Starting my journey, am I already screwing up?

[ArtVandelay]

So I decided to finally get braces AGAIN because I was an idiot and never wore the retainer. In my 30s and don't really care about feeling self-conscious etc, just want teeth fixed. Have overcrowding up top and a 2mm overjet and a classII malocclusion. During the consultation, ortho said she wouldn't brace me, just do invasalign, said it should take about 18 months. I said "ok lets do this thing".

So, Im goin to start the process this next week. A few questions:
-Should I pay all up front for the discount, or just pay monthly? My concern is that all up front might not be worth it because if things aren't going well or something there is nothing I can do about it, they already have my money.
- Is it normal to enter into a contract with the ortho? I feel like I am just diving in headfirst and there is really nothing written out on paper or anything. I am just painting the walls black. What is normal protocol? What if Invasalign doesn't work for crap and I am out $5300 with nothing to show for it? Is that just all part of it? "Oh sorry we tried but it didn't work, better luck next time"? What should I be doing here at the start to make sure I am not making huge mistakes?

[TMJJill]

I think it really depends on the business practices of the Orthodontist. I'd hazard a guess that the majority of people make payments.

I fell in the other category. I took a leap and paid entirely up front. It took me a long time to find a dentist with the training to address my serious bite issues. I know there was a lot of trust involved, but it has been a very good decision for me. I had regular braces though.

Good luck with your treatment.

[thisgal201]

First on an unrelated note, I like your nickname lol.

I am paying monthly with my ortho. I have ceramic braces though and not Invisalign, so I can't give an opinion on that specifically. With my case, my ortho said Invisalign wouldn't work for me and I'd likely have less than ideal results and end up in regular braces anyway. I appreciated his honesty. I had a good feeling about everything when I left the office, so I went with him. Have you thought about having another consult and seeing what treatment someone else might suggest? Maybe that would help you feel better about what was proposed. I am pretty sure I signed a contract agreeing to pay the monthly payments and it outlined what was covered under the cost.

[Gypsyphd]

Hi there, I can definitely relate to your post. I was just braced last Thursday! I never wore my retainer as a child and my teeth started shifting, while not noticeable to many, they were to me. I also started to develop a misaligned bite. Almost every ortho I saw said I could probably get away with invisalign, but it would take anywhere from 18-24 months. The invisalign was going to cost more and they were honest in that it might not give me the precise results I wanted as one of my teeth needed to move down a bit, and invisalign was not great at pulling down. I appreciated their honesty. I opted to go with traditional (ceramic on top and metal on the bottom) and my treatment time is faster (estimated at 10 months). I basically made my decision that since I am wearing them for a second time, I want near perfect (even though that's a stretch) results. I also knew I would not be good about having to take them out every time I wanted to eat. As far as payment, I put an initial down payment of $500, and I am making monthly payments. It was not a huge discount for me to pay in full up front. Best of luck! I look forward to hearing about your updates!

[Stef]

I'm not braced yet, but I will be in 18 days. We will have a contract. I decided to put $3000 down instead of paying in full. The discount wasn't worth it to me ($300 ish) but a lower payment was. It's interest free as well.

[ArtVandelay]

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like many of you are in the same boat as me. I have not had any more consults and I think maybe that would put my mind at ease a little. I think I will not do full payment up front , Just in case things are not headed in the right direction or whatever, I think it was like $250 off of $5300. I just want to have good results, I dont care if it is in braces or invisalign, but according to this ortho it is an "easy fix" and can be done with invasalign in 18 months. 18 months seems like a lot to me! Oh well, I am scheduled for impressions and everything this week. Maybe ill try to squeeze in another consult before then to get another opinion

[Gypsyphd]

Hi, it definitely wouldn't hurt to get another opinion if it would put your mind at ease. It was at least 1,000 difference for me if I opted for invisalign and the treatment time was almost double. Keep us updated!

[msw]

Hi Art! First of all, love the screename. I'm starting the Invisalign (well, ClearCorrect) process this week also. I'm sooooooo excited to get back the beautiful smile I had in high school. Good luck!

[ArtVandelay]

[quote="msw"]Hi Art! First of all, love the screename. I'm starting the Invisalign (well, ClearCorrect) process this week also. I'm sooooooo excited to get back the beautiful smile I had in high school. Good luck![/quote]

If I might ask, what was the price and length of treatment quoted to you. For me, it is about $5300 and around 18 months. Just curious how it compares

[MrsCharisma]

I think I would've gotten like a 5% discount to pay up front which is a little more than 1 monthly payment...but I didn't have $5400!

If I had it to do over, I would have paid a larger down payment. My monthly payments are $189 and I usually just pay $200.

[SunshineRay]

I paid up front and had to sign a contract.

[chichi]

I paid up front and had to sign a contract.

Same and same.

[msw]

I was told 5 months of treatment at a total cost $2,600. I'm still very skeptical that my bottom teeth can be corrected in 5 months. I guess I'll know more tomorrow once I visit my dentist tomorrow and have the opportunity to view/discuss the treatment plan.

Here's a photo of my bottom teeth to give you an idea of the issues. As I.mentioned in a previous post, my old Hawley retainer still fits on the left side. (This pic is backward.)

[msw]

And here's my bite... (also backward)