All's good!

Had a dentist cleaning today at my normal dentist. I love my dentist and have been going there since I was young. Since they don't offer orthodontic services I had to go elsewhere for my invisalign, but I still go to my normal dentist for cleanings. This was my first time there since I started treatment. I got x-rays and a cleaning. I was worried my attachments would make things complicated, but it was just like normal. My dentist was happy I was getting treatment and said he couldn't wait to see my smile progress. He's such a nice guy!

Anyway, my hygienist gave me some tips and really made me think about it differently. I have been drinking cream soda with my retainers in because it's clear and won't stain.(I didn't tell her this! lol) But she brought up the point that anything with sugar can get under the retainers and if it sits there it can eat away at your teeth. So definitely not a good idea! I will be buying more bottled water for sure. Otherwise just have to work on my flossing, especially with my teeth moving. I love going to the dentist!

I'm on my 6th set of trays so things are moving along. Just made another payment today. Definitely nice to see my balance going down :) A good smile is a great investment to me. Just have to take good care of your teeth to make it worth it! One of my bottom teeth towards the front that was pretty crooked was very sensitive the last couple of days and experienced a lot of pain while taking my retainer out of brushing so I can tell it's moving. Yay! My teeth are all pretty much shifted forward now. Which is what the plan was.

Here are some new pictures I took:

Ehh!

So I have been majorly slacking in the maintenance department. Please, please, please take my advice so you never have to deal with this. It gets very gross. So take care of those retainers! Brush them thoroughly every morning and night at the very least. After every meal is ideal. Two weeks is a long time with the same retainers so keeping them in good condition is really important.

My finances are not amazing right now, so I need to get on top of that! I have enough to make my next payment, but will be very stressed if I don't start getting more money in soon. The payment plan is nice, but you still do have to make the payments. So being super organized (unlike myself at the moment) would be very helpful.

Otherwise my treatment has been pretty normal. Just chugging away at my retainers. Almost ready for set 6! Lip ring is still in, but hasn't been a problem. We will see when I decide to take it out, because I guarantee I eventually will. One thing I have been slightly annoyed with is not being able to eat whenever I want. People have often offered me food, and it's awkward to be like "oh can't. have my retainers in" I wish I could eat with them in. It's nice to be able to take them out when I want, though, so it's not a big complaint. Overall, things have been good. Just have to get better with the cleaning!

Me and my kitty showing off my progress so far. The more my teeth improve, the more I smile!

Changing smile!

I'm a couple days into my 5th set of retainers. This means I've been wearing invisalign for 2 months! That's a fifth of the way done with my treatment!! I'm definitely on the road to my dream smile. I have noticed my top teeth are noticeably straighter. My "hidden" tooth is no longer hiden. My top teeth look great! I can't stop smiling! It's something I have been so self-concious of for years and now my smile is looking so much better. This has been the best decision. I've even decided to take my 6 month old lip piercing out because I want the focus to be on my smile! I can't believe how quickly I could see results. My bottom teeth need some work, but they're also coming along really well. I can totally see the difference my retainers have made so far.

When I'm eating and have my retainers out, I've noticed it feels so weird if I don't put them back in right away. I'm so used to wearing my retainers it feels odd not to have them in. I bet it's going to be a transition to get used to not wearing them when my treatment is done!

I have had some pain since switching retainers, but it wasn't anymore than usual. I took ibuprofen the first day once and it was fine. I have noticed when taking my top aligners out there is a bit of discomfort. I'm guessing that it's because I have quite a lot of attachments on my top teeth. It's not horrible pain or anything so I'm not too concerned.

My teeth have moved to a strange location again. One of my top teeth is rubbing up against the inside of one of my bottom teeth. This sort of thing has happened several times and the teeth have always moved within a couple of days so I'm guessing it's just the moving process. I'm pretty used to everything that comes along with the retainers so I don't have much concern. This time my retainers fit perfectly, with no air space.

This process has been very interesting. I can't believe how retainers can do so much. I'm a big fan and although I've never had traditional metal braces, I totally recommend invisalign over anything. The treatment is low maintenance, you can eat/drink/brush your teeth/floss like normal by simply taking out your retainers, the pain is relatively low, the treatment time is fairly short, the price is cheaper (at least in my case) and is manageable in payment plans, and the results are great!! I'm so happy with my progress and am very eager to continue to see how my smile improves!

Chugging along!

It has been awhile since I wrote, so I suppose it's time. I have a few days before I put in my next set of retainers. For the majority of my treatment, I have felt minor pain in my back or side teeth, which is expected since my treatment is designed to push all my teeth out and then force them back in in the right positions. However, this time I felt some pain on my front teeth, so I think my teeth are making their way up. Progress is very exciting.

I have noticed some more annoyance as some of my teeth are in a strange location, but it's pretty minor. I have gotten a little lazy about washing my retainers after meals, which is apparent. You really can't skip that step. So thank goodness for clear mouthwash. It's nice to freshen them up. A quick soak every morning and sometimes at night has been helpful. I also brush them at least every morning and usually every night. I would recommend brushing after everything you eat, but I understand it's not always possible on the go. At the very least, I rinse my mouth out and make sure no food is stuck anywhere. (If you have food stuck to your back teeth, for instance, it will not fit properly and you will be able to feel it)

As far as noticeable difference, I can really tell my bottom four front teeth have moved closer together. They always had a tiny space between them that was hardly visable, but now it's even less visable. Eventually, these teeth will be sanded down a bit to make room since they will be getting very close, but I'm unsure exactly when that will be happening.

I am very happy with my decision to get invisalign. The only part bothering me right now is paying for it! It's definitely not an unreasonable price, and is more cost effective than traditional braces, but as a college student, money is tight. I've been fine making my payments thus far, so hopefully that trend will continue!! I am very eager to talk about and recommend invisalign. It has been a great treatment and things have been moving along just as they should.

Ouch!

Today I had my first check up. It has been 6 weeks since I started treatment and my orthodontist wanted to make sure everything was going arlight. He said things looked perfect, which is a good sign. I got 4 new retainers and will go back in October to check everything is still going according to plan. I am pretty used to the whole routine of wearing them and very eager to continue seeing results.

I've noticed overwearing the retainers is kind of bad. The other day I was rushing and didn't have time to eat so I didn't eat until about 5 pm. I wore my retainers the whole time and they were getting annoying and sore. So definitely I have learned it's important to take them out and when they say wear them 20 ish hours a day, they mean it. I also got lazy and drank some orange pop with my retainers in. So freaked out when they got stained orange, but a good brushing fixed them right up. I've learned the more you take care of your retainers, the fresher they will stay. By the end of the 2 weeks, it's welcomed to get a new pair because they get gross. However taking care of them really helps.

Right now, my right back teeth REALLY hurt. They are actually in severe pain, so I took some medicine. I hope it helps. Ouch! I can feel my back teeth are definitely moving. I'm getting very excited to see some real progress. I'm so impressed so far with invisalign, my younger sister started her molds to get invisalign too! We have very similar mouths, so our cases are pretty close.

Arrrggg!!

So I have been wearing set 3 for just about a week now. When I first went to put in on, the back right side wouldn't click down. It felt like air was stuck in there. I was afraid it was made wrong and I didn't want to ruin it so I made an appointment with my orthodontist. They squeezed me in, and told me it was nothing to worry about. They said if it iddn't fit better in 3 days, they would send away for new ones. Thankfully after about a day of wearing, they fit better. It just needed time to mold better. Hot water also helps the retainers mold to the teeth better. Good information to know!!

Now I'm at the point where my teeth have moved to a VERY annoying position. With or without the retainers! With the retainers on my left side bottom and top teeth towards the middle/back are rubbing against each other, which is super distracting. Without the retainers, such as eating or brushing, on the right side in the middle my bottom tooth is rubbing up under the back of my front teeth, which feels extremely uncomfortable. Definitely looking forward to my teeth moving past this point. It's driving me nuts.

I also have noticed discomfort, which is good because my teeth are moving, but also semi-frustrating. It's not bad enough to need pain medicine, but still painful. I have noticed if I wear them too long (as my appetite hasn't been very high) my teeth become irritated. So simply taking them out for 10 minutes really helps.

Besides the frustrations, things are moving rather well. I have an appointment soon to make sure my teeth are moving correctly and get my 4-6 set of retainers. Here's to progress!!

Going fast!

Tomorrow I switch to my 3rd set of retainers! And things are going great. I'm so used to them and don't even realize that they're in anymore. They're just a part of my everyday routine. They feel weird for a couple days, then feel normal, and by the end they feel weird to not wear them because they fit your teeth perfectly. I've started being a little more daring and drinking with them in, but I soak them in clear mouthwash. If I notice ANY staining, I will stop immediately. I never, ever eat in them, because I'm not sure how I wouldn't crack them. I don't even want to chance that.

I definitely notice that my front bottom teeth are closer together. They used to have small spaces between them that you can barely see, but now you can't see them at all. I also noticed a little discomfort in my back teeth for once, so I think they're moving forward. Through the course of my treatment, I was told my teeth will all be pushed out and then moved back in into a better position.

My bite is constantly changing, which is the most annoying thing at this point. I'm not used to it so my top teeth are often digging into the middle of my bottom teeth, which is not a very pleasant feeling. But it's nothing too bad. I'm definitely ready to change retainers. I feel like this process is moving pretty fast. I am definitely getting more excited as time goes on to see my new smile!