Invisalign w/ H20 Orthodontics

I first had braces when I was 12. I had them on for a little over a year and was religious about wearing my retainer all through junior high and high school. When I went to college, I didn’t even bring it with me. I never noticed my teeth shifting until 4 years later when I tried to put my retainer back in. It didn’t fit quite right and when I wore it, my mouth absolutely ached so I did the very most logical thing… stopped trying to wear it again (can you feel the sarcasm dripping??). About a year ago, I started noticing in pictures that my teeth were’t lined up. When I took selfies to show up-close makeup pictures, I never wanted to smile with teeth because I had to get it at just the right angle to make them look even. Once again, I started trying to shove that circa 2007 retainer in with no luck. What finally took me acting on it was my mom saying my teeth had shifted. It’s always moms telling us the hard hitting facts hahaha.

Two seconds into my google search of orthodontists and I was already overwhelmed- so I put it out there on the gram. The thought of tooth correction as an adult was kind of embarrassing for me, especially since I’d already had braces and I wanted a recommendation from an actual person, not a google review. I also was completely against any kind of online option because I wanted a trained orthodontist personally seeing the corrections. Too many horror stories from online only corrections Luckily, Elyce, who dates my friend from college dmed me about the office she works for, Heidi Harmon Orthodontics. She told me 70% of their clientele were adults and that there were lots of options for me. I wanted someone who was great with adults.

I booked a consultation and went in with an ungodly amount of questions. She did a quick scan of my teeth and before I knew it, a 3D model of my teeth was projected on a screen right in front of me and to be honest, my heart sank. I had no idea my teeth had moved that much and looking at it objectively and not through a mirror made me feel even more embarrassed that I had let this happen. My bite was no longer lined up, my bottom front teeth had been ground down by my uppers shifting in and my molars had started turning too. We discussed options and she was able to show me right then and there what my teeth would look like following Invisalign correction. Her and Dr Harmon were so patient with all my questions and offered me thorough, complete answers and advice. I was so impressed that that very day I said yes.

4 weeks later, my trays came in. The whole installation took a max of 15 minutes. Painless, efficient and most importantly, I never had to do impressions. I still have PTSD from 15 years ago from those, trying not to throw up on the poor lady shoving wax or whatever that was in my mouth.

I’m currently 5 days in. My mouth was achy the first 72 hours, but Ibuprofen took the edge off. I’m doing really well now!

I was also able to do a little Q&A with some common questions submitted through Instagram.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: This is totally dependent on the work you’ll need done. A consultation is free and they’ll be able to give you an exact price amount. You can pay in full or through a payment plan up to 18 months with 0% interest. Dr Harmon stated multiple times that payment plans can be made flexible- it’s all about what you can afford. There is no set payment plan that they adhere to.

Q: Do you have to have insurance / does insurance pay?

A: You do not need to have insurance. Some insurance plans help pay for it, which I never knew. Mine did and knocked off about 1/5 of the total.

Q: Do you have to have a dentist referral?

A: Nope! Just call and make an appointment.

Q: Do your teeth yellow? Do the brackets discolor?

A: Nope. I was instructed to brush twice a day as normal. The only thing they said would stain the trays themselves was red wine. Otherwise, you can drink anything with the trays in - including coffee which would’ve been a deal breaker for me haha!

As I go, I’ll post progress pictures as well as a before and after!

AND SOME GOOD NEWS FOR YOU ALL!!! If you’re interested in getting Invisalign through Heidi Harmon Orthodontics, they’ve give you a FREE Zoom whitening, which normally costs $675. I was like… WHAAAAT!!!! It’s a 4 cycle treatment that leaves your teeth 8 shades whiter. SO generous!

If you’d like to see the videos, head on over to my instagram and check out my Highlight on this!