I better see some results, dang it!

It's been a pretty rough summer for my teeth. They were getting more and more crammed in my jaw as my wisdom teeth came in, and when I decided that after a full two years of those punks cramming my mouth, I finally couldn't take it anymore, I had them viciously ripped out of my jaw. With all that cramming and crowding being followed by so much extra room, my teeth have been doing a bit of moving.

I had braces almost 10 years ago, and my orthodontist told me when I got them removed that I'd have to wear my retainers three times a week for the rest of my life. No one else I knew who had braces had to do that, so I decided my orthodontist was stupid. (I'm realizing I start to think that a lot about doctors who tell me things I would like to disagree with.)

Although I still think I shouldn't have to wear my retainers that frequently, I have brought them out from the back of my medicine cabinet so I can try to get all my teeth back to where they're supposed to be. I had worn them a few times after I got my wisdom teeth removed, but not in the last few weeks. Last night, I decided it would be a good idea to wear them again.

I figured it would be even better to kill two birds with one stone. When I'd gone to my dentist in May to get my teeth cleaned, they gave me some whitening gel for free (My dentist offers it for free to patients when they keep up with their cleanings every six months). Since I'm getting married in a little over a month and a half, I decided it was an excellent idea to whiten my teeth while I wore my retainers. All night while I was sleeping.

My coworker laughed at me when I told her I'd whitened all night. You're supposed to use the whitening gel for "at least two hours," and our dentist (she's the one who recommended him to me) told her it would be okay to use it for just an hour.

Today, my teeth are very sensitive. Very sensitive. This makes me sad. What's brilliant, though, is I'm totally going to torture myself a few more times. I still have gel left, and I am still getting married in September. I might as well be at my best, right?

Only next time I decide to whiten, I'm totally going the two-hour route.