No One Will Notice!?! Yeah, Right!

Her radiant face lights up my TV screen.  She beams as she files papers at work, and laughs with friends at a birthday party. 

And her teeth are spectacular.

I'm jealous.

"And with Invisalign, no one will notice you're on the road to straighter teeth!" the commercial proclaims.

Sold.  I'm in.  I'm 37, and not exactly looking to endure a 2-year train track journey.

A few weeks ago I started the Invisalign process, and it's been hard enough, easy enough, lispy enough, and laughable enough that I feel compelled to share. 

Set of Trays Numero Uno popped right in without incident.  My sweet dentist smiled and said, "You're all set!"

"Thank you tho muth!" I replied, kind of alarming myself. 

Ah.  So there's gonna be a lisp.  Fun.  Do I have to pay extra for the speech impediment?

And gosh darn it...come to think of it, they never had that woman actually *say* anything on that Invisalign commercial.  And for good reason, too.  If the beautiful actress had said, "Invithalign really workth.  You've jutht got to try it for yourthelf!" nobody would ever sign up for it.  So instead they made sure she stayed niiiiice and quiet, just filing that paperwork and smiling pretty.

I had a heck of a time trying to make my follow-up appointment at the front desk. 

"Yeth, that date thoundth fine.  February Thixteenth."
 
"No will notice!" Really?  Sure, I suppose.  As long as everyone in your life is A.) SUPER-DUPER unobservant and B.) thinks you ALWAYS sound like you've got a grapefruit in your mouth while you're talking, then sure--no one will notice.

So, yeah.  Day One was fine.  My husband made a few "Sylvester the Cat" jokes about my lisp, but that didn't hurt NEARLY as much as the raging canker sore that developed underneath my lower front teeth.  And the thing kept trying to heal--it really did--but the bottom tray snapped right over the top of it and, holy agony, did THAT hurt--like, every time I put the tray in or took it out.  For about 10 days.  I even left my trays out for a whole day to give that thing a chance to heal, and used a file to smooth down the bottom edge of the tray.  That seemed to help.

By the end of the 3 weeks, my bottom tray was so loose I could easily pop it out with my tongue.  Top tray was easy to get in and out, too.  The canker sore had healed, and I was getting the hang of speaking with it in (so now it sounds like I only have a smallish orange in my mouth when I talk--Score)!
 
On the upside, it really cut back on snacking since you can't eat with the trays in.  My teeth are sparkly white from being brushed and flossed incessantly (which I pretty much did anyway even before Invisalign). 

Thufferin' Thuccotath....what a process!

All for now on the road to the perfect smile...   :)

-Thea