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Author
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Topic: Invisalign Braces
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gr8get
Junior Member
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posted 03-18-2007 09:56 PM
 
quote:
Originally posted by degrassigirl:
I'm on day 3 of my first tray (of 23 upper and lower) and I'm starting to wonder if my moulds might've had a flaw. Does that ever happen? I'm having a sharp edge issue in the back of my lowers and it's not just a jagged edge that i can file down. It's more like the back left of the tray is sticking up ever so slightly so the side isn't lying down flat against my tooth. Everytime it touches my tongue it kills. I've come to terms that my tongue will be cut for two weeks but I wouldn't be able to handle it if it was every tray for the whole year. Has anyone experienced it? I'm worried all my trays will have this issue. If so, is it something my tongue will get used to? Looks like I'll be trying the dental wax, (and adding one more step to the already lengthy eating process). Thanks SO much in advance for any insight, this board has saved my life for the past four days.
(in case anyone is interested, mine cost $5600, insurance paid $1800, and I'm in SF, Cali).
Degrassigirl, I'm now on my 3rd set of trays (in week 6). I had exactly the same experience as you with my first lower tray. The edge of it cut into the underside of my tongue (it felt as if the edge flared out) and caused me extreme pain, which extended back into my throat. I could barely eat, and it hurt to speak. I went back to the ortho and asked the tech to file down the edge of the that tray, as well as the next 2 trays. I was really, really uncomfortable for the entire 2 weeks of tray 1 (just the lower; the upper felt fine). When I went to the 2nd set of trays, the lower one was still very uncomfortable, but I decided to file that one down myself with an emery board. I filed it a few times, actually. By the end of week 3, it felt fine. When I went to the 3rd set of trays (week 5), I had no problem at all with the lower tray. I've had no pain at all for the past 3 weeks. I think the inside of your mouth has to acclimate to all this "foreign" stuff. I, too, have gotten a lot of good information from this board. Hang in there. Good luck!
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degrassigirl
Preferred Member
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posted 03-19-2007 12:05 AM
Thanks for the response!!
So are you going to plan on filing each one in the same place each time? Or do you think your mouth just got used to it the way it is?
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kaka
Junior Member
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posted 03-19-2007 05:49 PM
I went for a check up 2 weeks after getting my first tray and he told me I needed to wear it another week because my teeth arent ready for the 2nd tray, but I feel no pressure at all on my teeth, I never have done even when I first got it on. Has anyone else noticed their first tray applied no pressure, im concerned because I dont want to wear it if it is not going to do anything. I think I should have gone for fixed braces
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jfae772
Junior Member
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posted 03-19-2007 07:29 PM
I've had invisalign since December 5,2006 and they are amazing! I am on my 7th tray out of 18 on upper and 15 on lower and there has been a dramatic change already.It took getting used to and so far I havent lost any yet! Whenever i change them now I am used to it and they don't hurt as much as they did. I am so glad that i decided on invisalign rather than metal braces. There has been a few accidents of them being "inivisble"..haha. I would usually put them in a napkin when I eat rather then bringing my case everywhere and everytime s o m e o n e would take the napkin and the trays would fly everywhere! Pretty gross. =]
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gr8get
Junior Member
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posted 03-19-2007 07:47 PM
quote:
Originally posted by degrassigirl:
Thanks for the response!!
So are you going to plan on filing each one in the same place each time? Or do you think your mouth just got used to it the way it is?
That's an excellent question! I won't know until I have my next 3 sets of trays (#4, #5, and #6), which I'll get on 3/28. I'll let you know.
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yma_angel
Junior Member
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posted 03-19-2007 10:00 PM
I havn't got my invisalign yet, but I currently have tradition braces on my lowers due to severe overcrowding (one tooth is actually behind ALL the others) once that's sorted out i'm getting invisalign.. I can tell you though.. The traditional braces aren't much fun either! Inside of my lip is cut to shreds.. Severe headaches after adjustment and no relief because they can't be taken out, even for a moment.. I can't wait for invisalign!
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BennyTheJet
Preferred Member
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posted 03-19-2007 10:41 PM
quote:
Originally posted by kaka:
I went for a check up 2 weeks after getting my first tray and he told me I needed to wear it another week because my teeth arent ready for the 2nd tray, but I feel no pressure at all on my teeth, I never have done even when I first got it on. Has anyone else noticed their first tray applied no pressure, im concerned because I dont want to wear it if it is not going to do anything. I think I should have gone for fixed braces
Actually, my first tray didn't have much pressure at all. I did feel some on the bottom but the top didn't have any. I had to wear my first trays for 3 weeks too. I felt a lot of pressure on my second trays and since then the level of pressure is different with each tray. Some trays are better than others, thats for sure. Oh, and to reply to my last post, my trays cracked always in the same spot..the bottom tray where it curves back to my molars perhaps because there are 3 attachments lined up consecutively in that area. Just a thought.
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Kingkinsey
Junior Member
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posted 03-21-2007 07:14 PM
I have had the same problem. The severity varies between sets of aligners. I use dental wax or dental silicon. I roll a small bead in the palm of my hand and make a very thin ribbon of wax that I press on the area of the aligner that is causing the irritation. So that the ribbon will adhere, dry the area of the aligner 1st, especially if using the silicon. quote:
Originally posted by degrassigirl:
Thanks for the response!!
So are you going to plan on filing each one in the same place each time? Or do you think your mouth just got used to it the way it is?
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kaka
Junior Member
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posted 03-30-2007 01:01 PM
Hi, I just wondered if there was anyone from the UK on this message board. The reason I am asking is that I was charged £2,900 and I am only getting my upper teeth done, a total of 12 trays. I read some messages that you are charged for full treatment and not on how many trays you need, so I would just like to compare prices. thanks
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melanie07
Junior Member
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posted 03-31-2007 01:27 PM
I live in the UK too. I've had two quotes so far - the first was for £5000 and the second for £4300 (1 year, upper and lower). Both said it would cost around £3000 if I was only going to get my top teeth done. I'm going to get a third opinion next week...
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lozb
Junior Member
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posted 04-03-2007 05:00 AM
quote:
Originally posted by melanie07:
I live in the UK too. I've had two quotes so far - the first was for £5000 and the second for £4300 (1 year, upper and lower). Both said it would cost around £3000 if I was only going to get my top teeth done. I'm going to get a third opinion next week...
Hi I'm from the UK and I'm using Invisalign. I got charged £3750 by Holborn Dental (in London) for both uppers and lowers. I'm using 13 lowers and 19 uppers, currently on tray 8. Definitely seen movement! They also threw in a free whitening kit, so my teeth are whitening at the same time! Give them a call, and use me as a referral, Lawrence Bain! My dentist name there is Graham Tinkler. http://www.holborndental.co.uk/about_us.php
Alternatively there's http://www.clearstep.co.uk/ - which is supposedly the same, but half the price. In the end though I chose Invisalign purely because they've seen millions of clients, so I'd rather get this right the first time!
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anaana
Junior Member
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posted 04-10-2007 06:47 PM
A question: my upper front teeth stick out a bit, how much does Invisalign Express correct such a thing?
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girl
Junior Member
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posted 04-12-2007 05:03 PM
I read a lot of messages saying that the pain in teeth goes away in 1 week. I have my first aligner in on the 2nd week now. I am still experiencing pain in teeth when i bite normally. I don't feel pain if I keep my upper and lower teeth apart. I teeth hurt also while eating. Is it normal?Not much pain but still continue to experiencing day by day is annoying...><
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Roberta
Junior Member
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posted 04-12-2007 06:38 PM
quote:
Originally posted by GlossyTooth:
Okay, I'm only on day 2 of Invisaligns and I'm already ready to chuck em out the window. They don't seem to bother me when they are in -- and I'm fortunate enough not to have any speech difficulties as a result (whewie!). However, they hurt to take them out! I am going to take comfort in the fact that many of you say that "taking them out gets easier." I don't necessarily beleive it, but I'll try to have a little faith... It is odd b/c the backs come out very easily, but when I take them out it feels like I will rip the front teeth out (which, by the way, have the lovely bumps to grip -- the grippers surely are doing their jobs!!). Does anyone know any tricks of the trade for taking them out -- other than pulling them out and screaming as if I was being tortured by a main character on Alias or "24."? Thanks for any suggestions. I'd love to learn from those who have mastered a technique. Ouch - hurts to think about it. If nothing else, maybe I can do an informercial on these ******s promotion weight loss, b/c I will never want to take them out to eat! 
I used a crochet tool (size 2.5) to get mine out and it is extremely helpful. The pain of removal goes away after the first few days for each set of trays.
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stefie10
Junior Member
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posted 04-17-2007 07:36 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Roberta:
I used a crochet tool (size 2.5) to get mine out and it is extremely helpful. The pain of removal goes away after the first few days for each set of trays.
Regarding those dots, yes they do make removal quite difficult. I am only on day 2 of tray 1 for my uppers; lowers will start later im told. My orthodontist had me remove them right there. I thought they just slipped right off, but then again I never knew about those dots. I have 1 on either side and they are quite rough. I swear i thought they tray wouldnt come off. Maybe I was even in a bit of a panic. So he took it out and bent the sides in the back a bit, for a bit of a ledge to get a better grip on. THat helped a little, but it didnt solve the problem. One side still wouldnt budge. So I got him to file down one of the dots a bit, and voila I could get the tray off myself. Im wondering about these dots though. Will they both be on for the entire treatment? Will I need more dots at a later time? I dont like them. They are not smoothe at all. I wouldnt say they are sharp, but thing of a scrapey pumice stone. Yeah, makes you want to put the smooth aligner back in asap. In terms of pressure, yeah you feel it, but im sure compared to regular braces its a breeze. Plus if it gets unbearable you can always take them out for a bit. I had a retainer about 10 years ago when I was a teenager to move some of my front teeth out a bit. It had springs and things, and I tell you that was painful moving. Plus it didnt sit flush with the roof of my mouth and lithhhping whilst speaking was unavoidable. So compared to that, Invisalign is great. I just wonder if my teeth with the dots will be smoothe again once they are removed. Im worried about that.
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chashmish
Preferred Member
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posted 04-18-2007 07:52 AM
Don't worry abt the attachments. I had broken half of one off and needed it reapplied. They shaved off the remainder of the current attachment and my tooth felt just like it used to, smooth and all. But then they reapplied the button. :P I find that they are a bit scratchy the first few days but with wear & tear, they give a bit more smooth.
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johndiego
Junior Member
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posted 04-24-2007 07:05 PM
I'm on my second week on my first tray. I was initially quoted $5,000 for 8 to 10 months of invisalign treatment. After the company sent the trays to my ortho, the treatment plan will only last for 4.5 months (9 trays). He still wants me to pay him $5000. We agreed on paying next month. Did he overcharg me? Is it safe to say that I only fall on the invisalign express, meaning the price should have dropped at least by $500?
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spry01
Preferred Member
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posted 04-24-2007 07:57 PM
I haven't felt any pain either (I am on tray 3/16) just a very slight pressure feeling and it makes you wonder if they are actually working. I am guessing they are though because after a few day of wearing a new aligner they suddenly become a lot easier to remove, start to feel a bit loose and my teeth seem to fit the new aligner shape perfectly which they don't do when you first put it in. I still worry though that there should be more pain or more pressure!
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BadBoy
Preferred Member
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posted 04-24-2007 08:33 PM
That sounds what I experienced on all my aligners for the past year and the teeth moved perfectly! Just some pressure for the first 2-3 days and then the aligner has moved the teeth and the rest of the 2 weeks is just to hold the teeth in the new position and allow them to heal, so indeed the aligner isn't as tight then. Not everybody has pain, I don't think its even the majority, just more post about it.
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BennyTheJet
Preferred Member
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posted 04-24-2007 10:49 PM
Um...yeah, for some reason you want more pain and pressure? I wish I had your problem, mine are a pain in the ass the first couple days...
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spry01
Preferred Member
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posted 04-25-2007 02:02 AM
Don't get me wrong - I don't want the pain but then again I don't want to find out in a couple of weeks time that the aligners haven't moved my teeth as they should and so far has all been for nothing - I wonder why some people feel more pain ???? It mustn't be an age thing because I know my kids were in a lot of pain each time after having their traditional braces tightened.
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BadBoy
Preferred Member
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posted 04-25-2007 03:33 AM
Everyone has a different pain threshold and each case is different too, the tooth movements vary. I had no real pain only a little pressure the first few days of each aligner for the past year and all the tooth movements happened perfectly and matched my clinicheck video files. Pain isn't necessary at all. The only minor discomfort I recall is for a few aligners the first night I removed one for a short time, but not while the aligner was in.
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spry01
Preferred Member
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posted 04-25-2007 04:40 AM
With traditional braces you only get them tightened every 6 weeks so I wonder if that is the equivalent of 3 aligners worth of movement. That has got to hurt!
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chashmish
Preferred Member
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posted 04-25-2007 08:59 AM
augh. I just changed to my 7th set on Monday night, so my trays are still a bit tight. It almost feels like my teeth are itchy.
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johndiego
Junior Member
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posted 04-25-2007 05:54 PM
Posted the question below yesterday. Any thoughts? quote:
Originally posted by johndiego:
I'm on my second week on my first tray. I was initially quoted $5,000 for 8 to 10 months of invisalign treatment. After the company sent the trays to my ortho, the treatment plan will only last for 4.5 months (9 trays). He still wants me to pay him $5000. We agreed on paying next month. Did he overcharg me? Is it safe to say that I only fall on the invisalign express, meaning the price should have dropped at least by $500?
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kflowers
Junior Member
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posted 04-25-2007 06:47 PM
Hi There:
I am getting Invis. quite soon. Am I able to drink coffee (2-3 cups a day) and red wine while wearing the trays and just rinse after or do I have to take them off to drink and then brush and put them back on? I am very worried about this (haha) I drink a lot of coffee and wine.
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johndiego
Junior Member
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posted 04-25-2007 07:28 PM
Thanks to this forum I found out about Invisalign express. My ortho didn't tell me about it. He lowered my cost from $5000 to $4000 because he neglect to inform me about the express.I am only 9 trays for the full invisalign treatment (I'm still on my first tray). He told me if I went on express (which is $2200 less than the full treatment) and my teeth are not perfect by the end of the 9th tray, we would need to order extra tray(s) and take new impressions of my teeth which I would pay extra. And that still doesn't cover the retainers after the express treatment. Is this true or is he just trying to cover his attempt to overcharge me??? I agreed on just being given a discount of $1000 instead of saving $2200 becuase he said he already paid invisalign for the full treatment. Although he did offer me to pay $2200 less and still go with the full treatment becuase it was his fault he didnt inform me about the express. Any thoughts? Is he telling the truth about the extra trays not being covered by invisalign express??
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BadBoy
Preferred Member
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posted 04-25-2007 07:56 PM
Its true that Invisalign Express reportedly does not include free refinements. With the regular Invisalign up to 3 refinement series are included in the price. Retainer cost are up to the individual doctor, since some go to dental labs or promote bonded wire fixed retainers rather than the invisalign clear retainer.
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sdarling
Junior Member
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posted 05-02-2007 09:18 PM
Just started my treatment today. 8 Lower/18 Upper. So far it doesn't seem to bad. A little extra saliva and the aligners are a littile dry on my lips. My cost was only $3700 from my dentist. This forum has been a real help with letting me know what to expect with the treatment. They are definitely hard to remove. The dentist gave me a little hook tool which I don't know how I would get them off otherwise.
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arch712
Preferred Member
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posted 05-10-2007 02:56 PM
Thank got I found this website. I've been ashamed of my teeth for many, many years and the older I get the more embarrassing it gets. I don’t smile, and I mumble because I tend to keep my month shut thinking everyone’s staring.Anyways, I think I have enough ***** now to go to the dentist to get this done. I can’t possibly read through all the post to answer my questions, so I will list some below and hope someone will help an answer them. 1. I’m assuming the cost depends on the number of trays in your treatment? 2. Can you drink anything while they are in? 3. Are there any specific questions I should ask the doctor when I visit him? 4. Anyone in the Pittsburgh, PA area going through treatment? 5. I’m assuming there is monthly payment plans? I don’t think I can fork out that much money in full 6. I only have dental insurance through work. Is anything covered? Or is there Orthodontic Insurance I can purchase elsewhere? Thanks in advance for any help
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TMG
Preferred Member
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posted 05-10-2007 04:32 PM
Arch---Here are answers to your questions...1. Price does depend on how many trays/length of treatment/severity of case. Mine was $2100 for 12 upper and 13 lower trays which equals 6 months of treatment. I just have two small gaps on the sides I am trying to close. 2. You are supposed to only drink water with them in. 3. I asked how long treatment was, cost, how soon could I begin treatment. 4. not in PA, sorry. 5. I put $1000 down and I pay $165 per month for the remainder. Depends on your dentist. You could also use credit cards, etc.. 6. If you have insurance, you definetely want to find out if they will cover any. In my case, I didnt have ortho insurance and I am over age anyway (32). I did purchase Dental Access Plan and they offer a discount on Invisalign but it depends on how much your treatment is. Mine was already on the low side so I didnt get any more off. But I have to have some veneers in the end and I can use it for that. You can do a search online for "discount dental Plans" and find information on this. Also ask your dentist office which discount plans they accept.
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AnneC
Preferred Member
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posted 05-10-2007 07:02 PM
Price depends more on case difficulty perhaps & the chair time your doctor anticipates because of that. Most dentists generally charge less, but an ortho can demand more simply because they are specially trained to deal with more uncertainties. Wow! $2100 U.S. is probably the least expensive I've even seen for a regular length plan, TMG. That sounds closer to an Express cost others have been quoted. I do drink coffee using a straw while wearing them & clean shortly after. Others report drinking lots of things with them in without any staining issues if they frequently swish with water. Staining is not as important an issue as demineralization, though. If the trays have acidic liquids being held against your enamel for too long, it can actually start breaking down the calcium - not good. It does not rebuild itself. You can ask if you will be able to view your Clincheck video before it is accepted & when the payment/contract will begin - before the doctor submits your case or after it is accepted. Invisalign was offering free Clinchecks for awhile - not sure if that applies anymore. Ask also what fees exactly are included in the cost they quote you: panoramic xrays, impressions, whitening, retainers, etc. all add up significantly if added above your quote. I personally no longer have private insurance or coverage through my employer, but with the monthly plan (basically same as TMG's) it was very easily handled at this stage. I'm 50 & there's several others here in the same decade - we're never too old to improve... Hope all goes well for you, arch.
AnneC
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BennyTheJet
Preferred Member
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posted 05-10-2007 10:44 PM
Geez, and here I paid 6 grand for mine...
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arch712
Preferred Member
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posted 05-11-2007 08:55 AM
quote:
Originally posted by BennyTheJet:
Geez, and here I paid 6 grand for mine...
Yeah I'm thinking mines probably going to be in that range. My teeth aren't horrible but It is cause by me sucking on my thumb when I was young..+ they're not at all white from smoking the past 10 years.. Do you know what's included in your $6K fee? How many trays in your treatment? Whitening is pretty expensive from what I've heard so I hope that mine is in my fee.
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piggy_pig
Preferred Member
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posted 05-11-2007 09:23 AM
quote:
4. Anyone in the Pittsburgh, PA area going through treatment?
I'm near Pittsburgh (Greensburg), but I'm not going to be much help. I'm just getting started too. I have an ortho consult next week.
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