I’m on my second week wearing Invisalign and no one has really noticed. Even my husband forgets I’m wearing them! One friend did notice them and thought they were cool and said she was considering doing Invisalign. Like me, she did not want to look like a 12-year-old with a metal mouth. No offense to 12-year-olds. I am definitely much better at putting the Invisalign aligners in and taking them out. I even discreetly took them out at a restaurant tonight because someone was in the bathroom and wouldn’t come out. Nobody knew the difference. And it has definitely helped me cut down on snacking because I know I’ll have to brush my teeth and clean my aligners before I put them back in. Sometimes M&Ms just aren’t worth it. ;0) I go back to Carter Orthodontics on the 16th to get my attachments. (Little bumps of tooth colored acrylic called attachments may be bondedglued to the front or back side of specific teeth to give your aligners more grip on your teeth for moving them updown, changing their tilt, or spinning them straight.) That will be interesting learning how to take the aligners out and put them back in with the attachments on my teeth. I’ll post a video about that too. Feel free to ask questions or make comments about your own Invisalign experience. – Melissa

Now I get to try to insert and remove the Invisalign aligners myself! It took a bit but I figured it out!

This is a video taken during my first appointment at Carter Orthodontics to receive my first set of Invisalign aligners. Cheryl, the Clinical Manager, shows me how to insert and remove the aligners. To insert them, you start with the front teeth and then work your way around to the back teeth. They fit really snug at first! To pull them out, you start with the back teeth and work your way around. I found this to be difficult at first mostly because I thought I was going to break a nail. (One tip would be to cut your fingernails before this appointment.) I’m actually on day 3 of wearing the aligners. My teeth only hurt when I’m taking the aligners out or putting them in. And by “hurt” I really mean that I feel soreness for a moment. My mouth stays kind of dry so I’m drinking more water than I normally do which is a good thing. And I’m not snacking near as much as I normally would because I need to brush my teeth before I put the aligners back in after eating. I’m finding it’s just not worth the snack. :0) I really would rather wear the aligners than not because they make my smile look better when they are in. The space between my two front teeth isn’t noticeable at all when the aligners are in. Any questions??  – Melissa

Today I went for my first appointment at Carter Orthodontics to get my first Invisalign aligners! I was very excited and a little nervous. The main thing I worried about was how uncomfortable the aligners might be at first. Having seen both of my teenage boys go through Damon Braces with Carter Orthodontics, I was expecting a bit of pain on the first day. Thankfully, it was not bad at all. The boys didn’t want to bite down on food at all and requested milk shakes. I was able to eat dinner with no pain at all. Certain teeth are definitely more sore than others but I took some Advil and they are fine.

Cheryl, Carter Orthodontics’ Clinical Manager, was very friendly and knowledgeable about Invisalign and was able to answer all of my questions. I was worried that I couldn’t chew gum for bad breath anymore. While that is true, I can have mints as long as I don’t bite down on them. She even said I can drink Coke and tea, but it might stain my teeth. I think I’ll stick to water. She also gave me a sheet of instructions and went over them with me. She even gave me her cell phone number and told me to call anytime I had questions. How’s that for service?!

The coolest part of the appointment was getting to see a computer animated 3D image of my teeth. It showed my teeth before, during and after the Invisalign process. I took some video of it and am including it in this post.

When I came home my husband looked at my teeth and said the space between my two front teeth had already closed up. I looked in the mirror and it was true! I was so excited! I have always had that space between my front teeth. Unfortunately, when I take the aligners out, the space is still there. But it has only been one day. I’m already much better at pulling the aligners out and putting them back in. I’m really excited about the Invisalign process and glad that I can be documenting the process to help other people make this decision.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. – Melissa