[Aligner Orthodontics for Women in Their Late 40s] #5 Attachments

It has been exactly four weeks since I started orthodontic treatment.
Since around last week, I've been able to tell that my teeth alignment has changed.
The lower teeth that were leaning inward have started to stand up little by little.
The lower teeth, which hadn't been meeting properly before, are now touching the upper teeth a little.

Oh wow, they're moving!!
Thinking that gave me a bit of motivation.
I'll keep at it. That's what I thought until yesterday.

Today is my one-month checkup.
I'm getting my teeth cleaned, and after that, the orthodontic attachments will be installed.

What on earth is an attachment?

It's like those little bumps that people with wire braces have on the surface of their teeth.
They aren't square like wire braces, but apparently, by attaching these so-called attachments and wearing the aligner (mouthpiece), the teeth move more effectively.
(It seems like it helps them fit more snugly and move in the desired direction compared to just wearing the mouthpiece... though I don't really know for sure.)

My dentist is a handsome, dandy man who looks like Ikki Sawamura.
He is always kind.
However, to attach the attachments, I had to keep my mouth wide open for a while.
"I'm going to insert a mouth opener now."
He said in a gentle tone as he pushed the device into my mouth.
(Doctor, my lips feel like they're going to tear. The device is hitting the inside of my upper lip and it hurts.)
I held back the urge to say that.

The installation of the lower teeth attachments began.
First, the lower right.
He applied something and then rinsed my mouth.
(The water used for rinsing was sour and bitter, it was awful.)

"I'm going to put the mouthpiece on now."
He said again in a gentle voice.
To check if the aligner would fit with the attachments on, he pushed the aligner in firmly, contrary to his gentle voice.
(Doctor, if you push that hard, my jaw will dislocate!)
I just endured it in silence.
Just when I thought it was on, he took it off again.

Next, he repeated the process for the lower left, upper right, and upper left, for a total of four times.
Every time he pushed the aligner in, I took my consciousness somewhere else, way out into space, and endured it by becoming a blank slate.

Just when I thought it was over, he put the aligner back on for a final check.
The lower teeth aligner was already difficult to put on and take off.
It won't go in unless you tilt it slightly inward.
He pushed it in with such force, as if he had a grudge against me, that I really thought my jaw would dislocate at the very end.

By the time it was over, my jaw was shaking, and when I tried to close my mouth, there was a clicking sound at the base of my ears.

The attachments are hitting the inside of my mouth and it hurts.
Is this what people with wire braces go through?

Wait, hold on.
I chose mouthpiece orthodontics because I thought I wouldn't have to attach protrusions to my teeth, but in the end, there are protrusions.
This is the same as wire braces.
(My apologies to those with wire braces. I know it's better than having wires.)

The aligner from today onwards has been changed to one with bumps for the protrusions.
Since there are protrusions on my teeth, I have to wear the aligner, so it doesn't slide on as easily as before.

And when taking it off.
I have to be careful not to dislodge the attachments on my teeth.
The upper aligner, which used to come off easily, is now harder to remove, and the lower aligner is even harder to take off.

And when eating.
It's incredibly hard to chew!
There are places where the attachments hit my teeth.
My bite feels wrong.
Because it's hard to chew, I shifted my bite slightly, and I bit the inside of my mouth, which hurts a lot.
The attachment hits that painful spot, so it hurts constantly.

It's such a hassle to take off that I feel like just fasting forever.

Two years and five months to go.

What kind of toothless talk is that?