My Invisalign Journey – Was it Worth it?! & 10 Myths

If you’re reading this post, chances are you’ve become borderline obsessed with fixing your crooked teeth. Maybe you’re down a rabbit hole of blog posts, wish-washing back and forth on whether it’s worth the price tag and the commitment. I get it. Seriously. Before I signed my life away to the clear trays, I painstakingly researched the pros and cons, and while a lot of what I read scared the shit out of me, I ultimately made the decision to make the investment, and I’ve never been happier I did! But, that’s not why I’m writing this blog post. I’m writing to debunk some myths I read before I started this year-long smile-perfecting journey.

MYTHS ABOUT INVISALIGN

1. It’s the same exact thing as Smile Direct Club or Clear Correct.  I have no doubt that Smile Direct Club works for a lot of people – especially those with easily fixable teeth. But for me – someone who had the gangliest smile in the entire world before braces – I was a bit apprehensive and Invisalign is established and cutting edge and I was happy to pay a bit more for peace of mind. I also knew I wanted no visible buttons, and I wasn’t certain that Smile Direct Club could fix my teeth without them.
2. Any dentist that offers Invisalign can be trusted. In the same vein, I only wanted to see a well-vetted dentist or orthodontist who specialized in Invisalign. Because of my God-given gangly childhood smile, I knew that my teeth roots were whack. I needed a professional who would closely monitor each tray movement to ensure that my teeth didn’t get loose, or worse, that the trays caused irreversible damage. I was adamant about finding someone who could help me permanently fix my crooked smile safely and effectively.
3. You will lose weight. WTF. This one was especially disappointing.  I was so certain that, like I read in every single blog on aligners I could find, that I too would drop lbs!  But it was the opposite!! The myth is that since it’s a hassel to brush and floss after you eat, it will keep you from snacking between meals. But for me? I pigged out every time I took my trays out because it was such a pain in the ass to clean them and put them back in for only a latte or some hummus and crackers.
4. It hurts. The first week, yes, I HATED it. LOATHED. I think I cried that I had made a mistake. But then every other single tray from there I barely noticed. Even when it was time to switch them, it wasn’t ever as painful as that very first week of trays. And definitely not unbearable pain in the least.
5. You get so used to it, you forget they’re there! Yes – they stop hurting – but who the hell would get used to brushing their teeth 6 times a day? Or pulling a tray out and having spit come with it? Or that you can’t leisurely enjoy your latte for an hour, or your smoothie, or your wine. (Confession – I still drank iced tea and white wine with my retainers in sometimes). Kissing with retainers in is so lame, as is carrying around the case and toothbrush in your clutch.
6. You need to wear it 22/7. I mean, you should. You definitely, without a doubt, should. But did I? Nope. Somedays, like when I was acting on set or at a wedding, I barely wore it at all and my teeth still changed dramatically.
7. It’s unnoticeable. HAH, what a ridiculous marketing tactic. Anyone who isn’t blind can tell you have your trays in. And if you don’t have your trays in, they’ll still notice your teeth buttons!
8. You’ll have a lisp. I sure did, but it only lasted a week at most. Once my mouth got used to the trays, the lisp went away.
9. The time (and price) you are initially quoted is accurate. You very well might want refinement and additional trays. That takes time and $. I added 10 weeks and $200 onto my bill to get the smile I wanted.
10. Your smile will be celebrity-like perfect. My front teeth are still way longer than the next row of teeth, they jut out more than I’d like (and yes, invisalign did help to correct this – but it’s just the way my mouth is!) and for some reason, the tips of my teeth are a greyish translucent color. Mayyyybe if you were born with the most anatomically correct jaw, you had abnormally healthy gums and stronger than strong teeth.. then perhaps, Invisalign would give you a Crest White strip commercial perfect smile. But the reality is, everyone’s mouth is pretty unique and you’re most likely not going to get the celebrity smile look from invisalign. Why you ask? Because celebrities don’t bother with alignment trays – they just drop the money on veneers.

I went to Dr. Assudani at Sunset Plaza Dental because I was looking for an aligner specialist. I wanted a professional who I could trust 110% with my precious smile. I wanted a relationship where I could pester the office with questions all day long, and pop in without much notice to have my smile checked out. I had read a lot of horror stories about dentist and competitor companies hastily filing teeth or even extracting to make room…. and that scared the shit out of me. I was also very adamant about not having buttons placed on visible teeth and Sunset Plaza Dental was able to deliver on that request. And they have free parking… what else can you ask for in LA? All in all, I’m so happy I went through with Invisalign and finally fixed my bottom row of teeth that were really bothering me – especially when I watched myself on tv!