Hello everyone!
Two days ago I finally did something that I had been waiting for 7 months, and that is to start my orthodontic treatment. First, I would like to explain why I decided to get it, why not braces and how the journey has been so far.
Why Am I Getting Invisalign?
Everything started 7 months ago, when I had a trauma on one of my front teeth. I didn’t realise the trauma pushed that tooth back at first. I only felt some pain which lasted for about 2 minutes, and everything looked normal when the pain subsided.
However, I was yet to realize that something was off with that tooth. A few days after, I started to feel pressure and pain on the traumatized tooth whenever I took my retainer out in the mornings. I had been wearing my retainer at nights for 4 years to keep my teeth at place after the orthodontic treatment I underwent. I didn’t feel such a pressure before that trauma, which meant that my retiner didn’t fit my teeth anymore, signaling a shiftment of that tooth. I also started to feel some back and fort movement on that tooth. Oups😐
Even if I didn’t have to wear a retainer at nights, I would still have realized the backwards shiftment of that tooth because of how much discomfort I have been experiencing since then. The new position of that tooth was so annoying that I couldn’t stop licking that tooth with my tongue and it was sooo unpleasant all the time to do that.
Anway, I went to a couple of orthodontists with the hopes of getting an orthodontic treatment to take that tooth back to where it was. However, they all said that a traumatized tooth can die even after months or years of the accident, and that we should wait at least 6 months before starting an orthodontic treatment to make sure the tooth is healed and there isn’t any complications to interfere with the treatment.
There is still a risk of that tooth dying due to the orthodontic movement, but I hope it doesn’t happen and everything goes fine.
And, the big day has finally come 2 days ago. I got my first trays of invisalign. I wore braces as a teenager, but my dentist wasn’t an orthodontist and she didn’t really did a great job. So, other than the traumatized tooth, we are also fixing other problems left from my first treatment like overcrowding in my lower teeth and deep bite.
Why Not Braces?
If you don’t know what invisalign is, it’s a type of orthodontic treatment with clear aligners to straigthen your teeth. Different than braces, they are (almost!) not visible on your teeth and you should take them out whenever you eat. You should keep them on your teeth for at least 20-22 hours a day for them to work.
You generally change aligners every week or two weeks. Each set of aligners are designed to shift your teeth a little.
To be honest, I would prefer braces over invisalign because taking them out every time to eat and brushing your teeth every time you put them back sounded too much of a hustle for me. Plus, I don’t care that much about the aesthetics part. However, my orthodontist said that treatment with braces will last much longer and it is better for more complex cases. She said we can fix my teeth in about 4 months with invisalign while braces require a minimum of 6-7 months, so I decided to go with invisalign.
Getting Invisalign - How Has the First 2 Days Been So Far
I have been wearing my first trays for about 1.5 days now, but strangely it feels like it’s already been 3 weeks or more. The first 3 hours were fine and I didn’t feel any pain. I also liked that they were not that visible and my speech didn’t get affected that much.
I took a selfie when I left the orthodontist. Here, I was wearing them for only 10 minutes and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad’.
However, an unbearable pain started after 3 hours I took this photo. I spent the whole Saturday sleeping because of the pain and I had to cancel my plans. I feel the most pain whenever I take them out to eat and put them back.
One thing that I’m glad is that I don’t have to take them out to drink something. I’m not allowed to drink hot liquids because it can cause deformation on aligners, but other than hot liquids, it’s okay to drink. Yeey!
Thankfully, today the pain is better but there still pain and it still gets awful when I take them out and put them back. I have read on forums that the first weeks are the worst in terms of pain and then you get used to it. I hope it also gets better for me. But really, all I want is to fix my teeth and get rid of that constant feeling of discomfort because of that traumatized tooth. If it’s all going to be worth at the end, I think I can bear some pain! 🙃
For now, the orthodontist gave me the first 4 set of trays to be changed weekly. I will wear a total of 14 trays.
If you’re also interested in getting invisalign, I can make updates or answer your other questions :)