Tray 2 Complete - Stains and Retainer Brite

Last day for tray two, no cracks this time.

Had to cheat a few times this set because I forgot my toothbrush or was caught without my retainer case.  I feel like a paranoid parent when I have to put my tray in a napkin while eating because of the missing case.  But I feel less timid about drinking and eating because I've gotten a handle on removing the trays.  I do feel naughty when I have to do the quick rinse and replace method knowing that I need to do a proper scrub when I get back to my toothbrush.  Retainer Brite has wen a godsend for little bits and minor stains, but I find that I still need to brush brush my trays every few days to get  plaque out from between the tooth spaces.

Here is a shot of Tray 2.

I'm starting to use a whitening gel with my braces.  More on this on my next post.

Two Weeks Down - Time for Tray 2

Good timing, I cracked part of my upper tray on the same day I am trading out my tray.  Hopefully I won't need to redo Tray 1, but if I do I'll just deal with it.  Apparently one spot where I hook to pull the top tray off developed a stress fracture.  It was really annoying on the car ride home whith my tongue smacking it and snagging the crack.   This is the only day where I won't have worn my tray for 22 hours, I just couldn't take the last hour of the ride home and popped them out.

I took advantage of the reprieve to enjoy some Doritos and a soda...  Speaking of which.  I never realized how much I craved snacky foods until I put these puppies on.  I am drinking a lot more water which is a good thing.

Realized I never posted a shot with me wearing my First Tray so here you go.

And for your pleasure, my cracked upper tray.  The crack is fourth from the right.

Let's see if I can be better with Tray #2.  I took some pain meds and going to sleep while they do their initial adjustment.  They are not terribly uncomfortable, but I'm hoping the ibuprofen will let them set while letting me sleep!

Awkward Moments

Still getting used to popping my Invisalign braces in and out for meals.   At this point they feel fine before I pull them out, but the pressure feeling comes back when I put them back on.   I'm guessing that's my teeth trying to go back to their old spots. 

It's not as annoying as it was the first few days.  My tongue doesn't bump into the ridges like they did, though they do continue to bite part of my cheek when I put my upper tray back in. 

Had my first awkward feeling moment yesterday.   I went out to lunch with an old colleague who I haven't seen in a couple months.  We went to a local dive and I excused myself.  I don't know why I felt it was necessary but I told him "I have to hit the head and remove my teeth" which of course brought on a odd look.  I then explained that I had braces, and they told me they didn't even notice.  That made me feel good, but I wish I did a better job of letting them know.   The awkwardness came back at the end when I told them I needed a moment to go brush my teeth and put my tray back in.  

Not the end of the world, it went pretty well. It was a total of 30 seconds of awkwardness in a 45 minute catchup session.  Just need to keep chugging...