Invisalign?

[wanderlust]

I know I made a separate thread about adults getting braces, but this is specifically about Invisalign.

I went to the orthodontist for a free consultation today. My teeth have a lot of issues, so I knew it would be bad. It turns out our insurance doesn't cover things (we suspected it wouldn't), but should really get braces to prevent future problems. As it turns out, my orthodontist is the top seller of Invisalign braces. In fact, they didn't even recommend any other kind. They also let us know how the orthodontist was so big on Invisalign. I told them that I'd heard mixed reviews about Invisalign. The woman who was helping us laughed when I said that. I'm sorry, but it felt like they were just trying to push Invisalign when it might not be for everyone? Or maybe they know what they're talking about and I shouldn't pay attention to what other people say? I'm probably going to talk to other orthodontists to see if what they say lines up.

Without insurance, it's just short of $7,000 and I'd be wearing them for at least 30 months.

What do you think about it? If you've tried Invisalign, what did your orthodontist tell you about it and what was your experience?

Random: They had a slushie machine and Sony PSPs beside the chairs lol. What the heck lol but kinda cool.

[nothinggold]

What is wrong with your teeth/how jacked up are they? How old are you? What are the "future problems" you're supposedly going to run into?
$7,000 is A LOT. I would definitely seek a second opinion on Invisalign and on an option your insurance would cover. $7,000 is a lot for an option of treatment and braces aren't really medically necessary. $7,000 is a lot of damn money and while your parents may be willing to foot the bill, think of what that money could be used otherwise on. $7,000 is a good chunk of a year's college tuition. $7,000 could be a descent used car. $7,000 could be a year's worth of rent. $7,000 is an obscene amount of money to spend on a treatment that there may be an alternate available at a fraction of the cost.

I would not pay $7,000 for Invisalign and would frankly consider somebody stupid if they were to. If you are an adult and your teeth aren't going to be super fucked up in a couple years, hold off on it until you can get your own job and new dental benefits. You may get a plan that covers them. Or if you are young enough to stay on your parents for the duration of treatment, see if they could look into switching the dental plan to something that may cover Invisalign. You probably will have to wait to do that seeing as companies have certain times of the year that employees sign up for benefits and your parent's enrollment period may not be until fall.

[wanderlust]

Before I get into this, I need to explain that my parents didn't have the money to get my teeth fixed when I was younger AND good brushing habits were never really enforced. Only in the past several years have I been in a really good routine of brushing at least twice a day, flossing, and using mouthwash every day. Unfortunately, these changes were not made in time to make a difference. Ok, so here goes...

Some of my teeth are really in the wrong places and need to be shifted a lot. I have 2 places where my adult teeth just never formed as well as one tooth that is sideways above my other teeth . It isn't visible..we just saw it on the X-rays. My teeth are also really ground down because of a lot of clenching and also I think because some of my teeth aren't where they should be. I've had 2 dentists tell me they're worn down enough for someone twice my age and it's really worrisome. So yeah...really jacked up. Luckily, it doesn't look jacked up just by looking at me when I smile.

Basically, I should have gotten braces when I was a kid, but my parents could never afford it. As of now, I'm 24 and searching for a job after recently graduating, so I'm dependent on my husband for a little while. $7,000 IS crazy, especially when we already have loan payments from school. Maybe it's that much because of how long I'll have to have them (30 months)? They said you have different molds and switch them out every 2 weeks.

As for future problems, my teeth are already so worn down that the dentin is showing in some places. It will only get worse and has apparently gotten worse just in the past year and a half. I also get the impression that if I don't get it fixed with braces, I will have to come in many, many times and have to get a lot of little things done over the years, which will surpass the cost of braces by far.

[fauxfox]

You should definitely get a second, and maybe a third, opinion. Invisalign is a massive money-maker for orthodontists these days, and some of them push them on everyone, full well knowing that its only recommended for people with very minor issues. That's because they can 1) keep people with serious issues in trays for 30 months (I wouldn't be surprised if it's pushed out to 3 years) and 2) convince them to do another round of Invisalign when it (almost definitely) doesn't hold up in the long run. A slushy machine in the office? That's sugar. What a weird, overly flashy place...that's what your $7000 will go towards. Regular braces would be in the $4-$5000 range for you, I'd guess, but you'd get your issues properly handled and a good chance at lasting results. Unless there's a reason that you literally can't have regular braces (for instance, that they can't bond the individual braces to your teeth because of enamel issues or something), I'd think twice about Invisalign. Your best bet is to go to someone with many years of experience in orthodontics and a normal, non-flashy office, and get their honest advice about which treatment plan will be most effective for you. I don't think any ethical orthodontist would recommend Invisalign for your issues (but then again, I don't know the full scope of your issues, only what you've shared).

Take time in making this decision and get more consultations, because you'll have to live with it for a long time - not just during treatment, but also afterwards. Orthodontics is first and foremost a science of manipulating teeth within the jawbone structure to improve the bite, even out the chewing pressure, etc...it's a serious process that can result in TMJ and other problems if not handled competently by a trustworthy professional. Moving teeth around, particularly at an older age (post-puberty) also tends to cause some bone loss, which is usually fine - but you need to be working with an ortho that knows his/her stuff and that you trust fully. Just some things to keep in mind - good luck!

[incognito]

This sounds pretty weird to me, I'd definitely get a consultation with another orthodontist before you make any decisions. I don't know too much about invisalign, but I'm pretty sure they're typically only recommended for patients with near-perfect teeth that just need a little adjusting (they're basically retainers so kind of limited in the results they can achieve). I had insanely crooked teeth, one was sideways etc and my orthodontist laughed when I asked about invisalign, lol. As far as I know, orthodontists recommend traditional braces over invisalign in most cases. It seems a bit strange that he's advertising the fact that he's the top seller of invisalign - he should just be concerned with providing whatever kind of treatment is best for the individual patient.

Check with another doctor (or two) and see what they think, try and find out who friends/family have gone to for their braces. The whole thing is going to be long, painful and expensive no matter what route you go, so you really wanna make sure you're doing the best treatment for you.

[incognito]

Also I agree with fauxfox that the place seems too fancy - any doctor with a good reputation wouldn't need this kind of stuff to bring patients in.

[Kleineganz]

I am currently in the middle of an Invisalign treatment, but that being said I would also recommend going for a 2nd opinion. My orthodonist does both metal and invisalign braces. If he doesn't think you're a good candidate for invisalign, he won't recommend them. My teeth weren't super bad so I believed him when he recommended invisalign to me, and I've been really happy with the results so far (I'm on week 12 of a 70 week course). I'm really liking it, but I know it doesn't work for everyone, especially for someone with more issues.

[wanderlust]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who felt suspicious of this ortho's pushing of Invisalign. It could be completely innocent but it felt off to me that they wouldn't even recommend anything else. They might have done that based on my age though, assuming that I wouldn't want visible braces? Who knows.

It was so weird that they had a slushie machine and PSPs. When they asked if I wanted coffee or a slushie, I declined but I was just thinking "a slushie?!" until I saw the actual machine later. Also, there were photoshopped posters on the walls of things like the Avengers with the faces replaced with people who worked at the office and the slogans changed to a dental theme. They do make a lot of money, but it is really weird that they would choose to buy a sugary drink machine with it and make the place so showy. My friend went there as a young child briefly and he said it used to just be a regular office but they had game boys sitting in the waiting room for kids to play. They probably just added more as they got more successful.

I will definitely get different opinions so I can figure out if Invisalign is really for me or not.