On Wednesday I showed up for my Invisalign delivery appointment, which I had to wait more than 4 weeks for after my trays had already been delivered to the office because my orthodontist was on vacation! Jerk. Anyway, I went, I put the trays in, the doc took a look and said they fit perfectly, and I scheduled my next appointment for 2 weeks out. Very anticlimactic.
When I first put them in, I was expecting pain. They didn't really hurt at all, just a slight pressure. They were super easy to put in. For the first hour or so I was feeling fine. I decided to go eat lunch right after getting them, mostly because I was hungry and hadn't eaten lunch yet, but also to practice my whole new oral hygiene routine I had been preparing for. I went to my boyfriend's family sub shop and got myself a nice sandwich and some soup. I stored my aligners in the handy retainer case the orthodontist gave me and when I finished I realized I forgot to bring my Invisalign kit I had painstakingly assembled and perfected over the last few weeks. Ugh. So I just swished water in my mouth and popped them back in. Awesome start, this is going to go flawlessly!
No biggie though, the shop is just down the street from my house so I went home, brushed, flossed, mouth washed and popped them back in. Before I go on, I'll tell you about my home made invisalign kit, and other accessories!
First, I made a little travel toiletry bag on artscow and filled it with the following:
-2 Colgate 360 toothbrushes (randomly just picked some cheap regular toothbrushes for travel). One is for my teeth and one is for my aligners since I was told not to brush them with a toothbrush that has had toothpaste on it because it may scratch them and make them look gross.
-Reach Access flosser and extra floss heads.
-Mini bottle of listerine total care
-Travel size Crest 3D white toothpaste
-Retainer case
At home I use an oral B prohealth precision clean toothbrush, a reach access flosser or some generic floss picks, a big bottle of Listerine total care, as well as Retainer Brite tablets and an Ultrasonic cleanser. I soak my aligners in the ultrasonic machine with a tablet of Retainer Brite while I am eating dinner. Who knows if it makes a difference, but my aligners don't stink yet and they are still totally clear. Full disclosure, I smoke cigarettes (I know, I'm an idiot, I need to quit) with the aligners in and was expecting some yellowing, but nothing yet!
Moving on. That pain I was expecting, it started happening a few hours in. Some slight soreness. But worse than the pain was the anxious feeling I had about something being on my teeth. I felt claustrophobic, I told my boyfriend I felt like I had little teeth prisons in my mouth. Also, the edges on the back molars were scratching the bottom of my tongue, so my tongue was getting quite sore. I took some ibuprophen and counted down the hours til dinner, knowing I could finally free my teeth from their little prisons. Dinner came and it felt so great to get those things off! However, my teeth felt really sensitive and naked. The first few bites of food were weird, then I got used to it. I finished up and did the whole brush, floss, rinse routine, and I also brushed the aligners after taking them out of the ultrasonic cleanser. I popped a few more ibuprophen before bed, after brushing again (skipped the flossing as I didn't eat anything since dinner), and went to sleep.
I woke up and my mouth and jaw were pretty sore. I was excited to take them out again and eat a banana for breakfast and have my morning coffee. I normally like to sip my morning coffee over an hour or more while I peruse facebook, but I was trying to make it quick so they wouldn't be out very long. I think it was 45 minutes or so, I guess that's ok. Took some more ibuprophen and brushed, flossed, rinsed and popped those bad boys back in.
It's now day 2 and the soreness has become minimal. I don't think they are scratching my tongue as much, or I have stopped noticing it. My mouth was a little sore this morning, but right now they are feeling pretty okay. I still have moments where it bothers me that there is something in my mouth and I want to take them out, but I just keep visualizing my hollywood smile (and my $5000), and keep going until the next meal. These next 18-24 months better go by fast!
Here are some pics of my teeth with the aligners in, I don't think they are noticeable unless you look really close. They make my teeth look shiny. I think I have a slight lisp, the boyfriend says I don't but I think he is just being nice.
In the car after putting them in for the first time in the office.
I kind of feel they highlight how crooked my teeth are. I didn't realize my teeth were THAT bad.
Batman snuggie, don't judge.
This is actually so cool! I had to do the braces thing during high school. I remember my retainer would fall out at night and get caught in my hair. It was so, so, gross. You look great and I hope this process will give you just the smile you have been hoping for!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this wonderful post with us. I am happy to read your start of your Invisalign journey. Have a great rest of your day and keep up these informative posts.
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