They're in! Invisalign Braces #4

 For better or worse...I have my invisalign braces! 

Saturday was the big day. If you read my last post you'll know I was extremely nervous beforehand and had butterflies all of Friday! 

When I arrived at the dentist he reminded me of some of the prep work he was going to do on my teeth before the braces could go on. I'd completely forgotten about this and rather anxiously sat in the chair. 

-On a side note, I had purposely sort after a top consultant and after several meetings I knew that I could trust him. I think this is very important! 

The first thing he did was show me the actual braces. He put them in for me then got me to practice removing them. It was easier than I thought but then this wasn't the finished product. He explained that tooth coloured nodules would be fixed onto my teeth and that some of my teeth would be filed down to allow room for movement. Some people have to have teeth removed to make room, however I could get away with a little bit of filing!

The process took around an hour and again he got me to practice taking them in and out. Once the nodules were on this wasn't such an easy task but I managed with my long nails anyway :) The filing didn't hurt one bit but it did smell like burning!

After the final touches I was told to rinse my mouth. I soon realised that my gums were bleeding. I wasn't in any pain but I did seem to spit out a lot of blood! Because of this, he advised that I shouldn't wear the braces until my gums had settled. I was a bit gutted to be honest as I wanted them on there and then but after waiting 10 years for braces I was sure I could go another day!

The nodules felt a bit odd in my mouth for the rest of Saturday but they weren't painful.

Sunday morning I woke up earlier than usual and felt sick. I was worried about what to expect really! After having breakfast and brushing etc I went about putting them in. I found this easier than I thought and they snapped in place quickly. Then came the gagging! Initially I felt as though the back part was hitting my throat and I did a lot of heaving! Nice. 

I then tried to talk to my Dad. Hello lisp! Haha. I still can't really say 'S's properly now!

After removing them to eat (I did struggle to get them out at first) again I gagged when reapplying. However since that second time I haven't experienced this reaction since. Thank god!

I had a fair bit of talking to do on Sunday for my business and I found my mouth became really sore and I developed ulcers. 

After having them in all night, Monday morning I woke up and my teeth throbbed. I couldn't wait for the release of taking them out to have breakfast! 

I've found a few new best friends since. The Aloe Gelly has been a godsend! Fantastic for helping soothe my sore tongue and painful ulcers! And I've been applying the aloe lips non-stop as my lips seem to be much drier now.

Day 3 almost done and at the moment I have to be honest and say I'm in pain! My mouth is sore, I'm a bit irritable and my teeth ache. But I know it'll get better and that it'll all be worth it in the end. I do keep joking and saying I've paid over £4k for pain though...but ultimately no pain no gain!!!

Here's to a better smile!

x

Invisalign #3 Tomorrow!!!

Hi everyone! Hope everyone has had a great week and is looking forward to a long weekend. I thought I'd do a quick post as my tummy is telling me something big is happening tomorrow! It's that nervous excited energy where you don't quite know what to do with yourself. Know what I mean?

Tomorrow is the day I've been waiting for, for possibly 10 years of my life! I'm getting my teeth sorted!!! Ok, so they aren't going to be how I want them in just a day but it's tomorrow I get my Invisalign braces! It's the start of fixing my smile.

When I tell people I don't like my teeth and that I feel self conscious every time I have to smile with them in photos, (trust me I've spent many years only smiling with my lips on photos and it's mostly resulted in me looking not that happy or a bit stuck up!), they always say 'there's nothing wrong with your teeth or 'I haven't noticed' or 'why? they're lovely'. But ultimately it's how you feel. And since the age of 15 I've been very aware that my smile wasn't the best it could be and I've developed quite a 'thing' about my teeth over the years.

However, braces or any work on teeth costs A LOT and I honestly never thought I'd be in the position to do anything about them myself. I naively used to think that being a teacher would mean I'd get a wage where I'd have plenty of cash leftover at the end of the month to save. Oh how unrealistic that theory was!

I am so incredibly grateful that I was introduced to my business which has meant I've opened up a world of new opportunities. Along with many other things, it's giving me my smile back!

I'll let you all know how I get on when I have them!!!
Ahhhh!
:D :/ :P

x

Happy Monday!

Many people are truly depressed by the fact it's Monday...the weekend seems so far! However I say, smile! It's only another day.

If you aren't smiling you're doing something wrong. Maybe time for a change?

This business makes me smile.

And the fact I only have 4 more Monday's like today...

If you don't like what you do, only you can do something about it and change it!

Have a great day!!!

And

SMILE!

x

A Tuesday Night Thought.

Tonight I did something for a work friend of mine. Nothing big. A little gesture with the sole purpose of making her smile.

I won't go into what it was as that's not the important thing here, but it was so worthwhile.

I know that right now she'll be smiling (once she's got over the crying...happy tears!) And she told me that it has 'made her night'.

Ironically, it's also made my night!

Just thought I'd share with you all.

Sweet dreams
x

Invisalign braces #1

Hey! So, I thought I'd share with you my experience of Invisalign braces by doing a series of blog posts following my journey from the start. At the moment that is pretty much where I am. The start.

What are they?
Well if you haven't come across them before they are a special type of brace that aims to correct the teeth to give a better smile I suppose! Unlike typical train-track style braces they do this using a clear plastic-y material that clips over your teeth.

Why do I want them?
Quite honestly from around 15 I have hated the way my teeth look, especially when they are flipped by a camera! I'm sure if you watch my YouTube videos you will certainly see my point here. They aren't great by any means. I would simply like to make my smile more symmetrical and actually show my teeth when it comes to smiling for a photo rather than hiding them away!

How much do they cost?
I have found a fairly local dentist that is Invisalign qualified, working within an Oasis practice. I think the cost of the braces are pretty much a standard price anywhere though and mine are costing roughly £3250. I know, a lot of money!

So what has happened so far?
The free 15 minute consultation
A month back I went along to my first appointment to discuss with the dentist why I wanted Invisalign braces. This visit also allowed him to check my teeth to see if I was eligible for the braces as not everyone is an appropriate candidate for Invisalign. Luckily he felt I was and I booked my next appointment.

X-rays and moulds
So yesterday I went back to the dentist unsure of what to expect. He started by taking a series of photos of my teeth and face. He then told me he was going to take a mould of both sets of teeth. This wasn't great and made me want to gag but I persevered!

Next up were the X-rays. I've never had my teeth X-rayed before and I didn't enjoy it! The cards they insert into your mouth are quite sharp and uncomfortable. Some of them hurt a little! Apparently I have a small mouth. Haha.

Finally he said he needed to check my teeth for any work that needs to be done before the braces. He said that any cavities that might normally only need to be watched would need doing straight away as the braces would cause them to worsen quickly. He told me that I needed 2 small fillings and then I asked for one of my grey fillings to be replaced with a white one. So all in all my next appointment is going to be very fun and costly!

The visit yesterday cost me £69. Ouch... But it WILL be worth it...

...For this... :D

Anyone had these braces before? Look out for my next blog post!

x