I finally made the decision to finish straightening my teeth this year. I figured after all the blogs and videos I watched about the experiences of others, I wanted to add my experience with Invisalign out there too. I had a half set of braces and head gear when I was 9 years old to help expand my jaw while it was growing and make room for my adult teeth and avoid any future extractions. After a year I was given a temporary retainer, two years later they took it away and said I was done until I was a teenager and had all my adult teeth. They told my mom to bring me back for a full set of braces top and bottom when I was in high school. Well, we already used up the insurance allowance for my first treatment and my mom said that I could get my full set when I was a grown up with my own insurance. Like a 12 year old can grasp that! Things looked pretty good back then, though a few teeth that came in later didn't really come in right. High school came and went, I was grateful I didn't have to suffer puberty with extractions and braces like all my peers. I was an avid oboe player, I did not want to complicate the success I was having with braces!
In the last few years as I have joined the working world and as 30 approached I was always jealous of my peers with those perfect Hollywood pearly whites. Everyone these days is obsessed with perfect white teeth. I get more and more self conscious of my bottom teeth that make kind of a zig zag pattern feeling like they're going to rip out with floss, and my canines that point forward and leave a small gap on the side that at the wrong angle in the wrong light when I'm smiling looks like I'm missing teeth. Don't you love it how friends put the most unflattering pictures online? They probably don't even notice it, but it's just one of those little nagging things. I always joked that I was never into the idea of plastic surgery, but I would consider straightening my teeth. I would talk myself out of the idea by looking at celebrities that have that one little off tooth as kind of a signature. But even they are starting to fix those little signature flaws with all the new tech in orthodontics.
In late 2010 I got a consultation at an ortho in the same building as my previous dentist. Thought maybe it would be a really easy case. They wanted to put me in 2 years of brackets for $6-7k or a combo of brackets and Invisalign for $8k+! I didn't have ortho coverage at my first job out of college and felt too self conscious with the idea of being a consultant only a few years out of college and showing up at the client with a mouth full of braces. I didn't think clients would take me seriously. In all honestly most of our clients were educators and many in special education and were the sweetest people, they probably would have loved it. But again, that whole self conscious thing. I shelved the idea.
Then this past winter, I was at my regular cleaning with my new dentist. I was joking they should make me a neon green night guard like Russel Wilson's QB mouth guard. The Seahawks were heating up in December, it was awesome. Sadly the dentist said night guards only came in clear acrylic. I protested and said retainers came in rainbows of colors! Everyone laughed and reminisced on what color their retainer was, the assitant had one with a flower and mentioned she still had it. I said mine was taken away until I came back for a 2nd round of braces... which I never had. The dentist put the chair back down and said "Let me see something." We went through the whole bite down, check, bite down, check routine all around my mouth. Oh yeah you know I do Invisalign here right? This would be a super easy case your bite is all lined up! Those upper canines might not get exactly perfect but we can certainly get all this straightened up much nicer for you! I'll have the receptionist write you up a quote and you can think about it. You've got really good coverage better than [Insert 2 very major employers]! Color me surprised. I forgot my new job had coverage.
The quote was close to $5k, with my insurance covering $2k and the rest could be divided up over a year to a credit card of my choice (hello airline miles!). Needless to say I went home and watched hours of videos on YouTube about Invisalign with before and after pictures and decided the payments wouldn't be too bad. Called the next morning and said YES! LET'S DO THIS!
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