There is much to be said about making lists, crossing things off, finding new things to add to the list and so on. That’s pretty much like life. New chapters form as we turn the pages and we move on to the next phase. amiright?

The saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. In order for the adventure, there must be that very first step.

This year I branched out into the unknown, for myself. I visited an orthodontist.

While I haven’t had any major issues with my teeth to speak of = 3 fillings to date and all wisdom teeth pulled, that’s it.

That said, my bite is off and the lower jaw has to push back to get a bite. Grinding my teeth at night has been an issue for years. Thus, wearing a night guard is essential. My dentist thought I would be a perfect candidate for Invisalign. Invisalign would behave as a night guard to prevent grinding and would fill the slot for braces. I was on board.

Next stop was on to my new orthodontist. He too said that I would be the perfect candidate for Invisalign.

My scans were finished over the last two weeks and now I’m finally getting adjusted to my first trays. Today is Day #3.

It’s really hard to see in the picture, but the upper and lower teeth sport my very first set of trays. This shot was taken yesterday, Day #2.

Day #1 (Feb 19th) – Confession: I think I made a bad decision. On day #1, after I got home and settled into the first set of trays (about 3 hours in), I thought to myself – “These don’t seem to be doing anything.” That thought stayed with me a little while. Then is when I made the corporate decision to put the second set of trays in.

“How cool is this,” I thought. I reasoned that I was already 2 weeks ahead of schedule. A little pain settled in that evening, so I took a couple of Tylenol and called it a day.

Day #2 – Yikes! What was I thinking when I thought advancing past the 1st set of trays was a novel idea? It was worse than I expected. I really don’t know what to expect, as I didn’t have braces as a child to compare it to.

And then a saliva issue started. Sorry if this is gross to you. But I have to tell it like it is. Seriously, it was like opening the saliva glands and swallowing every two seconds! So not only was I dealing with the pain from my teeth, the continuous swallowing caused my tongue and sides of my gums/jaws to develop sores from the edges of the trays from all of that swallowing.

That saliva issue sent me straight to google in a panic, to get to the bottom of it. Turns out, the mouth is adjusting to a foreign object and the saliva is the natural way the body responds. WHEW! I finally relaxed knowing that that would pass one of these days.

Having said all that, I learned to follow my orthodontists instructions. Leave your trays in for 2 full weeks and cool your jets for wanting to speed up the process. While your teeth may have already adjusted to the trays in 3-5 days, you need to leave it alone to give ample time for the bones to shift.

I have enough trays to get me thru the first 8 weeks. So I’m going to simmer and keep this #2 tray in for 4 weeks. Then move on to my #3 trays. And be a good girl and stick to the letter of the 2 week law, per each set of trays.

Day #3 – Today

My goodness, the saliva has finally simmered. That was crazy folks! I thought I was going to lose it. Also, the soreness is beginning to subside. And my gums and tongue are getting used to these foreign objects. Cheers! I can finally feel myself getting situated for this great adventure. I’m so excited!

It’s hard to see the little buttons they added to my teeth. You might be able to see them in the pictures above. I have a total of 8. 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom.

In other Invisalign news.

• I’m wearing the trays no less than 22 hours a day.
• I take them out for 3 meals a day and put them back as soon as I finish a meal.
• My teeth and trays are cleaned after each bite of food.
• I clean my trays with a soft toothbrush and mouthwash.
• While my bite is the biggest issue, some of my teeth will be straightened to form the best smile. (Grin)

Cheers to moving forward into the great unknown with Invisalign. Stay tuned for updates. I’m not sure how smooth or bumpy the journey will be, but I can already tell things are looking up after those first two days.

Blessings – Debbie