Movement!

I think I understand the strategy now. It seems like my teeth are spacing out quite a bit. The plan must be that they get spaced out first so there's room, and THEN they start turning/straightening. The gaps between my teeth are huge. I can tell becauseand I'm getting food stuck in places I never have before, and because the floss just glides between them without even touching sometimes. Next time I'm at the orthodontist I will confirm this by watching my progression video again. Maybe they'll let me video it so I can share!

Regular dentist visit today

Today I had my first regular dentist visit since getting my braces.

Now, a little strange background on this. When I was a youngster, I of course went to the dentist regularly, and regularly had cavities that would need filling. I think four or five altogether. But then as a young adult, I stopped going. You see, I missed an appointment (due to being a lazy teenager that refused to get out of bed), and somehow I was under the impression that when I did go in, I would have to pay for both appointments, which seemed unjust to me. Where I got this idea, if it was true, and why I was even concerned when I wasn't paying my own medical bills yet anyway is all a mystery. But rather than suffer this grave injustice, I didn't go back. For 20 years.

Time just got away from me I guess. And I've had zero issues with my teeth. I've been very lucky. But my family recently found a great dentist, and I knew I was way overdue. So finally, a little over a year ago, I went to the dentist. We did x-rays, cleaning, the whole deal. No issues. I was worried sick that they would tell me that I had to have my wisdom teeth removed, but no. Everything was fine. The hygienist said I had some plaque buildup, but no worse than anyone else that gets regular checkups. They were all just completely amazed that I really hadn't hadn't been to the dentist for 20 years, and had no complications.

When I checked out, she asked if I wanted to schedule an appointment for my next cleaning in six months, and I laughed and said, "No, I'll see you in twenty years."

But then the braces thing happened, and I know that I should get regular cleanings at least while I have Invisalign because the trays trap things in them and actually promote plaque forming. So only a little over one year later, I found myself back at the dentist.

They wanted to do x-rays, but I declined and she was very polite about not pressuring me. It's not that I mind doing them, it's just that it seems unnecessary at this point for any reason other than to help pay for their machine. That's not meant as a dig against dentists, or a suggestion for other people to follow. It's just how I feel about my particular situation. I don't get my car aligned unless it's pulling or shows unusual tire wear, either.

Anyway, the visit went very well. The hygienist scraped my teeth with the pokey thing, and ran that icky paste over them, and it was all done. She was shocked at how many "buttons" we're on my teeth, and I told her that it was indeed an office record. Then the dentist came in and was just as flabbergasted. "You've even got metal ones! That's very unusual." Yes, yes, I know office record-holder here.

My appointment

So literally nothing happened at this appointment. I was expecting more teeth-filing, but no. He said that won't happen until sometime around 25 weeks. All he did was ask how things were going, and do a quick visual exam. No x-rays, no nothin. They gave me more trays and told me they'd see me in another couple months.

9 Weeks Update

I have now had my Invisalign braces for nine whole weeks! I am fully used to them now, to the point that I don't notice them anymore throughout the day. In fact, sometimes I sit down to eat and then remember that I need to take them out. I am also used to the routine, and it no longer seems like a hassle to me.

But I cannot yet say that I notice any difference in my smile. In fact, my wife and I closely examined my first set of trays next to my eighth set and could tell no difference. It's no big deal, but I would just have thought that 20% of the way through the process I would have noticeable changes. The only thing I notice is that when I floss, the floss breezes through some spaces where it used to hang up. Oh ya, and when they're out my bite does feel different, with my teeth lining up in new ways.

Pain is minimal. I still wouldn't dream of biting into an apple, but other than that it's fine. I've started drinking coffee again, I just take them out when I do. I haven't noticed any staining on my attachments.

I have an orthodontist appointment tomorrow. Somehow we ended up with one extra week between appointments than I had trays, so I kind of stretched out the last three by a couple extras days to make up for it. I wish I had known this earlier, because I would have used that extra time in the beginning when pain was more of an issue. I'm sure tomorrow they will be cutting more spaces between my teeth. So on to the next phase!

Acceledent Review

What is it?

Acceledent is a device that speeds up the movement of teeth by gently vibrating them. It is a technology first employed in healing bone fractures. It basically makes the jaw bone more forgiving of dragging teeth through them. The device is designed to be used for just 20 minutes per day, and cuts the time needed to straighten teeth in half. 

Does it work?

First, let me state that I am not qualified to answer this question from a clinical standpoint. I can only offer my personal experience as anecdotal evidence. Strictly from a practical standpoint, I have to answer that yes, it does work. It cuts the time in half because without Acceledent my orthodontist would only let me change out my trays every two weeks, and with it I get to change them every week. So yes, it absolutely cut my time in half. But that doesn't really answer the question of if it works, does it? In other words, could I have changed my trays every week anyway? I don't know. I can't find out, and neither can you because responsible orthodontists everywhere only give you enough trays to last between scheduled appointments, so you can't try to speed the process up on your own. I tend to be skeptical in nature, and I just have a tough time believing that it really makes that much of a dramatic difference, but what do I know about osteopathy? For me it was a simple economic decision to use it. My time is scarce and has value, and so does my money. To me it was worth the extra monetary investment to save the time. Which leads us nicely to my next topic...

What does it cost?

I paid $800 extra to add Acceledent to my treatment plan. I have read where people have paid way more than that, mostly when it first came out. I have also read where other people have paid about half that. You are buying the device from your Orthodontist, and I think the price mostly depends on office policies and what kind of volume the office does with Acceledent. 

I have said before that when you hold it in your hand, it in no way seems like it should cost hundreds of dollars. It feels like about a 20 dollar unit with a 60 dollar carrying case (that you'll never ever use). But think of it this way: You're not just paying for the unit, you're paying for the research that went into it, like a college textbook. Hope that makes you feel better. 

You shouldn't (and probably can't) simply buy a used unit to save money. First, you'll need a new mouthpiece for sure not only because they are fitted, but also because ewwww don't use someone else's mouthpiece. And secondly, it is a regulated medical device only for use under an Orthodontist's supervision. You can't even buy a new one from Acceledent directly, you have to buy one from your Orthodontist, and you absolutely shouldn't buy one used. I have even heard (unconfirmed) that the device is timed to stop working after one entire treatment regiment, to prevent a second user. I don't know if that's true or not, but it would be pretty crummy if it was as I could see one family getting more than one use out of it. But at any rate with that being the rumor, I wouldn't risk it. Plus your Orthodontist probably won't allow treatment administered unless you've purchased the device from his or her office anyway. 

What's it like to use?

I have to say, it's no big deal. I thought it would be kind of a pain in the butt to have to use the thing every day, but it's actually become a part of the day that I look forward to. It feels kinda good. It charges by USB, so I keep it in the center console of my truck and it charges as needed every day when I drive to work. I have about a 25 minute commute, so on the way home I use the device. This routine works perfectly for me, and doesn't interfere with my schedule at all.

My Orthodontist told me that I could break up the 20 minutes throughout the day if I wanted to. But this is directly contradictory to the instructions, so I've been doing it all at once. It's a smart unit, and flips on and off at the halfway point so you know where you are in the process. After the 20 minutes, it shuts itself off, so you don't have to time it yourself. If you have to shut it off in the middle of a treatment, when you turn it back on it picks up where it left off. It's got some nice tech to it. 

When I first started using it, I was quite concerned that it wasn't hitting all my teeth. Because of my underbite, my back teeth hit the flat mouthpiece first, and my front do not touch it at all when in that position. In the beginning I was biting down on it quite hard to get all of them to touch it. But when you do that, it no longer vibrates. You see, there's two parts: the mouthpiece and the actual unit. If you clamp down hard on the mouthpiece, the unit vibrates but the mouthpiece doesn't. It's when you loosen up that the mouthpiece really begins to quake. When I spoke to my Orthodontist about this, he seemed unconcerned and advised me just to do the best I can, offering no real helpful advice. The instructions are not much help either. I've read other places that it only really needs three points of contact to work its magic, but have no idea if that's true or not. So what I do is just kind of shift it around while I'm using it, attempting to give all my teeth a chance. I guess it's working (see second section).

To sum up...

If you can swing the extra bucks, get Acceledent. It cuts the time in half, it's not inconvenient, and it feels kinda good when you use it.