As long as I’ve had adult teeth, my two front teeth have overlapped.
I remember when I was a little kid, going to the dentist for a consultation about braces. My front teeth were coming in crooked and my parents (and I) were worried that this situation wasn’t righting itself. The prospect of braces loomed and none of us liked it.
My dentist made a suggestion. Try using a tongue depressor to apply pressure on the tooth, nudging it into place as it grows in. He advised me to use my wooden “lever” while watching television, doing homework, any time I was sitting around.
Which is probably why I spent most of my third grade year with a tongue depressor in my mouth. The taste and smell of wet wood still resonate for me.
It didn’t work. Or maybe it did. Maybe my overlap would have been way way worse if I had not spent the better part of third grade playing seesaw with my mouth.
But the end result was two front teeth that overlapped enough to prevent me from smiling open mouthed and not bad enough to “require” braces.
I have almost two decades worth of photos of myself smiling closed mouth to show for it.
My new goal: Smile full on for the next two decades and try not to think about teeth every time I eat a popsicle and taste wood!
I’m on tray 15 of 23 now. The end of the treatment is in sight…
I am a member of the Invisalign Mom Advisory Board. I have been compensated for my participation in this program. All opinions are my own.
You might want to check out my other posts about my invisalign treatment:
Getting Started with Invisalign
Crazy Craft – My Invisalign Smile Catcher
There’s no “Big Reveal” with Invisalign
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