This morning, I got my new Invisalign braces. The dentist put several little hard "buttons" on my teeth that the "aligners" snap onto. They feel really weird. They're like little mounds of resin attached to my teeth. I am learning, as I eat lunch, that food gets stuck to them really easily. I fear I am about to become one of those weirdos who brushes her teeth at work. Oh, the horror!
What's so "diety" about them? It's this... You cannot eat anything while you're wearing them. Nothing. Nothing. And these suckers don't just pop in and out like a retainer (said the girl who's never worn a retainer). They are tightly formed to your teeth, and it takes some work to get them in and out. The dental hygienist, who also has Invisalign braces, said this morning, "Yeah, I schedule my snacks." So, for the next 60 weeks of my life, there will be no casual munching, no impulse sweets (the cookie I got from a coworker this morning is still sitting here mocking me!), and no "I'll just have a quick bite" meals (nothing quick about eating for me now!). It seems pretty clear that my eating habits are going to be greatly altered.
I have to wear the aligners for, ideally, 22 hours a day. That leaves two combined hours for eating, and for the food-addicted, that's not much.
Interestingly, this also means it will be very difficult for me to eat at my desk because, quite frankly, it takes too long. Plus I don't think I really want to be digging around in my mouth while I'm sitting at my desk. I imagine it won't be a very pretty sight.
Eating my cookie now. Mmmmm...
So, it's going to be strange, at least for a while, but I think it'll be good for me. The thing that's going to be the most difficult to get used to? I also can't drink anything (but water) while wearing them! Forget the casual munching. No more casual wine drinking? That's gonna be hard!
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