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POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS

Getting Invisalign Soon - Jacksonville, FL

ORIGINAL POST

I have been wanting braces for a long time and...

ShinShanOctober 8, 2011

I have been wanting braces for a long time and have finally decided to go through with it. I do have a couple questions for those out there that have gone through the process. My consultation appointment is on 10/11. Do they give you a price and approximate treatment time at your consultation?

I have some crowding in my 4 upper and lower teeth in the front. Looking at my pictures whats a good estimate on how long you think I'll need?

Replies (8)

Megan P
October 10, 2011

Glad you are going for a consult, its always good to gather info before deciding on a treatment. Please let us know how it goes & what you find out!

I think each office varies a little bit in the amount of information they give during a consult, but my guess is they will give you some sort of estimate with the understanding that treatment time may change after the final treatment plan is worked out.

You may want to post your pictures and your question about an estimate for how long it will take in our Q&A section. That is where dentists volunteer to answer questions on the site for free.

DebbyK
October 14, 2011
You should be able to see the computer images of other people with similar issues who have worn them. If you are going to someone with enough experience they should be able to answer all questions and give you a good sense of what your outcome will be. Ask a lot of questions and expect specific answers. If you don't feel confident with the doctor, find another. I researched who I was going to use before I made my initial appointment. She is not an orthodontist but a cosmetic dentist who is well known in the field.
anon7555
October 16, 2011
My teeth are similar and they originally said 12-15 months but when the clincheck came back it will only be 6 months!
ShinShan
October 18, 2011
Wow! 6 months would be great! They weren't able to give me an approximate timeframe at my consultation but I was counting on 12 months. Have you completed your treatment?
ShinShan
October 18, 2011
So I went for my first consultation last Tuesday. I went to my old dentist who does Invisalign since I was familiar with him...let's just say I now know why he's my OLD dentist. He was very short with me and when I had one of his staff members ask how many cases he's treated he would;t answer and just told her to tell me he was one of the first dentists in the city to become certified by Invisalign. He seemed irritated with by my question. If I'm going to be spending all this money on treatment I want it to be done somewhere with a friendly and patient dentist who is willing to answer any question I have. I have an appointment with another dentist this Thursday with another dentist who is actually an Invisalign preferred provider. I was able to find out that it will cost me approximately $4500. We'll see how Thursday goes. In the meanwhile, I'm going to make a few more consultation appointments with other dentists so I can have some options to choose from.
Megan P
October 18, 2011

Sounds like you are doing a great job of researching out your options - very smart!

We recently published a blog on the Invisalign provider designations. You might find an interesting read, click here to see it.

I'll be looking forward to hearing how your next consultation with the other dentist goes. :)

ShinShan
October 18, 2011
Wow that's pretty misleading. All we have in our immediate area are preferred providers, nothing more. But I guess after reading that, just cause someone is a preferred provider doesn't make me feel any more comfortable. So does this mean that dentists that are not on the preferred provider list treat less than ten cases per year? It seems like with all negative reviews I read people have issues with more with their dentist and not the product itself so this makes me very cautious about choosing a provider.
Megan P
October 18, 2011

I really don't know if they are not on the prefered list if that means they treat less than 10 cases, or if they simply opt not to participate in the program, or what.

There is a forum open titled "Dentist or Orthodontist, does it matter that much?". It might be of interest to you as well while you are making your decision on who to see for your treatment.

UPDATED FROM ShinShan

Ok, I went to the Orthodontist this morning and...

ShinShanOctober 19, 2011
Ok, I went to the Orthodontist this morning and was able to get wayyyy more information than I got from the dentist. They took photos and x-rays and were very detailed. The ortho said that invisalign would work but I will need to wear a special appliance for 3-6 months to fix a cross bite I have before I can start my invisalign treatment. I was pretty disappointed with that. I'm so ready to see results! She also talked to me about Damon Clear braces which would fix my cross bite while straightening my teeth without the need of the special appliance. So now I'm not sure what to do. She said the treatment time would be the same with the Damon Clear vs Invisalign Braces but I would see results faster as far as the crowdedness of my teeth goes since it fices that aspect before fixing your bite. I wanted invisalign because I thought the treatment time would be shorter, but she said it would be 2 years either way. I guess I have to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision. The price is exactly the same. She explained I would probably get a better result with the Damon Clear braces since she has more control over how they move my teeth. I'm really just not that sure what to do. I posted a question and pics in the Q&A section asking how necessary it is to correct my cross bite. It's not noticeable at all. I'm not sure what the problem with this is. But it is what makes my treatment time the same with invisalign as it is with the Damon Clear Braces. But I really like the ortho I visited. They were just sooo detailed and seemed to really know what would be best for me but didn't try to pressure me into making a decision right away. I'd like to go to another ortho so that I will have something to compare their prices to since she was like $1,000 more than the general dentist I went to about Invisalign, but this quote included the retainers and the general dentists' didn't. Not sure how much retainers normally are.

One last thing. My dad mentioned the local University (Jacksonville University School of Orthodontics) does orthodontics for like 40% cheaper obviously because they are still in training. I'm not sure I feel comfortable with someone practicing on my teeth ya know. But they did mention the instruction oversees all of the work and he is some kind of award winning orthodontist. Does anyone out there have any experience with getting ortho work done at an ortho school?

Replies (2)

Megan P
October 19, 2011

Thanks for posting your update. So glad to hear you have found a doctor you like, that is a huge step in the process! I'm also glad you posted your question in the Q&A section. I hope the doctors answers are helpful in making your decision on braces or Invisalign. That would be a tough one to weigh out!!

I sent a message to another community member who was considering going to a university for ortho treatment. Hopefully we will hear back from them so you can get some input on that as well. :)

ShinShan
October 20, 2011
Yes please let me know how it goes for them at the University!
UPDATED FROM ShinShan

So I've decided to go with ceramic braces...

ShinShanNovember 14, 2011
So I've decided to go with ceramic braces instead of Invisalign. After going to a few consultations I've determined Invisalign isn't for me. I'm going to be going to my local Orthodontics School for treatment and will get my Radiance Clear Braces by American Orthodontics on 1/5/12. Has anyone had these before that can share their experience with me? Also, I read when people get ceramic braces they only get them on the top front teeth and get metal ones on the sides and bottom. I have also seen people get them on the top and bottom , which is how I want mine. Has anyone had any bad experiences with getting ceramics on the top and bottom?

Replies (2)

Megan P
November 15, 2011

Thanks for the update yesterday - as I've said before I'm impressed by the amount of research you did to make sure you were finding the best treatment for you. Good for you for realizing Invisalign was not the way for you to go. :)

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joeydegz32
December 3, 2011
Good job, Defiantly go to an orthodontist, I have heard horror stories with dentists. And my teeth were way more crowded in the front, I have an overbite also. But if you look at my photos that's after a year..I'm really happy so far.
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