Crooked Teeth, Part III: The Office Visit (Tray 1 of 22U/L)
And a month later, I’ll be talking about using my first tray. (I’m already in the middle of my third!!!!)
So about six weeks after my second appointment, when my Invisalign impressions were made, I received a call from the orthodontist’s office, telling me that my trays were ready. I was super excited! Unfortunately, I had to schedule an appointment to receive the trays, and, as I’m slowly beginning to get used to, it’s not so easy to make an immediate appointment; I had to wait another week before I could come in to get my trays.
I waited the week, went in, and it was actually a quick, sort of in-and-out ordeal. I sat in the dental chair, and the first thing the orthodontist (Okay, back up . . . whenever I say “orthodontist” I don’t always mean the same, one orthodontist. The thing is, there’s THE orthodontist, for whom the office is named after and whose name appears on the letterhead, and then there’s her staff. Up to this point, most of the work was performed by her staff, and the orthodontist only examined and evaluated my teeth and gave me my options. I feel like the staff also have to have specialized in orthodontics in order to work for her, but I’m not 100% sure. I’m not even 100% sure they’re dentists. Could be dental assistants? I actually doubt that they are that though. I mean, I’m extremely confident in their work, absolutely. So for now, I’ll call anyone who fiddles with my teeth an “orthodontist.”) did was schedule me for the next appointment for four weeks later. I was picking up two trays for now, but at the next appointment, I would be getting attachments on my teeth, and I would need a longer appointment. I was hoping attachments wouldn’t come until much later, but I guess you do what you have to do. *shrug*
Next, she snapped on the upper and lower trays. My first impression was, “Wow, this feels really weird.” The initial feeling wasn’t pain or discomfort. Kinda just felt like I had an ill-fitting mouth guard on. In fact, I actually think the first words out of my mouth was, “This feels weird.” And then I said, “Wow, am I gonna be talking like this forever?” At that point, I don’t think the trays were completely in. If you’ve ever watched SNL’s Darrell Hammond impersonate Sean Connery, if you remove the Scottish accent and just leave in how he “shushes” every word, that’s what it was like. I was told that, eventually I’ll adapt to it and speak how I’d normally speak.
While she dated my aligner baggies, she let me practice taking the trays out and putting them back on. I was confused. It was like the first time I got contact lenses, and I had to practice taking it out and putting them on in the optometrist’s office. It was like, how am I even supposed to approach this? I was able to do it, and I figured out that I had to get my thumbnail on the edge of the tray, and then pull down (or up). I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be able to do it later, so I squeezed it an extra removal and application.
Then she went through the entire kit I was receiving. I got:
- The second set of trays. I was to use the first set of trays for two weeks, and then move on to the second set, to be used for another two weeks. And the trays were to be used for at least twenty-two hours. In my head I’m thinking, “So I’m not eating then, am I?” She told me that if I couldn’t do twenty-two hours, and I think I need more time, to just call and reschedule my next appointment. Yeah right, that’s not gonna happen! I’m all for compliance with this, and I’m not gonna risk prolonging the process.
- An emery board. The trays might have sharp edges, and I may need to file it down.
- Red & blue aligner cases. Here’s how I was explained it worked. Use the blue case when I go out. If I were to remove my trays to eat, and just left them in a napkin, it could accidentally be thrown away. It’s a dark blue, shiny, plastic case that’s not likely to be thrown out by some waiter. When I’m done with a tray, move it to the red case, and in case I lose my current tray, I can revert back to the one prior in the mean time. Yeah, even the ortho thought it was kinda weird to specifically use the red tray for that purpose. I could just put them in their original baggies. In fact, it was suggested to keep all my old trays in their original baggies. I told her that after investing almost $5,000, absolutely nothing will be thrown away!
- Invisalign produced Cleaning Crystals. Apparently, Invisalign doesn’t endorse using retail denture cleaners. So I was provided with two samples, and I could order more through my ortho’s office if I wanted more. Otherwise, I was instructed to just use soap and water.
- Chewie. It’s a purple, inch-and-a-half long rubbery tube, with maybe quarter of an inch in diameter. When I’m doing something like watching TV, I’m supposed chew on it, because it’s supposed to help the aligners seat properly onto my teeth. I was hoping I’d get more than one, because it kinda seems gross to be chewing on this one thing off and on throughout the entire process (which I was told would be two years). At that point, I realized I was constantly biting down on my trays. I’m not a teeth grinder, so I was really noticing how I kept wanting to sort of chew on the trays. I asked her if I could bite down on the trays, and it was completely fine, and in fact, do it with the chewie.
- Colgate Phos-Flur Anti-Cavity Fluoride Rinse. I have to rinse my mouth daily after brushing. It’s supposed to help strengthen the teeth. I’m actually quite fearful about having cavities. If I don’t do a good job cleaning and then use the trays, I’m actually trapping food and bacteria on my teeth. And if I do get cavities, how does that affect the process? A filling might make the trays not fit right, and I’d have to start all over. So along with compliance, I’m all about brushing and flossing good after each meal, and using this mouthwash daily.
- Random reading materials
