After years of thinking about it and a year of actually looking into it...I'm very excited that I will be getting my first set of aligners on Tuesday. I am a typical case of...I had braces when I was in middle school, didn't wear my retainers like I was supposed to, and not I'm paying for it. Well...in my defense I had a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth that broke twice and wisdom teeth that played a role in crowding my bottom teeth.
Finding the right orthodontist was key for me in regards to time it would take, type of treatment, and cost. In the beginning of my research I was thinking about doing Invisalign on my top teeth and regular braces on the bottom teeth. Although having metal braces was the last thing I wanted at 25, my insurance would cover a portion of the regular braces part. I found a place that quoted me $4,500 for the Invisalign/regular braces combination. They gave me a time frame of 9 months to a year. At first I thought that insurance would cover more than they actually would. When I learned that insurance would only cover $305 I decided that I would rather pay that extra money and not have to deal with metal in my mouth. So...the search continued. I went to another ortho and was given a CRAZY price somewhere in the $8,000 range. The reason being (I think) is because they were going to charge the full amount for Invisalign and the full amount for regular braces even though I was only getting half of each one. On top of that, they told me that I would need to be in them for a year to a year and a half. Needless to say...I eliminated that ortho really fast. FINALLY...the third time was the charm. I went to My Dental Care Center and I knew I found the right place. The staff was very nice and helpful and was willing to work with my regarding price. They told me it can cost from $5,600 to in the $3,000 range and being that my teeth aren't that crooked they can take $1,500 off for "chair time" since I won't be in the office a lot getting worked on. This took my price down to $4,100...which was already cheaper than any of the other places. Then...to make things even better...they said that if I was willing to pay in full they would give me an additional 5% off. After all was said and done my total was $3,850. Cheaper than all other places and there also weren't any charges for records which wasn't the cast at the other places. They also told me that it would take approximately 9 months. I loved My Dental Care Center so much that I paid for it at my first visit, got my x-rays/molds, and photos taken right then and there.
1 Week Later- I went back to see the images that Invisalign sent back of how my teeth would move over the course of my treatment. I was extremely pleased with what I saw and was ECSTATIC when I was told that if all goes well...it will only take 5 months!!! There is a chance that things will not move exactly as planned which might require a "phase 2" but it will be free of charge and should only add on 2 more months or so. Even with 2 more months added on...I'm still happy it's not the year to a year and a half I was told previously.
On Tuesday I go to get the "buttons" on my bottom teeth and my first set of aligners. I only have to wear aligners on my bottom teeth for the first 6 weeks (I think) because my top teeth do not need to be moved as much as my bottom.
I am so excited! (I might not be saying that Tuesday night) I have been doing a lot of research, reading about other people's experiences (the good and the bad), and just want to get going. No matter how much of a pain it is to take the aligners out to eat, how uncomfortable it is with new aligners in...I know it's all going to be worth it in the end because what I have contemplated for almost 3 years will finally be complete.
No comments:
Post a Comment