ClinCheck

Yesterday (Friday, 9/28), I called the dentist's office to check my Invisalign status before leaving town.  I found out they had my ClinCheck ready for me to view!!  (This is a video showing how my teeth will move, and my dentist wanted me to approve it before my trays were actually made.)  The estimate for receiving my trays now is 7-10 days!!  I could receive them as early as next Friday.  I found out that my first plan consists of 22 trays, which means 44 weeks.  Obviously, it will be more, due to refinements and imperfect scheduling abilities when it comes to setting up appointments every four weeks.  But I at least have an idea of the starting plan now.

Yaaaaaaay!!!

Update-- I have appointments every six weeks, instead of four. :D

Impressions

On Friday (9/21/12), I had my first Invisalign appointment!  They made impressions of my teeth, and are shipping them off so that my treatment plan and my first couple of trays can be made!  They made 2 sets of impressions--one for the dentist office to keep, and one to send off for making the trays.  Doing the top teeth was pretty bad; the gooey stuff would get close to my throat and I kept expecting to swallow a huge mess of gooey,play-doh-type material.  Gross!  But after reading awful stories about it online, it actually wasn't as bad as I expected! :D  This is what the material/tray looked like.

So, according to the dentist office, I will receive a phone call in 7-10 days and I will review my ClinCheck, which is a video showing my specific treatment and how my teeth will move with the trays!

After I sign off on that, I have to wait another 7-10 days, and I will receive my Invisalign trays!  I will get the first two trays, and each tray will last two weeks.  (Apparently, Invisalign is made in Costa Rica, by the way...)

I'm excited, and counting down days until I can start wearing them!  Although I know it will probably take me only a week or two before I hate them! :D

For those who are curious, the total cost for Invisalign was $5,000.  This is how I'm paying for it (estimates).

1,950 Insurance
1,550 Employer Contributions to Health Savings Account
1,000 My Contributions to Health Savings Account
500 Invisalign Day (this is a discount my dentist offers annually)

So, the only thing I pay out of pocket is the 1,000-- $75 comes out of my paychecks (pre-tax) each month and goes toward my monthly payment plan that I set up with the dentist office.