How to find the BEST Invisalign provider (not just the cheapest)

People always say, you get what you pay for....
BUT, with Invisalign, it can be a different story! HONEST!

A dentist offers cheaper Invisalign treatment doesn't necessary mean he is less experienced than others. In fact, he can be the most experienced Invisalign dentist but still offers one of the cheapest Invisalign treatments! You must be wondering why? This is because Invisalign offers dentists an option that they can bulk buy Invisalign at a hugely discounted price - so more Invisalign cases a dentist does, the cheaper it costs the dentist to buy! So a dentist who is willing to commit a lot of cases a year can easily undercut (in price) those who aren't prepared to commit! Depends on how many cases that a dentist wish to commit to a year, they can become a silver, gold, platinum accredited Invisalign dentist, so a Platinum dentist tends to be able to offer lower prices than those dentists who are not accredited!

However, when you go for your appointments, don't just look at all these colourful accreditation system. Ask the dentists how long they have been practising Invisalign and how many cases they have done to get a better understanding of how experienced they are! :-)

6th Trays.. not tight at all- STRANGE

Popped the 6th trays in- as title - strangely not tight at all. =_= A bit disappointing coz it's going to take another 2 weeks before I can get my hands on the 7th trays.. So far, things are alright- getting used to the life with Invisalign. I will definitely miss them when they're gone- one less thing to show off! :P

Went to a party the other day, full of dentists, so I took the opportunity to find out the DIFFERENCE between Clearstep and Invisalign! Originally, I thought it's just the price, coz Invisalign is more of an International brand whereas ClearStep seems to be just targeting the UK market, which makes Invisalign slightly dearer to ClearStep. A lot of dentists don't know the difference coz they either do Invisalign or ClearStep... I even ask my own dentist and he was like, ClearStep? Never heard of it. My dentist only does Invisalign. You heard it- he doesn't do teeth whitening, veneers, dental checkups- he just does Invisalign and that's all he does all year long! Talking about 'Specialising'..!

On the ClearStep website, it says:

How does ClearStep compare to Invisalign®?
ClearStep and Invisalign® are both part of the invisible orthodontics category, so there are similarities between the two products and they are used to treat similar types of cases. However, one of the key difference between the two systems is the appearance of the ClearStep aligner. ClearStep positioners are smooth and have no ridges, making them more hygienic and very easy to clean.

Anyway, apart from the price difference and the difference mentioned above, I was told that Invisalign uses slightly more advanced technology. You only need to take 1 impression at the beginning of the treatment process and Invisalign would do the rest- doing the ClinCheck & manufacturing the trays. Whereas ClearStep, so I was told, needs the dentists to take several impressions throughout the treatment period. However, there are 2 benefits of this:

- It's safe as dentists take several moulds and because the trays are manually made in labs, the dentists would make sure the trays fit 100% tightly on your teeth. (Although it's a lot of hassles, both for dentists & patients- I know I don't fancy having a mould stuck on my teeth for 10 minutes for multiple times)

- Apparently ClearStep can cope with more difficult cases than Invisalign. (I think this is arguable, coz I heard the success rate for Invisalign is higher than ClearStep!)

So... that's my little discovery of the week! :)

Braces Review

Jessica contacted me and asked me to join bracesreview.com Basically, It's a website that invites a lot of users (and potential users) of different types of braces, so you can find a lot of information on the site and ask questions so that more experienced dental patients/professional can help you! I think it's a really good idea! :D So if anyone has any questions on Invisalign, you can either ask me or post a question on the website and you'd get loads of other Invisalign users giving their own advices/opinions (and mine as well!).

Invisalign Express

Align Technology (company of Invisalign) also offers Invisalign Express. Well, at first glance, I thought Invisalign Express is a quicker and more painful treatment than Invisalign. However, after doing some readings, Invisalign Express = Invisalign Mini! Basically it's for people who require little movement, mild crowding and mild to no rotation. It is a great system for rebound cases of people who had braces before. Since it's designed for mild problems only, treatment time is generally less than six months. And with less than 10 aligners, obviously it's a lot cheaper than the normal full Invisalign treatment. Here is an useful comparison table

Another interesting Invisalign Video

Tips on wearing Invisalign

I've been doing loads of research on Invisalign so thought that I'd share on the tips of wearing your Invisalign:


1. Make sure you are putting on the correct set of aligners. Each aligner is marked with your patient number, aligner stage number and a “U” for upper and “L” for lower.
2. When aligners are first received, the aligners should be rinsed thoroughly with water.
3. Insert the LOWER aligner first, then the upper.
4. Gently push the aligners over your front teeth first, then push the tops of aligners to the left and right molars by using your fingertips.
5. When removing, also use your fingertips, but to lift your aligners off your molars first before lifting them off your front teeth.
6. Wear your aligners at all times, except when eating, drinking, brushing and flossing – about 22 hours of wear per day. Drinking pure water with aligner is fine.
7. Swap to a new stage of aligners every 2 weeks. Aligner stages SHOULD NOT be skipped or accelerated. If your Aligner is lost or broken, please contact your Invisalign® accredited orthodontist or dentist immediately.

I really can't wait for my aligners to arrive- still erm 7 weeks to go! How I wish time can just pass on a blink of an eye.