My Invisalign Journey-it's almost over!

Today I am starting my final Invisalign trays! I plan to celebrate by sipping on sweet tea all day for the rest of the year! Alright! - I will probably try to not go back to that bad habit, but I may stop brushing my teeth 3-7 times a day! I think 2 times a day might work for me again! 

I started my Invisalign journey in March 2012 and it is now almost December.  I really thought it would take longer to achieve straight teeth! I can honestly say that wearing Invisalign has been a fairly easy process, although I am definitely happy to almost be done with wearing the trays during the day!

Here are some things I learned during my own Invisalign journey -

1.  Invisalign is not painful.  I was afraid it would be, but it has not been! There were a few times that I had mild headaches after starting new trays.  It was rare enough that I'm not absolutely certain the headaches were even related to the Invisalign.  I found that some trays seem to go on easy and some are tight and a little uncomfortable.  Interestingly, I felt most sore when I'd take out new trays to eat, not while they were in my mouth.  None of it has been intolerable, though.  From talking to people who have had traditional braces, it seems like wearing Invisalign has been a less painful (and all around easier) experience. 

2.  Invisalign is not always invisible.  True, most people don't notice I am wearing Invisalign.  Some people do.  I know this because they will start to stare at my  mouth to figure out what is going on in there.  It's pretty entertaining.  I usually tell them so we can start making eye contact while talking again. 

3. I sometimes got lazy about putting my Invisalign trays back in.  I never left it out for days.  Sometimes I just didn't want to brush my teeth and the Invisalign trays in a public bathroom.  Sometimes I forgot my toothbrush and paste at home.  This might cause me to have the Invisalign out for 1-2 additional hours.  I admit I did fall asleep three times since March without putting the Invisalign back in.  These are not good things, I know.  I suppose I'm saying you are not alone if you start to slack a little.  Just get back on track and wear them like your should!

4. It's fun to give your Invisalign nick-names.  My niece called them "the golden teeth" (not sure why since they are clear).  My husband and kids would talk about them as if I was their Grandma with dentures.  "Where's your teeth mom?"  and "You left your teeth in the car again?"  are not unusual phrases to hear at my house. 

5.  My husband will not miss carrying "my teeth" in his shirt pocket when we are out to eat and I forget to bring the case for them. 

6. Not everyone loses weight while wearing Invisalign.  Evidently some people eat less due to having to remove the Invisalign trays each time they eat, then brush the trays and their teeth before putting the trays back on.  Not me.  Nope, not even Invisalign can slow down my food intake evidently!

I told Dr Shock that if I didn't like the result I would just plan to wear the Invisalign trays in reverse to put my teeth back how they were.  I'm not going to do that!  I am so happy with my straight teeth.  Not just for cosmetic reasons, but for the health benefits straight teeth provide!

Feel free to call Dr. Shock at Hamilton Town Dentistry if you have any questions or would like to discuss Invisalign. 


Audra
Hamilton Town Dentistry
Ph#317-773-9992