In three weeks of bracefaceness, I've noticed an amusing theme in my conversations on the topic. They generally follow a "my pain was so much worse than your pain" path, with former teenage metal-mouths telling me exactly how much worse their experience was than mine is currently. Despite my previous bitching (see here and here), and in relation to the continued absence of headgear, rubber bands and brackets in my life, I'm inclined to agree. I'm sure traditional braces at 17 suck way more than plastic braces at almost 30.
A major pro of pre-fab trays? Getting several sets in advance and only seeing the dentist sporadically versus the every-two-weeks schedule required by traditional braces. (I'm told there are barbaric tightening rituals that go on, too. Shudder.) It's still no walk in the park, but convenience is a high mark in the Invisalign category as far as I'm concerned.
Of course, at my appointment this morning, they told me that I may have a couple teeth "shaved" at my next appointment in October. Let's see how much I like Invisalign after that cheerful process. Is it poor form to bring a flask to a dentist appointment?
xoxo,
shawna
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It really is painful when they tighten those metal monsters. My youngest son spent a couple of years in those things. Then when he turned about 17 they took them off and he was suppose to wear a retainer at night for a year. He just wouldn't do it. So now he is 23 and his teeth have moved quite a bit. He has an under bite and his upper teeth sometimes hit the bottom and they are chipped. He now has a job with dental. Since they have ortho I hope he goes and finishes what we started. With his own money of course. Those invisaline ones sound interesting.
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