My Smile Express package has arrived!! I’m so excited to share that I have officially begun my Invisalign journey this week! I am currently on day 5 of my first set of trays since my first day was this past Monday. I have been thinking about getting Invisalign for several months and I finally took the plunge this winter to begin the process. Before I talk about the specifics, I am going to provide a bit of a background so that everything makes sense by the end of this post.
Backstory:
I had braces for about a year when I was in 8th grade going into high school. I didn’t have too many issues with my teeth back then so we went ahead and opted to do braces since that was very standard. My experience was great and I loved how my teeth were super straight when I got them off. A few years later when I was a freshman in college, my dentist told me that I needed to get my wisdom teeth removed. They didn’t hurt me at the time but he advised that they were growing in and it was going to overcrowd my mouth. With this in mind, I had wisdom teeth surgery where all four were removed but there was an excessive amount of swelling during the recovery process. It took several weeks for everything to be completely healed but by that time, my teeth had already shifted enough where my retainers wouldn’t fit anymore. While this wasn’t a big deal to me at the time in college, I knew I would eventually want them to be straight again. After graduating college, they weren’t my top priority but I did become a little more insecure about how my teeth looked when I smiled/laughed. Towards the end of 2020, I went to my dentist appointment where I brought up some concerns about having issues with grinding my teeth at night which resulted in a lot of sores in my mouth. I wanted to get some type of night guard as protection because it was getting to the point of having 3-4 in my mouth weekly. My dentist said he could customize a guard for me but encouraged me the if I was going to straighten up my teeth, now would be the time to do it. Unfortunately, I also was told that my orthodontist who did my braces sold his practice and is no longer in the area. SO that brings us to present day…
Why I Chose Northern Virginia Orthodontics? 🧡
Completely candidly, I heard from Northern Virginia Orthodontics (NVO) through a flyer I got in my mailbox. There was a promotion going on at the time so they were trying to spread the word around the area. Since I couldn’t go to my old Orthodontist, I figured what the heck, I”ll look them up. When I did a little research on their website, I was instantly hooked. I called immediately to set up a free consultation, I figured it couldn’t hurt. They have several locations in the Northern Virginia area including Tysons Corner and One Loudoun but I went to the Brambleton location for my consultation. I’ll be honest, I was very nervous going to a new company to talk about one of my insecurities but the receptionist that I spoke to while setting up the consultant was very nice and super inviting. I went in with a mindset of just gathering as much information as possible and to make an educated/informed decision later. I learned that NVO is the #1 Invisalign Provider in the nation and the team orthodontist for the Washington Capitals (go caps!)! Since I was mainly looking at Invisalign options, I felt more comfortable going knowing their outstanding reputation.
As soon as I stepped into the office, after all of the necessary COVID safety precautions were taken, I was ushered through a series of offices accompanied with the most welcoming and friendly staff. I was immediately put at ease and felt the warmth that the office exuded. Plus a HUGE bonus, during the tour of the office I was given, I was offered a Starbucks drink from their Starbucks cafe they have ~in office~. This was such a nice surprise to be welcomed with and they made sure I was aware that NVO donates $1 for every drink served to the NVO Foundation.
Throughout the consultation, the staff were very knowledgable and kind while answering my questions. I met with Dr. Elvi Barcoma and she took a quick exam of my teeth. I felt very confident in talking about my concerns and options with her. She truly made my experience at NVO very comforting and I was pleasantly surprised with how excited I was in beginning my treatment.
What is Smile Express?
For my current teeth situation, it was recommended to me that I use Smile Express, a special program created by NVO, to treat patients that had similar stories to mine. I was an adult seeking minor straightening within my teeth but I had previously received orthodonture work so I knew the commitment it took. Smile Express only requires two in-office visits, the first to run scans to create the liners, and then the last one is at the end of your treatment plan. Since I agreed to the program during my consultation, I was able to use that same appointment to run my scans so that counted as my first appointment. Then the liners were made for me and I waited for them to be delivered straight to me! All 25 weeks of liners were sent in a box complete with additional instructions and a mini travel cosmetics bag with extra goodies inside. Especially while being cooped up inside due to COVID, I felt like this was the perfect program for me to invest in with NVO because it required limited visits to the office, convenient delivery, and efficient personalized results.🌟
My Experience So Far:
I put my first set of liners in this past Monday so I could always start my new liners on a Monday and so far, it has been great. There was minimal discomfort on the first day while my teeth were adjusting but after that I barely noticed them. I’m on week 1 of 25 liners so if all goes to plan, I’ll be finishing up the treatment by September. I have been brushing and flossing like crazy this week which makes me happy that I invested in quality toothpaste and floss recently as well. I am really excited with how the whole process has happened thus far. I felt welcomed and in great hands with NVO and felt confident in my decision to choose Smile Express. Eagerly awaiting to see my super straight smile in 6 months!
If you have additional questions about how I started with Invisalign, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to talk through my experience in more depth and listen to your questions. At the end of my treatment, I intend to make a wrap up post on my whole experience until the end.
Let’s keep those pearly whites clean and straight!🤍 Thanks for reading, as always.
XOXO
–Sara💋
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Sara Elise 