Invisalign intake: what happens at your first visit?

Not with your teeth, but with you.

The first question is what bothers you and what you would like to see differently. That one tooth that sticks out. Your lower front teeth that have shifted back. Or simply a feeling you have never quite put into words.

After that your history comes up. Have you had braces before? Are there crowns or fillings? Do you have complaints about your jaw, do you grind at night? Those are not trick questions, although they do determine what is possible and what is not.

You do not need to prepare anything. Come as you are and tell us what is bothering you.

No. We work exclusively with scanners, so that paste does not come into it. For many people that is exactly the part they were dreading.

First we look. At your teeth and your gums, and at how your bite closes. Then a small camera passes along your teeth to make a digital scan, and your own teeth appear on the screen. The scan does not hurt and takes a few minutes.

You may swallow in between, take a break or ask whether it is nearly done. Feel free to say so.

After the scan we discuss what is possible in your case. Not a general story about aligners. An explanation about your teeth.

• Whether aligners suit your situation
• Which teeth need to move, and why
• An indication of roughly how long your trajectory takes
• An indication of what it is going to cost

On average a treatment takes 8 to 16 months. Whether you are at the short or the long end depends on how much has to move.

Every aligner trajectory starts with a digital plan in which your teeth shift step by step. Software calculates that. But a calculated plan is not yet a treatment plan. A practitioner judges whether that movement suits your jaw and your bite and adjusts it where needed. On day one that plan is not finished yet, although you do hear straight away which way it is going.

Feel free to keep asking. Why that tooth first? What does it mean if I do not do it? What about the aligners while eating? There is no stupid question among them.

You get an indication, and it is based on what was just on the screen. With us a full treatment lies between 3,395 and 4,885 euros. Where you end up within that range depends on how much has to move and how long your trajectory takes.

At the bottom sits a lighter correction, for instance only your lower front teeth. At the top a full treatment of upper and lower. You only hear your own amount after your teeth have been looked at, because an estimate based on a hunch does not help you.

This is also the moment to ask what is and is not included in that amount. All aligners, the check-ups along the way, the retainer at the end. Ask those questions out loud here. We would rather you know than that you are surprised later.

Just as important as the rest. At that first visit:

• No drilling takes place
• You do not have to decide anything, not even at the end
• You do not get a sales pitch to take home
• You are not committed to anything if you decide at home not to go ahead

Many people come in thinking they will walk out with a signature. That is not necessary. You may sleep on it for a night, or for three months.

Say so at the beginning, before you sit down. Not at the end, once you have carried it with you through the whole appointment.

It changes how the appointment goes. We work more calmly and every step is explained before it happens. You do not have to explain why you find it nerve-racking and nobody thinks it is strange. It is more common than you think, including among people in their thirties and forties.

Want to hear how others experienced that first visit? Then read what they say about their treatment.

Clarity, above all.

You know whether aligners are possible in your case, which way your treatment would go and roughly where the costs lie. You also know what you still need to find out, for instance what your supplementary dental insurance does.

If you have questions afterwards, you simply contact the practice again. Even if that is only weeks later.

That first appointment is not a moment of choice. It is a conversation and a scan, with honest information about your teeth. After that you decide, with information instead of a gut feeling.

Come and meet us with no strings attached and see what is possible in your situation. Want to know first who you will be sitting across from? You can read that on our about page.