BLOG: Upgrading my look, embracing braces on TV

In the TV biz, you have to be the whole package.

Being smart, creative, energetic and – above all – attractive, are important attributes to a successful on-air personality. Talent and other skills are important, too, but recently, I decided to focus on one: my look.

Not that I’m an unattractive person, but in my newsroom, I am the kid-sister, the secondary compared to these beauty-queen goddesses. Yes, I am in good company, and I’m not intimidated by it. However, these men and women have inspired me to upgrade my look.

I’m not adding significant changes, mind you.

I’ve started sporting jewelry every day—something I’ve never really done. Accessories are often a waste of time and money, but I’m starting to learn that jewelry, that something extra just might boost me from looking amateur to looking polished.

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One other big thing I’m changing: my teeth.

I’ve always had perfectly straight teeth.

But if you look closely, you’ll see that my bottom teeth are crowded and overlap some.

So I’ve decided to get braces.

Not the metal, food-stuck-in-your-teeth-junior-high kind. Invisalign.

INVISALIGN JOURNEY

I started the Invisalign process late last year, shopping around various orthodontists in the area. I was most comfortable with one, who said my treatment would take about a year for me to have that perfect smile. He also said it was important for me to correct my teeth, as my particular bite will wear them down fast.

I thought, “It’s now or never.”

After removing one tooth and several consults later, I’m about two months into the experience.

It’s been a relatively uneventful ride overall. I visit the ortho about every two months. He gives me sets of a few aligners, and I meet up with him to see the progress.

Unfortunately, my doctor underestimated my treatment. It looks like I’m committing a year-and-a-half to the treatment, but there’s no turning back now.

What I love about Invisalign is that it’s relatively unnoticeable, which helps with my line of work. Here are a few other pros and cons in relation to my new journey…

PROS

• Nearly invisible braces
• Discomfort only lasts a few days after changing to new trays
• Virtually painless compared to all-metal alternative
• Fewer doctors visits
• You control a lot of the experience
• You have to keep your mouth clean a lot… healthier teeth!
• Unlike with metal braces, you know EXACTLY when your treatment will end

CONS

• Costs about $1,000 more than traditional braces
• Takes a bit longer than regular alternative
• “Button” composites is attached to your teeth, making some teeth look bumpy. (It’s to hold aligner and move specific teeth)
• “Buttons” may come off, so you have to get them re-attached immediately
• You have to brush and floss after every meal and clean trays
• Must wear 20-22 hours per day (though I wear mine significantly less, at times)

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Though I could add more to the con list, Invisalign is still great. The biggest setback thus far is the constant need to take care of the trays, remembering to put them in, etc.

For me, I am a grazer. I constantly snack throughout the day, so I’m forced to limit myself from doing so, or I have to keep brushing and keeping my mouth clean.

Plus, sometimes I just get too lazy to want to put the things back in, but I force myself to do so. I figure if I’m spending a few thousand dollars on the experience, I have to make it the best. The permanent results, I’d imagine are well worth the wait.

So yeah, I’m working on my teeth. I’m on my fourth of 30-something trays, which to me, seems like an eternity.

But again, I’m excited. I’ll keep you all posted on my progress… perhaps every week or two. It’s hard to tell how much my teeth are moving, but after seeing my doctor last week, he said I’m doing well.

Excitement, baby. Pure excitement.