God YES.

I've seen all my friends in middle school & high school having to deal with them, and now I'm dealing with them in college. They're the not most attractive looking things, but MY GOD, THEY ACTUALLY WORK. Of course I'm amazed with this, as someone who has never worn them myself.

I was told to wear my elastics with my braces (starting with Invisalign tray 9) for 24 hours except when I brush my teeth and when I eat. I guess you can call me a sinner because technically you're supposed to wear your Invisaligns for at least 22 hours, but sometimes I have them off for 10 hours straight.... (I'm ashamed, please don't do this). My point is that even though I don't wear my plastics in which my lip gets caught in it all the time, the elastics help!! I've worn them for 9 days and I've already noticed a HUGE HUGE difference. My bite changed so much which caused me to struggle to eat (because my teeth wouldn't sit on each other properly), but it means that they were working.

Bottom line is that I'm so surprised they have immediate results.

P.S. Other than my first trays, I haven't really had major pains except this tray when I started using rubber bands (tray 9). I'm not sure if the cause of the pain is from the elastics. I would except my jaw to hurt from the elastics, but it didn't. Every tooth hurt though lol (like the first trays).

WEAR.YOUR. ELASTICS/RUBBERBANDS or whatever you want to call 'em!

**UPDATE: Just got back from my orthodontist appointment. My ortho said I no longer have an underbite & no longer have to wear elastics.... So my underbite was gone in just 4 weeks, though it was pretty much gone in 2 weeks. Woohoo!

Coming from someone with low pain tolerance, I can say that I haven't dealt with any intense pain with the use of Invisalign.

I've read several blogs and comments saying that people need to take pain medication while using Invisalign. So far with my 5th trays, I haven't came across that situation yet. I mean maybe it just depends on your teeth, and how severe the treatment is.

I guess I should begin by telling you a little about my teeth. I have crowding, where 2 teeth overlap a teeny bit onto other teeth. I have crossbite where some of my teeth go in and some go out, and I have an underbite.

I finally reached that point in my life where I've decided to get braces.

Besides finding a provider and all that annoying (but important!) business, the first important thing to consider is-
Traditional Braces or Clear retainer-like braces - Invisalign.

If you're reading this, you're asking yourself - Should I do Invisalign or braces? Do braces or Invisalign hurt more? Why are Invisaligns better and vice versa.

Believe me, I did SO much research. Scrolled through all the braces blogs, and watched all the braces videos on youtube. I knew I wanted the clear option since I'm a college student getting braces (embarrassing). So for me, it was between the ceramic traditional braces that are clear, or Invisalign. I was going back and forth with my decision for MONTHS.

At one of final braces consultations, I was dead-set on the ceramic braces. I knew I didn't want Invisaligns because they seemed like a pain in the butt. Taking them out EVERY time you eat and drink, washing them, etc. It was not until I was convinced to get Invisalign. They were saying how it looks better, and how food won't get stuck in your teeth, which were 2 very great points.

I finally decided to get Invisalign. Got all my xrays done, you know.

So I think a week later they called me and told me my Invisalign arrived (best moment of my life as I waited a decade to get them). They put in all attachments, etc which I might make another blog post on later on. I won't get into all the details in this post.

The bottom line of this post is that I'm really happy I chose Invisalign rather than braces. I'm wearing my 5th tray as I'm typing this which means I've been wearing them for about 10 weeks now. I can tell you that they're pretty painless. Maybe I shouldn't say they're painless, but its a pain that is bearable. I for one have a very low pain tolerance. Also, my friends and even family can't even tell that I'm wearing them!

So I'm going to end this post here, and maybe I'll dedicate several blog posts on each Invisalign topic such as the attachments, the pain, cleaning, and all that.

Daily binging on shows wasn't exactly how I envisioned my summer to be, though I HIGHLY recommend watching: Blacklist, Orphan Black, and Finding Carter (Yes, those were only some of the shows I watched). Six to ten episodes a day? Yea, I realized I was slowly wasting my summer away.

I decided to apply to a few jobs from stores nearby my house to help satisfy my shopping addiction.
Then came the application and interview process. You know the drill.

I finally began working at the kid clothing store (that I shall not name).

You know, before I started working here I thought it would be easy. You know, greeting customers, folding clothes, being the cashier. Boy was I wrong. On top of having to stand for long periods of time, and I mean LONG periods of time (5 hours minimum), you're always doing something at all times. From folding hundreds of clothes (ugh I hate folding!), to dealing with sassy, annoying customers.

I'm going to be honest. I'm the type of person who throws unwanted items onto random tables when I''m not feeling it anymore. Having worked retail now, I now understand how frustrating it is to see that.

Call-ins. Something every retail worker knows about and absolutely loathes. Say I have a call in shift from 4pm-10pm. I don't find out if I have to come in to work until TWO hours before my shift STARTS. Like really? Realllllly though? So if you would like your whole day to be wasted, this is the job for you.

I'm not going to get into every little detail about working retail, but bottom line is that I now have so much respect for people who actually work retail. If this is your last resort, go for it, and god bless you. You're going to meet every type of person there is in this world. Retail takes lots and lots of patience (something I obviously lack). If its not your last resort, r u n.

I mean hey, some of you guys might actually enjoy it. I just don't think you get paid enough, as I only get minimum wage.

I guess working retail as a part time summer job does have its pros, though, like getting extra cash in your pocket, and not being bored at home!