100 Days!

Guess what today is!  Obviously, from the title, today marks 100 days of wearing Invisalign!!  (Ok, yesterday since it's after midnight.)  Now, this may not seem like a big deal to anyone who hasn't worn Invisalign, but to those who have.... it's pretty exciting!

Since I didn't give an update the last time I changed trays, now is a good time to do so....

Tray

Tray 6 was popped onto my teeth on December 18, while I was in Miami for work.  When I first started wearing it, I thought it would be a breeze!  But tray 6 reminded me of one of those headaches that doesn't bother you at first, but slowly starts to wear you down... about 24 hours in, there was just enough discomfort to be noticeable, but not really enough to truly bother me.... It only lasted for a day anyway, and then I was back to feeling comfortable!

For the first time, I noticed a power ridge on my trays, located on my top left central incisor.  Apparently I also had one of these in an earlier tray, but it was more noticeable this time on a front tooth.  For anyone who doesn't know, this is what power ridges are (these aren't my teeth, btw).

If you imagine a tooth that is slanted inward, and the power ridge pushing/holding the top part of the tooth, while the tray moves the bottom part of the tooth outward, that is my understanding.  If that doesn't make sense, you can also watch this video, which helps make it a little more visual.

So, anyway, the most annoying thing about tray 6 was driving down to Alabama for the Christmas break.  I ended up drinking one of those Starbucks Frapuccino drinks you can buy at gas stations and drinking it with my trays in because I couldn't keep constantly stopping in gas stations, and I needed caffeine.  But I survived (yay!) and moved on to....
                                                                               Tray

Tray 7 was similar to tray 6 in the sense that it definitely didn't hurt at all the first day.  It was comfortable right after I put in... I couldn't tell if I was happy to be comfortable or sad that I wouldn't be seeing a ton of movement!  So, the next day I was surprised when I could actually feel some soreness on my bottom right central incisor.  I think this is the first time I have felt anything specifically on that tooth.  (Once again, it was enough to be noticeable, but it wasn't bad at all.  Just enough soreness to let me know something happened, but not enough to bother me- I actually wish all trays were just like tray 7!)  And maybe the theory that it's more noticeable the first time a tooth moves has merit!  haha, it seems logical, so I wouldn't be too suprised! :)  I didn't notice any teeth in particular feeling any differently than usual...



So, to finish up my blog, I will tell you about my Invisalign dreams and why I'm sooo excited about tray 8!

Invisalign Dreams

In one dream, I put in new trays and they didn't fit.  They went on my teeth, and the top part fit fine, but they only went halfway down my teeth instead of going to the gumline...  I think this is similar to what happened to a fellow invisaligner, but my dream happened before his tray didn't fit.

In another dream, Align Technology invented Invisalign that lit up and played music when you bit down your teeth.  I was jealous that I didn't have them, which is obviously absurd, because the whole point of the plastic trays is to hide the fact that you are wearing braces....

Why I Am Excited About Tray 8

I can put in tray 8 for the first time at home!!  I know, you're wondering what the big deal is, right?  Well, for tray 4, I had them put on at my appointment.  For tray 5, I changed in Atlanta.  For tray 6, I changed in Miami.  For tray 7, I changed at my appointment again.  So, yes, I am quite excited to change a tray at home since I have not done so since November 4!  This happens on Wednesday, January 16.

So, that is all today.... sorry I'm a little scatterbrained today; hopefully this wasn't toooo boring to read!  It has been a busy week, so I'm too tired to be entertaining.