First day without trays!

[kimnim1]

I see a lot of new people on here and wanted to tell you how fast it goes. Today is my first day of going to nightwear only for my retainers! I am at work and am taking my sweet time drinking my diet coke and eating my sandwich! i may even have a second diet coke

It is odd without them in. I feel almost like I am missing a limb. I almost turned my car around and went back to the house when I didn't feel it in my mouth but then remembered it is ok! And I'll probably still brush my teeth after lunch because I'm addicted to flossing now.

Anyone else have a hard time moving on after the trays?? lol. I am sure I will readjust soon.

So hang in there those that are new. mine was 13 months. you'll be in the habit of your "teeth" as i called them (like "i have to go put my 'teeth' back in now", it made my friends laugh) in no time!

[sammywantstraightteeth]

Hi kimnim1,

It is good to hear from someone who has finished active treatment. I am on 11 of 24 and very impatient for the day I get to switch to nightwear only.

A couple of questions.

How long did you have to wear your retainers 24 hours a day?

And did you have any refinements or midcourse corrections or did the treatment go to plan first time?

And I also refer to my trays as teeth. I've had glasses since I was 10 and I always refer to them as my eyes so it was a natural progression!

[SimoSorriso]

Hi kimnim1
and congratulations for your new smile!
How would you describe how this treatment changed your way to smile and your life in general? Do you feel more confident?

Thanks for your feedbacks!

[andrea26]

I finished my treatment few months ago and have to wear my trays at night time. I still brush and floss after every meal, I guess that's a habit that just stays with you after constantly brushing and flossing during the treatment. Once I finished I just found it so nice to be able to have a snack/drink whenever I wanted to without having to rush off to the bathroom.
But it was definately worth it.

[kimnim1]

Sammy...

On the bottom I wore my retainer 24/7 for about a month. And that was basically because I was still doing my top teeth so just kept wearing the bottom as well. The top retainer I only had to wear full-time for 2 weeks. I have had no problems with my top retainer at all. Mild tightness at night when I put the retainer on. On the bottom, however I have noticed more problems/shifting during the day. My ortho told me not to worry about it if the discomfort was short lived (which is it). Now some people on here have had to wear their retainers full-time for a lot longer. This will depend on your orthodontist.

I did have refinements which I was disappointed in to begin with, but again it went so fast it really didn't affect me and I am so glad I did it as the final "touch up" has made me very happy. It added about 2 months to my overall time which compared to how long I'll have this smile, is nothing.

SimoSorriso...
I was never shy or uncomfortable with my smile or anything like that. My case wasn't what some consider "severe," and I didn't really notice the crowding/wonky tooth except in pictures. It took a profile shot of me at my nephew's birthday party for me to finally pull the trigger and do something. Since having them however, I look back at those pictures and thank God I went ahead and did it.

I'm glad I did it and would do it again, but am also happy that I don't have to