Lime Green Teeth Goobers

Monday marked step 1( or step 2? step 1.5??) of my Invisalign process.

I had a 40 minute appointment set aside for records and moulds to be taken of my teeth to be sent away for those magical aligners which I will get my hands on in 6 weeks.

The whole process was fairly straight forward and went without a hitch.
First off the orthodontist took pictures of me smiling and not smiling, standing distance away, from the front and the side.
Then came the lovely plastic lip retractors. Let's just say it's not a great look and I certainly felt like I was dribbling all over myself but a quick check assured me I wasn't. Multiple pictures were taken from different angles to ensure that he got a clear picture of everything he needed. Then came another lip retractor to hold my top lip up while a mirror was place in my mouth to take pictures of my upper arch, then the reverse for the lower arch.

After that came the moulds. Now I had read lots of blogs about people having issues with this part of the process and gagging issues, however having had moulds done before for a bite guard I wasn't too worried. First was just plain putty for about 5 seconds with the orthodontist pressing firmly but not hard, then a much more liquid solution was placed in the tray over the top and pressed back in my mouth for 2.5 minutes. The second (bright lime green) solution was definitely more squelchy (for lack of a better word) but I had no issues with feeling like it was running down my throat or anything. Top and bottom done and it was over. The hardest part of the whole experience was trying desperately not to laugh while my very funny orthodontist was cracking jokes. For example, being told that while normally he can get a clear mould in one shot, sometimes it takes two or three goes and that I would know he'd need to do it again if he screamed, swore, and threw things. That's not easy to listen to given how easily I laugh, especially not with a mouthful of fingers and trays.

All in all there were only two unpleasant parts to this whole process. First, the smell. The putty had a very fake berry scent to it. Some people may like it but I certainly didn't. That's not to say it was unbearable, just not my favourite thing in the world.
The second down side? The green. Designed to get a perfect mould? Works fabulously. Designed to not stick in crooked, twisted, Invisalign-needing teeth? Nope. Luckily right after I was offered mouth wash, floss, and a mirror.

Tips for anyone going through this process:
1. Stay calm and breathe through your nose.
2. Dont' worry if you feel a slight oozing, it's totally normal and starts to set up in a few seconds.
3. Ask for floss after! Lime green is not attractive when it's jammed between your teeth.