Invisalign Journey #10
Ah, the number ten – always a big deal. 10 – top 10 deals, best 10 places to visit, double digits… so I decided to reflect on previous blogs to see where this journey started and how it’s been. I went to my ‘Invisalign box’ to get my next set of aligners and the pamphlet reads ‘Your Smile Is Just the Beginning’. But even in the pamphlet I did not learn all that I have learned or experienced since I started this.
My smile is better.
I am taking significantly better care of my teeth/mouth, my smile is better… I am more confident with my appearance, and I have even lost a little weight. When I read back about the start of this, I was experiencing some discomfort and accompanying fear. Having never had any kind of similar experience (not even a mouth guard) it was all kind of weird at the beginning. I remember feeling and hearing the aligners coming out and the worry that a tooth or filling was going to come along with it. Every now and then I feel a little tingle, but here between twelve and thirteen I can say that there is almost no discomfort and absolutely zero pain. When I start a new set of aligners there’s a bit of ‘oh, this feels different’ but that is all it is.
Physical and health benefits of Invisalign
In the third entry I wrote about the physical/health benefits of Invisalign. I am lucky to say that many of the problems that Invisalign may indirectly improve were not issues with me in the first place. I suppose the decreased risk of periodontal disease is mentionable, I may have been on that path. My speech has always been pretty good, and I don’t have many skeletal weaknesses (yet). I know that I WAS at risk for ‘chips and cracks’ from crooked teeth. In a recent visit I was talking to Dr. Kuhn and she told me about a patient that had just had all kinds of restorative work that would not have been the case if their ‘teeth were in the right place’, so I suppose getting straighter teeth will reduce problems I ‘coulda’ or ‘woulda’ had later. I do feel that I have a better bite I resisted Invisalign for years because I thought my bite was just fine, but I am feeling a better difference.
The #7 of the 7 benefits was “self-confidence.”
Even though I haven’t completed this journey I really do believe that this is happening. One would think that this is about getting straighter teeth, but for me it is actually 2-fold. My teeth are getting straighter and I do have a better smile so I am more eager to laugh and smile around others… or take a selfie. The other part though, is that I made the decision to do this for myself. My smile wasn’t hurting anyone, or making me stay home… but it was definitely something that could be improved. The other benefits are little gifts that I didn’t even expect. I believe that I will have significantly less dental issues in the future, which will decrease pain, stress, and money (except for the expense of lipstick). WIN-WIN-WIN!!!
And in the meantime, I look better!
I continue to talk to as many people as I can about their own Invisalign journey. Most people just weren’t happy with their smile. Several people I have spoken to had braces as teenagers, but either their teeth changed due to natural aging, or they didn’t wear their retainers as suggested. I asked Dr. Kuhn about the average age of patients currently active with Invisalign. She shared that she thought that the youngest is in their mid/late twenties and the oldest is in their eighties, EIGHTIES!!!! I was so impressed, and surprised. How cool is it that an octogenarian is doing this to improve their smile and their oral health.
Louise C.
