Waiting for May

I said no when my dentist first recommended Invisalign.

I balked at the money especially as I thought it was a cosmetic procedure.

Plus, I had a dying daughter-in-law on the other side of the country.

This seemed a luxury I could not afford in time, money or attention.

Besides, I have been blessed with great teeth thanks to my mother’s family.

I have never had a problem. My teeth looked fine.

But as we know, aging brings new challenges.

My teeth were beginning to shift little by little to one side. This meant keeping them clean would be difficult as food would become trapped between the eventual overlapping teeth.

At my last checkup my dentist encouraged me to reconsider the procedure. Now, I have to point out that my dentist does not offer Invisalign. It became a stitch in time and what better time to do this than during a pandemic when I would be homebound?

So in October, I had my first set of trays which I needed to wear 22 hours everyday. I had to take them out before each meal and brush my teeth afterwards. I could only drink plain water with the trays in my mouth.

That doesnt’ sound so hard, does it? Piece of cake!

I soon realized that I had to change my ways! With only two hours per day that I could eat, I had to plan when I would take the trays out. I gave up sipping a glass of wine while cooking. After a meal, I rushed to clean my teeth and replace them before I cleaned the kitchen.

I gave up snacking…too much trouble to take them out, eat and then clean my teeth.

So, I became intentional about when I ate. The pandemic helped in that I ate 99% of my meals at home.

May 4 is my final evaluation. If it goes well, I will say goodbye to my 22 hour per day trays and hello to my night time only retainer.

I can hardly wait!

Wish me luck on May 4th!!

~Some notes about Invisalign. I never wore braces as a kid so this experience was new for me. I liked that the trays were almost invisible in my mouth. l liked that I could take them out to eat. There was never any pain, just some pressure at times especially when I switched to a new set. I am amazed at the results.