I recently shared on Instagram that I now have Invisalign and I was surprised by the number of questions and general interest there was in my experience. I had so many DM’s that I decided to dedicated a post to share more about why I decided to go this route and what my experience has been so far.

I first want to backup and start by saying that over the last few years I’ve become more and more self-conscious about my smile, but I needed to have another issue addressed with my gums and the ongoing movement of my teeth is only making the issue worse. I was hesitant to invest the time and money, but I’m happy I looked into this as an option because it’s a perfect solution to the corrective work that I need.

Invisalign isn’t for everybody and part of the initial process of having a consult is to decide if you are a good fit for this solution. I’ve had braces before and didn’t want to go down that path again. I wanted something more discreet and I liked the idea of being able to remove the aligners for special events (note: for the best results they recommend you wear them for 20-22 hours per day). I had a consult this summer at one location and it was an awful experience. After that initial visit I thought about backing out completely, but since this corrective action was necessary before pursuing another procedure, I knew I needed to do some research before scheduling a second consult.

My second experience at Greater Boston Orthodontics was COMPLETELY different. They spent so much time with me answering all my questions, walking me through every detail and they were very transparent about the time commitment and all of the steps that would need to be taken to ensure the best results (a far cry from my first appointment where they pretty much told I could have the perfect smile in 6 months with no specifics).

I don’t know if I’m considered a more complex case, but i’m committed to the trays for approximately 12 - 14 months and I’m completely fine with it. I’ll be honest, on day one I was questioning everything and almost regretted it, but I’m 10 weeks in and I’m so used to them. I’m not self-concious at all - you can hardly tell I have them in most of the time (at least that’s what people tell me once I disclose that I have the trays in).

Even though my experience so far has been great, here are a few things that have taken some getting used to.

Timing My Meals

Your supposed to have the aligners in for 20-22 hours a day, which means that essentially breaks down to about 30 minutes for breakfast, 30 minutes for lunch and about an hour for dinner if you stick to a hardcore 22 hour a day schedule. This means no slow mornings drinking my coffee (this only happens on work days) at a leisurely rate or reheating it a million times throughout the day on the weekend when I’m on mom duty. In the beginning I thought this was annoying, but now I’m so used it. Lunch is pretty easy because I’m usually rushed with back-to-back meetings. The evenings can be a little tough because dinner usually happens after bedtime and I like to enjoy it with a glass of wine. Trust me, I still enjoy my wine (white only so I don’t stain my attachments), somedays it’s my saving grace, but because my breakfast and lunches are usually quick and because I’m good about wearing the trays religiously I don’t go super crazy trying to stick to one hour at dinner.

Hello Constant Brushing

The trays are basically held in place by a series of attachments (in my case they are) which are tiny white brackets that adhere to your teeth. You pretty much can’t tell that I have them in unless I point them out and you look really close. This might be unique to my case, but regardless, I need to make sure I brush and floss after every meal and before putting the trays back in. I think the same holds true even if you don’t have the attachments, but it’s a little bit of a lifestyle inconvenience if your on the road a lot, very social and are generally consuming your meals on the fly. I work from home, which makes it super easy and as a mom of two littles, my social life is pretty quiet these days (smile).

Say Goodbye to Snacking

I basically don’t snack as much as I used to, which is a win. I read that a little weight loss can happen because of the reduction of snacking and it’s totally worked. I haven’t lost a ton of weight, but I do think it’s responsible for a few pounds, which I’ll take. I’m now less likely to finish off crumbs, leftovers on my kids plate or eat a random bag of goldfish while on the way to school or daycare pick-up (it happened more than I would like to admit). I consider this to be total win and I’m completely fine with being more aware of what I’m eating throughout the day.

Why It’s Worth It

I know the above might seem like a hassle, but the pros far out weigh the cons. I consider myself to be a little bit more deliberate with my meals, I’m flossing more which is great and in the end it’s going to fix an issue that I’ve wanted to address for a long time. I take the aligners out for parties, photos and meals, but I’m completely comfortable wearing them for client meetings, presentations and while I’m out and about on the weekends with my family.

This isn’t a personal plug and this isn't a sponsored or a paid post, but if you live in the Boston area and if you are interested in finding out if your a good candidate for Invisalign, then I highly recommend Greater Boston Orthodontics (ask for Billy).

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m 10 weeks in so this is still pretty new, but my experience has been great so far and I can’t wait to see the end result!

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the experience.