Just a chick trying to figure out life. These are my confessions.

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So there I am! Living it up in my 30-somethings with a ridiculously hot hubby, 3 seriously outgoing matter-of-fact smart beautiful kids, a cat named Roxii that just won't quit, 2 chihuahuas named Lokii (what was I thinking) and Brodii who don't understand the concept of pee outside.

I'm a strongly opinionated, outspoken, inappropriate and absolutely unapologetic chick going through this thing called life and trying to do it with my sanity intact. So far, this isn't working out so well!

Follow me as I confession myself straight to the LCBO. My rants, my way...you've been warned ;) Xo

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Invisalign: Week 8

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I figured I definitely owed everyone an update on how much I love/hate my Invisalign journey. Not only because it is overdue, but because everyone has been asking me how it is going. I will try to keep this short and sweet as I'm only on set 5 of 27 (plus a retainer at the end) of this journey so there are not a lot of 'changes' at this point.


This is a photo of my not so lovely teeth with the aligners in. As you can clearly see, set 1 at the top was day 1. In set 5 that is actually week 8.5 as I just took that photo about 10 minutes ago. For some they will say nothing has changed. For me, I can see a change. The gap from getting one of my bottom teeth pulled is closing (thank the Gods for this), and if you look at my top teeth and follow the line down, you will see that my 'middle' bottom tooth, well the bottom 3 in general, are shifting to my right (your left).

To give you a better idea of what's going on, here is a photo of my not so lovely teeth without the aligners in, same time difference.


This particular photo makes everything except the gap look exactly the same. Because my teeth are just all over the effin place my bite is off and my jaw is somewhat crooked. I asked my fantabulous dentist Dr. Tawil if I would need jaw surgery to correct that and he told me no, that once this whole process was done my bite will shifted and you wouldn't really be able to notice anything 'off' about it at all.

Now for the tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way with this Invisalign.

Cons:
- I never used to grind my teeth so obviously before however now, when I'm wearing them (which is basically everyday all day) I find myself grinding my jaw a bit because ... well I don't know why but I do it. This is a con because once I take them out to eat, I tend to do the same thing and it causes discomfort.
- This things still get foggy etc because the reality of my life is I do not walk around with a toothbrush, mouthwash and floss 24/7. I work in an office setting that is up and down and where did the time go and all sorts of nonsense so I pull them out, have a quick bite, try to swish some water around and then pop them back in. This occurs numerous times throughout some days and I do not like using public bathrooms to wash/brush/rinse my mouth out. It physically makes me gag.
- The inside of my mouth is a still a playground for these little pieces of satan spawn. I say this because for the first 3-4 days per new set, they tear apart the insides of my lips and make this sore and irritated. I did try putting wax from my daughters stash for her actual braces on it, but that gets gross because of the amount of times I take them out and pieces chip off etc. My next step will be to take them out and file down the edges which I think is ridiculous BUT...all for the cause right?1
- Although it is understandable, the first couple of days the aligners are tight which gives me mouth discomfort and sometimes a headache starts. Small price to pay but it still pisses me off and thus a con.
- When I take them out to eat not only do I get food stuck everywhere but my sensitivity seems to be at an all time high for anything cold (not even super cold either)
- Maybe I'm seeing things but it is like all the colouring of my teeth is off...however (see below)

Pros: (YES there are some)
- I figured out a trick to keep these suckers looking brand new all the time. I use a toothbrush (bought a cheap one specifically just for this) and hand soap (Bath & Body Works). I put a little foam on the toothbrush and scrub all the foggy grossness off my aligners. Rinse, repeat and voila. I only need to do this every 2 or 3 days but by the time the 2 weeks per set is up, they look like they are new.
- I can see the small changes happening which makes me excited!!!
- No one notices them for the most part until I point them out.
- I can drink super cold drinks and no sensitivity on my teeth. (see above because this is also a con)
- I'm an expert at removing them without looking like a moron.
- Dentist can tell I'm doing my part because he said everything is going as planned. Had my first 6 week appointment and he filed slightly which isn't uncomfortable at all.
- ...when all is said and done they whiten my teeth to make sure they all look the same and fantastic (see above)

So there you have it. Your 11am news update on the journey of my teeth.

Stay tuned because at some point I promise to post more about all things going on.