Why Invisalign?
Hi friends!
I am so excited to finally share my Invisalign experience with you now that I have completed my final set of aligners! I’m hoping while sharing my journey I can better explain the full process from start to finish from my honest perspective if you are interested in perfecting your smile Invisalign yourself.
Working in an industry where I’m constantly talking and smiling I wanted to feel my most confident self and that is why I decided to move forward with Invisalign at Costa Dentistry in Great Falls, VA.
Yes, my teeth were seemingly fine ahead of this treatment, however, I never actually had any braces on my bottom teeth so there were several spaces throughout. When I did have braces for about 11 months at the beginning of high school, it was my understanding they put 8 brackets on my top teeth and shifted them off center to make room for my last adult tooth to finally come through on the top.
In addition to the bottom spacing and off center smile on the top, my bite also needed to be fixed as I was grinding my teeth at night and as a result was beginning to develop a few chips which honestly makes me lose sleep at night, hence why I was very excited to start the Invisalign process.
The Invisalign Process
My Invisalign journey officially began in January 2022 when I had my first set of iTero digital scans at my first Costa Dentistry appointment to create a digital model for the Costa team to map out a treatment plan for my aligners. The aligners are basically a series of clear, removable trays that will straighten your teeth over time which are a great alternative to traditional metal braces if you’re looking for a nearly invisible and discreet option. After my first set of iTero scans, the Costa team worked with professionals at Invisalign to analyze my teeth using the scans that were instantly sent over during my initial consultation and create my exact treatment plan.
At the beginning of March 2022 I started my very first set of aligners and returned two weeks later to have several attachments glued to the surface of my teeth which served as anchor points for the aligner trays to help move my teeth more effectively. The attachments are made of composite material which are the same color as your teeth so you don’t really notice them when talking or smiling. After the attachments were installed, I was given several months of aligners to wear 23 hours a day and swap out once a week and had follow-up appointments scheduled at Costa Dentistry in July and October 2022 for new iTero scans for new sets of revision aligners.
In March 2023 I started the overcorrection aligners meaning I was in the final stretch to finally have my attachments removed. I was a little nervous going into the attachment removal appointment in May 2023, however, it was surprisingly painless and super quick. I had my final scan after my attachments were removed and then picked up my Invisalign retainers to wear to be every night moving forward.
What You Really Want to Know
I feel like investment is the most-asked question when it comes to Invisalign in which the cost varies case to case but you can expect the price to start around $5,000 depending on how many sets of aligners you end up needing for your treatment plan.
Pain associated with Invisalign treatment was also a big question and I’m happy to report it was mildly uncomfortable at the worst, and the worst was only the first couple of hours after putting in a new set of aligners. A tip I received early on was to always swap out new trays right before bed and this was honestly a pro-tip as you don’t feel the discomfort as much during your sleep.
Another question I received regularly is how often you need to wear the trays and in full transparency, I think this is what I struggled the most with due to becoming pregnant and going through birth/postpartum during this treatment. The goal is to wear the trays for 23 hours a day and only removing the aligners to eat and then brushing and flossing every time you put them back in which takes a serious level of discipline. While I was pregnant, I was constantly snacking and my brain was in 100 different places at once trying to prep for baby so I will admit there were a few days where I could have worn my trays a bit longer, however, once I was out of the weeds of postpartum I was able to get back on track to a perfect smile.
Before/After
My Final Thoughts
Was it worth it? 10000%. I feel so much more confident about my smile and I’m so happy to finally have the perfect smile. If you have any further questions about anything I didn’t touch on, always feel free to reach out to my on instagram. I honestly cannot recommend Costa Dentistry enough and if you mention Trish Spoon at your appointment you receive $500 off Invisalign treatment!
xoxo,
Trish
