General Update

This will be short and quick...

I can't wait for my orthodontist appointment tomorrow.  I should be getting my 11th - 14th trays and making a new appointment for sometime in March--I'm guessing sometime during spring break.  Cool!

I've been using all things bubblegum these days.  I just finished my Aquafresh kids toothpaste (found for maybe $0.30/tube at Meijer on clearance) and thus bought a Crest kids bubblegum flavor with Sesame Street characters on the front.  The Sesame Street tube tastes better than the Hello Kitty, which was also Crest kids bubblegum.... hmmm....

My mouthwash is currently Listerine for kids (ha!) bubblegum flavor with Barbie on the front.  I can say that it doesn't taste much like bubblegum, but it's not nearly as harsh as the mint flavors that I've had before.  And the bottle has this really cool function where you can squeeze the bottle, allowing liquid to fill the fop cylinder, and then release, allowing some liquid to be let back into the bottle until the exact amount that should be taken is left.

During busy days at work, I've been chewing some Trident really quickly after lunch, then maybe brushing with Colgate wisp, then swishing my mouth with water from my water bottle, then putting my trays back in and swishing with more water before tightening them.  This sounds like quite a hassle, but 1.) I can continue working while doing this, and I pretty much need to work through my lunch these days 2.)  I don't have to go to the bathroom (student or staff) and risk dropping my trays or anything on the floor 3.)  I don't have to deal with splashing water all over myself and the bathroom like I do on those press-to-release-water-sinks that are in the bathrooms.  My trays don't seem any more gnarly than usual at the end of a two-week cycle, so I think I'm doing alright.

I've been having some clenching/grinding headaches lately, but I'm attributing that to my stress level (see that part about working through lunch).  I've been trying to be more conscious of it... we'll see how this week at school goes!

I've also been looking up other Invisalign blogs, seeking to find anyone whose teeth sort of resembled mine at the beginning... I want to see how they turn out!  I have so many ideas about what my smile could be, but I'm just not sure what it will be!

Tenth Trays

On Monday night, I put my tenth trays in.  I'm already two weeks away from my next orthodontist appointment, and they are spaced at 8 weeks apart!  Time is flying by.

The biggest difference with my tenth trays is that there are no longer fake teeth in the tray where my teeth were removed.  I've been a little nervous about this--mostly because I worry that spaces like that will make me look like a teenager.  (You see it more often than you think in a high school.)  I've been worried that the gaps will be visible when I laugh (which is often). I was also not sure why the fake teeth bubbles are no longer there since it doesn't seem like the teeth around the spaces have moved THAT much.  Here's a picture of my new top tray:

I feel like I have seen some huge changes in my smile.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how it turns out in the end!  Here are pictures of my smile from the front and from the sides so you can see what the gaps look like when smiling.

And here are my normal pictures of my bite from the front and sides.

I'm looking forward to my appointment in a few weeks when I will hopefully get trays 11, 12, 13, and 14!

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