Days 10 & 11

Every day, my bottom teeth are getting less and less sore. I've easily discovered that the areas that need the most corrections have the most pain. Which is why my bottom center teeth have been bothering me so much.

I was able to eat some potato chips over the weekend... but it wasn't a pleasant ordeal. Thick tortilla chips proved to be just too difficult. Last night, I actually had my Invisalign aligner out for 2 hours. We had friends over and were picking at food the entire time. I did not notice any ill effects (at least not yet!) from leaving it out. It's funny... I feel weird when it's out and want to put it back in.

I also tried to eat a fried egg roll over the weekend, and could only manage eating the middle parts where the wrapper was thinner. I had no idea just how difficult it would be to eat so many different foods.

I have been happily drinking my white wine and my Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Lattes (must be iced -- so you are drinking through straw) while leaving my aligners in. I do miss chewing gum -- a big no no with ANY type of braces.

I am still not 100% used to having all these contraptions in my mouth; though I must say, I am finding the Invisalign much easier than I originally anticipated. Some initial concerns were that I would forget to put the aligner back in after eating, or that it would be difficult to remove. I have not experienced this at all. I do expect things to change dramatically once I get my attachments -- but I figure I will adjust to those as well though.

It's the traditional braces that are killing me the most. You cannot really "take a bite" out of anything with your front teeth... for fear and risk of ripping the brackets off. All fruit (like apples, pears, etc) must be cut first... but even these are still a little too hard for me to chew (b/c of soreness). Finger foods need to either fit whole in your mouth or you must cut and/or break them apart before eating. And... after almost two weeks, I am still really needing soft food in order to really enjoy the meal.

I have no idea how often the wires get changed, but it worries me that it will take upwards of two weeks to enjoy eating again (after each change). It definitely sucks. Another little issue I have is that I had a slight overbite before the brackets were applied to my bottom teeth. So, now that brackets are on, my teeth don't close all the way (b/c my upper teeth hit the brackets). This poses a small problem in that now my molars don't meet... which makes chewing firm foods even THAT much more fun!!!

Don't get my wrong... I am not regretting anything b/c I know the end-product will make me very happy. My point is that it definitely takes some time to get used to these things, so prepare yourself for that before you begin. :)