Well I’m into double digit trays now – that must mean I’m not a newbie anymore! Just for those people reading that don’t know what Invisalign trays are – they are clear plastic teeth aligners that snap around your teeth and apply pressure to certain teeth and over time move them to the desired position. You change trays every two weeks, and with each new tray comes the unknown of whether it’s going to hurt like hell or not!!! My particular treatment consists of 32 trays (64 weeks) for my upper teeth, and 17 trays (34 weeks) for my lower teeth.
Tray 10 did not disappoint. My last picture shows that the lower middle teeth are beginning to move into alignment, and tray 10 is really ramming it home. I swapped over from tray 9 to tray 10 in the evening after dinner, so that I went all through the night before I had to take them off again. This is in order to give the teeth some time to move before having to remove the trays. Breakfast time came and with it much pain – after hooking up one side of the lower tray and then the other side, the pressure on the middle lower teeth was excruciating. It’s worst when the pressure is concentrated on just one or two teeth – that happens sometimes. A few days into tray 10 and my teeth have moved enough that it isn’t painful anymore – but the first couple of days of a new tray (especially a tray-from-hell tray) is always uncomfortable.
As I write this I’m sure there are people considering Invisalign thinking twice now about whether to go ahead with their treatment. However, I’d like to point out two things.
1. I’m a bloke, and a bit of a wimp when it comes to tooth pain. I never get headaches and I rarely get ill, and my wife will tell you that when I do get ill or suffer any kind of pain that I don’t cope that well.
2. You kind of get used to it, despite it hurting like a mother.
3. (I know I said two things, but hey) I can rationalise it and I know that in comparison to a child in Africa with no food and no parents, it’s *nothing*
Hmm. Child in Africa with no food and no parents. And here’s me straightening my teeth. Who feels silly now.
Alish
January 6th, 2011 – 23:03
I so know how you feel I am currently on tray #10 and it hurts like hell. Out of all the tray’s this has got to be the most painful. Good luck on your invisalign journey 🙂