Invisalign Refinements

So much to my dismay, I was assigned 19 trays for my Invisalign Refinements.  I was also given IPR the day I got them in like 4 spots.  So I'm looking at another 38 weeks with Invisalign Braces.  It's worth it, to get it RIGHT (since I paid a lot)...but hate that it's going to take over a half a year more and that's assuming I don't need anymore refinements after this.  Ah well.  Plus side is that since my teeth are straight, the new trays don't hurt...they are doing small adjustments every two weeks so it's good I won't be feeling much discomfort, just a teeny bit of barely noticeable tightness!

Revlon Colorstay

http://prettyopulent.blogspot.com/2013/05/revlon-colorstay-i-caved-and-bought-it.html

NYX Make Up Haul!

http://prettyopulent.blogspot.com/2013/05/nyx-make-up-haul.html

Bentonite Clay Mask

http://prettyopulent.blogspot.com/2013/05/bentonite-clay-mask.html

Micro Needling?!?

http://prettyopulent.blogspot.com/2013/04/micro-needling.html

Revlon Colorstay or Revlon Photoready?

http://prettyopulent.blogspot.com/2013/04/revlon-colorstay-or-revlon-photoready.html

Love Affair With Amazon

So I had a free trial of Amazon Prime...which got extended (via regular purchases by me) to a year's worth of free Prime.  Prime gives you FREE 2 day shipping.  It's not completely free, as some vendors boost up their total cost to cover a bit of shipping but for the most part, you can find prices on Amazon close to or CHEAPER than store cost, with the added bonus of the item(s) being delivered to your front door!

How addicted am I?  SUPER ADDICTED.

First of all, I'm a researcher and I'm reviews-driven.  I like to make informed decisions on pretty much EVERYTHING.  I like to read people's opinions, good or bad.  Does one bad review ruin the product for me?  Sometimes!  But sometimes there are so many GOOD reviews that I am willing to over look the few bad ones and see for myself!

Besides reviews, I like the recommended products.  Found a lot of new products, highly reviewed and rated that have really worked for me!

And who doesn't love receiving packages?  I love being saved a trip to the store.  Although sometimes I will take that trip to the store to physically see an item before I buy it on Amazon.  A bit obsessive, I know.

Oh and the ease of buying RIGHT from my cellphone!  And one-click purchasing!  I could go on and on...

Amazon, I truly do love you!  Haven't shopped on eBay for months now...SORRY EBAY!

Completed 23/23 Invisalign Trays!

Meant to post saying I was on my LAST tray but didn't have a chance!  WOW did time fly or what?  So today completed two weeks being on tray 23!  Went to the Orthodontist office where they shaved off the "bump" attachments and re-scanned my mouth for refinement trays.  What does that mean?  Well most people need some extra trays to get it just right.  Although my teeth are now straight, there are perhaps a few that can be straightened just a bit more.  Looking at my teeth I can see at least one that needs to be put more in line with rest...but if I were to stop here I would be VERY happy!  I've always had crooked lower teeth but now seeing top and bottom straightened out, it has done wonders for my smile!

They then told me, that I will wear aligner #23 at nighttime only for 1 month until my refinements come in.  What whaaa?  I'm done with wearing them during the day? Partayyy!

Just how many refinement trays I will get will be a surprise.  They re-scanned my entire mouth like I said earlier, then they send them to the Invisalign company and in 3-4 weeks I will get my new trays.  I'm hoping to get no more than 8, which would be about 16 more weeks of trays.  If I get like 5 or 6, I'll be very happy!    So let's see.  It's hard to imagine getting 6 months or more after doing almost a year of trays (and teeth looking pretty much straight already) but whatever they give me will be worth getting the perfect results that I'm paying for!

Feels good not to have the bump attachments on!  And not wearing the trays during the day is nice...although I want to wear them for at least part of the day to keep them in line!  LOL.  Will let you know how many refinement trays I get!

Invisalign - Tray 20 of 23!

Can't believe how fast time has gone by!  I am now on my tray 20/23.  So that's 3 more tray changes and I'm done!  Well...not exactly...but my main treatment is over and I will get my mouth re-scanned for "refinements".  So...maybe we're looking at another 2-4 months and I'll be done for good!  Yippee!  Maybe even less time, depending!  Has it been worth it?  Absolutely.  I can see a major difference and am very very happy with the results.  Most of my life I've been wanting straight teeth and now I'll have them!  Just have to make sure I keep up after with using my retainer at night, etc.  I'm also an avid flosser.  Hee hee.  So that routine of brushing and flossing will stay with me I'm sure.  Lots of benefits from having Invisalign!

OH!  I almost forgot to mention I had IPR done before getting tray 19 fitted.  My Orthodontist filed like two of my teeth and he did it by hand.  It wasn't at all scary and it's not even noticeable!  So...whoever is scheduled to have that done, have no fear.  Unless he's using a machine to do it.  Even then, lol.  Okay I'm done now!

"Makeup Is For Ugly People"

In attempts to raise a healthy view of beauty, my well meaning Aunt said to my female cousin that make up is for ugly people. Well in some cases that may be true...but make up is really for everyone! My obsession started when I was about 16 and finally allowed to wear eyeliner. I remember my eyeliner of choice was a glittery silver...(it was, of course the Spice Girl's era). Make up "parties" selling Mary Kay or Jafra got me into foundation...and before long I was hooked onto covering up my teenage acne with the wonderful magic liquid!

Fast forward to my late twenties and with YouTube's make up guru's my love for make up only grew! In fact I've never been better at make up application and knowing which drugstore item was great or when it was time to splurge for a department store item. I received lots more complements on my eyes and got more daring with colors and trends. I recently joined "My Glam" which is now called "Ipsy" founded by Michelle Phan. They send makeup/skincare/haircare samples monthly. Every month they send at least one full sized item, sometimes even two! I'm never ever ever gonna cancel my subscription! I'm so busy lately....and I so look forward to my random bag of goodies!

My love of make up will never end. I love using a highly pigmented shadow, or experiencing a really creamy lipstick or gloss that just feels great. Since I'm a bit older, I use glitter sparingly but still have some I can whip out on special occasions! I recently discovered BB Cream...(life changing product). Who knows what I will discover next?

Invisalign Refinements

Anyone out there have refinements done? How many trays were you assigned?  I'm worried now, about the tooth that won't come down.  There is a gap there.  I was told practically everyone at my office got a set of refinements and I'm just worried about how many I'm gonna get.  I googled it and I noticed some people were assigned refinements midway.  My doctor does it at the end.  I don't know which is better.  Probably his way, because then we get to just work on the teeth that weren't "moved" properly.  I'm beginning to think maybe getting a full metal mouth, wouldn't have been so bad, because a true year having them is a true year! With Invisalign, treatment can go on and on depending on how good you are with wearing them.

Just ranting!  Any comments would be helpful!

Picked Up Tray's 13-18 Today

So....I had an Orthodontist visit today.  I voiced my concerns about seeing a little gap between the tooth and the plastic on one of my teeth.  He said that tooth needed to come down further...so they gave me "Chewies" basically this little rubber cylinder thing you chew on to get the trays to fit better and move the teeth.  I wanted to say, WHERE THE HECK WAS THIS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF MY TREATMENT???  They work great!  At this moment I'm gnawing on it, in the hopes this tooth will come down further and catch up.  If not...no worries.  I asked when I would be "done" they said sometime in March...but then they added...there may be some "refinements" done.  I asked how many patients get those refinements?  (I did the research and the concept of additional trays used to refine is nothing new to me).  They said practically every patient.  So....I won't be exactly "done" in March.  Boo!  Just hoping I don't get too many extra trays.  I've heard people getting 6 trays which ain't bad at all but then I've heard some getting 20+ which is basically another YEAR of treatment.  Since I'm just fixing a few crowding issues, I'm hoping I don't get that many trays.

Anyway...have I been doing great with brushing and putting them in ASAP after EVERY meal?  No.  I have to get better.  So what I'll probably resort to doing, is rinse really good, then pop back in and brush later.  When I'm at work, it's really hard for me to stop once I get engrossed in something but I'm going to resolve to stop and brush so I can put them back in.  I think the better I do at keeping them in, the less extra trays I will get.  Hopefully.

Every two weeks when I switch to a new tray I noticed some trays come with more discomfort than others.  Not sure why.  And not sure if it has to do with how good I've been wearing them too, like the longer the less discomfort I will feel during the switch.  Anyway, can't wait to get this over with.  I know in the long run it will seem like a distant memory...but right now I can't wait to be done!

A Quarter Of My Treatment Time DONE!!!

So I'm done with the first 6 trays!  There's 17 trays to go.  I'm so happy I'm done with the first segment!!

Last week, I had a cleaning done, and the hygienist said she has never seen my gums in such great shape!  So I was right, the flossing does make a huge difference and I hope to keep up with it long after the trays are removed.  She also is at the end of her Invisalign treatment.  She admitted to me that she drinks coffee with them!  I still have my morning cup with them out.  It just feels wrong.  

Today I had an appointment with my Orthodontist.  It was a real fast visit.  They just put in tray 7 (ow), felt around to see how it fit and gave me trays 7-12.  I asked him to see my ClinCheck video and I was impressed by the animation!  More incentive to be patient and good about wearing them as much as possible!  My end result will look great...my top row didn't seem so bad off, but it really needed to be spaced better (wider) as well.  

OH!  I  also asked about IPR...when I'm having that done.  The girl said right after tray 19.  So I have that to look forward to, yay.  But from looking at the image on the computer, it looked like it only affected two teeth.  I'm not that worried about it anyway.  I asked what type of retainer I would have, and he said I would have an Invisalign-type retainer that I would only wear at nights.  I can live with that! 

So they scheduled my next visit in 12 weeks and sent me on my way.  I've been really doing good with keeping them in...and will try to be more diligent about putting them in faster after meals, etc.

Can't wait 'till I can say it's half over, and then when it's ALL OVER!

Invisalign - Things I've Noticed

Spacing - My teeth are spaced wider...so flossing has been a breeze - used to be really tight in certain spots but not any longer.  My bottom lower teeth are separating and moving apart (like one is going more forward and the other more backward) making it look slightly worse...but it's all about the big picture in the end.  I'm sure after IPR (where they file the teeth) and more treatment trays to bring the teeth in closer, I'll have a nice result.

IPR - Teeth filing.  I'm very afraid of it!  Not about the procedure itself, I've just read too many horror stories online where the Orthodontist took TOO MUCH tooth off and had to apply bonding material to make it look better.  I'm going to voice my concerns with him.  Thank goodness I haven't done it yet.  A lot of people say they have it done before the first tray is put on.  I'm assuming mine will be done when I come in to pick up trays 7-12.

Crooked lower teeth - I've always had a complex about my crooked lower teeth...but now that I have the braces on, and speaking to people, I've observed a lot of people have crooked lower teeth?!  I guess it's common...but I don't care, I still want straight teeth!  LOL.

ANYONE WHO'S HAD IPR, please comment and tell me if you like your result and how painful it is.  I have a high tolerance to pain but would like to know what the pain could be compared to.

I really cannot wait until this is over.  I got used to the whole regimen fairly quickly, but still cannot wait till it's over and my teeth are straight!  I still would have to wear a retainer...but at least the whole process will be over.  Every two weeks, it takes me a few days to get used to the new trays and it just feels uncomfortable!  But at least I don't have on the metal brackets.  My Ortho told me he can finish them off with the metal if I want, and I really do think, I might as well go all the way to get the results that I want, even if I am metal mouth for 2 or 3 months!

Invisalign - Tray 5

So I'm on tray 5 now.  Just switched trays this past Wednesday, July 4.  The top, where I have the least issues feels tight but not uncomfortable or painful.  The bottom, is a whole different story!  It hurt like crazy...like for a good minute.

I put my new trays in at night so that by morning, they will be easier to take in and out. I would say it takes a good 3-5 days where it's easy to take out.

After tray 6, I will be officially over with a fourth of my treatment!  (Given I have no setbacks/adjustments to be made).  I still haven't had the IPR done....hope that's not too bad.

Invisalign - First Time Switching to New Tray!

So just as these trays were sliding in and out of my mouth with ease, it was time to change them.  I was advised to change them at night, as you will have the whole night when you sleep to get a little used to it.  When I first "tried" it on, I was like YOWWWW that's tiiiiight!  Had a  hard time getting it off too.  When I snapped the bottoms there was even a burst of pain.  Well, I popped them in and went to bed and by morning, they were easier to pop on and off.  Oh, first thing I also noticed about the new trays, is they were cloudy. I put them through 3 minute antibacterial denture cleaner and that did the trick.  Now they advise against using denture cleaner, but I read a lot of blogs and people have used it without a problem.  So I got the 3 minute kind...maybe the people soaking for an hour or more were weakening the plastic.  Not on mine!  No cracks and they come out shiny and clean.  I soak them in the morning while I'm having my coffee, brush and pop back in.

I also read of an increase in cavities (because of lack of natural flow of saliva) which does concern me, but I've been keeping up with the brushing and flossing.  I've never brushed and flossed so much in my life!  I'm making up for lost time I guess.

I was really happy that the new tighter trays did not cause my extra salivation problem I was having at first.  Those first 5 days are hell, but once you get through them, you will realize in time you won't even think about them being in your mouth, and you will appreciate not having metal scratching your mouth!

So, I'm on tray 2 of 23.  I was studying tray 6 and although I can see a slight difference, but not big enough.  I'm impatient man!

Oh, I am definitely keeping all my trays so I can look back at the transformation.  I was looking online to see what people did with their old ones, and found something someone said that literally made me laugh out loud:

"...if I ever want to go back to how I had my teeth originally, I can wear them in reverse order."

I was actually thinking of painting them white so they look like teeth, lol. Maybe the first and the last set. Hmm...we'll see!

Invisalign - 1st Week DONE

It's pretty safe to say that by the first week, things are a WHOLE lot better.  I'm on my 9th day, and have 6 more days before I switch to tray #2 of #23.  So exciting!!  I'll probably blog after my first switch.

So just as a recap, days 1-5 are hell.  And now it's pretty much a breeze and part of my life!  I'm getting more and more used to the feeling of it in my mouth, it's less tight so of course there is less pressure and less tension at the end of the day.  When I sit down to dinner, taking them off is a welcome break.  Invisalign is great because I have no restrictions on what I can eat.  I'm brushing and flossing after EVERY meal so my gum health will be impeccable by my next cleaning visit, my hygienist will be pleased!  And I'm no longer biting my cheeks!  Woot woot!

I had to go in the Orthodontist's office the other day to get an attachment re-done on one of my bottom teeth. I read online that they can fall off from time to time.  I was in and out in a matter of 20 mins.  Was happy to have the attachment back on so that my trays will continue to work properly.

Now I am very annoyed with the location of the attachments.  I understand the tooth must rotate but since this is Invisalign, I would expect them to come up with an invisible option.  Like having the attachments on the INSIDE of the teeth.  But, as my husband states on a regular basis, what I go through is NOTHING compared to what he had with regular braces.  I just think mine would be completely unnoticeable.  I have to fight the feeling I have to share with every friend and acquaintance that I'm wearing them.  Maybe they won't notice??? But I do!

About the speech impediment...I think it's still there but greatly reduced.  And I think I notice it more on myself than anyone would.

That being said...even though I'm not finished with this process, if you are considering them, I feel comfortable enough to recommend them.  But research other's final results.  I kind of wish I could change trays each week! I feel like that would expedite the process....but they know what they are doing...so let's see how this year goes!  Someone said that this seems like forever, but once you are done it will be like a tiny speck in time.  :-)  I sure hope so!

Invisalign - Day 4

I downloaded an app that will let me publish blogs from my phone. So I'm testing this now.

Getting more used to the braces...every morning feels much better.  Still biting my cheek when they are off and don't think that will go away until my teeth have reached their final destination. My husband thinks its funny. He went through metal braces for two years and went through much worse.

Invisalign - Day 3

Woke up feeling MUCH better! And when I snapped my trays back in after brushing in the morning, I found they were a bit easier to snap on!  I'm still salivating more, but it's less than before, so I'm happy about that.  I also find myself not focusing on thinking of it being inside.

I'm still having trouble speaking....and it's making me self conscious.  I heard you have to keep practicing speaking to learn how to speak w/o lisping.  And I'm also not smiling as big because of the stupid bubbles in the Invisalign that accommodate for the attachment bumps they never tell you about!!!  Except for my teeth looking shiny, you would never know if it weren't for those darn bumps.  That's a big annoyance.  One lady at the Orthodontist office told me if I were going out for an evening, to just leave them home and don't even worry about putting them in.  Ha!  What does it matter?  I leave them home, and I have Klingon looking teeth...okay it's not that bad, but nobody's natural teeth have bumps on them.  I can imagine some rocker people might start wanting to attach spike-like things to their teeth...

Here's what they look like, and no these are NOT my teeth.  And I think these actually look MUCH nicer than mine.  The plastic just emphasizes it even more.

So yeah, if you are considering Invisalign, just know, NOTHING is invisible!  Unless you have the behind the teeth thing.  Oh well.

Invisalign - Day 2

Okay Day 2 was a bad day...the salivating was getting on my nerves, and by the end of the day, the pressure on my teeth just made me feel tired.  I didn't like the feeling of chewing so carefully....because if I didn't I would bite my cheek.  When I took them off for dinner it was a welcome break.  When I put them back on, I felt a lot better.  I think breaks for eating are very helpful during this transition.  I also looked forward to sleeping...it's easy to wear it for bed and I don't think I will have any problems using my retainer.  I read a few other blogs and checked out people's before and after pics and regained the strength to carry on.  I read that after 5-7 days you forget they are there.  Can't wait for that!  I also read some people get cavities???  I'm not drinking anything other than water when I have them in...even though you can have "clear" liquids.  And I've never flossed so much in my entire life!!!  I am assigned 23 trays.  Looking at tray #6, I can already see a SLIGHT improvement. Can't wait until I'm halfway done with this process.  I think by halfway I would see a large improvement - because they have to move all the teeth back and then I can have certain teeth filed (slimmed down) and last trays tighten everything back together.  I'm going to have to do a round of teeth whitening and some bonding on one chipped tooth.  Ah well....I'm still a long way away!