[Tommy-G]

Went to the dentist today. I have some terrible terrible news. Found out I have my first ever cavity after 48 years on this rock….NOT HAPPY!

Anyway, I have had 5 dentists in 3 states in my life and 3 have pushed Invisalign like it was Heroin. Anyone else experience this? I don’t even have bad alignment, and never needed braces.
There must be some crazy kick backs or insane mark ups b/c I have never seen something pushed so much as Invisalign.

[6speedNJ]

My wife is a dentist and once quit a job because the dentist she worked for made her push Invisalign on every patient. It’s crazy.

[BMWCCA1]

My youngest (20-years-old) did need alignment and Invisalign worked very well and was so much less expensive than traditional metal braces.

Years ago my middle daughter had a large gap between her upper two front teeth. Took her to the local, well-respected ortho "factory" and they signed us up for a years long regimen with a convenient payment plan. I sought a second opinion from one of my E24 customers who was also an orthodontist. He took one look and asked if she still sucked her thumb. She said she sucked two fingers. He suggested we work on the sucking and see what happens, and come back if we needed him. No charge. She stopped the finger sucking and the gap disappeared very quickly. There are still some honest dentists out there!

[DETRoadster]

I had traditional braces as a teen, then went the next 25 years without wearing a retainer. My teeth started moving and i was getting abnormal, early, wear on the fronts of my bottom teeth. I did 8 months of Invisalign to the tune of about $5k. My teeth are perfectly straight now and I wear my night guards top and bottom without fail every night.

So for me, I needed it and it worked out well. My dentist suggested them to me but only after I started to show wear signs. Now teeth whitening....He pushes that shit like a dealer pushing crack.

[bimmer32]

If you need minor alignment, invisilign is great but more expensive then braces. If you need more straightening, go with braces. I had invisilign first, which was a mistake because the ortho doc ended up trimming my teeth with the grinder. Hated that and regretted going to him of course. Long story short, years later, I got braces without the grinding by another ortho. He said with braces, no trimming of teeth required compared to invisilgn.

They actually have online aligners that you can buy/get fitted for, and supposedly much cheaper and convenient than going to ortho. Look into it and ask around about it.

[WayneM3]

I had braces a long time ago as a teenager but my bottom teeth moved over the decades until I couldn't take it anymore. I looked into Invisalign but it was expensive so I tried a much cheaper alternative. It was smilelove.com and I only paid about $1,250 for everything when it was on sale. I had to take the impressions myself, which was not easy and took multiple tries, and then I received a package with everything. I followed the instructions and about 8 months later I was happy with the results. During that time they went out of business and now sort-of came back but I would not recommend them because of the possibility that they disappear again. The other alternative that I had been considering is Smile Direct (www.smiledirectclub.com) because they are reasonably priced and have centers that you can go to and see a real person. I have no experience with them nor do I know anyone who has tried them but I would recommend that you at least look into them. I think they are about 1/3 the price of Invisalign.

[Tommy-G]

I have one tooth that is out of line since I was a kid. Never got braces and at 48 I dont really care.
They want $7k for Invisalign and make it sound like you're going to die without it.

[LuvMyE92]

Every checkup (6 months) my dentist suggests straightening my bottom teeth (typical crowding). This last time I asked my hygienist (after the dentist left the room) if my guess of $8-10K was accurate and she said yes.

The only wear issues I have come from grinding my teeth, and I have a nightguard for that. Alignment won't help the grinding. The nightguard, which is now 25 years old, was the best money I ever spent on my teeth. Other than, you know, a toothbrush.

I get that running a dental practice has huge overhead with office staff, office rent, insurance, floss, etc. but the money that they charge is borderline criminal. I spent nearly $2K last year for a crown. No root canal, just the crown.

[dreamingat30fps]

Luckily my dentist is the brother of my business partner so I have never been pushed to do anything and my teeth are perfectly functional. Good enough for me. The only "major" thing I have ever had done is a cap or what not on a front tooth which I broke in half when I was a kid. Had to get it replaced probably almost a decade ago. Other than that just regular cleanings.

What I have noticed is the wanting to take xrays of your mouth every couple visits. No thanks, don't need sparkling white teeth full of jaw cancer or something.

[Tommy-G]

Originally Posted by LuvMyE92

I get that running a dental practice has huge overhead with floss,.

I giggled

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

What I have noticed is the wanting to take xrays of your mouth every couple visits. No thanks, don't need sparkling white teeth full of jaw cancer or something.

So now they do a cancer screening for that, which obviously is not covered by the insurance. I had more photos, images, xrays, etc done yesterdays visit than I have had in the past 5 years combined.