Been on a bit of a journey with my smile the past few years. My teeth more specifically. For years I have been self-conscious about my teeth. Since high school I’ve had severe overcrowding (bottom row especially), and I let that insecurity bloom well into early adulthood. Then it morphed into a kind of shame that the dental work I needed was above my means to afford at the time. My insecurity has never stopped me from sharing a smile, an open-mouth laugh or enjoying myself to the fullest in anyone’s company, but the self consciousness had been amplified in my head for longer than I care. And getting in my own way on any level ain’t the move. Last year I began taking more action steps toward teeth aligning, and began digging around for orthodontists and teeth straightening services, cost comparison, technique, etc. And almost as if the universe was conspiring with me, I received an email for an incredible opportunity to partner with the DMV-based @liveevenly that exclusively uses @invisalign aligners. I started my journey with Evenly in January when I came in for an initial consult to their beautiful offices located in NW DC. And though I now live in Minneapolis, what’s great is I’m able to maintain my teeth straightening journey with my Evenly orthodontist Dr. Wayne Hickory virtually. I’m back in DC this week to finally have my aligners put on (too hype!), but you can also have this done with your primary dentist wherever you live. Yesterday I had my last pre-aligner appointment in which I needed to have two tooth extracted as part of my teeth straightening treatment plan. So I currently have a wide gap on my bottom row, and I’m going to enjoy her to the utmost while the aligners do their thing over the next few months 😁

Was recently talking to one of my girlfriends about Invisalign because we’re both on the journey together, and funny enough started at the same time, and even more coincidentally both had the exact same tooth extracted in order to help the teeth bottom row of teeth straighten. The difference, though, is that we’re experiencing different levels of progress and comfort.

In transparency, the past few weeks of wearing my aligners have been more uncomfortable, with my teeth and bite shifting. The first two months of my treatment I was pretty consistent about leaving them in for the recommend 20 hours a day, but the way my appetite is set up I’m always eating or drinking, so that’s not always feasible #NicoleIsAlwaysEating. And I realize this will likely prolong my treatment process a little but not significantly. We’re making progress but we’re doing it on a longer timeline.

I am curious how those of you who do wear Invisalign have been adjusting to yours and whether or not you’re still on track for your treatment plans or they’re going to be a little prolonged like me.