Invisalign: Tray 12 +13

I received trays 12 & 13 today.

As usual, I had to insert the subsequent set there in the office to make sure everything works. Because of the speedbump removal, the tray fits kinda cockeyed; I guess it always will until the end.

Invisalign: Tray 9, 10, + 11

August 6
This time Dr Eric scrapped off the speedbump on my upper incisor due to the misalignment of the trays. He indicated that he'll do some refinement work at the end that includes taking another set of impressions (yuck!) and a few more trays. He was pretty fuzzy on just how many. Jeez! I thought I'd be done with trays!

The new trays were tight fitting but nothing that brought tears to my eyes. I think with this set, I'll have to take the emory board to the trays and file 'em down. I haven't had to do that in many weeks.

August 7
Update: This photo shows my teeth just after their 6 month cleaning! I'll be darned if these toofies aren't getting just a little bit straighter!

UpperTrays: 3 sets remaining!
LowerTrays: 11 sets remaining!

Invisalign: Tray 8

I guess I didn't think anything (like to call the office maybe!) of the disconnect between the incisor speedbump and my reservoir. The assistant gave me tray 8 and as I inserted them, I had the same issues -so I revealed them to her.

Dr Eric had to don the latex gloves to poke around and check both sets and their mis-alignments. He asked me to wear this set for 2 weeks and let him know if there were additional issues. I continued to wear them with the pit sitting just cockeyed off the speedbump.

Oh well!

Invisalign: Tray 7

Tray #7 was the set that I was given to take home so that I wouldn't have make a trip into the office. Boy! I thought I had done something wrong after all these weeks of inserting/removing the trays at mealtime... the speed bump on the upper incisor refused to fit into the reservoir! Hmm...

I continued to push and push and fit but to my knowledge it wasn't snug-as-a-bug in the pit. So, I waited until the next office visit.

Invisalign: Tray 6

May 30

Dr. Eric shaved between 2 teeth, but cannot remember where. I'll get note the next time I go in.

The upper jaw still smarts each time those new trays get inserted. I still get teary eyed trying to shove them in.

Invisalign: Tray 5

May 14

Again, on the eve of my tradeshow, I can barely stand up from all the long hours I'm working. I'm thinking Dr. Eric shaved between 2 teeth, but cannot remember where. I'll get note the next time I go in.

Invisalign: Tray 4

May 1

I've been remiss in my updates. I'm so swamped with my upcoming tradeshow that I'm lucky to remember my middle name.

I think this is where they gave me Trays 5 so that I could skip the office visit.

Invisalign: Tray 3

April 11

The trays are still pretty painful to insert. At this point, I won't like Eric just pop them in, I've made it clear that I need to stand by the sink to run them under cold water and then caaaaaarefully insert them.

Damn! That smarts!

Invisalign: Tray 2

March 26...

Dr. Eric shaved between by two front (upper left & right central) and between my upper left central and upper left lateral today. The drilling wasn't so bad, I imagined a Dremel tool with a radial cut off wheel that skimmed between the teeth like a tossed rock skipping across water; next time I'll have to actually review his tool tray. It was when it took tiny sandpaper between my teeth and smoothed them as I do when polishing my woodworking projects that sent me giggling.

However, once that project was finished (seems like merely a minute for both teeth), he asked me to insert the new trays. "Holy Mother Mary of..." my upper teeth convulsed in spasmotic bitterness as I quickly tried to removed the implements of self-inflicting pain. For some reason, my dentist/ortho found this as a personal pre-lunch entertainment; think I'll call him Attila.

Now mind you, to conceal my interpersonal anguish like I'm fighting the yellow humor, I do my best to spew salty jokes whilst I pain. Dr. Eric felt I was the most animated respondent to the graduating trays and I retorted that vanity is pain and I wanted to quit this non-sense; he declined my invitation.

While I took 2 Advil before my visit ("To tolerate the torture." Dr. Eric replied), I will be revisiting my friend, Orajel. I-am-not looking forward to removing the trays tonight to brush my teeth. Oh crap, I just remembered, I "have" to remove my trays -I've got the end-of-the-day Flouride treatment to perform.

I'm gonna cry.

Invisalign: Week 2

March 19...

Need to call Eric, seems I've busted the only speedbump affixed to the top row of teeth sometime this weekend. Geez, I thought the tray was easier to pop in and out.

Update: The folks in Eric's office got me in at 2pm Monday to fix my "speedbump." Eric thought my 'speedbump' analogy was funny -wasn't mine, tho, it was the folks on the archwired.com forum. In any case, Eric re-etched my canine and re-affixed the speedbump.

FYI: Speedbumps are required to 'torque-the-tooth' and because canines are the most difficult, it seems as though this particular canine will be taking the full 12 weeks.

Update 2: My upper require only 12 trays (24 weeks) and my lowers 20 trays (40 weeks)!!! This will allow me to look gorgeous on our honeymoon in December!!!!

Invisalign: Tray 1, Week 1

March 16...

It's now Friday and the wave of insanity has now disappated. This is what I know about the first week of acclimation with Invisalign:

1. Never get your Invisalign installed while you're PMS'ing;
2. Give yourself at least 3 days before devising the strategy for offsetting the out-of-pocket money that you feel you owe your spouse because you 'just-can't-take-it-anymore!';
3. Buy yourself a tube of tooth ache pain reliever (I bought Orajel) immediately to numb any initial pain that occurs when inserting or removing your trays;
4. Keep the Dremel tool (or a nail file for short term) handy so that you can sand down the sharp parts that continue to cut the under side of your tongue;
   
5. If you don't have the pain reliever (and after brushing your teeth), detour the icy cold rinse water onto your teeth to numb the gums and run the trays under the icy cold water before inserting them to help alleviate any initial pain that occurs when re-establishing the trays in their upright and locked position.
6. If you work from home, sleep-in as much as possible. Kick the cats out so that they don't attenuate or otherwise beat the dreamy state that you covet.
   
7. When you do finally get up, begin drinking heavily (and I'm not talking coffee) at breakfast and don't stop until you go to bed. Make sure you greet your SO (in my case, Andrew) with two clean wine glasses and a freshly corked bottle when s/he returns home -this will make her/him think you haven't had a drop since the night before.
   

It's now Friday Night and I and the Invisalign have become assimilated. I'm a much happier person than I was 4 days ago -the wine doesn't hurt either.