OK! Let’s get real real about this whole Invisalign thing, it’s been over a year since I finished my full treatment thanks to the amazing Dr. Jenny Zhu at Manhattan Bridge Orthodontics, and I am here to give you the download on everything Invisalign.
Chances are , if you have clicked on this post, then I assume you know what Invisalign is, but for more info click here. In this post we’ll go over everything you need to know before getting Invisalign - the process, pros, cons, costs and final thoughts if it was worth all the money. Also if you were looking to find the best place to get Invisalign in New York City, this post is definitely for you.
TO START
First thing’s first my friend, research. Research, research, research!
Do your homework and find yourself the best Orthodontist in your city because if you are about to embark an Invisalign journey you better get someone who will deliver. Invisalign is not cheap (more on the costs later), but definitely worth it if you find the right doctor.
After all my research, I found the best place to find a good doctor is, of course, the Invisalign website itself. They have a search page to find all the best certified doctors in your area, which is where I found my Ortho.
I recommend you meet with your top two Orthos’ and get a feel for them and how you connect, Invisalign is a long journey for most people and you definitely want to make sure you feel comfortable with your doctor before moving ahead; which was exactly what I did.
If you are in the New York City area, I highly recommend to you Dr. Zhu or any of the Orthodontists at Manhattan Bridge Orthodontics (MBO). Dr. Zhu has over 20+ years of experience and MBO is Invisalign’s 2019 Diamond Elite provider, a title they have upheld for the past 5 years! (FYI - this status is only given to the top 1% of all Invisalign dentists and orthodontists in the US) - ZAMN GIRL!
Honestly though, I had such an amazing experience with them, they were sincerely good people who cared about my wellbeing (kind of hard to find sometimes, especially in NYC - if you live here, you feel me). They had the latest technology and equipment, which always made things so easy and fast; besides that, everything was executed exactly as Dr. Zhu initially planned; there was never a need to add more to the process (hence more $$$ to be spent) ; she made it as efficient and effective as the process could be and I appreciate that and did I mention how much I love my results ??! These teeth look like I was born with them and that I can appreciate.
*disclaimer: this post is not sponsored by MBO, however in exchange for my 100% honest review and feedback, I was given a discount on the services at MBO. Nonetheless, this does not make my opinion in this post bias. We keep it real.
YOU FOUND YOUR DOCTOR…NOW WHAT…
THE PROCESS
MBO actually has an amazing blog post on the entire Invisalign process so I will link it here for you to take a look.
It is essentially exactly what I went through, so let’s skip to my thoughts on the COSTS, PROS AND CONS shall we? (I hope you said yes :)
THE COSTS
Now, every persons’ cost for Invisalign will vary. It depends on the length of your treatment, where you live and also if you pay everything up front or do some kind of payment plan.
For me, my full 18 month treatment cost about ~$5,000. Keep in mind, I do live in NYC so everything is kinda like a taddddd bit expensive here. Compared to braces, they definitely will always be more expensive, but before you write off getting Invisalign because of the price tag, most doctors will allow you do a payment plan, depending on your insurance they might even cover a portion. Regardless, read on for the pros and the cons so you can make your conclusion ;)
THE PROS
The most obvious one, they are CLEAR! - no one even knows you have Invisalign until maybe when they get real up close ad personal. But even then, they are barely noticeable and you still look normal! HELLO YEASSS.
They are removable - even though during the treatment, you do have to to wear them for 20-22 hours a day ( you only remove them when you eat or drink anything other than water) it still feels good to know I can take them off and just be normal for a bit
Short pain process compared to braces - my little sister had braces at the same time I had Invisalign and I remember how much she used to complain about the pain after she went to the ortho to get her braces tightened, sometimes her gums would swell or her mouth would feel really tender and sometimes couldn’t even eat, thank goodness I did not have to deal with that with Invisalign because I mean, I love to eat.
With Invisalign, every couple of weeks you have to switch out your trays, each tray creates movements in your teeth until they straighten out. I always switched my trays out at night before I went to sleep so if there was any discomfort I would just sleep through it. I will say though, the first maybe five trays, were the most painful because obviously my teeth have never experienced anything like that before, but it was bearable enough I would sleep through it.
Smiling in pictures - ok this one might be a little vain, but you have to agree, no metal in your = no awkward photos. Especially given my line of work as a blogger and influencer, taking photos is always the first thing we do, so it was really helpful that the trays are not noticeable when I would take photos or film videos, and if they ever were inhibiting me for some reason, I would like that them off for the time being and resume afterwards.
You get results - from all the pictures you can obviously see, it works. My teeth are straight and my smile looks better than I could ever imagine. Dr. Zhu did a really amazing job, only after 3 months in the process, I already saw a significant improvement in my teeth. Which made all the small cons below, so worth it.
THE CONS-ish
So there are a few cons to Invisalign, but they are seriously not even cons, because they actually in the end are like Pros… lol
You can’t snack or eat whenever you want - it sounds terrible, but it’s actually a good thing. Because you have to wear your retainers for 20-22hours a day and you have floss and brush your teeth after every meal before you put your trays back on (to avoid cavities), snacking starts to get really annoying because it almost becomes not worth it to take off your trays to have a little snack (especially for those Costco samples on a Sunday). BUT ! this actually turned out to create a good habit for me, I used to be a huge snacker and this helped me create good eating habits with self control around snacking.
You have to floss and brush your teeth after every meal - this one is not so bad; but sooooo annoying when you go out to eat. Every time I would go out to eat, I would make sure to excuse myself when I knew we were about to get the check so I could go to the bathroom and do my business, teeth business that is. So I would carry around a little pouch with my floss and tooth brush and paste and also some Wisps - this little hack saved me so many times when I did not have access to a bathroom or water to brush my teeth, or simply when I was in a rush. I would floss and quickly wisp my teeth until the next meal.
Flossing and brushing your teeth 3x a days might sound annoying, but after a while, I kind of got used to the routine and actually loved it. It made be create a healthy habit that I still kind of do, with the exceptions of brushing after lunch :).
The price tag - the treatment is costly, but you really do get what you pay for - quality and results. I would not recommend any other at home wannabe Invisalign kits to save a little money on this. If you are serious about fixing/straightening your teeth, find a good Orthodontist and get Invisalign, put yourself in the hands of a professional who will assess your situation individually and provide the best treatment to you; because you deserve it. And also, if you are investing money into it, you might as well spend a little more and know you are going to get results.
BEFORE & AFTER
(these are some very embarrassing photos of me and my teeth , never had the best luck there, but at least Invisalign gave me a nice smile :)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Alright, here we are, the end of the line. It’s been almost 1.5 years since I finished my Invisalign and I could not be more ecstatic about my results. My full treatment took 14 months and initially I thought that was a very long time, but time actually went by super fast. Once you get used to the routine of having Invisalign, it just becomes part of you. Now I have to wear retainers every night, but that’s just a little bit of work to keep these teeth straight.
SO IS IT WORTH IT???
Heck yes! I don’t want to sound cheesy, but Invisalign gave me a confidence that I didn’t have before it. Now I can smile without caring about what people are thinking and I can just be my best self. I know my teeth were not the worst to start, but they were bad enough for me that it was affecting my quality of life; especially in the line of work I do as a blogger. Regardless of what you do, if you want better teeth or to fix them, I highly recommend Invisalign for all the reasons I mentioned above- and if you are in the New York City area, look no more than to the amazing teeth goddess Dr. Jenny Zhu at Manhattan Bridge Orthodontics!