Going Straight

That's right, people. After several years of deliberating, I have taken the plunge to finally straighten up.

In November, I took the first steps to see whether I would be a candidate for Invisalign. For those of you who have never heard of it, Invisalign is a series of clear, removable teeth aligners that orthodontists use as an alternative to traditional metal braces. They look like this-

Since I had braces when I was younger (5th and 6th grade) and still remember how uncomfortable, painful and awkward they were, I was determined to use this method to staighten my teeth instead. Lucky for me, I was informed I would be an excellent candidate for Invisalign.

So here we are. I received my first set of aligners yesterday. I'm a little surprised, to be honest, with how strange it feels to have them in. I saw the photos (like the one below), so I was hoping it would be simple- pop the aligners in and out and no one would know the difference.

Too bad it's not that easy. First, I currently have a lisp. Yup. For the first few days, until my tongue gets used to the extra stuff in my mouth, I'm going to sound a little funny. Second, I have had a little touble putting the aligners in, but mostly trying to pry them out. The first night (last night) is when I panicked because I just could not get them off! I was clawing at the top ones for about 10 solid minutes. Also, (and I was warned about this) it really does hurt to have them in. I was told the pain is only for the first two or three days when you get a new tray (which will be about every three weeks), but from this morning until I got home, I've been wanting to punch my teeth out! My fault for not taking any pain relievers with me to work. I'm definitely taking some Tylenol before I go to bed tonight.

The most difficult thing for me to wrap my head around, though, is how I'm going to have to limit my snacking now. :( It's such a pain (and a little embarrassing) to take the aligners out, so I'm going to try to remove them as little as possible. So basically I'll have them out for breakfast, lunch and dinner...and maybe the occassional mocha.

So as I embark on this year long endeavor, I'll periodically update you on my status/progress. Hopefully, this is a great, worthwhile experience with just a few inconveniences along the way. If not, be prepared for a lot of whining... ;) Wish me and my stubborn teeth luck! :)