POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
Splurging on Invisalign, like finally!
ORIGINAL POST
My friends tell me that I don't need invisalign -...
kiterunnerAugust 23, 2014
WORTH IT$6,800
my friends tell me that I don't need invisalign - but screw that! I've been wanting straight teeth since I was 15 (11 years ago), and have enviously watched many friends get braces over the years to straighten their smiles.
the prices for Invisalign are super prohibitive for me... in the last 3 years I've wanted it, then talked myself out of it, and wanted it, then talked myself out of it. I'm getting married in May 2015 and recently decided that I really should take the plunge and go for my dream of having straight teeth by my wedding. so I shaved off money from my wedding budget and my new-house budget, and pledged to cut down on shopping for the next 12 months and reserve my bonuses for Invisalign. in short, I'll be paying through my nose for the treatment. this had caused me some psychological discomfort at first but by now I've gotten over it. having straight teeth is a deep aspiration that I have harboured for long, and I doubt I will look back... I really hope it will be worth it!
SHOPPING FOR INVISALIGN
the thing about researching about local providers is that the two biggest invisalign players have cleverly sponsored bloggers, whom I find tend to downplay the level of sacrifice and pain involved in getting invisalign. so I hope my review can add some valuable insights to the local discussion.
anyways, I eventually met the two providers - both are Platinum Elite. I figured that if I'm going to pay so much (about SGD 8,500 which works out to USD 6,800) I might as well go to a reputable clinic. the quotes they gave me differed by a SGD 1,000, so naturally I went for the cheaper one ;) plus his clinic is 5 mins from my office, so that really helps. and supposedly the one I chose is an ortho whereas the other is a dentist - just something I read from local forum discussions.
both of them said my treatment would last 1.5 years. this means my teeth won't be completely straight by my wedding, but it should be "noticeably different". ok, i'll take whatever I can get! my ortho tends to underpromise though, so I hope I'll be done faster.
during the consultations, both also confirmed that my gums are pretty ok (phew! I was worried I had gum disease). my gums have receded slightly in my bottom row, and I've also had some bone loss there. my bite is generally ok, although my top and bottom molars don't overlap nicely. my ortho knows that I'm more concerned about straight teeth, so he said he will correct them as much as he can during the time it takes to straighten my front teeth. if I want to fully correct this, I may have to add another half a year to my treatment duration. I'll think about this later.
THE WAITING GAME
I got my moulds done last week. the nurses said it would take 6 weeks for my aligners to be ready, but that they would call me if they're in sooner.
I'm 1 week down, 5 more to go! I wish it was October already, which says a lot cos September has quite a few milestones for me (work anni, birthday, engagement anni...). I was reminder in another review about how nothing worth having is ever easy so that motivated me to exercise a bit more patience.
also, I don't think my ortho has plans to show me my clincheck videos before he orders the trays. I thought of requesting, but then I figured that I could also watch it when my aligners are ready. given his experience, I trust that he'll help make the best call for me.
till then!
the prices for Invisalign are super prohibitive for me... in the last 3 years I've wanted it, then talked myself out of it, and wanted it, then talked myself out of it. I'm getting married in May 2015 and recently decided that I really should take the plunge and go for my dream of having straight teeth by my wedding. so I shaved off money from my wedding budget and my new-house budget, and pledged to cut down on shopping for the next 12 months and reserve my bonuses for Invisalign. in short, I'll be paying through my nose for the treatment. this had caused me some psychological discomfort at first but by now I've gotten over it. having straight teeth is a deep aspiration that I have harboured for long, and I doubt I will look back... I really hope it will be worth it!
SHOPPING FOR INVISALIGN
the thing about researching about local providers is that the two biggest invisalign players have cleverly sponsored bloggers, whom I find tend to downplay the level of sacrifice and pain involved in getting invisalign. so I hope my review can add some valuable insights to the local discussion.
anyways, I eventually met the two providers - both are Platinum Elite. I figured that if I'm going to pay so much (about SGD 8,500 which works out to USD 6,800) I might as well go to a reputable clinic. the quotes they gave me differed by a SGD 1,000, so naturally I went for the cheaper one ;) plus his clinic is 5 mins from my office, so that really helps. and supposedly the one I chose is an ortho whereas the other is a dentist - just something I read from local forum discussions.
both of them said my treatment would last 1.5 years. this means my teeth won't be completely straight by my wedding, but it should be "noticeably different". ok, i'll take whatever I can get! my ortho tends to underpromise though, so I hope I'll be done faster.
during the consultations, both also confirmed that my gums are pretty ok (phew! I was worried I had gum disease). my gums have receded slightly in my bottom row, and I've also had some bone loss there. my bite is generally ok, although my top and bottom molars don't overlap nicely. my ortho knows that I'm more concerned about straight teeth, so he said he will correct them as much as he can during the time it takes to straighten my front teeth. if I want to fully correct this, I may have to add another half a year to my treatment duration. I'll think about this later.
THE WAITING GAME
I got my moulds done last week. the nurses said it would take 6 weeks for my aligners to be ready, but that they would call me if they're in sooner.
I'm 1 week down, 5 more to go! I wish it was October already, which says a lot cos September has quite a few milestones for me (work anni, birthday, engagement anni...). I was reminder in another review about how nothing worth having is ever easy so that motivated me to exercise a bit more patience.
also, I don't think my ortho has plans to show me my clincheck videos before he orders the trays. I thought of requesting, but then I figured that I could also watch it when my aligners are ready. given his experience, I trust that he'll help make the best call for me.
till then!
Replies (13)
August 25, 2014
Hello, and welcome to our Invisalign community! Congratulations on finally being able to get this done for yourself. :)
I have two main things for you: first, do you know anything about AcceleDent? I think it might be more than you want to pay, on top of all of the other sacrifices you're making for Invisalign, but it's an option. It speeds up your treatment, so you only stay one week per tray (instead of two weeks). But even used, it's pricey--between $400-$900! New it's even more expensive.
Second, here are a few of our other community members who are doing Invisalign for weddings (that I know of)!
littleoz, MT26, and Nadinelliana. glm777 is doing it for her daughter's wedding :D.
I look forward to following your progress. I think you will be very pleased indeed with your results. If you like, I can also point you toward some people who are also working on moderate-to-severe crowding. Just let me know :).
I have two main things for you: first, do you know anything about AcceleDent? I think it might be more than you want to pay, on top of all of the other sacrifices you're making for Invisalign, but it's an option. It speeds up your treatment, so you only stay one week per tray (instead of two weeks). But even used, it's pricey--between $400-$900! New it's even more expensive.
Second, here are a few of our other community members who are doing Invisalign for weddings (that I know of)!
littleoz, MT26, and Nadinelliana. glm777 is doing it for her daughter's wedding :D.
I look forward to following your progress. I think you will be very pleased indeed with your results. If you like, I can also point you toward some people who are also working on moderate-to-severe crowding. Just let me know :).
August 25, 2014
thanks for the warm welcome! I've read on this site about AcceleDent. not sure if it's been introduced in Singapore but I will ask my ortho when I get the chance :)
August 25, 2014
Yeah, even if he doesn't offer it, he might be willing to work with you if you purchased a used unit from someone overseas. A lot of people have them in Australia, it seems.
October 31, 2014
Congrats on your upcoming wedding! You will not regret investing in Invisalign! I am so close to the end and all the flossing and brushing and food monitoring is going to be well worth it. I was told I didn't need Invisalign either. When people would say that to me, I'd just tilt my head and squint like "Really?" I don't regret one penny spent on all of it and hope you feel the same at the end :)
October 31, 2014
thanks! you're so lucky to have qualified for invisalign express. with all the money that I've committed to spend on this treatment, I have absolutely no space for regrets!
November 4, 2014
That was thanks to my parents getting me braces in highschool. I HATED the retainers tho and stopped wearing them hence the crookedness coming back. I am VERY thankful that I could do Express. You're teeth will be gorgeous by the end and you will be so happy! I have no doubts about it
December 3, 2014
I have gone through Invisalign my self and I am also dental assistant /nurse. It was the best thing I have done for myself. I too had traditional braces in my 20s, I did not wear my retainer, my teeth quickly shifted back. At age 40 I started Invisalign, the results were fantastic! I also had a permanent retainer this time!! Good Luck and congrats on your up coming wedding.
January 25, 2015
Im planning to get invisalign treatment as well. May I know the name of ur clinic? N whr is it located?
UPDATED FROM kiterunner
Day of treatment
tray 1 - it begins!
kiterunnerSeptember 17, 2014
and...tray 1 is in! sans attachments :) I had a lunchtime apmt with my ortho yesterday. I tried the trays on for 1 min, and then to my surprise, he advised that it's better that I start at night. I had been all game to start wearing it there and then! later when I went back to work, I realised my upper left molars were kinda throbbing, causing a minor headache. what a prelude to the pain, I thought. so I
popped a paracetamol before gg to bed, and everything was fine.
things I did to prepare for D-Day:
- went on an oral care spree during a drugstore promo
- practised brushing teeth and also flossing after lunch at work
- visited my dentist for scaling and polishing, as advised by my ortho
- signed up for a miles credit card in hopes of raking in points while charging it for my treatment
- took the last chances of snacking at work
- had my birthday dinner with my boyfriend the weekend before
- ate steak.
popped a paracetamol before gg to bed, and everything was fine.
things I did to prepare for D-Day:
- went on an oral care spree during a drugstore promo
- practised brushing teeth and also flossing after lunch at work
- visited my dentist for scaling and polishing, as advised by my ortho
- signed up for a miles credit card in hopes of raking in points while charging it for my treatment
- took the last chances of snacking at work
- had my birthday dinner with my boyfriend the weekend before
- ate steak.
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM kiterunner
Day of treatment
by the way
kiterunnerSeptember 17, 2014
I'm still not comfy with flossing at my work toilet (much less public toilets? I haven't tried!) does anyone have any tips / words of encouragement on ignoring what people may think of me and just flossing anyway?
Replies (6)
September 18, 2014
Almost everyone I've talked to ends up getting used to the public flossing. I avoided it by skipping lunch :). Not because I cared what others thought, (because I really don't, and I've flossed on planes and stuff before,) but because it's a pain and takes away from my wear-time. And also, I don't eat out. So there's that. I've seen one person say that they got a complaint at a fancy restaurant when flossing in the bathroom--someone complained to the staff that it wasn't 'sanitary'. I wonder what her definition of sanitary is--not flossing? But I've never heard of that from anyone else, and I'm sure she never saw that lady again :). That said, you can also see how you feel about just not flossing while you're out, just brushing really well and flossing when you get home. I'm guessing you'll hate it, but it might do in a pinch as an option.
September 23, 2014
wow you skipped lunch! I'm trying to skip dinner but not much success yet. it could be the different cultures as well...here we can eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. so it's gonna take some adjustment before I can successfully skip meals. hopefully I'll get more pro at flossing in public.
btw having some trouble changing my treatment date from 10/2 to 9/16 on my mobile.. help? :D
September 23, 2014
No problem! :) It was because you put 'haven't done it yet' instead of 'not sure'. I've fixed it now.
December 3, 2014
I know many will cringe, but I will often floss in the privacy of the bathroom stall, then brush at the sink.
December 3, 2014
Yes, I do! Take a good look at their teeth. Chances are, they're not exactly perfect. Then pay yourself on the back for doing something good for yourself (and the health of your gums, and brush merrily away! You will find yourself having new Favorite restaurants based on their washroom facilities. One last tip; I rest my toothbrush in my aligners case. Better the germs I know, and all that.
And re. @call-outs, no, not yet.... But I do it, because the computer gods might make it happen for us in the future :). They keep improving things for us and it has been mentioned on our wishlist in the past. And also, a lot of people at least understand what it means.