Preparing for Round 2

Finishing the first round of trays felt great because the transformation was so drastic, but as we know by now, I'm not quite finished. My teeth aren't quite perfect, and that is what this second round of trays is really meant to accomplish (hopefully). I looked at my account online today and noticed the ClinCheck videos had been updated to represent the new set of trays that I will get in about a week and a half. It helps that I have a busy class schedule to help the time pass by quickly and I get to take a class trip to Dolan Falls next weekend to collect insects. Yay! But getting back to my teeth, you'll get to see the new videos...

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So as you can see, I will be wearing a total of 23 trays this time around. It may seem like a lot since my teeth are much straighter than before, but it seems to me like the movements from each tray are much, much smaller than with the first set. There are quite a few trays that have such small movements, I can BARELY even see which teeth are moving, and I'm looking really hard. With the first set I could see exactly which teeth were moved by each tray and by how much, but that isn't the case this time. I just love watching the video go from the last tray back to the initial position of my teeth because then I can really see the overall movement and I can't help but say "Wow" every time. I thought my teeth looked great from the first round, but the second set just looks so amazing. I never thought my teeth would be that straight, and without anyone ever noticing that I was getting them straightened. My orthodontist likes to say that he shoots for an A with the first set of trays and then an A+ with the second set, and these videos definitely show that.

Now I know I've raved a little about my orthodontist already, but I have a little more to do. He and I had a conversation over FaceTime to discuss this mid-course reboot and what would be the best proposal of how to further straighten my teeth. I was also lucky enough to see some behind the scenes action during this conversation. Basically, my two front teeth will be turned a little more so they are more rounded because they are very straight across. My canines will be turned a bit also so they don't stick out as much compared to the rest of my teeth. My lateral incisors will also be rotated so that the front six teeth all line up nicely because right now, they're still a little off. I would say those are the major movements that will take place this time, but other teeth will be moved as well as you can see in the videos. So what I really liked about this was that Dr. Kunik really wanted to discuss with me what he wanted to do and he also wanted to know what I wanted done and what I thought could be improved. We were on the exact same page about which teeth still needed work and how they should be moved. It really feels like he reads my mind and addresses the issue right before I think to bring it up. I guess my point is that he knows what he's doing and I needed somebody with his talent and experience to really get my teeth right in a decent amount of time. He's constantly making me so grateful that I chose him as my orthodontist. When I researched Invisalign, I knew the orthodontist is supposed to make comments about how to move the teeth for the technician in Costa Rica, where the trays are made. I also knew that Dr. Kunik is very detailed in his comments so that he is really the one straightening your teeth, not a stranger in Costa Rica who is not an orthodontist. But I just have to say, I had absolutely no idea that Dr. Kunik did so much work for my case. When he showed me the comments section where he wrote, it was just completely filled with tons and tons of comments. So once again, I felt so wonderful to have an orthodontist who was willing to spend so much time and effort on giving me the perfect smile.

There's also another reason this conversation was so impressive to me. I said before that Dr. Kunik basically reads my mind and this part of the conversation proved he has supernatural powers. I've noticed, as I'm sure some of you have as well, that my teeth aren't exactly shaped normally. Most people have teeth that are smooth and just slightly convex (rounded outward). My teeth are just the opposite. The edges, especially on the front 4, are very thick compared to the middles, so they are more of a concave shape (rounded inward). I was a little nervous to bring this up to Dr. Kunik (I have issues with speaking up) and I figured it's just how my teeth are and how they'll always be. Well, I didn't even have to say anything because Dr. Kunik brought this up all on his own. Apparently, they are called marginal ridges and are not uncommon with Hispanics/Latinos and some Asians. But, he actually will be able to wear the edges down so that my teeth will have a much smoother and more normal appearance. I was just so glad that he brought it first and I'm even more glad that it can be fixed because I thought I was just destined to have odd-shaped teeth. I guess that will be it for this post. I think I gave a good amount of information for what is to come in the second half of my journey to a beautiful smile. I just want to quickly say that I'm glad my posts have been so helpful to some of you and I hope it continues to help more. As always, feel free to ask questions and happy researching!