Invisalign Braces: Costs & How Does it Work?

Invisalign is a revolutionary orthodontic treatment system that can straighten your teeth and correct issues with your bite without the use of traditional braces. That's what the memo said. My teeth were never that bad. I had overcrowding, and a superfluous something or other. Every tooth had a filling but they were all still there, just. 

Sadly my girlfriend thought otherwise. Around 18 months ago I smiled for a photo and it cost me over 2 grand. That's how much my Invisalign braces cost and according to my girlfriend, the time has long since passed since I needed to make the investment.

Christ I'm 42 and I'm getting braces. Can't I just keep my mouth shut for the next 20 odd years. I'm not front of house for anything and looks wise by best days (if I had any) were well and truly behind me anyway. Well you do what you can for an easy life I suppose. Anastasia booked me in for an appointment at our local dentist, Banning Dental in Chiswick. A five minute walk. I tried to get out of it a bunch of times saying we have no one to look after the dog. Well turns out the staff there at the clinic didn't mind watching him. He wasn't allowed inside but they walked him around the block and they had a patch of lawn outside that he whizzed freely on. Anyway.

I had the appointment, they did a 3d scan of my mouth which was crazy. I'm in the 3D scanning business myself but I never knew this was a thing. With the 3d rendering they show you your teeth inside and out. And mine looked horrible. Not homeless horrible. But some halfway house between Tom Cruise's teeth, and those adverts you see on the back of cigarette packets warning of gum disease. Anyway, after the rendering they show a projection of what your teeth will look like once the braces have been on for a year and a half. And these braces are Invisalign braces. You can seem, but not really.

They quoted me £2330.25 for 50 sets of braces. Each set you keep in between 10-14 days. They don't give you them all at once, so after about 10 sets, you have another check up and make sure the teeth are all moving the way they're supposed to be moving. 

You can pay in monthly instalments, but I paid it all upfront and got a discount. It didn't matter. I've had enough credit cards and repayment plans to last a life time. By paying upfront I just negated all those headaches and direct debits. That price may vary for you. I think they factored in a tooth extraction also into that.

What I didn't anticipate after signing up, was the process where they glue little barbs onto each of the teeth. These slot into tiny groves on the Invisalign braces. At first putting the braces in place was really tricky. Taking them out was excruciating. It felt like I needed a can opener. But after a while you get used to it.

One of the big concerns with getting Invisaligns is black triangles. Those are the new spaces you might find between your teeth once they're aligned the way they should be. At the clinic they warned me about them, but I guess I got lucky. Nothing too bad. And what about discolouration? Can I still drink coffee or will my braces look like I've pulled them out from the bottom of the Thames? Overall you can do what you want. I still eat with the braces in sometimes. Drinking coffee doesn't affect the braces, but Turmeric tee makes them look yellow and haggard. My Mother in Law doesn't speak a lot of English, but even she enquired in perfect tongue, 'why are your teeth so yellow?'

SUMMARY

But the good news is that you take them out every two weeks. So even they do look a little roughed up and discoloured, it won't be for long. Anyway, be prepared to pay an extra 300 pounds or so for a set of 3 final retainers. Other options will be explained to you like a plate for example. Be careful not to lose them. I keep putting them down and taking them out when I eat or brush my teeth. And because it’s clear plastic you spend ages trying to find them again. I could spend an entire morning looking for them. I still don't have a system, accept to put them in a bowl on the dining table. You'll need to pay for replacements I bet if you lose a set, but I don't know how much that costs. It's an investment so if you've got the dough then you should definitely look into it. Remember your smile is your ultimate business card.

IMPORTANT MOST IMPORTANT

As a follow up to this article I have realised the most important thing. Before you get your final set of retainers, make sure you have a dental exam and ask if you require any crowns or fillings before getting your final retainers.

I assumed the dentist examining my teeth were assessing my teeth for any work that needed doing, apparently not. They were just assessing whether they were happy with how my teeth looked.

I paid for retainers, then went for a check-up soon after and was told I needed a crown and two fillings straight away. Luckily this didn’t directly affect my new retainers (the ones you wear in the evening to bed) as the crown and fillings were more or less fitted to the exact size and mould, but at one point I thought I was going to have to pay for new retainers after only having them a couple of weeks.

Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash