48 Hours Into This

It's been approximately 48 hours since I had my Invisalign put on.  Here are some thoughts.

I took ibuprofen before getting them on because I heard I would experience some pain/discomfort.  That became apparent when the ibuprofen wore off.  These are TIGHT!  I woke up in the middle of the night (due to some loud neighbors, unfortunately), but falling back asleep was difficult because of the discomfort.  Now that two days have passed, the discomfort isn't quite what it was before.  Still, I notice my aligners most of the time.  A few times while teaching, I've bumped my top teeth on my bottom, which seems to be the most painful area.

When I got my trays, the assistant at the orthodontist's office filed down a rough edge of my bottom tray.  I wish I had known that ALL of the edges on these are rough.  After teaching (and talking) all day yesterday, my mouth felt raw.  My tongue definitely was, and I had canker sores forming all over my mouth.  Yesterday was also the day of Open House, meaning my day stopped around 9 p.m.  I finally went to Walgreens at that time to pick up dental wax (used with traditional braces), oral soothing gel, and nail files... just in case I was desperate for filing.

Thankfully, the wax has been helping a ton.  The downside of it is 1.) taking it out when I eat and trying to salvage some of it 2.) having so much in my mouth that my lisp is getting worse 3.) worrying about swallowing it at night.  I hope the rest of my trays are not as rough as these.  I don't know if I have what it takes to build mouth callouses!  (Is there such a thing?)  The positive side of the wax is that it's mint-flavored.  And not nasty spearmint. ;)

Nobody has mentioned noticing my Invisalign.  I've talked about it with coworkers, but that's about it.  I try not to focus too much on what I sound like when I teach.

I have been doing well with keeping my trays in for the suggested time during the day.  I've brushed my teeth after each meal just fine, though doing that at school can be a bit of a challenge.  Brushing the aligners is kind of hard right now, but I'm guessing that is due to my crowding.  I've avoided eating/drinking (non-water) outside of meal times to avoid brushing so many times... but I've definitely gotten hungry in between!  (like now!) I've also noticed that chewing some things is sort of painful.  My fiber gummies (a little more dense than fruit snacks) are definitely a challenge.

I think that's all I've got for now.  These two days have been long.  I'm still really excited, though.