The saga of wearing Invisalign braces and realigning my bite continues ... photos taken of my teeth at each visit show the appliances have been effective and the realignment is taking shape. Well, I knew that from early on, since the pain involved in using my jaw to chew and eat food is long gone. I was so happy to crush the last box of supplies, thinking my oft-extended journey had come to an end.
But no! After my latest visit and set of images, the next step explained by the dentist made me blurt out loud,
"this is bizarre!"
He cut down my usual full mouth, horseshoe shaped braces to just 6 front teeth, and told me to chew gum on my back teeth for a month! What? I've been diligently following the 'rules' to the letter and minute (wear the entire set for 22 out of every 24 hours), and now it's okay to just have them on my front teeth? And now I don't have to wear these partial braces 92% of the time, just some of the time, and be sure to wear them at night. And nothing on the back teeth? I feel quite insecure without them, and with no retainer in place yet. Oh, ... and don't forget to keep chewing gum!
Chewing gum is supposed to help my back teeth drop and dominate my bite while my front teeth are held in place with the abbreviated Invisalign segment.
But the plot thickens, of course ... I don't chew gum since most brands have soy in them, to which I have an allergy. Aha! The dentist hadn't thought of this wrinkle. Finding soy free gum was a little challenging, but I found one after a while of online searching. This one is soy free, gluten free, peanut free, sugar free, aspartame free (YAY) and vegan (probably also back teeth realignment free!!!!).
Believe it or not, it tastes awesome. It's Swiss made, called pür, but is not carried by most grocery stores. I can get it at Target, Walmart online, and in bulk from Amazon in a few different flavors.
Let's hope this bizarre treatment works.
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