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Have you ever wanted to try Invisalign? I’ve always wanted straighter and bigger teeth! I’m 1 month into my treatment and here’s what I think.
As a kid, I had braces on my top front 6 teeth. I had the worst gap between my 2 front teeth. It was bad. My parents didn’t think a whole set was necessary so I never got phase 2. Now, I have 4 pretty substantial gaps on each corner of my mouth. They drive me insane! Having a good smile is so important to me and I’ve always been self conscious of these gaps when I smile. I don’t smile as big because of them! This was why I’ve been thinking about getting Invisalign for the last year. And I finally did it!
What is SmileCycle?
For those of you following along on Instagram, you know I’ve been going to SmileCycle to design my smile. SmileCycle was developed by a group of dentists who founded Dentologie. Think of Dentologie as the trendy dentist office. Their locations are super trendy (with TVs on the ceiling!) and they have several locations in Chicago (and are opening new ones)! My first visit was at the Streeterville location and then my next two have been at the South Loop location. Both are really easy to get to from the red line.
Aside from the chic office decor, every person I’ve met at both offices has been incredibly pleasant. Everyone is so happy and helpful! I’m working with Dr. Mohiuddin for my Invisalign treatment who is personable, yet informative and dedicated to taking the time to explain things to me. I’ve had a few questions along the way and he always makes sure I’m satisfied with the answers. I feel like most dentists or doctors in general are just ready to get on to the next patient but I haven’t felt that way at SmileCycle.
PS. If you tell them you heard about SmileCycle from me, Jenna Colgrove or Visions of Vogue, you will get a free whitening when you schedule your scan (which is free)! That is a $400 value!! Even if you decide not to do the full treatment!
Why I went with SmileCycle for Invisalign.
Everyone wants the end result of Invisalign but I knew the process wasn’t going to be easy. It takes a long time to move teeth! However, SmileCycle is able to perform the process in half the time and for half the price. Most cases are between $2000 and $2500 and can be completed in 6 months. There is also a payment plan! For reference, standard Invisalign costs about $5000 and takes 1.5 years.
Every single smile is different and SmileCycle’s approach is to think of it as an art. When the doctors are designing for your teeth, they think about everything right down to how to improve the symmetry of your face. Another major selling point was that the SmileCycle dentists specialized in Invisalign. I’ve heard a few stories from you guys about Invisalign gone wrong where less experienced dentists worked with a patient. SmileCycle has the highest satisfaction ratings.
SmileCycle Invisalign process.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how easy SmileCycle makes the Invisalign process. I was off and running after my third visit and am not scheduled to go back until August!
My first visit was to meet the team and for them to scan my teeth. It was really quick and done digitally. The only unpleasant part was when they put those cotton rollers in your mouth but it wasn’t too bad! You don’t feel a thing! I was in and out of the office over my lunch break. The best part is this scan is free so there’s no reason not to take advantage and see if SmileCycle is a fit for you!
Within the next 2 weeks, I received my digital scans (AKA “clincheck”) along with a customized plan for how Dr. Mohiuddin wanted to “design” my teeth. You can log in and check them on your own and they are password protected. It’s an interactive system so you can easily scroll through how your teeth are expected to move every week of the process. What’s even cooler is that you can look at it from every angle you want because it’s 3 dimensional. I wasn’t completely sold on doing Invisalign until I saw this. I just thought the SmileCycle technology was the coolest thing! I showed everyone – I even pulled it out when we were out for cocktails at night to show my friends!
After I got my “clincheck”, I went into the South Loop SmileCycle to meet with Dr. Mohiuddin to review it. He explained what he saw thoroughly and talked to me about what the rest of the process would entail. I couldn’t believe that two of my teeth are rotated 45 degrees!! He also designed my Invisalign process to make my teeth appear bigger at the end of the treatment by playing with the angles of them. I loved the idea of this without having to take a more extreme step!
My third visit to SmileCycle was to pick up my trays and apply tabs to my teeth. I was VERY concerned about the tabs looking too obvious when I had my trays out but you can barely see them. The tabs are what provide extra grip so that the trays can move your teeth effectively and almost everyone needs them. The location of the tabs varies depending on what movement your teeth need. Some people need more, some people need less! The tabs are even less visible than the trays themselves (which are clear) so in hindsight, I shouldn’t have spent so much time worrying about them.
I couldn’t believe how easy this process was. It took 3 visits and no pain for me to start my Invisalign process. Insane. Way less effort and time than I expected! For someone with a full time job, this is incredibly convenient. It’s convenient for anyone who is short on time!
Checkins are done digitally from now until August. Dr. Mohiuddin asked me to email him if I have any questions or problems with a photo of my teeth and the trays. He said I’d be surprised by how much he can tell from an iPhone selfie! Of course, if something needs immediate attention, you can always schedule another visit to the office.
My experience so far.
Other than putting the tab on my teeth, everything about this has been incredibly fast. My first set of aligners fit perfectly (you get a set for every week). My teeth were pretty sensitive the first day so it was a little hard to eat. The first week was the hardest. I quickly realized how much I snack because you can’t eat with the trays in. You also can only drink clear liquids which apparently is the most difficult part for most patients (that means no coffee!). I also had to re-learn how to talk a little because I had a lisp the first couple days. People told me they couldn’t tell but I think it bothered me more because I could tell!
The other thing that was challenging was remembering to take your case, floss, and a toothbrush with me everywhere. This isn’t a requirement but I’m so paranoid about getting cavities that I want to make sure I am putting the aligners in on teeth that are clean! I don’t want to take any risks! I carry everything I need in a cute little pouch that I slip into my work bag. I pretty much have it with me at all times but again, I’m overly cautious!
With the SmileCycle Invisalign, you swap out your trays once a week and I figured they’d be sore every time I got a new tray. However, it seems like the soreness isn’t as bad as the first day. They’re still sore with every new tray and I’m probably overcompensating by not biting into as many hard things, but they feel pretty good considering my teeth are moving!
Dr. Mohiuddin gave me 14 weeks of trays to start. Since I was so concerned about an open posterior bite (thanks to you guys for warning me), we are taking an extra precaution. I’m scheduled for a check up in August just to make sure my teeth are moving as they should. At that point, I’ll get re-scanned and the rest of my trays will be made. It takes about 3 weeks for the trays to be made but I don’t mind having a little longer treatment in order to make things perfect! Your smile is everything!
Overall, I’m feeling really good about the process and would recommend it to anyone interested. Since the first scan is free, there’s no risk in scheduling an appointment to see if you’re a good candidate! The aligners get less noticeable with every week as I get more comfortable popping them in and out. SmileCycle also gave me bleach to use twice a week so I get to whiten my teeth throughout this whole process too. That’s an added bonus! The bleach works even where the tabs are placed on your teeth. Trust me, that was one of the first things I asked!
Have you ever thought about getting Invisalign? If you’re in Chicago, have you been to Dentologie or SmileCycle?
Victoria Wilhelm says
I’m getting my trays in through Dentologie Streeterville next week and so excited! Just curious- how long did your appointment take to get your trays fitted and tabs put on?
Jenna says
Hi Victoria! It only took an hour! The tabs were most of it – the trays took under 2 minutes :)
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