POSTED UNDER Invisalign REVIEWS
Been Wanting to Close the Gaps in my Teeth Since Childhood! - Ottawa, ON
ORIGINAL POST
Well, my story started long before I can remember....
WORTH IT$6,000
Well, my story started long before I can remember.
I have gaps between almost all of my front teeth, the largest and most noticeable being between my two upper front teeth. My parents could not afford braces for me when I was a kid, and it was the cause of many tears as I was growing up, into become a teenager and then into an adult - it always bothered me more than anyone really knew. I could not smile in pictures, and when I did, that picture would be immediately deleted. It has completely obliterated my self-esteem and self-confidence. It feels like it's the only thing that people can see. I spent a year travelling in Europe and came back only two months ago - I realised that I'm not in most of my photos, and when I am, I don't look happy. Before travelling I was paying my pay through university, so shelling out the equivalent of a year's tuition ON TOP of my tuition and textbook costs was completely out of the question. I knew this was finally the time to fix the one thing that I can't change myself.
So I started researching - I've always had really bad experiences with dentists - all of them would comment about my gaps, and tell me that I needed braces because my gums were suffering - I've dealt with some very rude hygienists as well who would make uncalled for comments - saying that I wouldn't have to come back so much if I "just fixed my teeth". They act like everyone just has $6000 laying around for orthodontics.
So I decided to go to an orthodontist - I did not want to see a dentist who does orthodontics as a side-gig. I researched for weeks and picked an orthodontist for the positive reviews (both on his website as well as other forums), and the fact that he was in orthodontics for such a long time and had gone to prestigious schools. At this point, I didn't know if I would even qualify for Invisalign, and I did not care whether I would get Invisalign or a mouth full of metal: I did not care what I had to go through, I just wanted to fix my teeth.
I immediately felt comfortable in his office: from his receptionist, to his assistant, to the x-ray tech, to the orthodontist himself: They all made me feel comfortable (it was cute that his assistant almost shared my excitement!). He studied my x-rays and what I wanted to fix (he guessed pretty quickly that I wanted to get rid of the gaps), and he gave me a step-by-step explanation of what he would recommend for me and why. Based on the fact that I have a permanent baby tooth with much smaller roots than my adult teeth, he recommended Invisalign over regular braces based on the fact that Invisalign holds a much smaller chance of moving that tooth too quickly, thus making the roots weaker (when they're already very small and weak), and then having it fall out, thus leading to a very expensive dentist's appointment.
He explained to me how it works, how long it would take (26 months... yikes!) and how the aligners would have to be changed every two weeks, etc (won't bore you with the details that everyone else has already posted). While he was explaining everything, his assistant was writing out the financial options for me. I did ask him about the difference in price between invisalign and regular braces (I thought maybe he just suggested Invisalign cause he would make more money), but it turns out he charges the same price for both options. He does not want his patients to choose based on price over what is actually better for them, which I respected. He also does not use third-party financing, so I have now paid my down payment (about $1500) and will be paying the rest monthly without interest! Very happy about that. I probably threw over 100 questions at him, and he answered them all patiently and with detail. I'm very comfortable with my choice of orthodontist.
I went in to get "fitted" for the Invisalign two weeks ago, and now need to wait two - four more weeks until I can finally get started (intially a 4-6 week waiting time).
What this entails so far is:
- 26 months of invisalign retainers
- I will have a few attachments (he said he couldn't give me an exact number until he's finished planning my treatment with invisalign)
- elastics to fix my overbite
- a permanent retainer put onto my teeth afterwards (he described it as a thin wire permanently glued onto the backs of my front teeth to keep them from drifting)
- a retainer to wear all the time for around 6 months after treatment
- a retainer to only wear at night for a few months after that.
Down payment: $1500
Monthly payments: $185
Total: $6000
That will cover EVERYTHING - fitting, aligners, retainers, permanent retainer, everything.
I'm so excited. I've decided to post a hideous photo of my teeth currently as a starting point (took this in my office so the lighting isn't spectacular). Can't wait to post once I get my first set of aligners!
Has anyone else gotten Invisalign who have had gaps like mine? What do you think?
I have gaps between almost all of my front teeth, the largest and most noticeable being between my two upper front teeth. My parents could not afford braces for me when I was a kid, and it was the cause of many tears as I was growing up, into become a teenager and then into an adult - it always bothered me more than anyone really knew. I could not smile in pictures, and when I did, that picture would be immediately deleted. It has completely obliterated my self-esteem and self-confidence. It feels like it's the only thing that people can see. I spent a year travelling in Europe and came back only two months ago - I realised that I'm not in most of my photos, and when I am, I don't look happy. Before travelling I was paying my pay through university, so shelling out the equivalent of a year's tuition ON TOP of my tuition and textbook costs was completely out of the question. I knew this was finally the time to fix the one thing that I can't change myself.
So I started researching - I've always had really bad experiences with dentists - all of them would comment about my gaps, and tell me that I needed braces because my gums were suffering - I've dealt with some very rude hygienists as well who would make uncalled for comments - saying that I wouldn't have to come back so much if I "just fixed my teeth". They act like everyone just has $6000 laying around for orthodontics.
So I decided to go to an orthodontist - I did not want to see a dentist who does orthodontics as a side-gig. I researched for weeks and picked an orthodontist for the positive reviews (both on his website as well as other forums), and the fact that he was in orthodontics for such a long time and had gone to prestigious schools. At this point, I didn't know if I would even qualify for Invisalign, and I did not care whether I would get Invisalign or a mouth full of metal: I did not care what I had to go through, I just wanted to fix my teeth.
I immediately felt comfortable in his office: from his receptionist, to his assistant, to the x-ray tech, to the orthodontist himself: They all made me feel comfortable (it was cute that his assistant almost shared my excitement!). He studied my x-rays and what I wanted to fix (he guessed pretty quickly that I wanted to get rid of the gaps), and he gave me a step-by-step explanation of what he would recommend for me and why. Based on the fact that I have a permanent baby tooth with much smaller roots than my adult teeth, he recommended Invisalign over regular braces based on the fact that Invisalign holds a much smaller chance of moving that tooth too quickly, thus making the roots weaker (when they're already very small and weak), and then having it fall out, thus leading to a very expensive dentist's appointment.
He explained to me how it works, how long it would take (26 months... yikes!) and how the aligners would have to be changed every two weeks, etc (won't bore you with the details that everyone else has already posted). While he was explaining everything, his assistant was writing out the financial options for me. I did ask him about the difference in price between invisalign and regular braces (I thought maybe he just suggested Invisalign cause he would make more money), but it turns out he charges the same price for both options. He does not want his patients to choose based on price over what is actually better for them, which I respected. He also does not use third-party financing, so I have now paid my down payment (about $1500) and will be paying the rest monthly without interest! Very happy about that. I probably threw over 100 questions at him, and he answered them all patiently and with detail. I'm very comfortable with my choice of orthodontist.
I went in to get "fitted" for the Invisalign two weeks ago, and now need to wait two - four more weeks until I can finally get started (intially a 4-6 week waiting time).
What this entails so far is:
- 26 months of invisalign retainers
- I will have a few attachments (he said he couldn't give me an exact number until he's finished planning my treatment with invisalign)
- elastics to fix my overbite
- a permanent retainer put onto my teeth afterwards (he described it as a thin wire permanently glued onto the backs of my front teeth to keep them from drifting)
- a retainer to wear all the time for around 6 months after treatment
- a retainer to only wear at night for a few months after that.
Down payment: $1500
Monthly payments: $185
Total: $6000
That will cover EVERYTHING - fitting, aligners, retainers, permanent retainer, everything.
I'm so excited. I've decided to post a hideous photo of my teeth currently as a starting point (took this in my office so the lighting isn't spectacular). Can't wait to post once I get my first set of aligners!
Has anyone else gotten Invisalign who have had gaps like mine? What do you think?
Chompy123's provider
UPDATED FROM Chompy123
12 days pre
They're here!!
Just got a call from my orthodontist's office saying that my aligners have arrived!!!
Sadly he's fully booked, so I won't be able to actually get my hands (and teeth) on them until December 4th. Nevertheless, it's just one step closer to finally being able to smile in photos! Entirely too excited right now :)
Sadly he's fully booked, so I won't be able to actually get my hands (and teeth) on them until December 4th. Nevertheless, it's just one step closer to finally being able to smile in photos! Entirely too excited right now :)
Replies (9)
November 19, 2014
Fantastic they've arrived, but what a bummer to have to wait nearly two weeks! If you were in the US I'd say it was better anyway because of Thanksgiving, but you guys already had Thanksgiving up there! :). Still, it's a very short time indeed in the grand scheme--try to enjoy your last days of freedom ;).
November 19, 2014
Definitely trying to enjoy hot coffee as much as I can before I take the plunge into two years of Invisalign! Still very excited - I think these will be the longest two weeks of my life!
November 19, 2014
Woohoo! Bummer about the wait. Maybe someone cancels and you can get in earlier :)
November 19, 2014
Haha I think the receptionist could hear the disappointment in my voice when she told me what the soonest available appointment was. I did tell her to give me a call if there are any cancellations, so fingers crossed someone cancels their appointment!
I think my orthodontist is rich, cause he only works Thursdays - definitely makes it harder to get appointments. :(
December 1, 2014
woohoo Chompy - not long to go now!!
December 1, 2014
Wooooo! And you should be getting them very soon, right?! Super excited for you :) Make sure to take pictures!!!
December 4, 2014
YAY today is the day Chompy! Make sure to upload piccie for us in all your Invisalign glory lol!
December 4, 2014
Haha today may be the day in Oz, but it's about 11:50 pm Wednesday night here! Less than 12 hours to go!
Went out and bought a bunch of stuff for my "travel dental kit" to carry around with me everywhere. I had WAY too much fun, hahaha. Will definitely be posting pictures tomorrow morning :)
December 4, 2014
Haha! Ive got all my stuff swimming around in my handbag need to get a cool case/bag
UPDATED FROM Chompy123
6 days pre
ClinCheck?
So, I had my impressions done for Invisalign almost a month ago (October 30th to be exact), and I got the call last week that my aligners were in - I'm scheduled to go into my orthodontist's office on December 4th to get started.
I've been reading up on RealSelf ever since my impressions were taken, and I'm noticing that a lot of people got to see their ClinCheck weeks before they received their aligners so that they could approve/adjust the final results in ClinCheck.
My orthodontist only said that he would have a "video showing how my teeth would move", but did not say when.
I never got this "preview" - should I be worried? :/
I've been reading up on RealSelf ever since my impressions were taken, and I'm noticing that a lot of people got to see their ClinCheck weeks before they received their aligners so that they could approve/adjust the final results in ClinCheck.
My orthodontist only said that he would have a "video showing how my teeth would move", but did not say when.
I never got this "preview" - should I be worried? :/
Replies (8)
November 24, 2014
Don't worry :). He should show you the ClinCheck next time. He may just have forgotten to show it to you, because he needed to use it in order to okay the trays. So you can ask to see it, and if there's anything that concerns you, you just let him know. Most people get refinements and some people get mid-course corrections, so nothing is set in stone :D. Maybe he'll even let you have a copy you can share!
November 25, 2014
I think I'm just a little worried cause people got to see their ClinCheck and approve/adjust it BEFORE their aligners were made.
I feel like seeing it just minutes before I get my aligners put in doesn't really give me a chance to "approve" it. I fully trust my orthodontist, just would've been cool to see the ClinCheck ahead of time like others on here. :(
November 25, 2014
That makes sense. It probably doesn't help, but I was in the same situation as you. I got to see the ClinCheck after I got my first aligners. It looked fine to me, but at the end I realized my midlines were off. So I got refinements. But my teeth look great now :).
November 25, 2014
I'm hoping it will work out like that and I end up with the smile I've only been able to dream about until now. I chose my orthodontist cause he works in an office of two orthodontists who only specialize in custom braces/cosmetic dentistry - I'll put my faith in him for now and hope that it all works out!
November 25, 2014
Thanks for your responses, by the way. I see you commenting on a lot of these "worrisome" posts and you always seem to calm us right down. :P
November 26, 2014
I comment on all the posts--not just the worrisome ones :D. I'm a community manager, so I try to make the site as useful as possible for those of us who use it, you know? Like I try to point people to information, or other users sharing the same experiences. I'm pretty good at remembering where I saw someone else with a similar issue. When I see people who share worries I had, though, I tend to add in my own experience. I hate to see people worrying at this stage, though. You didn't do anything wrong, and there's nothing you can do yet. You chose your doctor based on valid criteria, so now you have to wait. But that's really hard, I know. So I try to calm you a little :).
November 27, 2014
I haven't seen mine yet either Chompy. I'm sure you will get a look at your next appointment and can make comments. Your smile is going to be awesome at the end - just keep thinking about that :) Remember to get a copy to put up here too :)
Replies (11)
I love how thorough your ortho was, and how well-informed you are after your meeting. I love that he even went into your retainer protocol after Invisalign. That is fabulous and almost never done. I'm assuming there won't be any whitening, since you didn't mention it, but I'm guessing equilibration will be included, since that's standard. I'm curious why he'd give you a temporary retainer, though. There are plenty of people who use both the permanent retainers and the night-time retainers so that their back teeth won't move. But that's a loooong ways away!
We have lots of people who are working on diastemas, but most of them are not multiple like in your case. There are some in braces for sure. We do have some very large central diastemas, though, and a couple of people who do have multiple, but haven't updated in a while. You can take a look at the reviews I've listed below. AmBam17 has multiple diastemas but hasn't updated. Feel free to ask for updates from those that catch your attention. I did just now, but another voice can't hurt! Most people aren't notified of new reviews but they are notified of comments on their reviews. :D
NRK0314, MsT850, Fuschia, creativejawn, Primus81, AmBam17, PreOrtho, and Mmapp1.
So glad you found a great regular dentist as well! I look forward to following your progress :):)