A beautiful smile is often seen as a sign of confidence. But for me, I always find it a little awkward to smile properly somehow, with my attempts at smiling naturally at the camera often ending up with photos of my contorted face. When looking into the mirror many years ago, I realized that it was due to my misaligned teeth that caused my uneven bite and resulting slanted jaws.
Now that I have kids of my own, I do pay a little more attention to their teeth when I help them brush. I got concerned when their milk teeth do not fall off despite their adult teeth already erupted behind. Well, we are often told that the adult teeth will eventually move into the correct position, but they do not always do so perfectly. I know because that was what happened to my girls.
Knowing that my sis-in-law had worn metal braces in her younger days over a period of 2 years, I thought it would be a good idea for the girls to understand more about teeth straightening from her and we had a chat over it. Alas! I could see that Steffi and Stacci were terrified as their aunt shared her painful experience of getting frequent ulcers that even took away the joy of eating her favourite sashimi!
Invisalign set up Invisalign Centre in Wisma Atria B1-14, and we were curious to find out what was offered at the centre. I mean a centre about braces for teeth???
And since we are going to the Centre, I did my little research online it to see if it would be suitable for Steffi or Stacci, and was shown with quite a number of other clear aligner brands. Browsing through their FAQ to check if treatments were available for children, it turned out that most were meant more for mild problems only, and some even stated upfront that they were not meant for kids.
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| If you just walk pass the Invisalign Centre @ Wisma Atria B1-14, it looks almost like an optical shop at first glance. Only if you stop and check it out, would you learn so much more about how aligners work, and that our teeth can be straightened up over a series of Invisalign clear aligners. |
Invisalign SmileView Station
There are a series of tablets here that you can use to take a selfie with, and we all know how kids are naturally attracted to the iPad stations right? But these are not for games though. This is where your search for a better smile starts!
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| It was fun trying out the virtual simulation and see how much improvement one’s smile can get. The before/after photos were obvious when viewed side by side. You should really pop by the centre to try visualising your straightened-teeth look! |
Here we can find the SmileView technology, which allowed Steffi and Stacci to try out the teeth simulation simply by taking a selfie. It will then generate your simulated new smile within a minute, and both Steffi and Stacci were really amazed by the results of their simulated new smiles. Actually, I can guarantee you will too, unless you already have perfectly straight teeth to start with, or if you wear dentures.
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| Look at how much better Stacci looked without the glaring gaps between her front and canines in her simulated smile! |
Experience Bar
Here you can touch and feel for yourself how the aligner feels like and see real-life examples of how the aligners changed over varying periods to finally get to the perfect smile for the wearer. The brand is an obvious play on the words “invisible” and “align” and it holds true that the clear aligners are not that noticeable, especially from a distance.
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| Check out the series of Invisalign aligners prescribed by Invisalign doctors for the users for their treatment and be marvelled by the final results! |
We also learnt from the Smile Concierge that these clear aligners were made from their patented material called SmartTrack. While the material itself is soft and flexible (as tested by my girls who tried bending it), it still has good control to shape teeth gently and comfortably.
The aligners use gentle force to shape precisely while straightening the teeth gently and comfortably, day by day, as one goes about with daily chores. You can compare the first set of aligners to the final one, it was really incredible to see how some protruding teeth can be nudged back into place simply by using these rather soft plastic aligners.
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| And here is Steffi trying out how to put the aligners on, and the proper way to remove them from the teeth moulds. |
It is little wonder that with the commitment that Invisalign has, with over 8 million users as they work hand in hand with dentists / orthodontists to provide professional care and support, that the results speak for themselves. Definitely not the same as those you order online and without support from the same or your preferred doctor or clinic from start to end. I think getting support from the same doctor and same clinic is important, just like how we prefer to go back to the same pediatrician when it comes to our kiddos right? They know us personally, know what to watch out for and surely feels more assuring this way.
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| The photos show some of the common teeth misalignments and stated how long it took for the users to achieve their desired smiles. |
It is really comforting to hold the actual aligners in my hands, knowing that the Invisalign treatment will be a far cry from wearing metal braces. With Invisalign, there is no need to worry about wires dropping off or having to work around the metal bit when brushing or flossing! I cannot imagine any mishaps such as the brackets falling off and wires poking the kids just days or weeks before crucial periods like their exams.
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| Have a look and see if some of the above problems are affecting your smile? Because fear not, the Invisalign treatment had proven to be effective in correcting these cases. |
I noticed that the sample cases were from different age groups, and so I checked with the Smile Concierge if treatment was possible for Stacci, since she is only 8 years and still has her milk teeth. She went on to share with us more information on Invisalign for kids - Invisalign First suitable for 6 -10 years old, which is to develop young jaws and/or arches to make room for existing teeth and for incoming permanent teeth to avoid severe teeth misalignment when they grow up.
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| Only when you hold and touch the aligners yourself, like Stacci here, would you be able to experience the flexibility and lightness of it. |
Invisalign is indeed advanced in teeth straightening that covers kids to adults and also mild to severe teeth misalignment as compared to other clear aligner brands as it has over 22 years of research and development and work with over 170,000 doctors in over 100 countries. It is also widely used by over 2 million teens worldwide. *data as per www.invisalign.com.
There may be other brands of clear aligners in the market but after researching into them, I realized that they treat only mild to moderate cases and don't provide for teens or kids.
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| Getting the littles ones started early from as young as 6, would help prevent the erupting permanent teeth from growing into one of the problematic cases on the right. |
3D Scan and Outcome Simulator (iTero scan)
I was told that some Invisalign doctors would be using these machines at their clinics to do a 3D scanning of your teeth and will be able to share with you on your desired new smile. In fact one can request to change the positioning or angle of their teeth on the simulator and fit the image of their perfect smile. It is like starting with the end in mind, the smile that is!
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| How technology has advanced, that such a detailed 3D color model of one’s gum and teeth can be saved in a just a few minutes! |
Teeth straightening is an investment and involves moving of teeth, so I do not want to take any risks in getting the right end result. Invisalign has a patented treatment plan that is able to map out the tooth movement at every stage, just like how GPS works on guiding you to drive from Punggol to the East Coast, informing you on how to get there and how long it takes. There is indeed a plan.
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| Walking through with us on how the dentist would be able to reposition the teeth and subsequently come up with the individual treatment plan after consultation on the desired look. |
The usual process of making teeth moulds would involve the biting down hard into some sticky icky material and would depend a lot on the skill of the person doing it. Now with this type of quick scanning, it will be fuss-free to kids. Kids can’t stay still lor!
Smile Concierge
So, the whole idea about having this Invisalign Centre, is really for educational purposes, so that one can find out more about the Invisalign treatment from the friendly Smile Concierge in a very casual setting. It is surely not as intimidating as discussing this on the dental chair, or as awkward as holding up other patients at the dental clinics.
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| The Smile Concierge is seen here checking out the closest Invisalign doctors within the vicinity of our house. |
And if you are interested to go for your first consultation with an Invisalign doctor like we do, they can also recommend you to Invisalign-certified dentists near to the location of your preference. In fact, you will even get a voucher entitling you up to $200 off* your Invisalign treatment when you book the appointment with your preferred Invisalign doctor through them.
*Terms and conditions apply
In Conclusion
I am sold, or should I say, we were all sold on the effectiveness of these clear aligners in helping reshape the teeth into better smiles. The prospect of having ulcers from other forms of treatments such as metal braces, is enough to put many off from seeking treatment but Invisalign aligners are custom-made with precision and would not hurt the gums when worn.
To have a better inkling and understanding on the cost of treatments available for the girls, I called up a dental clinic to enquire. Based on the brief case backgrounds of Stacci and Steffi that I gave to the staff, I was advised that the first-generation braces (or wire braces) would cost from $3,600 up. However I was advised that Stacci would be too young for it, and was asked to consider Invisalign for both the girls.
Was told that Invisalign First treatment (kids 6- 10years old) would cost around $3,500 - $5,000, or around $6,000 for Steffi's age (above 11years) but of course there was a disclaimer given, that the treatment cost depends on the severity and can only be determined following a consultation that can cost around $70*(cost may vary among doctors) .
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| Already 8 million smiles we were told. |
As the Invisalign Centre is for educational purposes, you cannot make the aligners there because Invisalign works with Invisalign-certified doctors to deliver prescribed and well-supervised treatment to you. If you are interested, go hear it from an Invisalign-certified doctor near your location and get up to $200 off your Invisalign treatment. *T&C apply.
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Visit the Invisalign Centre @ #B1-14 Wisma Atria 435 Orchard Road, Singapore 238877
Phone: +65 6362 1066
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