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smile786

invisalign--6th trays out of 16lowers/17uppers

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smile786
, 07-10-2009 at 02:10 AM (303 Views)
so i have a lot of thoughts on my mind and i've jotted them down...in no particular order so i apologize if this post goes all over the place. i'd appreciate your feedback...so please leave a comment on what you think...

i put in my 6th tray tonight. i started on april 30th. i have 17 on top and 16 on the bottom...which means if all goes well i'll be done before new year's eve . however, i think i will probably need/get refinements so my teeth become as perfect as they can get.
i saw my clincheck videos and from the looks of it my teeth will be significantly straighter by trays 12. i'm so excited for this process...
i've always wanted straight teeth and have held back from smiling with my teeth, opening my mouth wide so ppl can see inside, etc. growing up i couldn't afford braces and now that i finally could, i'm excited to have teeth that i don't hide because they are crooked and unattractive. i had to have one of my front teeth cosmetically fixed to cover a calcium deposit and the dentist who "fixed it" was stupid and made it a different shape then my front tooth's original shape so i will probably have to have that fixed after i am done with invisalign. it is odd though because at this point in my process my teeth are protruding outward to i guess create space and align the teeth (did that make sense?)...so when i smile with my lips it looks like i am really uncomfortable and it doesnt even look like i am smiling. and i take a lot of photos, my family and friends like to go out like every weekend in the summer...so i basically have hundreds of photos taken during the summer. however, right now i don't smile with my teeth cuz it is so unnatural for me and no one has seen me like that...and let's be honest, i still have crooked teeth. [if anyone has had this issue, that you don't know how to smile with your teeth cuz you've never done it before, please let me know how you dealt with it!? ]

but otherwise, having straight teeth will be a huge confidence booster because i wont be conscious even speaking to people. i read a study that 90-something% of ppl focus on your mouth when you speak. if this is true then having bad teeth must really lower one's ratings. lol. i know that i focus on someone's teeth and smile more and more, especially since i've gotten invisalign.

i think most people will find it very surprising that i have not told ANYONE about invisalign. i live with a big family and even though some people noticed i was smiling funny, had a shiny teeth glare and attachments, and had a slight lisp when i first started invisalign...no one has said anything. these days i am out of school and work so i'm home a lot and it's tough to hide brushing habits, etc. i've kind of played it off though. invisalign is one of those things that unless you blatantly tell someone, no one knows. i mean i'm sure people will notice that your brushing habits have significantly changed, considering you brush much more frequently, for me its anywhere from 3-5 times a day but you can still play it off if you are not constantly surrounded by people that watch you like a dog.

when i first started invisalign i was told by my orthodontist that it's okay to snack with your aligners on and then just rinse them afterward but I've found that's a huge hassle and my trays stain a lot, especially cuz i drink a lot of tea and juice.

but that is it for now...here is a link to my clincheck videos. i would post photos but i'm internet shy as far as pictures go...

YouTube - Teeth
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  1. Sunny's Avatar
    Great that you're having treatment to help sort your smile out Smile!

    I recommend you practise smiling in front of a mirror, as it can take some time to become comfortable with your smile, when you're not used to smiling. It might help if you try and focus your mind to think of your teeeth as a 'wip - work in progress', so that you allow yourself to smile now, even though your teeth aren't straight yet. When people are looking like they're trying to hide their teeth, it's generally quite obvious to other people, and of course this draws their eyes to your mouth. This means the sooner you smile as naturally as possible, the less obvious your 'mouth/smile' will be.

    I agree that people who're having ortho treatment, or work in the ortho industry may notice things about other's teeth, but I'm sure if there's any truth in 90% of people focusing on a persons mouth when they speak, it's more about the lip movement, then teeth that they're looking at. I've had metal braces for years and still have people around me who've never noticed. That may sound incredible, but I don't try to hide them, which also has the affect of not drawing any one's eye towards my teeth.

    I also choose not to tell anyone other than my hubby and our two adult kids about my ortho treatment ... and four years later, apart from a few close friends, no one asks me about them. They're a non event for others ... so I didn't (and still don't) see any need to share this information with them. I've worked in the welfare industry for years and find too many people spend way too long telling others about their health issues and how miserable they are ... looking for sympathy, and I definitely didn't want anyone to think my having braces was going to be something like that. Good for you doing this for you!

    Where I work, we have one premium invisalign provider and his rule is ... water only with your aligners on. The reason being that enamel can damange easily for many people, and whatever goes in the aligners will be held against your enamel until you clean them and your teeth ... and it's just too big a risk. This is a disadvantage of invisalign, but if it's something you really want to do, then having to remove your aligners to eat, will become a beneficial habit. Plus it's only during your treatment time, which isn't that long!

    Wow your teeth ... especially your uppers, and your bite are already amazing! Your results should be outstanding!
  2. smile786's Avatar
    thanks so much commenting sunny .
    about smiling in public...smiling comes naturally and i dont hide my smile when talking or laughing. in fact most ppl see me smiling. i'm just conscious in photos...and am trying to change that because my photos don't show me laughing...its just a light smile. baby steps... hopefully when i'm closer to being done i'll be teeth smile much more in photos, etc.
    and yes i've definitely started removing my trays when i eat or drink something. it's much easier to clean my trays and mouth. and generally, i'm not forgetful about putting my trays back in so it isn't a big problem
    i agree...i didnt really want to tell anyone because i never complained about my teeth to anyone. my lower teeth are crowded but the uppers weren't as bad and apart from dentists and some super teeth conscious ppl no one noticed. i am 22, but most of my friends went through the braces process when they were in middle school/early high school and are thrilled about their smiles.
    i guess maybe if i was older it would not be a big deal but when most of your friends/family have great teeth the last thing you want to do is draw attention to how you dont like yours. most importantly, at least my teeth are healthy...everything else is fixable.and ppl only notice flaws when you point them out.
    when do you finish your braces process? you must be excited...i know i can't wait to be done and i've only had invisalign for 2.5 months. when you can see results it's so exciting