4th trays

After the end of my 4th trays, I was able to get my next 4 sets from the ortho while they did an intermittent checkup of my progress. So far, so good. The ortho told me he was looking for a nice tight tight fit, and that it would help to bite down a few times a day to make sure the trays are where they should be.

Since I've been applying that towards my trays, I've found that they definitely "settle" into their new positions MUCH more quickly. What a difference some grinding makes! It didn't hurt that work was pretty stressful for me lately, and gave me a reason to grind my teeth in order to figuratively bite my tongue :)

My ortho and the girl who works there with similar dental issues to mine were really surprised that I had started a blog. I promised them a link, so hopefully they'll be reading about themselves and about my experiences on here. Hi Dr. Sargiss and Trish! :)

Some of the concerns I had about my treatment were answered by Trish this time. I was worried about my bite aligning properly after all was said and done. She said no problem, it all works out in the end, and that it was something Dr. Sargiss had ensured with Invisalign before he approved my treatment as well.

The other concern I had was about my crossbite. Eventually, the tooth that had been behind the other teeth will be pushed over to the other side. There will be a time, however, when this tooth will neither be behind the other teeth, nor in front of them, but right on top of them. With the trays in, it's impossible to hit your teeth against each other, but what happens when I take them out to eat? Is this going to become a major problem for me? How do I chew if this tooth may be getting in the way?

Trish said it was going to be rough period when that happens, and that I'll just have to be extra careful during that time. She said it happened to her while her company was having their Christmas party, and it was painful to eat at the party because she kept on banging her teeth against each other. She said she went through a period of about 3 weeks before it finally made it "to the other side" completely. Ouch! I'm already getting a taste of it, because that tooth of mine is already moving closer to the front, and there are times when I catch myself wincing a bit when my teeth clash with each other. I'll just have to be more careful about it when it really starts to happen.

So, here are the pictures of my teeth after my 4th set!

Center with mouth agape:


Top:


Bottom:


Smile with bottom teeth showing: