Tray 17 Video

 

Tray 17

Today I started tray 17.  I was also given tray 18 and 19, and made a followup appointment for October 1st.  At that appointment I will find out if I'm going to need to use trays 20, 21 and 22, or if I will not use them, but take new impressions for some refinement trays.

I'm excited to be nearing the end of this adventure. I'm happy to see my straighter teeth and I was told by my orthodontist that I am the model patient.  It really isn't me. It's just being compliant.  I really do wear these trays all the time, except for when I'm eating and drinking.  I also have been wearing my rubber bands every time I have a tray in.  Today I got a little reward for my efforts. I get to ditch one rubber band and only wear one on the left side!  Small victory!  

Look no rubber band on my right side!

Tray 17 is in!

My latest smile!

Taking one tray at a time!

Sylvia

Tray 12 video update!

Today was the day for Interproximal Reduction!

Today was the day I was to insert tray 11 of 22! That also meant it was time to do an Interproximal Reduction! What? That sounds scary!  But, it really isn't. I think I have spent more time using an Emory board to file my nails than the orthodontist spent making spaces in my mouth.

Interproximal reduction (also known as slenderizing, stripping, enamel reduction, reproximation and selective reduction) is a means by which additional space is acquired for your teeth. My orthodontist stripped my teeth by hand (using a flexible diamond-coated strip that's worked back and forth between my teeth) and a dental drill. I didn't feel any pain and it was a super quick fix!  The new tray went in my mouth and I just had the usual tightness.  I did come home and immediately pop a 600 mg Ibuprofen for good measure!


I will wear tray 11 for two weeks, and then once I put in tray 12 I will be officially halfway through the trays. Hooray! That is of course, if no additional trays are ordered.  I won't know if I need to do any refinement trays for some time.

I'm getting used to the nuances of wearing Invisalign and I'm glad that I see results. I see the light now (literally between my teeth!) I have what they call "black holes" but I'm still hoping these will fill in. The black holes are gaps that have resulted from my teeth shifting.  The IPR is supposed to help eliminate or reduce the appearance of these black holes.  Time will tell!

My original smile with crowding!

After IPR and with tray 11 and rubber bands!

I also don't know if I will be wearing rubberbands on both sides of my mouth for the remainder of the trays. It's all a work in progress.

Still smiling!
Sylvia

Tray 8 and Rubber bands!

What's a little rubber band after a Migraine?

Today I found the key to going to the Orthodontist, and not feeling bad about any pain. Just get a migraine about 3 hours before your appointment. You will feel so bad that by the time you go to the Orthodontist and have recovered from your "Hell," you will actually be telling yourself, "I feel so good!"

Now, I hope this doesn't become a routine, but that is in fact what happened today. I got an Ocular Migraine at around 11:00 a.m.  I immediately came home, popped a 600mg Ibuprofen, ate some food, drank a lot of water, and had a cup of coffee.  By the time my 2:00 p.m. appointment rolled around, I was feeling a lot better. I think having the Ibuprofen in my system already helped this appointment as the new tray didn't seem to be as tight or bother me as much as it has in the past.

Today I received trays 8-10 and also rubber bands.  They had to attach two "buttons" to my second from the back lower teeth. This didn't hurt at all and was a rather quick process. The rubber band attaches around the button on the bottom and then is connected to a little notch in the top Invisalign tray.

I actually thought the rubber bands would be bigger and more noticeable. So a small victory. Yay!

I have now experienced the trays alone, with attachments, and now with rubber bands.  On my next visit in six weeks they will file down some of my teeth to help in the straightening. I think that will then complete my evolution down the Invisalign road.

Happy trails to me.............

Sylvia

I've never flossed and brushed so much!

I was pretty lucky that as a kid, I didn't have too many cavities. I had strong, crooked teeth!
Now, I can truly say I have never flossed and brushed so much in my life! I have to brush and floss after each meal and snack. My routine is something like this: Wake up and take out those Invisalign trays before I even start the coffee!  Drink my coffee slowly so I can let my mouth take a break.  Put the trays back in until lunch time. Eat lunch and then put the trays back in. Then if I can't go five hours, I take the trays out around 3pm for a quick snack and coffee pick me up! The trays go back in until dinner time, and then after dinner they go back into my mouth for the duration of the night.  The routine is getting a bit bothersome. But today I looked at my original Invisalign tray and compared it to my 7th tray which I will start wearing this coming Monday.  I can actually see a difference.  This helped me appreciate all that brushing and flossing a bit more.

Left side shows the original trays, and right side is my 7th tray.

I'm about 1/4th of the way to a perfect smile!

Sylvia