Invisalign newbie - looking for a bit of info

[PaulInc]

Cost me £3200 flat fee for whatever length of treatment i had.

They usually offer finance, or some you can pay all up front and get a discount. A few may let you pay in instalments, but i doubt many places offer it.

Price is most often determined by where you go, but can also be adapted for length of treatment and expertise of your dentist or ortho. Shop around and you could save thousands. £3200 is a pretty good price, i've seen others here get it for less, other pay a lot more. You should also ask what's covered in the price.

Invisalign cannot move teeth good in every way. It's good at some thinks and poor at others, hence why you need to go for a consultation.

Checkups at my place usually involve getting a bit of IPR and my next few sets of aligners. Appointments usually takes about 10 minutes. I usually go around every 2 months.

Consults can be free, or not, depends where you go. Ring up and ask first? When you go for impressions and xrays you'll probably be asked for a deposit. Again, ask.

Attachments are small bits of white material that resemble a grain of rice stuck to your tooth to help the plastic aligners grip and rotate certain teeth.

[Wobblydeb]

On average, how much do they cost? i mean it says 3-6000 USD but im in England, and 3 grand sounds like a big difference. And also how is it paid? Do I have to show up at every consultation with a grand or what?

Also what are these attachment things?

If Invisalign is so good, why do braces still exist? I mean the way the adverts are lookin, it makes u wonder which idiot chooses braces, and they do... why?

The checkups, how often? how long do they take? what does it involve? And does every consultation cost money on top of the price? Or are the consultations "free" once youve paid for the package?

Sorry for whining, and all the help is MUCH appreciated!!

Joe

I'm in the UK too, and mine cost £4,000 which was split £250 for impressions and xrays and the appointments to review the clincheck (I came back twice for different versions). Then when I agreed it, another £1,200 for the dentist ordering the trays. The final £2,550 was due at my first appointment to fit the trays. I could either pay it then (less a 5% discount for immediate payment) or arrange 4 monthly instalments. I am in the North, and it does seem there are some cheaper providers in the London area.

Invisalign does a few things poorly compared to fixed braces. I've noticed that it seems not to move the roots of teeth particularly well, so it struggles to fill extraction gaps, move molar teeth, and extrude teeth. I have a couple of teeth not quite moving to plan, which will necessitate refinement. You wouldn't notice that with fixed braces because the orthodontist would continually be taking into account what was actually happening and "tweaking" as they went. It is one of the major disadvantages with Invisalign. Conversely it is pretty good at intruding teeth, protecting roots (and I believe gums, but that is a personal viewpoint!) and for people who would be biting onto brackets.

Your dentist/orthodontist decides their pricing and treatment plan, so you need to ask what is excluded and included. You should add the following when you ask what is included:
- Retainers plan and hardware.
- Refinement - this seems quite common with Invisalign, and involves further treatment if your teeth don't end up as planned.
- Non-Invisalign refinement - if you need fixed braces because Invisalign hasn't achieved what was planned.
- Appointment costs during refinement.
- Whitening if you want to do that too.

For reference, my plan included all apointment costs, Invisalign refinements, whitening bleach and fixed retainers. It excluded non-invisalign refinement as I am being treated by a dentist, not an orthodontist.

Appointments were 15-20 minutes at first, to check progress and fit, up to 40 minutes if any IPR was needed. I've had a couple of shorter 10-15 minute appointments recently as everything was going to plan and a quick check and the next few aligners were all that was needed.

Hope this helps

[Neil]

Hi,

I paid about 2500 pounds for mine. Will be a year of treatment, no whitening etc. Was told it was a "medium to difficult case". I'm on my second tray now.

It's been a very easy process, to be honest and totally pain free (although not without a bit of discomfort!).

p.s. I'm paying nothing for a year and then have the option of paying it off in one lump sum or in installments (high APR!)

[WPGKatie]

I am a 21 year old female, I golf, play baseball, hockey, badminton and volleyball, as well as going to the gym/jogging all with my liners in, and have no pain/swelling/infections, I also drink my gatorade, eat oranges in between periods, and if I have to eat anything else, I just make sure to floss after I'm done my workout/game. My orthodontist and dentist have both advised me that this is fine, and my teeth are in phenominal shape, too!!

I am halfway through my treatment, and I have been in invisalign since April 2008 . Good luck!