POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
$11,000! Did I Get Gouged? Plus Very Inconvenient.
ORIGINAL POST
I'm paying $11,000! I wish I'd gotten braces...
lisa50August 28, 2009
$11,000
I'm paying $11,000! I wish I'd gotten braces instead.
I have a terrible time removing the invisalign braces - it's a painful struggle. Plus I have to take them out every time I want a cup of coffee or a diet soda? And brush my teeth before putting Invisalign in again? Geez, for the money, you'd think Invisalign would be more convenient.
Putting these braces in is a big deal. The orthodontist had to apply little "knobs" on my teeth to hold the braces. That's not bad, but then he scraped and buffed them down, and that hurt. Took a long time, too - occupied most of the hour-and-a-half I was sitting in that chair.
Replies (16)
August 30, 2009
Get an Aligner Remover Tool, called an Outie. On Amazon, set of 3 is $5.00 plus shipping. It will give you peace of mind and it works great! You still work your trays loose a bit from the back teeth forward and then use this tool to pull them off. It takes me about 30 seconds max to get them off. You'll get the hang of it in no time.
I think you paid too much but unless you can get a refund it's no sense fretting now. Just focus on keeping them in for 21 hours a day so you can have a great smile worth more than 11,000.
August 31, 2009
Should have researched more before you got them...this is as much your doing as your orthodontists.
August 31, 2009
On one hand, I agree. It's a lesson to me to do my research and check prices. The orthodontist had a good reputation, and my daughter was getting braces there, so I went with the "convenience" option.
On the other hand, I think the orthodontist should have provided some basic "usage" info - such as how many hours a day they need to be worn, the limitations (you have to pop them out every time you want a cup of coffee or need to eat), and how they are applied (mine required little glass "knobs" that took a while to shape)..
A two-minute "reality" spiel on the part of the orthodonist would have been VERY useful in making a quick decision between braces and Invisalign, and in ensuring customer satifisfaction...
September 2, 2009
A hint on coffee/soda: not to encourage bad habits (but I do feel sorry for you paying so much!) - you MAY be able to get good at using a STRAW to drink with the liners on. It takes practice and no good if you have a bad gag reflex - HA - but try drinking with straw way back on tounge without the liquid touching your teeth. And swish with water as often as possible - even without taking liners off. You will be able to tell if the liners stain - if so then you are no good at the straw thing. Also get a teeth cleaning every 6 months and the hygenist will let you know if you are getting decay (which is why they don't want you to do the straw thing). I smoked the whole time and they also said I shouldn't do that with liners on. Also DON'T tell anyone I told you the straw trick! :)
January 16, 2010
I'm considering invisalign and also smoke. You say you smoked the whole time...did it not stain or tint the aligners? I'm very curious, as I'm sure I'll be tempted to smoke with them in on occasion myself.
January 17, 2010
PTBLOGGER: Yes, I smoked a pack a day for the two years I wore Invisalign - and it did no harm to my teeth or the aligners that I can tell, and the dentist and hygenist never mentioned they looked bad. Of course they told me before I started that I should not smoke with them on... I kept the aligners clean with Polydent tabs every week, and gently brushed the aligners with toothpaste daily (when they were out of my mouth). Do this in the palm of your hand and always one tray at a time.
November 21, 2009
This is by far the highest price I've seen.I can understand the frustration it brings,but I've learned different ways around to adjust to living with invisalign.Unfortunately, I had to give up on sweet drinks because I don't always have an opportunity to brush my teeth during the day, but sometimes I drink my coffee with them on, but here is the trick: drink it just betweem warm and hot so you don't damage the plastic, if possible, skip on sugar, and rinse your mouth with couple of sips of water. And next time you use a restroom, take them out and rinse with water. Not recommended by doctors, but it didn't hurt me,hehe.
Another suggestion: if you struggle with brushing your trays, use denture cleaning products. I use Polident 3 minute Antibacterial pills, all you need is to soak your trays fro couple min and rinse.They stay as clean as new.
Good luck!
November 29, 2009
Thanks for the great tips!
I am a coffee drinker, so I'll keep your advice in mind. I've got to try the Polident 3-minute antibacterial pills,too!
Lisa
Wow. I don't want to discourage you too much because Invisalign is the type of thing you have to really commit to (like you said, removing them and putting them back in, etc) but $11,000 is the highest price RealSelf users have reported in 275 reviews. Here's the full cost map: Invisalign prices
Is your treatment quite extensive? That could account for the higher price.