Growing up, I was teased. From the clothes I wore, my glasses to my last name, they always found something. But the icing on the cake would have to have been my teeth. With two parents with classic British -like teeth, two wrongs didn't make a right and all three of us daughters ended up needing extensive work over the years.For me, my teeth were twisted and once I lost my baby teeth, the two in the front beside my front teeth, were totally missing. So picture this, a softer 11-year-old, with the nickname "Porkum" (my maiden name was Corkum), big glasses that my father had picked out for me with electrical tape keeping them together because I kept falling asleep with them on, and buck front teeth and then a big space until my molars. Yes, I was an obvious magnet for the bullies of the world. I couldn't get away from it.
Once I was in middle school, my parents let me get contacts and it was time in grade 7 to get braces to fix my teeth and figure out what to do with the holes in my smile. It took almost 4 years of wearing the old school silver braces, with bands and bite plates, you name it, for my smile to be closed. They moved all of my teeth forward, filling in the space with my Canines ( the fang-like teeth) and then shaved the points off so that the looked like the incisors I was missing.It was a long process over many years and in the end, my bite still wasn't fixed (they recommended surgery and told me my tongue was too big and may need to be shaved on the sides). At the same time, my Orthodontist had gotten married to a dutch Orthodontist and brought him to Canada to work with her. He took me over as a patient. To say his English was bad was an understatement, and within a few months of wearing my retainer after my braces were removed, he told me that I didn't have to wear it anymore.Over the next 15 years, my teeth shifted and moved. The lower teeth became crowded and started to brown because my toothbrush couldn't reach as well. My buck teeth tried to come back and I started to feel the shame of my smile return. Of course, it also didn't help that I began to be a blogger, and not only was I starting to have people follow me outside of family and friends, but a few years later, Instagram stories came about. Talking to the camera was easy, As you know if you follow me on there, but watching them back, my eyes would automatically be drawn to those horribly crooked teeth. I needed to do something about them for my mental health.Around this same time, I was reached out to by a close friend from my childhood who remembered my time and journey with braces. She now worked for a high tech Orthodontist clinic called The Brace Space in the city who was trying to get more information out there about orthodontics and how not only it differentiates from dentistry, but also how easily reachable it is for any person to learn more about. I was excited to hear from her as I was wanting to find out more about Invisalign for myself.
We are now 4 weeks into my Invisalign journey at The Brace Space and I actually am shocked at how easy it has been thus far. These first 4-5 weeks, you wear two different trays, or as they call liners. Then, next week I go in to get brackets glued to my teeth. These will be strategically placed on teeth in certain places to shift my bite and my teeth. Once those are on, I will begin to change out my liners each week. Dr. Davidson, who is fantastic, is estimating for about 18 months of Invisalign and I don't need surgery after all.So many of you reached out with your own Questions about both Invisalign and The Brace Space since I began this journey. I wanted to make sure you were answered properly, so Dr. Davidson herself answered them for you. See below:
What Is The Overall Cost On Average?
Overall cost can vary widely so an average cost is of really no value. It is much like a house renovation, it depends on what we start with for a foundation and the amount of renovation desired. We know this is always a popular question so made our consultations free for that very reason, we are happy to do a customized quote for anybody, anytime! At our free consultation, each person receives a customized treatment plan and quote to go with it as well as different options for financing at 0%. People are always surprised by our payment plans and how affordable braces can be. Depending on insurance and down payment $99/month is attainable!
What Does The Cost Cover?
At The Brace Space, our quote is all-inclusive. It covers the cost of the braces or Invisalign, all appointments required to treat you and two sets of retainers at the end. There are no hidden fees!
On average, How much does Insurance Cover?
Again, insurance varies widely so the benefit to our consultation is that our insurance experts can find out if you have any insurance available. People sometimes have multiple insurances that they can draw on and we can help figure that out too. For patient convenience, we direct-bill which means we collect directly from the insurance company. Orthodontic coverage is typically independent from the rest of your dental coverage so does not impact your other dental needs.
How Long Does The Process usually take?
Treatment can range from a couple of months to a couple of years. The average is 18 months.
What is the Difference between Invisalign and Braces?
Traditional braces are clear or metal brackets that are bonded to the teeth during treatment. A wire connects the brackets and allows the orthodontist to move the teeth into their ideal position. Invisalign is a clear aligner system where teeth are moved by a series of sequential clear aligners that put forces on the teeth. Aligners are changed, on average, every 7 days. There are pros and cons to both braces and Invisalign and understanding the difference is important to getting the best outcome. Historically, Invisalign was used for simple cases but now we can even do Invisalign in surgical cases.
Why not just go to my dentist?
You trust your heart to a cardiologist and your skin to a dermatologist. Like these specialists who study their specialty areas after their general medical education, orthodontists devote additional years of study to orthodontics after they graduate from dental school. And like their medical counterparts, orthodontists limit their practices to their specialty area. Orthodontists have in-depth experience in orthodontic care. They use their knowledge and skills to help you get the best results possible. Although any general dentist can do orthodontics, and all orthodontists are dentists first, only 6% of all dentists are orthodontists. It can be confusing for the general public to know the difference so the easiest way to find out if your dentist is an orthodontist is to ask if they are a member of the Canadian Association of Orthodontists.
https://cao-aco.org/ Most people who opt to do braces with their regular dentist think they are saving money, but this often is not the case. Case fees are often broken down differently and the all-inclusive model is not as common in a general dental office. Many people are surprised to find that they could be treated by a specialist for virtually the same fee as their dentist.
Will Your Teeth Move Better during pregnancy?
Pregnancy and Orthodontics have not been well studied but with so many limitations during pregnancy, it is nice to know that Orthodontics is not one of them! The only changes to your treatment are that we do not take X-rays and the health of the gums needs to be monitored closely as pregnancy hormones can cause the gums to swell more during pregnancy which is the case with or without orthodontics. Those same hormones are thought to possibly make tooth movement faster though so orthodontics during pregnancy may go very well together! We find that pregnancy is a very popular time to straighten your teeth!
A Few Facts You Should Take away
- Everyone has the right to a specialist’s opinion which is why our consultations are free
- You do not need a referral to be seen in our office. We work with all general dentist to achieve the best result. If you have seen another orthodontist but want a second opinion we are happy to give you one!
- You are never too old for orthodontic treatment and more and more adults are seeking orthodontic treatment to achieve the smiles they dream of
- The Canadian Orthodontic Association recommends all children be seen by an orthodontist by age 8. Early diagnosis is key to minimizing treatment such as avoiding surgery later on in life. Often a simple early interceptive treatment can mean surgery can be prevented. Some early treatments happen while baby teeth are still present so waiting for baby teeth to fall out is not recommended. Our screening program is free so that your child can be followed by us for annual checkups until all dental development is complete. The final decision on whether or not braces is required is made at that time. We have lots of children who are in our screening program who will never need braces!
- Orthodontics is known for straightening teeth, however, there are many other reasons orthodontic treatment may be recommended for functional reasons. Achieving an ideal bite and best possible relationship of the teeth is important to prevent wear of teeth over time. Your bite is key to your oral health which is important to overall health!
I hope we have answered all of your questions but please let me know if you have any more. Over the next 17 months, I will be bringing you along this journey with me, so make sure that you are following both
@thewilddecoelis and
@thebracespace on Instagram to keep up to date!
I can't wait to feel great about my smile again!
Thank You to The Brace Space for GIfting me with my treatments
