Ok, I have reached the point that I do not want to wear my aligners.
Because, all I want to do is SMILE – I am about to open the Invisalign package for #11 so I am on the down-hill-side of this journey. I really have been very happy. I still have some uncomfortable sensations every once in a while, but the discomfort subsides and Dr. Gallagher or Dr. Kuhn always answer my questions and concerns.
I am over the (mild) fear of taking them in and out…
and as a result, I LOSE them. A few years ago I went on vacation to a house that had a very ‘busy’ granite counter in its bathroom. IT DROVE ME CRAZY!!! Every time I put a piece of jewelry on it I couldn’t find it because it got lost in the pattern. I had a similar floor in a house I lived in, I could lose a green bean for days!!! Anyway, I take my aligners out to have a meal, and if my case is not nearby I might lay them on a counter (or somewhere). They are CLEAR aligners, which is necessary when you are putting them over your teeth, but a disadvantage when you are looking for them anywhere. Thus far I have always been able to find them even though I do admit that I might have started a new ‘number’ a few days early once or twice. I had a conversation with Dr. Gallagher who shared the importance of wearing them for two weeks. I need to make sure that my ‘old bones’ adjust to everything the right way. I want this to go well, so I am eager to comply.
I have definitely been smiling more.
And I’m not running away when someone brings a camera out. A few weeks ago my husband and I were watching TV and we started talking about when people started smiling in photographs and why??? I tried to do some research, but I didn’t really get very far. The most conclusive information I found was that in the early days of the camera, it took a while to take a photograph and therefore a person could not hold a smile for long – therefore a ‘resting mouth posture’ was more prevalent. I also read that photographs were often taken when people were parting from one another and were genuinely too sad to smile. I have some old wedding photos and I always wondered why the groom looked so much OLDER than the bride (and why weren’t they hugging?!?! Or kissing ?!?!) It was explained to me that these photos were actually brides with their fathers, and no one smiled because the bride would be leaving her family to live with her husband. Boy am I glad that this situation has changed and people actually smile in their wedding photos. I also learned that one was considered silly, fraudulent, or charlatan-like when smiling in a photograph. Evidently if someone smiled in a photograph they were not taken seriously at all… another opinion I am glad has changed.
Aha moment!
When I chatted with Dr. Kuhn about this she simply said, ’Everybody had bad teeth!” (Aha moment)…. Most likely one of the most believable reasons of all. Dentistry, and its availability has certainly changed, and advanced over the years. Opportunities like INVISALIGN are amazing, and Dr. Gallagher shared (he recently attended a conference to update his skills) that it continues to advance all the time. I remember asking about Invisalign when it first started and I was told that it was doubtful I was an ‘invisalign candidate’ – but look at me, and my SMILE.
I have 10 more pairs of aligners to go… and I am going to keep smilin’ while I try not to misplace my aligners.
Louise C.
