Tray 4!

Well, I put tray 4 in last night, and again it's no problem. No pain, no filing needed, no lisp! They just feel like a tighter version of the old tray, but this time my bite isn't affected, so I can close my jaw without issue. It's so funny how each tray feels so tight, and then when you move to the next one, the previous one was already seeming like a comfy old friend. I find it uncomfortable to have the trays out, my teeth feel weird, so I tend to keep them in for closer to 23 hours a day, so maybe that's why it's smooth sailing so far.

Snap, crackle, pop - Tray 3

Tray 3 (of 42 top, 57 bottom) went in Saturday night before bed. As with last time, it was super tight, but with a little push and a pop they snapped into place. It's working on my lower right molars, so my bite is funny and my speech was a bit off for the next morning, but the speech is fine now, and the bite is getting better as the days go on. This time I didn't need to file any rough edges and I have no tongue pain or anything (thank goodness!). Can it really be this easy? Yeah, I've had to adjust to brushing my teeth much more (but 5 times a day can only be good, right?) and have finally gotten into the habit of flossing all the time too. Not snacking unconciously is impossible, since you have to take the trays out. So, it's only changes for the better thus far, and snapping the trays in and out are totally no problem at all now. I have to admit, I am so impatient to reach the point in my treatment where my front teeth start to move since that's the part where you really notice the improvement. But, good things come to those who wait, and wear their trays 22+ hours! :)

Tray 2 is in!

WOW! They weren't kidding when they said each new tray will be tight! I put it in last night before bed, and I was really a bit afraid to take it out this morning. It was actually just fine, it's very tight but it came out no problem, and I didn't g get the feeling that my teeth were going to fall out as some people have described. My teeth just feel a lot of pressure, but not what I would call pain at all. I've been reading about different tray wearing times - it seems that 14 days is the standard. I am on a 10 day schedule, and I've read one person who claims his ortho lets him do something like 4 days. I plan to ask my ortho exactly what the math behind it all is, I'm really curious and I haven't seen anything concrete online as far as research goes. Of course it would be great to finish up treatment in a miraculous amount of time, but not at the expense of compromising the end result, or your teeth's health. I do want to know what his point of view is, since he has so many treatments behind him, as well as one of the most experienced in Europe, apparently. Anyway, I'm loving the pressure on my teeth, and still a happy Invisalign camper!

After one week

No pain, no troubles getting them in or out, no sore teeth after the first 3 days, no problems to report. I am wearing them at least 22.5 hours/day, brushing them the same way as I do my teeth. Once every day or two I pop them in an effervescent cleaner while I eat, and they are still crystal clear, no sign of clouding or anything that I read about on some other blogs. I'm on a 10 day schedule, so I get to start tray 2 (of 42 top, 57 bottom) on Thursday. Maybe I'm strange, but I'm looking forward to feeling that pressure on my teeth, and just curious if the next tray will go as well.