Last night marked the end of my first 3 weeks of wearing my first set of aligners (1 week without attachments, 2 weeks with). Worryingly a small split appeared up the front of the bottom set a week ago and has gradually got bigger and bigger.

My dentist advised me if they're still usable then hold out, if not move to set 2 early. Luckily they lasted - and fitted as snugly as ever thanks to the attachments.

So last night I followed the advice I've read in several posts...

x2k

I'd had my first set of aligners for a week as of yesterday and was finally pretty used to them.

However, the time had come to get the cement attachments added to my teeth (7 at the top, 6 at the bottom).

It was quite a strange experience having the work done. Had to wear these oversized green shades, the usual plastic bib, and a cheek expander. The process itself was painless.

Some sort of pen was used to draw on which teeth needed attachments, then...

x2k

Well, it's now 2 days since the first set of aligners went on, and it's been an interesting experience so far, and I'm glad to say that I've still not had any major pain as such.

On the first evening, they were a minor annoyance though. I kept sliding the top set on and off my back teeth for relief - kinda like my teeth & gums were itchy.

However, waking up on the first morning with them in was actually fine - in fact I could barely feel them at the front. Still...

x2k

So I got the call mid-week to say my aligners had arrived, and today they were fitted. Spent some time in the chair being shown how to slide them on & off, and then had a practice myself.

They're pretty easy to fit right now, but they're gonna add the cement attachments next weekend - this is so I can get a feel for them first.

Appearance-wise, the aligners have transparent bumps which will hook onto the attachment - so that makes them more visible than if I had...

x2k

So my dentist called to say my clin check was in. I was amazed how fast the turnaround was - just a little over a week had past since the impressions were taken. They'd then been sent overseas, analysed, the clin check produced and emailed back. I was still only 50/50 as to whether to proceed, so this was gonna be a decisive day.

On arrival, the receptionist invited me into the back room (no, it's not one of *those* stories) to sit at the computer and see the animation of my teeth...

x2k