пока!

Shoddy attatchment pictures

I've come to the conclusion that web cameras suck for detail. Especially shiny teeth. Therefore the pictures I did take didn't turn out. Two were...barely passable but I will post them anyway. It's possible that I will be the only one that sees the attachments.

I tried to draw arrows to where the attachments are, but not sure if that will be helpful.

You'll notice that in the above picture, I am wearing the aligners, whereas the one below I am not. You can see how much they minimize the gap. I didn't realize it minimized it that much. It also makes my teeth look like a nicer shape, more rounded than square. Wish they were really like that!(this will probably be nice incentive for me to wear the retainer for so long afterwards!)
Nothing new about this set. They are getting easier to take off-still need a mirror to do it faster though. And it ALWAYS gets caught on the bottom right attachment, its my only problem. I don't know if it is at a slightly different angle than the others or if its just a bit bigger or what, but it always gets caught. I can have the whole aligner off all the others and off my teeth and it still won't get off. Oh well. Also, when I take the aligners off, my top teeth hit the bottom teeths' attachments. Kind of annoying to eat with, but nothing I can't get used to. I also noticed some pain in my molars when eating this morning and tonight. Not too bad, but so far this is the first time there has been any discomfort from so far back. Usually it is the front tops and bottoms that hurt.

Attatchments cont.

Nothing much to report about this set. I am getting faster at taking the aligners out now. This morning I had the bottoms out within 30 or so seconds and the top in even less(and the bottoms were the easy ones yesterday). And tonight when I tried taking them off was harder than this morning, but still way better than yesterday. I didn't even cut myself today! Since this is only the second day, I am pleased. It can only get better. I just worry about ripping an attachment off. Perhaps if I was more forceful, I could get them off faster, but it's not worth it, even though my ortho told me to not worry too much if one comes off. Just to phone him so he can schedual more time for my next apointment to reatach it.

Anotehr thing with these buttons is they are making my cheeks a bit raw from where they hit. I am sure this will go away as my cheeks toughen up. The right side bottom and tops are the worst. Certain movments of my mouth make me VERY aware of the bottoms an then there is the pain with the tops. I can't wait until the time comes when I am like "attachments? can't even tell I am wearing them anymore"

Just looked in my bag last night and looked at my 6th aligner. Makes me so exited to get there and I hope nothing bad happens between then.

Attatchments

What to say?
I got there early, got my insurance stuff all squared away(I got covered, yay!) and payed for the x-rays that the isurance didn't end up paying for and then sat for a minute and then got taken in even though I was 20 minutes early. She just had me take off my old aligners and I put them in the red container...though really, they are usless to me now since I can't wear them anyways, even if I wanted to since they wont fit over the attatchments.) Then she started the process and told me they weren't drilling into my teeth(I guess people who just get invisalign on a whim and know noting about it asume this? I don't know) and put that mouth expander thing in, I laughed and said I know. It was kind of akward because one of the other....I don't even know what she is, a hygenist, assistant, invisalign person...was watching for a while seeing how it was done. First she scraped a bit on the tooth so it would stick better and then put these things on, then put the template aligner on that had holes and put the second parts on(this is all what I assumed since I couldn't see). There are three on the top left, 2 on top right and 2 on both bottom left and right. And then she was worried about ripping them off trying to take the template off so she got my ortho who was in the next station over(with an invisalign patient too! and they were talking about refinements so she is nearly done. Lucky duck!) and he came and got it off and then polished them off a bit...I guess to make it less noticable? and then he left and they made me take the aligners out and put them back in while they were there again. And it was trouble! I started with the bottoms and got them after a minute or two, but its so hard! I am sure it will get easier though. Then I tried the top and started with the right side since it has less buttons and I could NOT GET IT. So 5 minutes later, a broken nail and bloody gums(i poked myself) later I got them off, she made my next apointment for April and I saw my box, my invisalign box with all the little baggies sticking out and saw the last set for my top and told her I wished I was on that set already. I was so tempted to look at it! These aligners don't hurt at all not like the second set, I can feel them and my mouth is extra-salivay but no pain. And now 5 hours later I am starved. I declined McDonalds after my apointment since my friend wanted to stop but I didn't want to attempt to go through that again until supper tonight. I just wish I had more than a granolda bar for breakfast. I am so hungry now!

I will take pictures when I get back home on Monday. I think they look really noticable, especually the bottom ones since when I smile alls you see is the attachments and THEY loook like my teeth so they loook out of line or crooked(with my regular teeth) and they aren't and since my teeth have never been crooked or overcrowded it is wierd to see!(oh I should explian, they are the rectangle attatchments, not the smaller circular ones)

Gap/Aligner pictures.

Just a short update(my bigger one detailing the attachment process and dealing with that whole thing will be Thursday). Just had a question asked about how noticeable the aligners are when you have a gap. I had the question too before I started and luckily had the question answered by a lovely gal at archwired.com. So I'd like to pay it forward or whatever.

I am sorry the pictures are so crappy. They really blur the edges for the aligners when you look up close, so I don't know how accurate they look. And like I said - I don't "smile" like this so my top lips are never over the really noticeable part of the aligner, nor are they when I talk so it remains hidden. Someday, when the gap is closed, I hopefully will smile like that, but not yet! The only problem is- since there is a "bridge" of plastic connecting the two front teeth -occasionally there are saliva bubbles, which you can see really badly in one of my pictures. I usually just suck those out if I am going to be opening my mouth for people to see but I wanted to show you how it looks.....

My video

Tidbits

Happy to report that today I can't feel this set anymore. Yesterday was painful(though not as bad as Thursday), especially eating on the front bottom teeth(as was it painful to brush the backs of those teeth) so I ended up just chewing with my molars.

The bite seems more comfortable than the last set too, or perhaps I am just *gasp* getting used to these things.

I can't say I am noticing visable differences from my teeth before treatment, to now(haven't even been through a month yet though). I am sure there is but it is so gradual I likely won't even notice until one day I look in the mirror and go "holy crap!." When I go in for my attachments and third set I am going to ask them to see the clincheck-but only up to the third aligner- So I can really see how little/much the teeth have moved so far.

NOT like the first set.

Ohhh the agony!

All today they have felt odd, and different from the others in that these feel like they are pushing up on the top teeth, and down on the bottom ones(the others just felt pressure from the sides, not from the tops and bottoms)

Anyways, I took the aligners off for a quick snack/supper and pain, pain, pain. It didn't hurt so much to take them off as it hurt the seconds after(they feel weird...and sort of loose even though I touch them and they are as sturdy as ever). Needless to say, I quickly exchanged my apple for some yogurt instead.

Holy pressure Batman!

I had gotten so used to having no pressure I forgot what this feels like! Just popped some extra strength! I suppose it would make more sense to wait 15 extra hours and get these things on at night, but then thats an extra 15 hours wearing the old aligners.

I put the top on first and immediately pulled it off before hurrying to get advil. Put the bottoms on and top again and the bottom right side doesn't really fit right again. Sort of like I can push down on the aligners in the middle(the premolar/first molar) with my finger or tongue and I can hear it creak and it goes down only to pop back up when I remove the pressure. Its not too annoying except it feels weird when I close my mouth because it feels high on that side. Oh well, I am sure it will come down. I just spoke a little and I sound a bit funny again! Bah! Just after I'd lost the lisp ;) I think it is all in my head though and when I can feel the aligners I just do it to myself.

Was just thinking, after these aligners I will be 1/10th done my treatment(well, initial treatment anyways). That is exiting.

So I just went through my normal routine and got exited when I remembered I didn't have to go through the cleaning of my old aligners, I just rinsed them off good once I pulled them from the water and put them in the red container. I will miss those buggers, they were good to me the last two weeks. Hopefully these ones follow suit.

What is patience? Foreign concept to me.

Well, I am updating again, when I said I wouldn't until Thursday. That's not lost on me.

The aligners are super loose now. I mean, nothing crazy like sliding off my teeth when I laugh or anything, but the bottoms are so easy to take off(not that it was a problem before. Thank you nails) and the tops are easier as well(still takes time to unsnag them from my two front teeth. I am sure this will be easier when the gap begins to close). And not only that but I don't notice them anymore. And I don't mean not notice them like I said in my post 15 minutes after putting them on for the first time. I mean, I actually forget about them. Speak without thinking that I have something plastic in my mouth, close my jaw normally(it seems normal now after 12 days). I mean, I am not at the point where I go "oh crap! did I forget to put my aligners in!?!" but I am getting there which makes me really happy after such a short time. I know I am getting my hopes up and I will have a whole new host of problems when I get my buttons put on, but I only have to get used to them and they will stay the same my whole treatment so I only have to get used to them once....just have to keep my nails nice and long for when that happens....heh.

Я люблю съёмные невнимые выравинвание!

Well it has been a whole week, give or take 10 minutes. I can't say I am having any trouble. They don't really feel that loose. Though I don't really feel pressure either. Yesterday my left molars were a bit sore though, and it still occasionally feels really odd to take off the top aligner. Don't know if my speech is getting better but my tongue is no longer cut everywhere so that is good. Orange juice and mouthwash was killer for a while there. I think the aligners still look good, look the same as the number 2 set to me. I have been doing the same routine. Take them out, put them in a bowl of water, eat and whatever, floss my teeth, brush my teeth, mouthwash, rinse, brush the inside of the aligners with a bit of toothpaste and a softer toothbrush, rinse and re-insert. I hope I don't have to go and buy some denture tablets later on.....

So, with nothing else to report, I will probably have something new to say on the 7th when I change to set number 2.

Edit: Friday Feb 1 10:38 PM

Meh, too lazy to make a new entry. Today is my 8th day with these aligners and when I took them off(I ate at 7:30 AM and then ate supper at 8 PM(I think the longest I have had the aligners in for at once)) for supper-whoa does my bite feel weird ALL OVER now, not just on my lower left side. It feels a bit more even now that it isn't just on the left side now. That is the only update I have. I didn't think the teeth would still be moving in the second week, but apparently so. I, for some reason, thought that they move the first few days and then are just held in position so you don't have bone loss and all that. Hmm...

5 days in.

Nothing new really. There is hardly any pressure at all and the aligners still make my mouth feel funny in that gum irritating kind of way. My tongue hurts too. I don't know when it is getting nicked becasue I don't notice it. My bottom teeth vs my top when I bite together feels so weird still. I haven't gotten used to it. Only new thing to say is that my teeth feel SO sharp when my aligners aren't in. When I take them out to eat it feels like sharks teeth or something! Did take them out for about 30 mins this morning for a presentation because I didn't need another thing to be nervous about. But it's okay since I only had my aligners out to brush this morning for maybe 10-15 min and I just had supper/lunch here and it was 30 min. so I am spending less than an hour out of them per day(last night/early morning as I was working on my paper I was craving some food so bad but I was tired and figured I couldn't afford to waste 15 minutes re-doing my teeth so I just ignored it and my pant waists say thank you to invisalign.)

Updating because I'd rather do that than my project or paper.

Okay, so I think I have gotten this speaking thing down. I really have to enunciate-especially "S"s and "f"s but I think I can sound unlispy if I speak slow. I am way too preoccupied with this especially since it is way less worse than I was expecting.

Nothing much new today, I am not really noticing them much anymore except when I took my aligners off for breakfast/lunch the top was hard to get off again. It comes off the back easily enough but the front is hard and to pull it off the two front teeth(the ones with the gap) hurts just a wee it. But other than that no pain really, just that annoying "Raw" feeling that is indescribable, but not painful. No pressure at all today really and woke up with them suctioned to my teeth again(really good sleep too! seems that is no longer a problem) which I think happens from that white gunk(so gross) that comes off in the morning when I put them in water as I am tending to my teeth. To eat was weird again because my teeth were knocking against each other in a way different than before, such a bizarre feeling!

I think in 56 hours I have had them out for 2 hours. Today while eating breaky I was watching an arrested development episode and usually when I finish eating I continue watching but today I had to pause it and run and brush, floss, mouthwash, brush aligner and reinsert.

edit: My roommate and I walked to the movies tonight and passed a bar and she asked if I wanted to stop in and I said "Well, I can't because of..... *points to mouth*" and she goes "Oh, you got them already!? When?" I guess my speech and the aligners themselves are less noticeable than I thought!

Второй день

Nothing much to report on day two, but thought I would anyway.
I had a bit of trouble falling asleep as I can't close my mouth like I used to(like, my bite-I am afraid to damage the aligners by doing it) and woke up about 3 times during the night but didn't have a lot of trouble falling asleep again. When I woke up for good I could hardly tell I had them on-they felt sort of suctioned to my teeth and I thought I'd have a hard time taking them off but it was even easier than last night, the bottoms I can't feel at all, and the only pressure on the top is between my two front teeth and I cant tell if it is the TEETH or my frenum which touches the aligner which I can feel. And last night I pinpointed where the pressure was. On the top between insisor 1 and 2 on either side, today I can't feel that pressure at all. I think my speech might even be getting better. It is hard to say since I only really have whispered so far today. My next class will tell me how I handle reading Russian with these things in.

edit: 11:49 PM

So, my teeth now feeling weird. Sort of like when you floss to hard and your gums get irritated. I swear, it is getting HARDER to take the aligners off too. I had to fight a bit with the top one today at lunch and supper. I thought they were supposed to get easier!

Первый день!

Okay, so it is exactly 10:12, my apointment was at 9:40 so I have had my aligners in for about 20 minutes so far. But let me go back to the beginning.

I made a monster breakfast today, I should be ashamed for eathing so much, but I take comfort in knowing that it was my meal for the day; my last meal as a pre invisalign patient be be exact. It was nice to savor it and really take my time eating because I know I will be one of those people who rush through meals just to brush, wash the aligners and reinsert. I arrived on time(yay me, I missed the subway so I am lucky I made it at all) and immediatly went in to the station I always have(different hygenist this time, not Lindsay(yes, I looked it up on their site)) but Dawna who asked me if I was exited, I of course said yes. She had the first aligners out and opened the package and showed me them and they are so small! much shorter than I expected if that makes any sense. She showed me where the numbers and L and U were and then she had me put them on. I had no idea what to expect and they went on so easily! and the pressure felt so odd! and then she made me take both of them off and back on and then went though the hours(22) to wear per day and if I go out for 5 hours and take them out, to make them up somehow, if I loose or break an aligner to go the next one or if I dont have one yet to go back to the last one and phone them so I can come and get my next one, only drink water with them, how to clean them ect. She also mentioned that so far only one person's taht my dentist has treated has broken(good sign!) one of their aligners. She also said she found the pressure to be a bit stronger at certain aligners so not to worry and that my speech shoud get back to normal soon(it isn't too bad, I don't even think I am lisping my "S"s and I sound pretty normal when I really open my mouth to speak rather than mumble like usual. I was so exited to hear she was doing invisalign too, she is in refinments right now(she was like "I only have them out right now because I just had coffee." She also said that she finds it hard to sleep WITHOUT them now. I can imagine). Then she made my apointment for the 21st so I get get my attachments and my third set of aligners. I am exited about that. Then I payed and it all went well(I will admit, I was a bit worried!) and the receptionist was like "How exited are you?!" "Very!" Dawna also said that if I had any questions that all of the staff are really knowlegable about invisalign so just give them a call(I am assuming a lot of the staff had/have invisalign). The preliminaries from our insurance are STILL not back. Kind of annoying but hopefully they are there on the 21st so I can let my parents know. They keep asking about it(though my mom figures 1500)

What else can I say:

• The pressure on the top is slightly more intense than the bottom and I am surprisingly not experienceing dry mouth OR over salivanation(which I expected since to begin with I over salivate) and I had no problem with that. I think one of my edges may be a bit sharp but it doesnt hurt(I will let you know after work tonight though!).
• I am finding that I am leaving my mouth open a bit though(compared to beforewhere it was ALWAYS closed shut. I think it is just because there is something in my mouth though and I am sure I will be back to normal in a bit). I also feel like the bottom inside edges are not fitting snug, like I can almost put the tip of my tongue between the aligner and the tooth but I am sure in a day the teeth will move and it will be snug. I kind of like this though because I am for the first time ever NOT clenching. I wonder If I will be able to see a difference in the way my jaw feels.
• Besides having my mouth open a bit more I am finding myself running my tongue along the bottom inside of the aligner right along the middle/top of my bottom teeth. Ha ha ha it is so smooth.

While I have been typing this I have even forgotten they are there. That may be a bit of an exageration since I can really feel them but it doesnt bother me at all! Now, if only all the aligners go this well!

Until I have something else to report, bye for now.

Edit: (8:24 PM THE 24th of January)

Okay, second post today. I feel like I want to document everything. I am sure this craziness will disappear after about aligner 5, but for now everything is so new. I took the aligners out for the first time today to eat(left the aligners in a bowl of water while I ate) and then brushed my aligners, flossed, brush my teeth, and mouthwashed. The whole process took me about 20 minutes(eating included-I was starved). I tell you, when I took off the aligners and closed my mouth it felt so weird, and only after 8 and a half hours. I can't pinpoint what felt different but it didn't feel like my regular bite. It didn't hurt to eat or anything(I just had some spaghetti, and a couple of cheese and crackers) so it wasn't anything hard, but still.

Some things that are annoying me(I can live with though!) I used to bite my lips a lot and they always stayed basically smooth, and now they are all dry and gross. I have to go and wipe my lips every couple of hours. I am going to have to keep doing that and using even MORE lip balm. Also, sometimes, when I talk it sounds funny. Just the "S" sounds and only some of the time. It is odd really. I hope it disappears soon.

Ура!

I get home todayб and just for the heck of it decide to check the answering machine(I am a serial non checker....in fact, I just recently learned how to use it.) and there is a message that my invisalign is in! in 6 days! So I made the appointment for Tomorrow morning. Probably stupid but I couldn't do it on Friday since I have to work on a presentation after school for god knows how long. Plenty past closing time, though I could have slipped it in between classes on Friday. Oh well, I don't talk much at work anyway so It shouldn't be a problem. Plus, getting up for the appointment will be good for me. Maybe then I won't piss away the morning and will start researching for my paper due Monday while I wait to start work.

Only problem is I have to pay by credit card and am in the process of upping my limit, but if I can get it as high as the fee by tomorrow....that is another question. And the banks in my hometown are now closed so I cant get my parents to transfer money into my bank account(I am 1500 short) and I believe the banks do not open up in that town until 10ish which is...after my appointment....

Oh the troubles.

So my plan is to eat a huge breakfast and pop some advil so I don't have to take them off until the night for a brushing. And the appointment is only 10 minutes so I guess they are not putting on the attachments right away(or maybe it takes that little time?).

I am just thrilled at the speed of this all. I was preparing for getting the aligners until the middle or end of February. So this is quite the pleasant surprise!(I hope I don't use up all my good luck in the beginning here)


Well, tomorrow no doubt I will have something to say about actually wearing them. Wish me luck!

Здорово!

I saw my clincheck today! Wow, to say the least(I may have wanted to tear up while viewing it :) )
I arrived and the hygenist(I really should know her name already since I have had her each time) took me in to show me the videos. She showed me the front, the inside looking out, the side views, the view of my top looking up and my bottom looking down. It is amazing to not only see the space dissapear, but to see everything! The bottoms move in as do the tops making evertything nice and compact and much more aesthetic, My overbite is fixed quite a bit(WAY more of my bottom teeth will show. Yay!), a mild "sticking out" of one of my front teeth will be pushed down into place and my two front teeth will be pushed up. It seems the most work involved will be in moving my bottom teeth and top teeth "in."

I couldn't believe my teeth could ever look that good. And if my result is half of what is shown on the clincheck I will consider myself lucky!

Another great thing - I was worried about the buttons locations. And for me they are all attached farther back(like not on my 4 front incisors). So I call tomorrow to confirm and they send out for them to make my aligners! They said they should be in in about 2 weeks because invisalign is pretty fast right now. Only thing was- they needed the clincheck(to find out the amount of aligners and therefore the cost) to send out the preliminary to my insurance company so I still don't have that information and it is making me a bit nervous. It would be great to get at least the ammount I would get if I got regular braces, but I don't know how they view invisalign, and adult orthodontics for that matter. If only my parents' benefits had better online info.

I guess my next post will be when I get them in(Which hopefully, is no later than the 5th of Feb) so I will be "done"(not including refinments) for my birthday this year(19 upper, 18 lower BTW).