Invisalign, a truly revolutionary design that could be the ‘clear’ or ‘invisible’ alternative to braces if you gaslight yourself enough. If you’ve got anything along the lines of vision, you can see them with your naked eyes; no binoculars or telescopes needed!
There are twenty-six letters in the alphabet, but the nineteenth one is truly the bane of my existence. I’m not very fond of the letter ‘S’ if you can’t tell already. Simple words like “sure!” and “sleep” turned to blurry whispers. Extremely noticeable, yet left unheard on purpose; not once was it mentioned to me that I’d developed a newfound lisp. I struggled to communicate with my self conscious making it evident that assuming the role of a listener was more adequate at this point. How long could one go without speaking? Normally, at least an hour is doable but as me; it was impossible to go five minutes without making conversation.
The irony of it all is that Invisalign, a treatment that promises a better smile and improved self-esteem, temporarily did the opposite. It made me hyper-aware of my speech and turned the simple act of talking anxiety-inducing. Social interactions became a minefield of self-doubt. Each “s” that slipped through my lips felt like a spotlight on my insecurity, a constant reminder that I was undergoing treatment.
Anyone with a mouthful of medical-grade plastic knows the struggle is real and although uncomfortable, it was a choice I made after careful consideration of my lifestyle in comparison to the treatment’s demands. I’m no hater and if I were given an opportunity to turn things around even with the knowledge I have today – I’d still turn back to Invisalign.
Like many, poor hygiene has been one of my biggest pet peeves. While braces do not need constant removal before meals or separate brushing, being able to disinfect, brush and deep clean my aligners on a daily basis has made this treatment bearable. As a part of the treatment I get to switch into new aligners every ten to twelve days, depending on how my teeth are keeping up with the process. This to me made Invisalign the way to go in comparison to metal fixtures that lasted a lifetime.
Although overrated, it has been a fascinating journey of learning, relearning, and unlearning as the treatment adapts to my jaw’s reaction time.
Maybe the letter “S” wasn’t so bad after all, and although Invisalign may not be the perfect solution to straightening teeth ‘seamlessly’, the flexibility of their treatment plan made the process comfortable to ease yourself into. One of these days, I’ll have my perfect smile with teeth straighter than raw spaghetti and that day, I’ll be sure to make wise remarks and tell you my inconveniences along the way were minor. Until then, no inconvenience of mine will be minor.