Then and Now

Here are some pictures to compare what different views have looked like throughout this process.

My bite from tray 3 vs. my bite from tray 9.  Look how much wider everything has gotten!








My smile from the initial photos vs. my smile right after finishing tray 8.  How different are these?!

Bottom teeth wearing tray 5 vs. bottom teeth wearing tray 9.  Look how much the hiding tooth has moved!  The gap really has widened.

My smile from a picture in December 2013 vs. my smile from a picture in December 2014.  Subtle but good changes!

Ninth Trays!

I made it through Christmas wearing my 8th trays.  I feel like I did a lot of rinsing/swishing water instead of brushing until later on with those, though.  That was simply more convenient than going and brushing my teeth anytime I wanted a fudgy bon bon. ;)

I also felt like I was a little more lax with time constraints the past two weeks.  Overall, I'd say I probably averaged the 22 hours per day with my trays in, but some days, it definitely didn't feel like that.  To make myself feel better about that, I drank grape Kool-aid with my aligners in today, knowing that I would change them tonight.  They didn't change color at all!

My tenth aligners start in 2 weeks, and after that, I'll be taking another trip to the orthodontist!  I noticed that my ninth trays are the last set with the fake teeth bubbles on the upper tray.  Number ten just has space there!  (which I'll post in a few weeks)

Here are my current picture updates.  I think that for my next post, I'm going to post some cool comparison pictures where I can finally see some changes!

 Current smile without (left) and with (right) aligners.  Not bad, eh?  It's really coming along!

Current bite.

Side view.

Fake tooth bubbles will be gone in 2 weeks.

Other side view.

Eighth Trays

I put these in tonight.  Here are my observations:

-They seem tight right away.  Usually the tightness sets in the next day.  Uh oh.

-I feel like my bite is wider from the front view now.  I've compared my old pictures to my new pictures, and that's what I could come up with.

-I like my progress.

Pictures:




My bite.  Seems wider, right?  I can see more teeth than I used to see.

Side views. Still working on closing the gaps.

Current smile.  Still working on that gummy region.

Funny views of the bottom and top.  That lower tooth behind the rest is getting closer!  That gap is widening.

Clenching and Grinding

I started this post on November 22 but haven't had time to finish it.

A few weeks ago, I was on my sixth trays for about two-and-a-half weeks while I waited for Thanksgiving to pass.  After that, I could have my next orthodontist appointment and move to tray 7.

I'm not sure why, but with my sixth trays, I felt like I was constantly clenching and grinding my teeth.  I couldn't stop!  I don't know if it was related to the shape of my trays or what.  I would do it in my sleep and while I was awake without thinking about it.  By the time I realized what I was doing, I had a horrible headache.  This happened for many days.  Eventually, I started to feel twitches in my right temple.  It sort of felt like pressure, but it also felt like a muscle spasm.

I became worried after feeling that pressure for a few days, so I, of course, took to the internet.  It turned out that I (thankfully) wasn't the only person ever to feel those sensations.  I also confirmed my suspicions that they were related to my clenching and grinding.  I put my fingers on my temple (where the pressure was) and bit down.  Sure enough, I felt my muscles there contract as I clenched my teeth.  I could also feel my temporal artery throbbing.  Awesome.

I had to pay attention hardcore the next few days to make sure I stopped grinding my teeth.  Once I broke the habit, the sensations went away.  Occasionally, I would feel something weird in my temple region, but then I would realize that I had gone back to those habits.

I'm glad to say now that I haven't had these issues in awhile.  I'm feeling much better and very relieved!

Christmastime Comparisons

Here is a picture from Christmastime last year and a picture from yesterday.  I used to think the picture from last year was really good!  I'm already so much happier with my smile, and I'm only three months into this!

2013

2014

Seventh Trays and Lower Attachments

Today was the day when I finally got to return to the orthodontist to get lower attachments and my next few sets of trays.  Awesome!

I had to wait a few extra days for this appointment because of Thanksgiving (my appointments had been on Wednesdays), so I had my previous trays (#6) for extra time.  I tried really hard to keep them as clean as possible.  I also kept them out for longer periods of time since I had so many extra days.  (I went to a party, a wedding, and Thanksgiving dinner during those weeks.)  I think everything went well with those trays!

This morning, I had five attachments put on my bottom teeth for a total of ten (I think?) overall.  Adjusting to my upper attachments 6 weeks ago was difficult because I had a hard time putting in and removing my trays.  Doing that hurt for about 5 days!  I'm currently going through the same process with my bottom attachments.  Removing my bottom tray is really hard right now because I have attachments on 4 teeth in a row, so finding a place to grip them to lift them off seems impossible.  I always feel like I'm going to pop off an attachment!

Because I now have my upper and lower attachments (and probably because my orthodontist said I'm "probably following the rules to the tee"), I received my next four sets of trays this morning, meaning I don't have to return to the orthodontist for another 8 weeks!  Crazy!  My next appointment is January 26.  The first thing that I did when I got into my car, of course, was check out my tenth trays, which I'll be wearing at the end of January.  They don't look a TON different than the rest, but I can definitely see the alterations.  You'll just have to wait until then to see them!

Here are my picture updates:

(These have natural lighting like my earlier tray pictures because I took them in the middle of the day.)

Current bite.  Nothing much new to report here.  Mouth seems wider.

Bite from one side view.  You can tell my two front teeth have moved quite a bit from the inward-facing angle at which they were pointing initially.

Bite from the other side view.  Gap closing a little bit more (maybe?)

Current smile.  Fangs seem to be lower-ish.

My mouth all opened and stuff.  See if you can spot the ten attachments!

These are the four bottom attachments in a row.  They look like those bubbled on bottom.  I found myself biting my lower lip a lot tonight at dinner because of those suckers.

The single lower attachment on this side.  So lonely...