The Philosophy of Invisalign

I just started my third set of Invisalign aligners. At two weeks a set, that's a month done, several more to go.

The process starts by taking a current snapshot of the teeth, envisioning what they should look like, and then breaking the difference in to two week increments.

When I first pop in a new set, my teeth get sore for a few days, resisting the pressure to be somewhere else. The discomfort carries over to other activities; eating and speaking mostly. But the discomfort eventually evens out.

I think the best comment I received in the orthodontist's office was "if they ( the aligners) aren't in the teeth aren't moving."

Change won't happen on it's own.

Integrating a new habit works much the same way; difficulty, resistance, discomfort, acclimatization, progress.

I rarely get resistance now when the boys need to empty the dishwasher. It's more about who does the clean ones and who gets the dirty dishes. But it took weeks of persistence as a nagging parent just to get them to absorb that it's their job.

Cutting meat and dairy wasn't terribly hard, but they're always there; every meal, every pizza I make for my kids, all the flavors of cream cheese in the cafe for a morning bagel.

Working our way out of debt isn't just about throwing money at the problem. Our spending habits have changed greatly and still need adjustment.

If you compare different sets of Invisalign, from one week to the next, it's nearly impossible to pick out the differences. I'm looking forward to getting sets four through six and holding them up to the first pair. It's one thing to know things have moved, but seeing is much more satisfying.