First Appointments - What to Expect

If you're looking to get started with invisalign treatment I suggest you get the ball rolling. Depending on your current dental health and the availability of your dentist, it could be any number of months before your trays are ready. Expect to go in for multiple appointments. I've outlined the process below.

1. The Initial Consultation:  The person(s) in charge of your invisalign treatment will meet with you and look at your teeth. They'll tell you if you're a candidate and whether they think you'll need teeth removed or interproximal reduction (i.e. teeth shaving). You should also get an idea of the treatment length to expect.
2. Dental Exam: If you're confident that you're a candidate for invisalign, you should try to schedule the dental exam on the same day as your initial consultation. I was able to do this and saved myself a  trip. Expect a standard exam. If you have cavities, a broken tooth, gingivitus, etc. expect to come in again to correct these issues before your treatment can start.
3. Correcting Existing Issues:  You'll usually need to fix any existing problems with your teeth. How strict this rule is  depends on your dentist. I got away with just a thorough cleaning. Why correct problems? If you've got a cavity going, invisalign is only gonna make it worse. Think of the invisalign trays like incubators.  If you've got a broken tooth, not only will it be hard to predict how your teeth are going to move, but the tooth could break even more which will ruin the fit of the trays.
4.  Mold of Your Teeth: The dentist will take 2 molds, one for upper and one for lower. They will send these to Invisalign. Think of this as the initiaion of your treatment.  The molds will be turned into digital models that will be used to create your invisalign plan from start to finish.
5. Treatment Approval: After your molds are taken, it will take a few weeks before the treatment plan is ready. Usually this is a video that Invisalign sends to your dentist. I had the dentist email me a short version of the video so I could approve it. Technically, you can authorize the dentist to complete the approval, but this seems dumb. You want to be the one approving the final state of your teeth. I only got to see a short version of the video. To view the full video I would have had to go back to the dentist's office which seemed odd to me. Apparently Invisalign has licensing issues or something that prevents this. You would think since you paid for the treatment you'd have rights to YOUR custom plan, but not so much. Work with your dentist and try to get this emailed if you can't take off work to go in and approve.
6. Tray Fabrication: When you've approved your plan it can take 1-4 weeks for your trays to be fabricated. The dentist will call you when they're ready. You'll need to go in (again) to reeceive your trays and other goodies including cleaning instructions, holders, and chewies. Don't expect to get more than 6-8 weeks worth of trays (3 or 4 sets).

Before you receive your trays, you'll need to sign a waiver that says that a number of bad things could happen to your teeth. AWESOME. This disclaimer is really to protect the dentist from anything that goes wrong with your treatment. If you don't understand any of the terms, be sure to ask what they mean.

In total, I was able to get away with 3 visits to the dentist to get all of this stuff done. I did steps 1 & 2 on my first visit, 3 & 4 on my second visit, approved and asked questions all via phone/email, and then went into get my trays on the third visit. Expect to need to go in at least 3 times if you're lucky!