A few months ago I was at the dentist for a routine cleaning and the hygienist commented about my crooked bottom teeth. This has come up periodically over the past few years (I’ve been seeing the same dentist since 1990), but always framed as an aesthetic problem. I once again said that it didn’t bother me, and that was the end of the conversation.
When it came time for the dentist to check me, the hygienist mentioned she’d brought the issue up and that I was happy with how things were. The next thing I know, the dentist lists all the things that will go wrong with my teeth if I don’t get them fixed. I was totally taken aback and was somewhat speechless. He gave me three options: to invest in Invisalign braces ($5000-$7000 range); to invest in another kind of braces ($2000-$3000 range), or two get two retainers ($100). Options one and two would fix the issue, option three would just keep things at the status quo and make sure things didn’t get any worse.
I left saying I’d think about, and was feeling a bit shocked that this had come up so suddenly. I then looked into my employer’s extended health plan and found out I have zero orthodontic coverage. That immediately took options one and two off the table for me. There are many things I’d rather spend a few thousand dollars on.
Time went by, and I thought about it off and on, and I realized that the dentist had been right about one thing — my teeth have got more crooked over the years. I now have one tooth that is completely out of alignment. Not sure if I believe the rest of the things he said (my bite would start to suffer, my top teeth would start to get affected…), but I did come to the realization that at some point, my crooked teeth would bother me from an aesthetic perspective.
So I decided to go with the retainer option. I picked them up on Wednesday. I have two, and I alternate wearing them each night. So if you do the math there, I’ve worn the bottom one once and the top one once. And I’m now feeling this is all a ploy to get me to eventually go with the Invisalign option. Because wearing them kind of sucks! The top one feels pretty tight, and it’s hard not to notice it’s there. The bottom one doesn’t feel as tight, but it makes me feel like I’m going to gag because there’s foreign matter in the back of my throat.
I know it’s early on and I will give it a fighting chance, but the whole thing has come up rather unexpectedly and I’m not sure where it’s going to end. I may just start saving!
And for those of you who are paying attention, just pretend I posted this on November 8th.