As if I am currently sat writing this blog post. As if I am sat at the garden table with the most beautiful sunshine beaming on to me about to write the first part of a dream come true.
Yes, a dream come true. You're probably thinking the sun has gone to my head because how can braces be a dream come true. But they are!
Let's start from the beginning. When I was 13 possibly 14 I had to get braces. Now, my teeth were straight and fine but my canine tooth on the left side of my mouth hadn't fully grown down so when I smiled you could only see the tip. I had to get braces to pull this down so the brace I had was a plate (you could remove when eating) which had a single wire going across the front of my teeth. I think I had this for roughly a year or more. In the process of pulling this tooth down the brace had moved my other teeth to allow room but once my treatment was complete this left me with not only a cross-bite but the front right incisor overlapping the tooth next to it. When we mentioned this after the treatment I was told it would be classed as 'Cosmetic' dentistry so my mother would have to pay to correct this. So, essentially I was left with less than perfect teeth and from the age of 15 years old I was insecure about my teeth. I always noticed in photographs it showed up rather obvious and over the years I started practising in the mirror how to smile at the camera while disguising the issue. Of course, any photographs where I was caught off guard was an instant untag/delete.
Over many years I have looked into Invisalign when I first discovered it back in 2010. I always dreamed of affording it because it was a great option for me as I wasn't keen on train track braces. The downside was always going to be the cost and there was never a good time for me as I was either off to college/university so I couldn't make the payments or I was saving for holidays/going travelling. Every year I lusted after the idea always watching YouTube videos feeling so envious of others. It wasn't until this year when I went in for my six months check up that my dentist said the cross-bite I had was going to affect my teeth in the long term. He said that it was fine for now but in the future, it would wear down my teeth pretty badly. This scared the life out of me because I definitely want to make it as long as possible into old age with my own natural teeth. It seemed the best option was to pay the money now to correct the issue rather than in the future when it'll most likely cost the Earth to afford massive correction work. It actually couldn't have come at a better time as Alex and I are currently settled (living with his parents), saving up to buy a house with no massive commitments coming up such as travels/university etc.
I looked around my local area for the best practitioner that wasn't asking for a huge down payment first. Sadly, my dentist wanted to charge me £140 for the consultation which if you go ahead with treatment comes off the final fee, but if you don't go ahead you lose £140. Another dentist was charging £95 which was a much better option. Instead, I took to the Invisalign website to find the best person possible which is when West Street Orthodontics in Farnham came up. They were actually in the top 11 and have the very most up to date technology. When I went onto their website I noticed that they were doing limited free consultations worth up to £120. I mean ... could this have come at a better time. I was straight on to the phone to book in.
Now, at the first consultation, they took photographs of my teeth and looked into what my concern was. My orthodontist spoke to me about how teeth are supposed to be aligned and where mine was going wrong. He also spoke about how Invisalign works and that I would be a suitable candidate which was soooo exciting. Bare in mind if you are interested specifically in Invisalign that sadly not everyone is suitable.
I received an email a few days later with my quotation as this is not something he can discuss with me. I think someone else has to look at my teeth to come up with a rough idea on the cost but don't quote me on that. I was put into the top tier which basically means if at the end of the treatment I'm not fully happy, I can have as many refinements as I need until I'm entirely happy. So, of course, my treatment was going to cost a lot of money. You can decide to go with a different tier where you can have no refinements or one refinement. I figured if I'm paying all this money I want it done right the first time and I like the peace of mind in knowing they can carry on the treatment at no extra cost. Over the course of 4-5 days, I constantly spoke with one of their team members (via email) asking loads of questions and making sure I fully understood what I was going into. I would definitely recommend you do this and at the end of this post I will write up a questions list.
My second consultation (about 2 weeks later) required a £100 deposit which again if you decide not to go ahead you lose it but if you continue with the treatment it comes off the final cost. At this appointment, they took two lots of x-rays as well as scanned my teeth with some photographic machine. This machine is a very new technology which means no moulds have to be taken. Once the lovely young lady had finished scanning my teeth I could see them on the screen and within 5 minutes this clever device had corrected my teeth!! So, I could actually see (roughly) how my teeth were going to look at the end of the treatment!
You can see where my cross-bite gets corrected on the right-hand side and my front incisors are straightened out.
...
Below you can see a birds-eye view of my bottom teeth before and after.
The underside of my top teeth.
This is obviously only a rough idea as it has been created by a machine and in real life, it won't necessarily match exactly but again this is where refinements come in.
At this second consultation, I also had to put down the first initial deposit. I went with a 30% deposit to cut off a massive chunk and to lower my monthly payments which brings me to the next topic. You can obviously pay everything up front which does entitle you to a 5% discount (may differ elsewhere) however this treatment is far too expensive for me to afford in one go. They do allow for different payment plans to work in your favour which is amazing, as they're not just trying to catch you out. I think now in today's day and age braces are a lot more accessible and made to be more affordable. I'm paying a very affordable cost each month and I decided to go with an 18-month contract but of course, do what's right for you.
Onto the questions, I asked at my first consultation which might be useful for you. Some of these I may have answered already for you in the text above but it all depends on what you want and how much you're willing to spend, as I said refinements cost more.
1. How often are check-ups?
A. Often but not too often, maybe 10 weeks but it depends on when we need to give you your next set of trays. This may vary as you'll need your teeth filed after particular weeks.
2. What is the cost and what are your payment options?
A. I decided to keep the cost to myself but email me if you're really interested. Payment options are 0% finance and dependent on what you require. The bigger the deposit the smaller the monthly payments. You can also overpay on particular months if you want to pay more than the agreed monthly cost.
3. What happens after the treatment? Will I wear a retainer for the rest of my life?
A. Yes, you will wear a brace for the rest of your life but only at night time.
4. If I break or damage a retainer in future can it be replaced?
A. Retainers can be ordered again at a cost however after the treatment you're given a set of three which should last forever.
5. Are there any additional costs for anything else such as if I break or lose an aligner during treatment?
A. I'm afraid I don't recall the answer to this, so make sure you check!!
6. Do refinements cost any extra or do you keep going until I'm happy?
A. If you opt for the full package you can get unlimited refinements until you're happy. If you decide on no refinements and want them at the end this will come at a cost.
7. What follow up care do you provide?
A. One year follow up care.
I hope I haven't left anything out. I will continue to document my treatment which will hopefully answer more questions. Please ask away if you're unsure of anything.
Thank you for reading and have a good week!
Sade xxx
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