Cracked tray - ooops! Well it is 4 weeks old...

Yep, I phoned the clinic and spoke to one of the super helpful receptionists/assistants and here's what I've learned:

1.   I'm still wearing Tray 1!  NOT cool.  Why?  They give you tray 1 to wear for the first two weeks without attachments (I was unlucky that they didn't have an appointment suitable so three weeks for me) to get you used to them.  Then they add attachments and give you back the same tray, Tray 1.  So I shall be wearing T1 for a total of 5 weeks - marvelous.  (Bit disappointed that this wasn't explained to me.)

2.   The reason for the trays being one of 25 rather than 22 - Invisalign send an extra few trays just in case there's an issue with a tooth or two not moving exactly as had hoped and the ortho decides to use them!  PHEW!  So if everything goes well, I shall still finish at 22.  Fingers crossed on that!

Attachments & Cracked Tray (Ooops again!)

Attachments:
Very odd first few days with attachments - eating felt and still feels bizarre!  My back teeth don't join together (although it's getting better) so I'm not able to chew my food so well.  I was nervous about breaking the attachments but apart from being as careful as possible, there's not really much I can do about that so I've decided to stop worrying so much. 

Even though I'm still on Tray 1, the difference the attachments make is unreal.  The aligner was so tight for the first 3 days which is actually a really good feeling as it shows that they're working!  What wasn't so great was how sensitive they became.  Eating hurt a few of the attachment teeth - not toothache pain as such, a more sensitive pain I suppose.  I would guess the cause is again because of movement, but ouch nonetheless!  All much better now though.

Today, it seems that all the movement is done for this tray.  Happily, I'm at the point where I don't even notice I'm wearing the aligner anymore which, given how I was feeling in my first post, is somewhat of a victory! (",)


Cracked tray:
So, I've got a 'difficult' tooth.  It lies lower in the gum and further out than any of my other bottom teeth.  Difficult enough on its own, it's also one of my attachment teeth and as a result, it makes taking my tray out a little tricky.  Pic below:

Apologies for poor quality pic - need to sort camera out!

So on Thursday, a mere two days after visiting the orthodontist, I notice a crack.  I don't know when it happened but I'd imagine it was when I was taking the tray out some time that day.  The crack lies on the tooth rather than between teeth - I've yet to figure out whether that's a positive or negative. 

I phoned the clinic and asked if I need to do anything.  I was asked how big the crack was (I said small, I think) and she asked was the tray loose as a result (which it wasn't).  She said if it's still tight, then it's fine.  It was definitely still tight so phew to that!  Today I still wouldn't call it loose so I would guess, unless it breaks completely, it should be ok for the next 10 days.  Some (poor) pics of the crack below:

Apologies again for poor quality - tray may look orange but I assure you it's not!

Cleaning (again)!
So, I got some Retainer Brite and I used it for the first time today.  It's AWESOME!  Leaves the aligner lovely and clean and shiny and nice and new and bacteria free!  It's £5.80 for a months supply on Amazon for those of you in the UK.  Well worth it. 

I think that's all from me for now!  I'll be posting on how I'm coping from a social perspective in the next few days.  Until then, congrats to Azerbaijan on their Eurovision win and I sigh with relief that Jedward didn't leave Ireland at the bottom of the table (yep, I'm Irish)!  Well done to Blue too!