I am 37 years old and have wanted to have a smile I could be proud of since I was in Junior High, about the time all of the other kids' braces started coming off and I could see how great their teeth looked.
Unfortunately, I developed a severe and very unhealthy fear of the dentist as a young adult. As a result, about the only two things that could motivate me to make a dentist appointment were fear and pain.
About a year ago, the great motivator, fear, emerged in the form of crumbling molar. So I asked around until I thought I'd found the most likely one to be a good fit for me, promptly "fired" him before letting him do any work at all, and started searching again. By the end of the next day I had the name of the dentist who would turn out to be the cure for my fears.
It took most of 2009 and lots of appointments to get caught up with all the issues that I'd caused by not having cleanings and checkups for so long, but I did it...it's done, and I received a clean bill of dental health AND and referral for an orthodontist from my wonderful dentist.
At the consultation with the orthodontist, I told him I wanted Invisalign, but started to doubt my decision when I started reading about the Damon System. I've now decided for sure on Invisalign. Even though the top brackets on Damon would be clear, I just can't see myself wearing them. So it will be about 18 months of aligners for me, and I can't wait to get started.
I appreciate to no end all of you who share your experiences in forums and blogs, it's been a huge help to learn from real people who have/are experiencing the treatment.
For others who may be looking into it...I found a website that really put things into perspective for me. I'm sure it's not new to the forum, but just in case someone reading this hasn't seen it -
www.aligntechinstitute.com.
It's has some training materials for providers, and some of course, you can't access, but there are some case study videos that are just awesome. Most people will find an expample of a case similar to theirs on there. There are also some videos of providers sharing their feelings about the product and the impact it has on the business end.
Anyway....as you can see, I'm super excited about finally being on my way, and once I get started, will definately share my personal experience on the board as well as in my blog. It's great to be here with others who know what it's like to feel as though you have to hide your smile.
