Tray 14, attachments off and whitening

Considering how sore I was after tray 14, it didn't really result in much movement.

For the most part, Dr. A seemed to be pleased with how things were progressing with my teeth.  The one sore point was that I was hoping to move on to tray 15 by the wedding but given that I wanted to do some whitening (take home kit to be used with my trays) before the wedding and was getting my attachments off in between, he suggested I keep tray 14 on.  I have to admit I was a bit disappointed.  

The removal of the attachments was less painful than I expected though a bit uncomfortable.  It took less than 15 minutes.  While removing my attachments my dentist noticed some plaque build up and suggested that I get my teeth cleaned prior to whitening to increase its effectiveness.  I was kind of hoping to wait until July 1st when my benefits would be renewed to have them cleaned but at this point what's the full cost of another cleaning?  Having said that, I'm kind of glad I did get them cleaned...

Notice the staining around my attachments?  yuck

more of the same

Some staining around my molars too!

So given all the staining that was going on and that Dr A's hygienist had a cancellation, they were able to fit me in and I agreed to it.  It was one of the most uncomfortable cleanings I've had in a while (ever 3 mos for the past year!).  I'm not sure if it was because my teeth were more sensitive after having my attachments taken off or her technique or some combination fo the two.  I have to say, given how much time I've been dedicating to keeping my teeth clean, I'm disappointed I'm still needing such frequent cleanings.  I'll have to talk my regular dentist about this when I see her next.

My schedule for the next couple of weeks looks something like this, 2x daily in tray teeth whitening for a .5 hour each time, 2x daily rinsing with a special mouth wash, same trays until wednesday after my wedding (July 4th).  On the flip side, it's been kind of nice to have a break from wearing the trays as much as possible all the time.  I figure since I've already them on for 2 weeks plus, taking the odd long lunch, or evening out (wedding tomorrow) shouldn't hurt too much.

My teeth after my attachments were taken off

My teeth after 4 days of whitening - i don't really see a difference yet.

my fiance's teeth were a bit jealous mine were getting so much attention so they tried to sneak into a side shot.  silly teeth but so so straight for being post braces 15+ years.  someone's been really good with their retainers.

Almost there...

Yikes!  16 more days until the wedding.  

I have to admit, I've been a bit bummed that my teeth aren't straighter by now.  Having said that, they are way way straighter than when I first started and based on our viewing of our engagement photos today, they seem to be camera ready too.  I don't have that awful shadow where my snaggle tooth is anymore, which to me is worth the price of my entire treatment.  

Allow me a moment of vanity here but I used to think I just wasn't very photogenic and kind of accepted it but now that I'm smiling more confidently, I'm finally enjoying having my picture taken which has never been the case.  It's not just having straighter teeth, just feeling less inhibited about showing some teeth makes such a huge huge difference.  I wish I had engagement session photos to post but we're still negotiating this with our photog.

Anyhow, here's a recap of the last few trays just to show you how much my teeth have changed.

tray 1

tray 3

tray 5

tray 7

tray 9

tray 11

tray 13

Oh, and I finally got my wedding shoes!  

No one will see these under my huge dress but they are studded with swavorski crystals and are so much fun to wear.  

Tray 13 update with pics

Sorry I've gotten so boring with these updates! I've been a busy girl. Had my staggette this weekend and work has been nutty not to mention all of this wedding stuff that needs to be taken care of...

Pictures:

Natural smile - with aligners on.

It's funny, but I usually don't smile like this (ie. with my mouth upturned) becauseI've always tried to minimize what people see of my teeth.

My midline is almost lined up!

My teeth look whiter than they actually are due to lighting.

I keep wondering if that upper canine and the neighboring premolar are getting into each other's way.

A bundle of contradictions.

I'm a just a bundle of contradictions lately.

In the mornings when I look at my teeth they look pretty good to me but in the evenings when I floss and the light is a bit harsher I don't think they look quite as straight as I would've hoped for the wedding. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the next couple of trays move my teeth.

As my teeth were falling into place I was wondering if I had unusually large front teeth but now that things have progressed further, they seem to be almost normal sized.

One night, one of my bridesmaids admitted to not being able to take her eyes off of my teeth as she was thinking of going the invisalign route. Out of instinct, I commented on how straight her teeth were already and immediately regretted it... I don't want to be one of those naysayers that everyone on the blogs always complains about!!

I think I'm being just a little bit obsessive, hopefully it's just a phase.

Tray 12 update with pics

This past tray was mostly uneventful.  My teeth are just the slightest bit straighter.  Snaggy seems to be just a little more in line with the others.  Actually, what I recently realized is that Snaggy is actually in the right place, it's just my canine and front incisor that need to move back a bit.  

I've noticed a bit of staining around some of my attachments and am planning to fit in a cleaning in addition to the whitening when I get my attachments off.  No point in having straight teeth if they're going to be discolored! 

On to pictures!

My current tray was a little bit harder to slip on.  I'm not sure if it's just the tray or if my teeth or if something else is going on.  I guess I will wait a couple of days and see how it feels by the end.

Some reasons why it's been hard to keep the trays in for as long as I should lately...

Tray 11 update with pics

My teeth are slowly moving into place as the countdown to the wedding begins.  It's less two months away!  And while there has been a lot of progress and I've gotten so many positive comments on my teeth lately (!!), I'd really love for Snaggy, my little crossbite tooth, to move in line with the others soon.  You know, he just looks so lonely back there.

Now that I'm on a 12 day schedule instead of my original 14, I'm trying to keep my trays in as long as possibly but it's gotten harder and harder with all this wedding business coming up (silly wedding keeps getting in the way of my invisalign!).  I'll have to have them out for close to 3 hours for our upcoming engagement shoot and at least a couple more for cupcake sampling this upcoming weekend.  Hopefully I'll be able to space things out my appointments so they don't both happen during the same tray.

I was thinking back today about whether I should have taken Dr. A's offer at the beginning of treatment to change trays on a 10 day cycle (I was extra cautious and said no at the time).  I might have been finishing up by the end of this month if that had been the case.  Looking back, I probably would have made the same decision to change on a 14 day cycle again.  I might just be overly cautious but I really wanted to make sure nothing went wrong during my treatment and my teeth weren't forced to move too quickly.  To me, having straight healthy teeth is a lifetime investment, not just something to show off in a few wedding photos and hide away in my mouth forever more.

Anyhow, in terms of the actual trays, tray 11 was mostly uneventful.  The one thing I have noticed is  some changes in my gums as a result of teeth moving.  This may be tmi but it looks in some places like my gums are a bit underdeveloped or pressed down where my teeth were overlapped.  Also, I've noticed a line where I assume my gumline used to be on my molars and wonder if it's because my molars, which were tipped on one side before, are being tipped back with these last few trays.  I may take a pic and send back to Dr. A's office.  

Picture update below:

End of tray 10 update with pics

Another picture update:

My front teeth are finally lining up!

Natural smile - midline is lining up just a bit more

A comparison between tray 1 and 14.  Always knew my front teeth were crowded but never realized how crooked my bottom teeth were!