Today is the last day of my first tray...Yay!! I do have the option of leaving these in for a couple of more days, but that will put me changing them out over the weekend, and I have lots of fun stuff to do and don't want to be sore and grouchy, so I think I'll just go ahead and change them out before bed tonight.
I thought I'd share my routine that I've followed for these first two weeks. Anyone who may stumble upon this blog should keep in mind that I have not seen my dentist and may very well be changing my ways after I do...mid-June.
Eating: Other than sugarless mints, I haven't eaten anything with them in. The thought of eating with them in seems really disgusting and I'd have to take them out anyway to floss and brush so I don't see the point.
Drinking: I have been drinking whatever I feel like drinking with them in. That includes diet coke and sweet tea so far, and I anticipate having beer with them in when the mood strikes. Again.....my wonderful dentist may have a thing or two to say about that, we'll just have to wait and see. I do make sure to swish really good with water after drinking anything other than water, hopefully that is getting most of it off my teeth. I check in the mirror regularly and nothing that I can see is being left anyway. I expected my teeth to look brown the first time I had dcoke with them in, but nothing like that.
Smoking: I smoke with them in. (Don't tell me smoking is unhealthy. I don't live in a cave and anyway it's printed right on the box. I'm well aware that it's bad for me. I'll quit when I'm damn good and ready.) Just in case there are any smokers who want to hear it from a fellow smoker, there it is. I do it, and no staining so far.
Wear Compliance: I take them out for about 20 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at lunch and 30 minutes in the evening. One night we went out to eat and I had them out for a little over an hour...but that's the longest at one time I've had them out. It may just be my imagination, but I think they did feel just a little tight when I put them back in that time.
Cleaning: During the day I rinse them and my mouth when I visit the ladies room (because of my drinking habits described above). Three times a day (more if I eat more than 3 times) I brush them with water , and brush and floss my teeth. Once a day, in the a.m., I soak them in denture cleaner. The denture cleaner turns bright blue at first, but after 15 minutes goes clear. According to the instructions, this is how you can tell it's finished doing its job. Also, while I have them out to eat or whatever, I soak them in water and when I'm eating out, I go to the ladies room and rinse them out before puting them in the case. I haven't ever, so far, let them dry with my saliva on them.
Here are some pics of my old tray after 2 weeks of wear, and my new ones, which I haven't worn yet.
....and in with the new!!
I think my cleaning technique is working well to keep the aligners fresh and clear. I haven't noticed any odor at all and I actually had a little trouble distinguishing between the old and new aligners in the pics when posting this. The main difference is that the new ones look a little cloudier than the ones I've been wearing. The first had that cloudy look too when I first put them in, but that was gone after the first time I cleaned them.
So far, no problems and no pain. I will be getting attachments with my third set, so I am bracing myself for some of the unpleasantness that others have reported, but I know it will be worth it to be able to smile without thinking about how crummy my teeth look. Until next time....Ciao!!
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