I had a lot of embarrassing moments as a teenager – didn’t we all! – but one thing I was never self-conscious about was big metal braces, namely because I never had them. I suppose that was a relief at the time, but the older I get, the more I dislike these crooked old British teeth. I’ve become more aware of it in the last few years working in social media, since my face is now part of my “Personal branding” and I get photographed about 100 million more times now than I did in the 1990s. The advent of quality digital cameras has been an amazing thing, but the only downside is that now every detail of my face is captured in high-definition constantly, instead of the old days where someone might snap my picture on 110 film a few times per year. As a result, I’ve become much more aware of how my smile looks. I became a lot more discontent with my teeth when I updated my headshots last year, and noticed how crooked my smile looked in some of the “Outtakes”:
And now you see why my mouth is closed in all my profile photos! I have been seriously considering getting braces over the last year or so, but I’ve had a lot of reservations. How much of a hassle would it be? How much would it cost? And would I just be stuck wearing a bulky retainer for life? From the research I’d done, it seemed like something that might be more trouble than it was worth, so I pushed it to the back of my mind. That is, until a recent visit to Seattle caused me to reconsider!
At the end of May, I attended a “Straight Talk” event hosted by Invisalign and The SITS Girls. In addition to cocktails, snacks, and some great blogging presentations, we also had the chance to talk to members of the Invisalign team and get our questions answered. As you may have heard, Invisalign are clear plastic aligners that provide an alternative to traditional metal braces. I assumed that they would have most of the same pitfalls as regular braces, with the exception of looking less noticable; however, I was wrong. The Q&A was a pretty eye-opening experience – I didn’t realize how many myths there are surrounding Invisalign treatment. For example, one common misconception is that Invisalign only works on mild cases. As it turns out, this treatment can actually be used on very severe orthodontic issues that go far beyond the cosmetic. I was amazed at some of the patient “Before & After” slides that we saw, from patients with everything from overcrowded teeth to gaps, crossbite to underbite, overbite to deepbite.
Pretty incredible, huh? You can see more photos of invisalign results on their website. Another thing I learned is that for young women like Kimberly, there is also Invisalign Teen, which is suitable for both teenagers as well as pre-teens. I think this is such a great option for young people; if I feel self-aware of how I look in photographs, just imagine how today’s teens feel – they often get more photos taken of themselves in one week than I did during the entire decade of the ’90s!
And since the Invisalign Teen aligners are removable, you can eat, brush, and floss as normal, as well as participate in extracurricular activities like sports without the risk of injury. And in case the word “Removable” has you sweating, take heart, parents: Another myth is that if your child loses their aligners, you’ll have to shell out big bucks to replace them. Wrong! Invisalign Teen provides you with up to six free replacement aligners as needed. How awesome is that?! Although the dentist we spoke to, Dr. Payam Ataii, told us that he actually sees a lot more adults losing their aligners than children. Ahem! š
If you’d like to learn more about getting treatment for yourself or your children, you can click here to check out a handy infographic on the Invisalign Website, in addition to following Invisalign on Facebook and Twitter.
Parents: Have you considered a treatment like Invisalign Teen for your children? How do you think it compares to traditional braces?
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New Year, New You: A Brighter Smile in 2014
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I hope you get to work with them and that way you can smile with confidence! You are a beautiful woman Beeb!
I just had traditional braces (which I hated) but I love my smile. It’s important to have the confidence to show your smile. But definitely get invisalign over metal brackets. Those HURT.
I’ve had braces twice (don’t ask!) and both times they were the traditional. I cannot tell you how much I love the idea of the Invisalign and hope my son gets to have them instead.
This sounds like such a great option for adults. My husband has really been considering it.
I went to the San Francisco SITS Invisalign meeting. Learned LOADS of stuff!
I would love to do Invisalign! I had braces as a child but my teeth have since moved.
I wish they had these when I was a teen. I wore braces for like 4 years.
I would have loved to get these when I was younger. I still want them in fact. I’d love to have straight teeth.
We are looking into this for my tween daughter. I love the features, benefits, and cost so there is really no reason not too.
I could really use invisalign. My teeth have a slight gap and I hit my right front tooth so it’s pushed back slightly. I want to be able to smile confidently.
I love that Invisalign exists! Such a great tool – especially for those of us in social media!
Really excited to see how Invisalign is changing lives. I was that crooked-toothed kid that had conventional braces and would’ve LOVED to have had these instead. So cool!
I remember the days of braces being soo embarrassing. Thanks invisalign!
I don’t have a huge problem, but I do have 2 crooked teeth I’d love to have straightened out. Maybe I should look into Invisalign!
My sons need this. Their teeth are a mess.
My boys are older now and do not want traditional braces even though they need them. These would be perfect.
Braces have come such a long way since I had them as a teen. š
I had braces but I wasn’t diligent with my retainers and Invisilign is something I’d definitely look into!
i had braces too but didnt do as i should have and now regret like crazy. Id love to have invisalign
I have a few teeth where they have become a bit crooked. I would love to win Invisalign to fix these issues.
We are a big Invisalign family here. My husband does Invisalign all day long at his office!
I love that these are removable. I had regular braces when I was a child & these look so much better.
I entered! My teenage daughter needs braces and we have been looking into the various options.l I think the Invsalign is a good one.
we spent a small fortune on my daughter’s braces only to find so much more twisting and turning 2 years later. i think we’ll have to look into Invisalign for a more on-going correction.
I love seeing the before and after! I wish I could have had these instead of braces.