So now I remember why I took so few photos towards the end. It gets so boring!! Not very much change from tray to tray but I do feel like overall my teeth are slowly getting straighter. I also ordered my final tray again. I still have my old one but I ended up wearing for it for too long (close to three months) and I'd rather have a new one. It's going be $60 though! Hope this all worth it when we add in the cost of the new Vivera retainers!
So we are at the half way mark. I didn't really notice much a difference with this tray. My teeth look I but I'm still waiting for that one front tooth to rotate a couple more degrees.
For comparison here they they are at tray 2 for comparison:
And at the very beginning of this round
1. Am I glad I had braces the first time around?
100%
2. Would I choose Invisalign over options again?
If I were to redo today, I would have gone with ceramics and a proper orthodontist instead of a regular dentist. I was also a less confident person at the time though so the lower of Invisalign got me over my final hangups. So it's kind of hard to say,
3. How do I feel about going through this process again?
It kind of sucks. I feel like I did everything I could to retain my teeth originally and I feel a little let down. Two of my friends who got braces around the same time have had no such issues. In addition to that said that, Invisalign didn't correct all of my issues even the first time around (ie. bite issues) and I've seen much better results in others.
4. Am I glad I still have my old trays?
It's better then going out and having metal braces in my 40s during the time of COVID. It was initially icky taking out those 10 year old trays though.
5. Do I see a difference in my teeth yet from going through the process again?
I think so? I'll report on this more thoroughly in a few months. I'm kind of disappointed about the whitening I did too. I still have lots of product so I'll try again after the next time I clean my teeth.
6. What's it like to go through this process during a pandemic?
I have to say I'm really glad I'm not going to my dentist to get my trays right now. I have to go to the one bathroom on the main floor every day in my building to brush my teeth privately after lunch everyday. I don't like the idea of brushing my teeth in a shared sink space. It's a bit unwieldy. I always have to lay down some paper towel and hurry through the process for fear I'm keeping someone else waiting. Not fun. Even though I work in an office I wear a mask whenever I meet with others so even if I had a 1000 attachments no one would notice.
7. When did I start to notice that I might need to wear my trays again?
Definitely during the pandemic while looking at myself on zoom calls. My teeth just looked yellow and my one teeth really wonky. I was getting really self conscious about it. Having said that, at work we take a lot of group pictures. I was just looking at some recently and realized my teeth look fine there. I guess where I notice them more is in our family photos where I'm closer to the camera.
8. Is there anything you wish could have been corrected properly the first time?
My bite. I was so concerned about the cosmetic look I was less picky about how my feet fit together in the back initially.
9. How does my family feel about my re-bracing?
It doesn't stemlike they really notice. I just need to run off right after dinner to brush my teeth. Plus they're all boys.
10. How long is this going to take?
I have four more trays (2months), plus however long it takes me to get my new retainer (3 most?) and I'll likely where the trays full time for the first while (3mos?). It's ok, I'm sure the pandemic will outlast this process!
I didn't switch trays until Monday this week since I was using my previous trays for whitening.
These trays felt a bit more snug initially though not anymore since it's day 6 in these trays for me now. I'm beginning to see some of the gaps closing in. I hope there's enough room for them to manoeuvre this time.
Here they are:
And again at the beginning of this round for comparison:
Honestly, to me they look better in my Sept photos but the light is very forgiving in those photos too.
So after a week of using this product daily, I'm not sure if I see a difference. They may be just a smidge whiter?? Now granted I haven't used the light addition very diligently, some nights I just add the gel to my trays.
I've tried really hard to take a very similar picture from the same bathroom. I'm moving on to a new tray tonight so will hold off any further whitening for now. Let know in the comments if you spot a difference!
After
So I'm a bit of dork as you can probably tell from the blog.
Anyway, even the dork in me had to fully take in the set up for this whitening kit I bought from Costco.
One thing I had forgotten about until I reread some of my old posts is how sick I used get. Now I don't know if I can trace back the cause to Invisalign or not but it was bad. I was sick with a cough for weeks at a time. I didn't realize until afterward that some people have an allergic reaction to Invisalign. I don't know if that was my issue or not. Coincidentally, once I was pregnant and done with invisalign, I rarely got sick. Happened at the same time so I can't separate one from the other. Up until now... maybe?
Anyway, one month into Invislian I'm sick again. I hope it's not COVID. I did go get tested this morning after waiting close to an hour in multiple socially distanced lines so we'll see what happens when I get that back. I wish I could pop in a lozenge right now but I can't. At least I'm home and at first I thought I'd get a jumpstart on a teeth whitening series of blog of pictures but I'm tired and right now I just want to get into bed and nap. And I'm done with work emails so there's nothing stopping me. Nothing.
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UPDATED October 9/2020: So I was pleasantly surprised just before dinner to a get a text re: my results - COVID negative. Still have this head cold though.
