Annoying.

I'm happy to report I have had little pain since the first two days of starting my treatment.  I did have some jaw joint pain this weekend up until yesterday but that seems to have dissipated today--thank goodness.  But, they are still annoying!! I have come to realize how many things you still give up for these braces.  Example--gum.  Even though there are no "forbidden" foods with invisalign, I still don't want to take my braces off to chew gum.  It's just not worth the time and effort to take them off especially since I am only allowed to have them off 22 hours a day.  I was extremely conscientious about leaving them in last week, but as they have gotten more annoying, I've become more lax about putting them back in after lunch/dinner/etc.  SO, let's hope that doesn't affect my treatment...I'm guessing I at least have them in for about 21/21.5 hours--not too bad.  My grandparents did spend a lot of money on them though, but it just seems like they are pointless for 10 out of the 14 days I have these particular aligners on my teeth.  All the moving happens in two days then the aligners just sort of sit on them worthlessly.  BUT, I'm not the dentist so there probably is a reason they make you wait two weeks to change to a new set of aligners.  T-minus 14 months and 23 days. 

No pain!!!

So, it's been 6 full days since I started my invisalign, and I am happy to report that I have no pain.  They are still kind of annoying; it feels like I have a whitening strip on my teeth that I've left on for waaayy too long.  ANYWAY, I've noticed a phenomenon I like to call "snackompensation."  When I had my braces on the first couple of days, it was really painful to take them off.  So, instead of snacking mid-morning and mid-afternoon, I would eat all of those snacks at one time during lunch and dinner.  It's definitely not the best for my metabolism (small meals=faster metabolism), but it's the best I can do with the braces.  It is really easy to pop them on and off now, so I am trying to incorporate more snacks during the day.  It's still a pain to brush my teeth everytime I eat though...  At least it's all worth it!  Right?

I've been trying to reveal a tiny secret a day, but I think I'm going to run out waayy before my invisalign treatment is over.  I guess I can reveal this--I've been so self-conscious about my smile for so long that I am almost afraid to finally perfect it.  I am scared it might not make a noticeable difference in my smile especially since so many people didn't notice I even needed braces in the first place.  I think it will make a big difference, at least for me and my self-confidence, so I guess that's all that really matters. :-)