Updated Progress Pictures

Late in Tray 5

It's been a few trays since I have added any pictures, so here is an update... FYI, the trays are in my mouth in all of the pictures except the one below on the left, as noted. I would say they are pretty undetectable - they make my teeth look shinier and I think they make the gap look smaller. What do you think?

Tray 6 Day 1, Without Trays In

Tray 6 Day 1, With Trays In

 The above 3 pictures were right after putting tray 6 in for the first time. Late night and bad allergies make for very horrible pictures, but you get the idea.

And as a reminder.... here is where I started June 21st, just over two months ago. There are still plenty of improvements to be made, but I can definitely see some changes starting. :)

Holy Jawbreaker!!

The Problem

Well, up to this point, I have been very satisfied with my treatment. I'm currently on Day 13 of Tray 5. For the entire time I have had this set of trays I have been having this dull pain in my jaw on both sides. I thought maybe it was from clenching my teeth more often because I have noticed that I was doing this, so I consciously made an effort last weekend not to do it anymore. The pain still didn't go away, so I called the dentist to find out if this was normal. They said that it was perfectly normal and a good sign that things are going well, and the pain should only last a week or so. I was also told it was ok to 800mg ibuprofen every 6 hours as needed. It seems to be helping. It's been almost 2 weeks now so hopefully the pain will subside with the next set of trays. We'll find out tomorrow!

Jaw Clenching

I didn't mention it my last post, but, I was concerned about all the extra jaw clenching I was doing so I asked about it at my last appointment. After looking at my aligners that I had in for two weeks, she said there were no bite marks so the clenching was fine. I think this actually helps because it helps ensure that the aligners are snugly on the teeth.

Cracked Aligners

As for the cracked aligners mentioned in a previous post - tray 4 had no cracks at the end of the 2 weeks. Tray 5 has very tiny cracks that I have only noticed because I was specifically looking for them. So far, they haven't caused any real problems, just more of a concern for me. As long as that's all it is, I will move on with life.

Noticeable Changes

• The gap between my two front teeth is getting smaller. I remember being teased when I was younger asking if I could stick four quarters in there. I never tried it, but I could put my tongue in there sideways with ease, I still can, but there's definitely less space now.
• Visually, the gap is noticeably smaller when my teeth are "naked", but when I have the aligners in, I think it makes it look even smaller yet. :) This also makes me want to keep my aligners in all the time. It's a win-win! 
• I have a slight overjet. I used to be able to stick my tongue through the space between my top and bottom teeth, not anymore! :)
• A couple of the bottom teeth were pretty crooked making it impossible to floss. I used to be ashamed when I would go in for a cleaning and they would ask if I had been flossing - won't be the case anymore! :)

In Summary

Overall, despite the couple of issues I have had, I am still very satisfied with the whole process thus far.

The jaw pain could be worse and seems to go away with the ibuprofen. I should also note that my allergies have been horrible at the same time as all of this, so that could just be compounding my problem since I'm not feeling great. 

The boost of my outward self image is TOTALLY worth any minor things that might be annoying or concerning me during this process.

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Tray 4 - 1st Follow-up Appointment at 6 weeks

So it's been almost a week, but last Thursday I went in for my first Invisalign check up. I am currently on Day 8 of Tray 4. The dentist checked my mouth out without the aligners in. Then checked with the aligners in, to make sure that all the teeth were where they were supposed to be and to make sure that all of the attachments were in the proper place and turning my teeth correctly.
She also took a look at the cracks in my old alingers and said it almost has to be caused by the way I'm taking them out. She watched me put them in a take them back out and didn't see anything. I'll just be way more careful from here on out and see what happens with the next couple of sets.

She said everything looks great and is going as planned! She asked me to put in the 4th set to make sure everything lined up with the new set. She then asked if I wanted to wear trays 4 now, or go back to 3 and wait until bed time to put in 4. (Of course I want tray 4! Why would I want to wait???) There was a little discomfort, but again, no pain! :) She sent me on my way with sets 5 and 6.

The next day I decided to pull out tray 6 and compare it to tray 1. Of course my comparison is mainly in the gap in my front teeth, since that is my main concern. But WOW! I couldn't believe how much smaller it is going to be! :) Probably not quite half the original size, but a HUGE improvement! Only 2 weeks and 6 days until I put those bad boys in my mouth! :) (not that I'm counting or anything)

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