That is amazing. What is your plan?
@dentmom4 Thank you for being the resident dentist and answering our questions!
I am one of those with tight teeth and a floss hater! I find I am more compliant with the floss picks, and assume they work as well as string floss. Because there is a container of the floss picks in my car, I find I will use one while driving if I have been out to lunch or dinner prior to Invisalign. I have been good with string floss at night since Invisalign (all 5 nights 
,) but definitely prefer the floss picks. My husband preferred the Dentek Triple Clean for tight teeth, but since Costco had a huge pack of the Plackers flossers last year, I bought those; we have a ton left so I might use those in the evening in place of string floss.
The picks actually donāt work as well because they are straight. You can curve floss in a c-shape to better clean more of the tooth. Have you tried a thin floss like Glide? But picks are better than nothing.
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@dentmom4 I do use Glide and it doesnāt shred on me; I just donāt like flossing! BUT, now that I have put $6K into my mouth with the Invisalign, I will be a good patient! My dentist will be excited to find out I am actually flossing each night. 
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Met Life but my Hās company buys their higher end coverage, so I think thee coverage level is higher than usual. Our vision is VSP and every time we go in, they tell us how great our coverage is. We are very lucky. Our last plan with Cigna under a different employer only paid $1000 or $1500 (and Iām not sure that applied to adults).
Must be very employer specific. Companies in my area buy very cheap MetLife plans with low benefits, and most dentists are out or network because of this. I havenāt seen any ortho covered by MetLife.
Weāve had MetLife for dental, and I agreeā¦ it sucked. The same employer offered a very inexpensive to us and very ābougieā PCP medical plan, so they must have saved on the dental one.
I also have an incredible health plan thru work - dental covers very little. Zero adult orthodontia.
A friend in the medical friend said that most dental plans are structured in the cost of care 50 years ago - donāt account for the costs of more sophisticated dental care today. And companies want to make $$
https://dentalbilling.com/dentistry-healthcare-system-outdated-dental-insurance/
Absolutely true. Employer dental plans in the 80s maxed out at $1000 person. Same today.
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We had dental insurance through work when the children were of orthodontia age. When reviewing options, several offices said the price with insurance and without would be nearly the same. Basically, they were giving cash customers a significant discount.
My Invisalign update: I am on my 5th tray; I scan on Fridays and so far have been able to change to the next tray that evening. Getting trays out is easier now, using just my fingernail. While I wasnāt scheduled to be seen by the Orthodontist until November, that just didnāt sit well with me. I called the office and they said for the patients that donāt use the scanning app, they come in every 8 weeks, so I booked an 8 week check. Seems if I put $6K into this treatment that I wanted all the services available even if not needed. My fear was that something was off in the treatment and we donāt know until November and I would go backwards. Donāt think that would really happen, especially with the weekly scanning, but no harm with going for an appointment.
@mom60 What did you decide to do?
I have had no pain, and at first, I was worried nothing my happening! This last tray, while not sore while wearing it, I do noticed a bit of soreness while brushing my teeth. The trays donāt bother me at all, and I have been able to wear them for 22 hours except for a couple of events I attending, so left them out for the 3-4 hours.
Looking forward to hearing what my orthodontist has to say next month!
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It definitely pays to competitively shop.
I made free consultations appointments with two local orthodontists. Their offices are on the same road, about 1 mile apart. Both popular and highly recommended locally. One was where our kids got their braces. The other seems to cater to adults. Had the adult-only consult first. Felt really good about it, except the price of course. $6,800. And the way it would work with my insurance is I would pay them then be responsible for getting reimbursed.
(My insurance covers $1,500, including for adults, though it amortizes the payments quarterly even if the patient paid all up-front.).
The kids place wanted $5,480, and they would work directly with insurance and only charge me the net balance. They had already contacted the insurance directly by the time of my consult and knew exactly what they would pay and how it would work. This place also estimated 1 year instead of 15-18 months the first place did, so presumably they are advancing me through the trays more quickly. Both said the fee is fixed regardless of what it takes to get the final result and with unlimited appointments, etc., even if other dental work (like a new crown) required revised scans and trays. I have a quota of trays I can lose/break and get replaced free before a fairly minor fee.
Went with the cheaper quote. No reason not to save $1,320 for the same result from the same product. Also, lower risk with insurance paying quarterly as I anticipate leaving this insurance in about a year and that will be enough time for the full reimbursement from this place but wouldnāt have been with the other.
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I agree. You should be seen every 8 weeks or so, especially if you change trays weekly. You donāt want to wait months in case unnoticed damage occurs (and you might not know).
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@dentmom4 I agree, which is why I called to schedule the appointment earlier. The camera scanning I do each week seems good; I scan with my Invisalign off in 3 different views, tops and bottoms, then with them on, with just one view. Photos are uploaded in the app after I review the videos to make sure all of the surface can be seen. I believe they are view by AI first, then by someone in my Orthodontist office; I am not sure if he actually views them or a tech, but will find out when I go in.
While I used the Orthodontist my dentist recommended, and who she used for her own Invisalign, my dentist would know if her teeth were not tracking correctly, or her Invisalign were not fitting properly. Other adults also recommended the same Orthodontist, so I donāt think he is doing anything wrong, but I want more attention! I didnāt know to question about the visits at the time, nor do I know if the other 2 names I received wouldnāt do the same. As long as things are moving in the right direction, I am happy!
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