As a new Carter Orthodontics patient, and a first-time orthodontics patient in general, I really did not know what to expect when I decided to finally straighten my teeth. I’ve wanted to start this process for such a long time, but I didn’t want traditional braces. Invisalign sounded really appealing, so I reached out to Dr. Carter to learn more about how they could work for me. I made an appointment in January and crossed my fingers that I would be a candidate for the process.
After my initial appointment, I was told that I was in fact a candidate for Invisalign! Cue the happy dance. Come to find out, Invisalign can work for most people. I just assumed that my teeth were too far gone, you guys. The only downside to the process was that I would need to wear a pendulum first. What’s a pendulum, you ask? This beautiful thing, right here:
I promise it’s not as scary as it looks. The pendulum appliance is used move the back molars into the correct position. My back left molar was crowding my other teeth and needed to be adjusted before I could move forward with the plastic Invisalign aligners. The pendulum consists of a plastic piece that touches the roof of your mouth and wire springs that basically sweet talk your molars into moving further back into your mouth. I’ll have to wear this for several months before it’s removed and I can be fitted for my first aligners.
As far as wearing the pendulum goes, it’s definitely not as bad as I thought it would be. I speak a little funny now, some foods are slightly more awkward to eat (lettuce, I’m looking at you), and it was somewhat uncomfortable for the first week. Overall, I’m still extremely excited to continue the process of revealing my brand new smile!
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