Adult Braces Update 10 | Month 16, Invisalign Progress

I’m in the final countdown these days. According to the desktop timeline on my computer, I have exactly EIGHT weeks left of my estimated 18-month braces timeline and it’s going to be close. I’ve officially transitioned over to Invisalign and have four trays left at this month 16 adult braces update. Lucky for me, I only needed an Invisalign Express case with 10 trays to finish off my treatment, but of course, as we all know with braces… sometimes perfection takes a bit longer to achieve. Ready to see where I’m at now and what I’ve thought of Invisalign so far?

Month 16 Adult Braces Update

Overall, Invisalign is a piece of cake! I WISH I could have been a good candidate from the beginning, but I’m actually kind of happy I did metal the first year because it did a HUGE chunk of the work and I think my results will be better because of it. Invisalign trays should be changed out “by the book” every 14 days, but my orthodontist said as long as my teeth no longer feel any soreness or tightness, I can switch them out every 10 days (which is what I’ve been doing).

Talking with Invisalign (lisp?)

Many people freak out that they’re going to have this strange and horrible lisp with Invisalign. This can definitely happen to some people, depending on where they start with their Invisalign treatment. For me, since I wore metal for a year, my Invisalign treatment isn’t as invasive and therefore, I haven’t noticed a horribly significant lisp. I do hear it when I rewatch a Snapchat story I share while wearing my trays, but by no means do I sound like I have a speech impediment – it’s very slight and you may not even notice it at all unless you’re me.

The buttons (attachments)

Unluckily for me, I got buttons on ALL of my top front teeth (but only three teeth on my bottom). I’m assuming this is because they need to sort of spread out and widen the top teeth in order to correct my cross bite (those back two stubborn molars on my left side).

I’m not thrilled that it basically looks like I have ceramic braces on, but I am WAY MORE TOLERANT of the buttons compared to metal braces. This is a joke comparatively. Totally worth it.

Cleaning the trays

Initially, I was removing the trays and scrubbing with my toothbrush. But I read that it’s a lot easier to clean the outside of the trays while still wearing them, and this is so true! I basically am brushing my teeth twice. I brush while wearing the trays, remove them and scrub the inside. Then re-brush my *real* teeth before putting the trays back in. Much quicker and easier.

MORE: BRACES

Ulcer on my gums!?

I believe it was tray three that I noticed I had this small ulcer form on the top of my gum line one day and nearly had a panic attack thinking my gums were receding and my tooth was going to die and fall out of my head (the drama, I know). A fellow friend and Invisaligner told me that her doctor mentioned this could happen if the trays end up touching too close to your gum line. The trays generally sit a millimeter or two above your gum line, to prevent any irritation (like the ulcer I got).

To fix this, you can either go to your orthodontist and have s/he file down the tray slightly to shorten the plastic material from hitting your gum line OR you can be savvy and DIY this at home with a strong nail file. DISCLOSURE: I do not recommend DIYing unless you have discussed this with your medical provider. If you decide to do this, do so at your own risk and go SLOWLY.

My husband who is a dentist filed my tray for me. After two days, the ulcer had totally healed – thank goodness.

Progress pictures

For me, I’ve noticed the most soreness from the first tray, fourth tray and now the sixth tray. It’s mostly been on the top teeth. I can even feel the slight wiggling (like you feel wearing traditional braces, also). My teeth definitely have a lot more room in between than they ever did before, but I can’t visually tell a huge difference since my last update until now (while I type this post, I have not yet taken my progress photos… so the pictures may tell a different story!)

Remember, here’s where we started nearly 16 months ago:

SEE WHAT MY BITE LOOKED LIKE AT 6 MONTHS HERE

Next braces post is scheduled for:

Update 11: APRIL 10, 2017 (18 months!)

How has your braces journey been going? I know many of you have connected with me on Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram so let me know 🙂

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-Steffanie