Hmm..

So I have been wearing this set for 4 days. I am finally used to the alignment. And I like it so much better. My teeth on the side feel like they're finally not in the way. Which makes chewing a lot easier too. However one thing I've felt today was pain. The lower mid-right side is pretty sore. It makes sense though because that's the one area that hasn't done too much moving yet. I don't have enough pain to take medicine, so I'm not awfully worried about it. I would expect it to be fairly better by tomorrow. Which I hope is the case because tomorrow I start my new job so I will have very long periods of time where I cannot take out my retainers. When you are in pain with your retainers, short breaks with them out really helps. So if I can't take them out and I'm in pain, I will grow even more in pain the longer I keep them in. And sometimes the pain doesn't strike until it's too late.

I have been trying to remember how many trays I'm supposed to have in total for my treatment. But I can't remember and it doesn't look like I wrote it down. My containers say 24, but I know that is not correct because I remember he told me we wouldn't use them all. There are extras just in case I need more improvement past what he thinks my treatment time will be. Since I'm already on tray 17, it can't be much long. 22 maybe? I guess my focus should just be on wearing my retainers and continuing to do as I'm told. It will go fast, I'm sure. The rest of treatment has. My teeth look so much better already. I noticed today that my mouth is fuller and my teeth kind of fill out my mouth more. Which I think makes my lips look better as well.

I surely can't stop smiling every time I pass a mirror to look at my new smile. Such a great investment. Anybody who has ever been self conscious of their smile knows how much fixing their smile makes a difference. In my case, the dentist had been telling me for years to get braces because my teeth were crowded. But my parents didn't. They put it off. And soon enough I was 18 and not their responsibility. I took it into my own hands purely because I hated my smile. Little did I realize at the time, it was a lot worse than I thought. Looking back at pictures now and seeing the improvement, I can see how bad they really were. So it definitely was started by cosmetic reasons for me. But now it's helpful for my bite and my gum health. Parts of my teeth I couldn't reach before are now accessable for brushing and flossing. So overall, even though it may sound super cheesy, for me this was one of the best decisions I've ever mad.