Aligner #3: Attachments

To get my third set of aligners I was scheduled to go back to the Orthodontist. I was also due to get some attachments on my teeth to help with the movement.

I have six attachments on my upper teeth and five on my lower teeth.

I was a little nervous about this process, as my friend had told me they hurt and make your teeth a lot more sensitive. But I managed to sit in the chair and put on a brave face. They used a mouth prop to hold my lips back away from my teeth. I felt like a dog that had its head out the car window getting blown by the wind.

She put some blue goo on my upper teeth where the attachments were going and then used some air and water that I think was meant to set this. Apart from the water being super cold it didn't hurt.

She then put the attachments into an aligner and then pushed these onto my teeth, I then had to bite down on some cotton really hard before she set the attachments with her magic blue light. She then repeated for my lower teeth.

She then took the aligner she had used off as this wasn't one of my Invisalign sets. When she was taking these out I could feel the aligner pulling on my teeth and that was definitely the most pain I have felt since I've had them in. The pain was bearable though, nothing excruciating.

I then put in my third aligners, which was so different to how it was. Its definitely not as easy because they snag on the attachments. They also don't look like they fit as well, but I think that just shows the movement my teeth need to make in this aligner.

Visually I think they are much more noticeable now, not so much when I talk, but if I bear a huge grin then the tops look funny and you can see the lumps of the attachments, although these are actually clear too.

I had to go back to the office after this appointment and I was really worried about taking them out so I skipped lunch and decided to tackle the first removal in the comfort of my own bathroom.

When I got home and took them out it took a bit of fiddling around and they seemed to get caught on the right side of my mouth, which was quite uncomfortable. My teeth were really sensitive when I ate my dinner as well, but after a few mouthfuls this eased up a bit.

I brushed and put them back in then used my AcceleDent. The next morning they were noticeable easier to remove. I don't know if it was because I had figured out a new method or if they had loosened a little. I think it was a bit of both. After 2 full days, I was back to removing them without a mirror or a hassle.

I also noticed these were a little harder to keep clean, the divits for the attachments take a bit of scrubbing to get into properly. I was glad I only had to wear them for a week.