Dana Decided

I don’t know if this is a blog very many will be interested in but it’s something I decided to do last year and since it popped up in my memories, I thought I’d share.

For the last few years my smile has really bothered me. We are all super critical of our self…or is that just me? Either way, every time I saw a picture of myself, the gaps in my teeth were the first thing I noticed. They weren’t major, other people probably didn’t notice but I thought it looked like I was missing a tooth on each side. Not the look I was going for. My teeth and bite were fine, it was purely cosmetic.

So since 2020 was the year to improve myself, I decided to get Invisalign. Now, this was a major “purchase” on our part because our insurance does not cover adult orthodontia. I read tons of information, researched ALL the different options including different brands, at home versions, different orthodontists, etc. I went to a few different consultations in both Champaign and Danville. I know people who have had great success with the at home version but I read too many horror stories to go that route. Also, one of my besties is in the dental field and scared me out of that option. 🙂 Also, the price difference between orthodontists was unreal to me. One in Champaign was over $6,000! I ended up going to Dr. King. For the same treatment plan, it was about half that price!! Same number of trays, same time period. Do your research friends! I did get a tiny discount with Dr. King because he also did both of my kids’ braces. We love his office and staff so I was very happy with my choice.

Since my teeth weren’t awful, I was able to do the 10 set/fast track option. I don’t remember the exact lingo for it. It was 10 different trays that I changed every 3 weeks making it a 30 week commitment. If you are an adult getting braces, it works great to do it during a pandemic because no one will see you anyway. Honestly though, I don’t feel like they were very noticeable.

So now the real review…how was it? After my initial consultation, I had an appointment where they made the molds, took X-rays, pictures, etc. It was about 45 minutes long. It wasn’t fun but it wasn’t painful. I’m not a gagger so making the impressions went fine for me. Those were sent off to Invisalign and my molds were made.

About 6 weeks later, my trays were in and I went back to get them on! At this appointment they installed “buttons” on my teeth. They are just little bumps that the trays snap on to. I had eight of them, 4 on top and 4 on bottom. Again, not painful at all, just a long time with my mouth open. Wear chapstick! Dr. King warned me that the trays were gonna be really tight and most patients were surprised how tight they were. He wasn’t lying. When they put the trays on, it hurt. Like other patients, I was VERY surprised how tight they were. I’ve never had real braces so I can’t compare it to that but it hurt. Taking them on and off the first few days hurt. Honestly, I was thinking to myself, what in the heck did I just do? This is so dumb! But I also knew I had a lot of money invested in this. After a few days, the pain was gone. When it was time to switch trays, it was slightly uncomfortable again. I always changed them right before bed and that really helped since I slept through the tough part.

Dr. King only gives 2 trays at a time so that he can check your progress as you go which meant I saw him every 6 weeks. They were quick appointments and since I was religious about wearing my trays (only taking them out to eat) I didn’t have any bumps in the road. I think being diligent with wearing the trays makes a huge difference.

Eight months actually went by really fast! Trust me, I was so ready to be done but it was really an easy process. Take off was about an hour long. They grind off the little bumps (no pain) and then Dr. King slightly reshaped a few of my front teeth. Again, no pain at all. At this point they did impressions for my new retainers. I picked out a glittery silver one because why not? Most patients get a permanent bottom retainer but I wasn’t a good candidate for one. So at this point I have a top and bottom retainer and look super hot at bedtime. I wear them throughout the day if I’m home but am almost to the point that I can just wear them at bed.

All in all, I would highly recommend Invisalign and of course, Dr. King. He called me a model patient which you all know words of praise are my love language. 😉 He and his entire staff are wonderful. Over the 8 months I only had a few days of discomfort and it was totally worth it! I know some people think it’s crazy to spend money on something purely cosmetic but I decided it was worth it.