My Experience with Invisalign

If you've been following along for awhile now, you've probably seen me post about Invisalign a time or two! I started the process back in October, and just finished up in March! It was the best experience, and after all the questions I got throughout the process, I figured the easiest thing to do would be to write an all encompassing blog post so that I had a place to refer you back to!

I put up a question box and asked for questions, and I will address them all below. But if you have questions on anything I didn't cover, please let me know and I am happy to help you in any way that I can!

Invisalign

Where did I go?

I saw Dr. Bill Keith at Keith and Associates! I had a wonderful experience there, and I highly recommend if you're in KC! Their staff is incredibly friendly, their office is incredibly nice, and I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience there!

How Much Does it cost?

Invisalign is going to differ depending on who you see, but in general, it runs about $5,000. It's not cheap, but just like braces, or any kind of dental work, if it matters to you, it's worth the investment!

How long does it take?

From what I understand, the Invisalign process can range anywhere from 6 months, to 2 years. It all depends on the amount of work you need done. What I needed was on the lower end, so I had 19 weeks worth of trays. So right around 6 months!

How it works

When you first go in for a consult, your hygienist will take in depth, 3D photos of your teeth. You will talk through your goals, and what you're wanting to accomplish with the Invisalign process. Everyone is different! Some people have more aesthetic goals, some have to do with bite, spacing, etc. Mine was less about what my teeth looked like, and more about the placement of my teeth. With the way my bite was previously, I had already grinded through about 1/3 of my canine teeth. To prevent further damage, Invisalign was key!

After you discuss your goals, you'll leave, and their team will put together a treatment plan for you! You'll then come in to have the "attachments" put on. These are tiny nodules put on a few of your teeth to really help the aligners grip your teeth. You'll then take the aligners home, and you can begin the treatment process!

The process is fairly simple! You wear the aligners as much as you possibly can, only taking them out for meals. The goal is 22 hours a day. Each week you switch them out for a new set of aligners, and repeat until you're done! I know everyone has a different experience depending on who you see, but I never had to go back in office until I was done. If I had had issues, of course I could've gone in, but my teeth were moving, and I didn't have any questions, so I didn't go back until I was done!

I went in for my final appointment, had the attachments taken off, and I'm good to go! I have a final set of aligners that I now wear every night, but other than that, I'm done!

How long did it take to get used to them?

I'd say maybe 3-4 days? I had a TON of dental work done back when I was in high school. I had braces, a herbst device, pallet expander, the whole nine yards. That said, this was a piece of cake. Not bad at all!

When did I start seeing a change?

This will vary depending on how much work you need done, but I could tell within about 6 weeks!

Do you have to get impressions?

No! They now use a special camera that takes 3D pictures of your teeth, so no more gross impressions.

Does Insurance cover it?

Actually, in some cases they do. It will depend on your coverage, but check and see if you have orthodontic coverage. Some people do and don't even know it! If you do, they will cover some!

Discomfort level compared to braces?

Not comparable in my opinion. Your teeth are only moving the slightest bit each week, so it's not something that causes constant pain. It might be because like I said, I've had a ton of work done that was so much more painful to me, but this did not bother me.

The only time I had discomfort was when I put the new trays in. So my best advice is to put the new aligners in at night, take a Tylenol PM, and you'll be fine!

Did I have braces before?

Yes, for 2.5 years when I was in middle school.

How bad do your teeth have to be to be a candidate?

It's hard for me to say, but by looking at me head on, you probably wouldn't have known I needed them. Which is why if you're even considering them, I recommend going in for the consult. You can't see your bite and your teeth the way they can. They may be worse than you think, or they might be better! Either way, the hygienist is going to be able to determine if you need aligners or not. If not, they'll tell you that! But if I had to guess, unless you've had braces and have been wearing your retainer every night since, your teeth have definitely moved and there's a chance you could definitely be a candidate.

Payment plans?

Yes, they offer them!

What did I eat while wearing them?

Nothing! You can't eat with them in. You can drink water, that's about it!

Whitening

After I finished my treatment plan, I did an in office whitening treatment at Dr. Keith's office. This treatment is called "Glo Whitening". They offer an in office and take home version. I did the in office, and I took one home as well.

The in office treatment is for those wanting pretty significant whitening. The take home kit would be for someone who doesn't need quite as extensive bleaching.

I'm thrilled with my results, and highly recommend doing this whether you've had Invisalign or not! If you mention my name, they will take 10% off your in office treatment!