A lot of people want to feel more confident when they smile but they don’t know what’s involved to get them to the goal.
But it’s frankly very straightforward and easy with Invisalign.
Let’s walk you through the Invisalign experience, starting from what happens when you approach us for a consultation.
A Five-Step Pre-Invisalign Experience
At Gentle Smile Dental Studio, your pre-Invisalign experience can be split into five steps.
By the end of the fifth step, you will have all the information you need to make a decision on whether you want to go through with the Invisalign procedure.
Step 1: Registration
Gentle Smile Dental Studio’s admin team will gather some essential information from you, such as your contact details and dental history.
Step 2: Smile Analysis with Treatment Coordinator
Once you’re all registered, it’s time to dive deeper into your smile goals.
You’ll meet with our knowledgeable treatment coordinator, who will take the time to listen to your concerns and discuss your desired outcomes.
This step is crucial because it allows us to understand your specific dental needs, answer any initial questions you may have, and create a personalised treatment plan just for you.
Step 3: Digital Scan with iTero and Photo Taking
Gone are the days where tech-savvy dentists use a clay-like compound to create dental impressions.
Instead, Gentle Smile uses iTero to create a digital impression instead. iTero is a digital tool that captures a virtual scan of your teeth. The scanner allows us to create a 3D image of your smile, which is not only incredibly accurate but also a much more comfortable experience.
Then, you’ll go into the photo studio where our dental professionals will analyse your smile relative to your face.
Here’s the thing. Even with perfect teeth, your smile might not be perfect for your facial proportions. A lot goes into crafting the perfect smile including symmetry, alignment, tooth proportion, spacing, width and gum health and gum line.
With information from the photo studio, Dr. Kelvin Chua can help you craft a smile that syncs with your facial proportions, giving you better confidence every time you smile.
Step 4: Consultation with Dr. Kelvin Chua
Finally, you will meet Dr. Kelvin Chua, who will assess your suitability for Invisalign.
As a dentist, Dr. Chua has been inducted into Align faculty. Align is the parent company that produces Invisalign. This allows you to receive the most up-to-date treatments and innovations on Invisalign. Also, Dr. Chua lectures for Align on topic of Invisalign and digital scanning. Dr Chua has been an Invisalign Platinum Provider since 2016.
Dr. Chua will carefully review your digital scans and photos, discuss your treatment plan in detail, and answer any additional questions you may have. This consultation is an opportunity for you to gain a deeper understanding of how Invisalign will work for you and to address any concerns or doubts you might have.
Step 5: Post-Consult and FAQs
After your consultation with Dr. Chua, your treatment coordinator will run through treatment fees and also address some frequently asked questions to ensure you have all the knowledge and confidence to navigate your treatment journey smoothly.
Only if you decide to go forth with this, then we’ll collect payment, which can range from $4,500 to $9,000 with most cases falling within the $5,500 to $7,500 range.
After you have made payment, you will be asked to come into the clinic in about two weeks to view the ClinCheck (Invisalign simulation). At this stage, we will inform you how many aligners you will need in order to achieve the end goal. We will also share with you if we need to do any related procedures like attachments and sandpapering.
Once you agree to the ClinCheck plan, you will get your first aligners in about two weeks.
Experience Living With Invisalign
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: Invisalign is shiong (intense).
When you on the Invisalign journey, you’ll know it involves a significant commitment. You have to wear Invisalign for about 20-22 hours a day, which will change the way you enjoy food and beverages.
In the few hours that you take the aligners off, you will have to keep an eye on it. Not that it has legs or anything, but sometimes people think it’s rubbish! Countless times waiters have swept it up with used tissue paper…
For traditional clinics, you will have to visit your dentist every six weeks, so make sure to plan for these visits.
Luckily, Gentle Smile actually uses Virtual Care that allows more frequent monitoring from the comfort of your home. Through your phone or tablet, you’ll take photos and get your progress monitored every week. Dr. Chua will advise you on when you need to come in for a visit, but visits are generally 10-20 weeks apart, compared to six weeks at traditional clinics.
The force will be with you
OK, let’s not sugarcoat it. Invisalign puts a force on your teeth so that it can gradually achieve alignment.
Every set of aligners helps you achieve a milestone in that journey. The problem is that every time you wear a new set of aligners, you are the furthest away from that milestone.
Meaning you’ll deal with some pain.
But tahan!
Remember that it gradually gets better over time. Plus it’s not the kind of stabbing pain that will cause you to scream.
Rather, it’s a dull force that you will eventually get used to, especially over the next few days after wearing your new set of aligners. To be fair, if you got braces, you will also experience the same type of discomfort. No force, no alignment!
Temporary speech impediment
Also, you might also notice your speech being affected. Will I have a modified voice for the next year?
Luckily, no.
Yes, it’s a foreign object in your mouth, but you will get used to it after the initial couple of days. Dr Kelvin Chua advises new patients to speak slower and louder in the initial days until I get used to it.
This is a one-off challenge some Invisalign users experience, meaning you aren’t likely to experience the same thing when you get a new set of aligners.
Manageable lifestyle changes
You should expect some changes to your daily routine when you are undergoing the Invisalign process.
These changes might come as a shock at the beginning of the process, but you will gradually adapt to it.
One big change involves eating. After eating, you will have to maintain a high level of oral hygiene.
Some have noticed that they snack a lot of less because of Invisalign and therefore it can help you avoid unhealthy and unnecessary empty calories. Over time, these temptations start to dull so it becomes a lot easier.
Luckily, it’s easier to maintain oral hygiene with Invisalign compared to people using braces. With Invisalign, you can brush and floss as per normal because it’s removable. Braces require you to re-learn how to brush and floss because the braces get in the way.
Besides eating and drinking, Invisalign has almost no effect on your daily life. You can continue enjoying sports and enjoying the usual activities that you used to do.
And the transparent Invisalign means you can smile as usual!
Post-Invisalign Experience
Once you are done with the final retainer, you will have a smile that is similar to the one set out in your ClinCheck Invisalign simulation.
Your teeth will look straighter with more even spacing and reduced crowding. If you have any misaligned bite such as an overbite, underbite or crossbite, that would be fixed. In other words, you will feel more confident when smiling.
At this stage, you still have a role in maintaining your newfound look.
From Aligners to Retainers
Once your Invisalign treatment is completed, Dr. Kelvin Chua will typically recommend wearing retainers. Retainers help maintain the new position of your teeth and prevent them from shifting back. You may need to wear your retainers for an extended period, initially for around 20 hours a day and later transitioning to wearing them only at night.
Proper care of your retainers is essential to keep them in good shape. Clean your retainers regularly with water or specialised cleaning tablets designed for retainers.
Take your retainers out when eating, and after finishing a meal, brush your teeth and rinse your retainers before putting them back in your mouth.
Ready for Invisalign?
Gentle Smile Dental Studio welcomes you to book a consultation to assess how your Invisalign journey will look like.
