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.