Two Years Later, Still Aligning Along...

I finally got my Invisalign aligners at the end of March. It's been six months since my last update, and I'm still getting adjustments to my aligners and braces. I've still got Invisalign on top, clear braces on the bottom.

The pics below are comparison shots. The first pic is from February 2007, before I received my Invisalign trays, but after OrthoClear had dumped my case about a year into my treatment. The second pic was taken on Aug. 29, 2007.

My whole treatment with Invisalign was six upper aligners. I finished with the sixth aligner about two months ago, but I'm not completely happy with the results. Yeah, they look pretty straight, and they are certainly straighter than when I began treatment. But I don't like how one of the upper canine teeth is lined up. If you're looking at the pics here, it's the canine tooth on the right. It pokes out a bit still from the other teeth. The canine on the left doesn't do that. And a bicuspid on the left in the pic didn't get pulled down as it should have. So I'm currently waiting for my refinement trays. I'm hoping to get them within another month or so.
The first pic with my mouth open is from Dec. 2006, the second pic of my mouth open was taken on Aug. 29, 2007.

















The bottom teeth are still coming along. It's been almost one year since I got this contraption cemented to my poor teeth, and I'm sick of it! Note the lovely power chain- my FIFTH since I began treatment. If you're looking at the pic, the tooth that is being difficult is the pointy one on the right. It's taking its own time tilting and moving to where it needs to be. It's getting close, though! My ortho has needed to bend the arch wire in special directions to help it along. I've now developed a gap in my teeth just to the left of the middle teeth. It's the darker line between teeth on the left.
I'm so close to the end of this, I can hardly stand it! The pic on the top was taken in Feb. 2007, the pic below it was taken Aug. 29, 2007.





I'm 17 weeks pregnant at this point, and I'm here to tell you that pregnancy and orthodontics do not mix! I've gone from needing to eat 3 times a day to needing to eat every 2-3 hours. It's a true pain in the booty to have to keep flossing and brushing all day long! And try to deal with the pain of braces adjustment when you're already feeling moody/grumpy/achy- not fun! Ladies, if you can delay your orthodontic treatment until after you have a baby, I strongly suggest it!

Power chain!

I'm in a lot of pain since getting a power chain attached to my lower brackets yesterday. So I'm not going to write much. I managed to get two pics, though, so you can see what a power chain looks like when installed on the braces. It's not easy to see, but boy can I feel it working! Ouch!

I've provided comparison shots: the image on the top is from December 2006. The image below it was taken on Feb. 21, 2007, and has the power chain attached. The power chain makes the guide wire more 'invisible' in my opinion!

Again the top image is from December 2006. The image below it was taken on Feb. 21, 2007, and has the power chain attached.

Oh, and I'm still waiting for my Invisalign to come in!

Still waiting!

It's been awhile since my last post, I know. There just hasn't been anything going on tooth-wise lately!

I had an adjustment to my lower braces about 4 weeks ago, and it was quite uneventful. It didn't even come with discomfort.

My Invisalign treatment for my upper arch is still in limbo. I called my ortho today to check for a status update, and there's not much to report. I was told that my ClinChek was 'in process.' At least I'm finally in their system! The office is guessing that my aligners will arrive sometime around March, but I'm not holding my breath.

I go in for another round of adjustments in less than two weeks, so I will post an update if I get one! :)