7 months later...

I haven't posted an update since November.  A lot has happened since then!  I also found that I haven't taken pictures since #30 back in November, which looked like this...

I thought I had really made progress at that point, but I have come a long way since then!  Here are some BIG updates:

-In my last post, I mentioned some "filing" that I would have done to make room for some teeth to move.  I had that done.  It was the single worst part of this entire experience.  It was way worse than a filling.  It doesn't help that I think one of my bottom teeth was nicked on accident, which caused lots of pain, especially when brushing with minty toothpaste for weeks.  The dentist noticed the place at my last visit.  I think the filing would not have been as bad without that experience, but still, the feeling was not pleasant.

-In January, my teeth next to my two front teeth still weren't moving down as they should have.  That meant I had to restart my Invisalign process.  I had scans done over again (thankfully electronically and not with molds this time!) and waited, waited, and waited some more for my new trays to come in.  This meant that I didn't get new trays from sometime in January until sometime in March.

-In March, when my new trays came in, I had to get some attachments removed and others added.  This ended up being a particularly long appointment, and I missed part of my next class because of that.  Thankfully, I have a great friend who covered for me!

-I currently visit the orthodontist every 7 weeks and get 3 sets of trays at a time.  This allows for 2 weeks per tray plus a buffer week in case any of them need more time.  I have needed a little more time with my chewies for the stubborn teeth from before, but they are doing much better now that they have attachments on them as well.

-My gaps are finally starting to close, and food gets caught in them less and less.

-My headaches have been decreasing because of less time spent with chewies overall.

-My best friend got Invisalign, so that has made the journey more fun!

-I have tried to count when this round of trays (18 in total this time instead of 43!) will end, but that has proven to be quite variable based on the past (almost) two years!  I think I should finish around the beginning of 2017.  I was hoping to be done before my best friend's wedding this November!

And so... here are the picture updates.  This is tray #7 of my new set!

And here are some side-by-side comparisons to see how far I've come:

Here are all of my teeth (top teeth sitting on bottom teeth) when I first started and currently:

(I think it's funny when people say I didn't need braces or my teeth were straight before I started.)

Bottom teeth with tray #5 vs. bottom teeth now:

(That tooth is now pretty much in line with the others.)

Top teeth with tray #5 vs. top teeth now:

Bite with tray #1 vs. bite now:

And lastly, here I am 2 years ago in June (pre-Invisalign) vs. this year in June:

2014                                                                                               2016

27, 28, 29... and 29.

I haven't posted picture updates in awhile.  I have taken update pictures pretty diligently, except for #29, which I'm currently wearing.

I have been wearing 29 for about a month now since those side teeth do not want to come down.  I visited the orthodontist 2 weeks ago, and he told me to keep wearing these trays for 2 more weeks and "keep chewing those chewies."  (I have chewed two sets of chewies in half and have had to order more from Amazon frequently.  These two teeth are a pain!)  My next appointment is Thursday.  If all goes well, then I will possibly have some teeth "polishing" (filing) done, and I will get many sets of trays.

Here are the pictures.  My #29 pictures are coming from today, which is roughly 6 weeks since I took my #28 pictures.  You can see a little improvement with those two side teeth.

#27

#28

#29

School Pictures Revisited

I got my school pictures back in October, and I did a side-by-side comparison of this year's picture with my picture two years ago.  (Last year, I had JUST gotten Invisalign, so my smile was a little bit awkward and different.)

Here it is!

I can't even list all of the good differences I noticed!

26th Trays

Here are pictures from my 26th trays.  I went to the ortho last week.  The only issues I'm having are still those two teeth next to my two front teeth coming down.  Otherwise, I'm on track to go back in November!  At this point, I'm thinking I should be done with everything in May!

#25

I switched to my 25th trays on Tuesday (just in time for my first day of school Wednesday!)  They are super-tight on some of my front teeth!  I also have big gaps to fill in this time around, so I've been chewing my chewies a lot lately.  I have just over a week until my next orthodontist appointment!  Crazy!

Next weekend also marks a year since I had my oral surgery to start this whole process.  I'm almost a full year in!  (That means I have less than a year to go!  Awesome!)

Unrelated:  I keep having horrible dreams that my teeth are falling out!

Here are my picture updates:

#24

Here are pictures of my 24th trays that I put in a week ago.  My top front teeth are really hurting with these, but the pain has gotten better with days.  The biggest movements that have to take place are with my lateral incisors.  I had HUGE spaces in my trays when I put them in last week.  The spaces seem to be getting smaller.

I took these pictures at night, so they are kind of weird in terms of coloring.

22 and 23 and Comparisons

I switched to my 23rd trays today and realized I never wrote about my 22nd.  I guess I don't have a lot to update.  I went to the orthodontist two weeks ago (to get trays 22, 23, 24, and 25) and scheduled for another appointment in September.  The ortho told me that everything is going well and that I'm obviously following the rules.  He also noted that I'm over halfway finished.  Alright!

Here are picture updates for 22 and 23



22:  bite













22:  side bite

 22:  other side bite

22:  smile














23:  bite














23:  side bite














23:  other side bite (look at those two front teeth!)












23:  smile










And now some comparison shots!

Here is my bite at tray 2 vs. tray 23:

Here is one of my gaps at tray 10 (when the fake tooth "bubble" was first removed from my top trays) and at tray 23 (the back tooth is moving forward a bit!):

And lastly, here we are at a wedding last summer and at a wedding THIS summer!  (Enlarge the pictures to see a HUGE difference!)