Vacation day 1

So I am that certain holding off on the new set of aligners was the correct decision - first day of vacation and I had the aligners in and out so many times that I'm not quite sure how many hours they were actually in.  Fortunately I had 2 compliant weeks already, so the third week is cake...

Vacation decision

Thanks to some helpful comments on the Invisalign bulletin boards, I have decided to keep my trays in for an extra week while I am on vacation.  Why?  (1) who wants to deal with the discomfort of new trays on vacation? (2) vacation time means less compliance with the 22 hour rule (3) no swimming with aligners in your mouth (4) will only be a 5 day delay - from Monday to Saturday, and then I can be extra compliant with the new trays.

Hooray for the bedtime trick

The bedtime trick worked again.  After inserting the new aligners last night with some difficulty, I went right to bed.  This morning the aligners were snug, but came right out, and reinsertion after breakfast and brushing was no problem.  Now, I still feel the pressure, a lot more than at the end of the previous aligners, but it is not painful and there should be no issue with going about my regular routines.  And since I'm eating low carb, I don't have to worry about biting into crusty bread or crunchy carrots, which I am certain would be quite uncomfortable the next couple of days.

Set 4 is in...barely

Ready for aligner set #4.  Almost ready for bed.  Teeth brushed and flossed and fluoride rinsed.  Now to put in the new aligners.  Let's start with the lower.  First try - won't go in, second try, they click in - victory!  Super tight.  Now the upper.  First try - not even close; second try - right side clicks in, but left and front not working.  Now to try a little more muscle - right, lllleeeeefffttt...click, push front up as far as I can without really forcing it...  I guess it is in.  Ouch.  Now to try a chewie for a few minutes to get it to seat better in the front.  Then some tylenol and bed.  Hope the morning is better.

Why two weeks?

I read somewhere that Invisalign recommends wearing each set of aligners for 250 to 300 hours - hence, the 2 week schedule (called "activation time").  The closer to 300 hours, the better.  I think at some point many folks were swapping aligners after only 1 week, and results were not as good.

I'm just an armchair orthodontist, but I suspect that teeth move in the first week and stabilize the second, so they are more ready to move when the aligners are swapped.  That would explain the pressure in week one, and relative looseness in week two, especially near the end as I am now.  It is tempting to swap early, but I will wait out the full two weeks and swap on Monday night.  Conventional braces are generally tightened only once a month, so Invisalign may move the teeth more efficiently.

On the additional benefits front, the Invisalign diet continues.  I am using the aligners as a very good excuse not to snack.  I have combined this with a low carb approach, and am down 15 lbs. in 4 weeks.

Now that's better...

A week into the third set of aligners and the tightness has finally waned.  I was surprised it took so long, but with my teeth being pushed, pulled and torqued, I suppose it takes a while for movement.  I find I am still playing with the aligners with my tongue; it feels like flavorless gum attached to my teeth. 

***Hmmm - I wonder if they could impregnate mint flavoring into the aligners so they always taste good?***

I've been thinking ahead to my vacation at the end of the month.  I am scheduled to change aligners early in the vacation week.  I'm wondering whether I should keep the old aligners in for an extra week for vacation comfort.  I am leaning toward "lumping it" and keeping to my schedule.  Why torture myself?   The discomfort is not really that bad, it will keep me from stuffing my face the entire vacation (the Invisalign Diet is still in full force and effect), and I want the whole Invisalign process over as soon as possible. 

I don't really expect my entire course of treatment to be over in 44 weeks:
-my ortho said up front that I should expect refinements, bringing me up to about 1 year
-I have veneers on my top 4 incisors (front teeth) which may need to be replaced once treatment is over.  This will mean new molds, the wait for the aligners, and possible setbacks...

Still tight

Just a quick check-in.  I have been wearing the 3rd set of aligners since Monday night, and they are still quite tight.  The first two sets were not nearly as tight after 3 nights.  Hope this means more progress...

Better this morning

Well, the overnight trick was successful.  This morning I was able to remove the aligners pretty easily.  They are still quite tight, and I feel the pressure, but not nearly as bad as last night. 

I suppose I should be glad I am feeling it - kind of like sore muscles the day after a good workout - how else will my teeth move where they are supposed to go?

Ouch!

Note to self:  Never say out loud that the aligners are comfortable and hardly hurt.  Just put in set #3.  They are much tighter than the first 2 sets.  I could barely get them in, they hurt immediately, and I spent the last 10 minutes biting on a "chewie" (a small foam cylinder) to be sure the aligners are seated properly.  Here's hoping that the overnight trick works its magic.

"I see you're not wearing the aligners now"

Had my 4 week visit with my ortho.  Funny thing - he said "I see you're not wearing the aligners now" when he greeted me, but I was.  That is how invisible the aligners can be.  He asked me to show him my teeth, and remarked that my aligners looked very clean. 

(Unpaid endorsement - I use Dentasoak every morning, and brush the aligners with a regular toothbrush and water after meals, so they do stay pretty clean and fresh.)

So he checked the fit of my 2nd set - a bit loose, and very easy to remove, after a full 2 weeks of wear.  He said everything looked good, and that my teeth were moving according to plan.  Since I was very compliant with wearing the aligners, he gave me 4 new sets of aligners (an 8 week supply), and scheduled a follow up visit in 8 weeks.

I told him I planned to put in the new set at night, so removal would be easier after a night's sleep.  He said he hears that a lot, and is recommending this practice to many of his patients.