For young adults, the orthodontic industry has developed to become much more inclusive and accessible. There were significantly fewer therapy alternatives available even a decade ago to accommodate a variety of lifestyles and budgets. However, with all of the current choices available today, there’s no excuse for anyone to be trapped with a smile they don’t love.
Because of their practically invisible look, lower cost, and ability to straighten teeth faster than traditional braces, at-home aligners are becoming increasingly popular. At-home aligners can cost up to $2,400, while Invisalign costs between $4,000 and $8,000.
How Does It Work
You’ll take an online evaluation to check if you’re a candidate before starting therapy. Then you may place an order for an at-home impression kit to be sent to your home. To guarantee that you take the impressions accurately, the kits come with extensive instructions. You’ll return the impressions in a pre-paid envelope. The aligner company will assess your case after obtaining the impressions. It’s possible that you’ll have to retake the imprints in some circumstances.
A dentist or orthodontist will next build a computerized three-dimensional image of your teeth. This model depicts the progression of your tooth movement from beginning to end. The treatment plan also contains an estimate of how long your treatment will take and how many aligners you’ll need. You’ll be charged for the aligners once you approve the plan. Within two to three weeks, you should receive them. Keep in mind that you are not compelled to complete therapy until you have given your approval.
As mentioned above,traditional, in-office orthodontic treatment options like braces and Invisalign are rather expensive, but one can easily find alternatives with Smile Prep. On their website, Smile Prep ranks and reviews some of the most popular home teeth straightening kits. Below we will discuss three of alternatives to Invisalign:
- Byte
Byte may be new to the market, but in just a few years, they’ve shown to be extremely effective and convenient, rocketing to the top of our home aligner rankings. They give faster treatment times than any other aligner company thanks to technological and procedural innovation (just 3 months on average). Furthermore, they do it without compromising on quality or client service.
Byte’s 3-4-month treatment period is almost half that of other home aligner businesses and less than a fourth of Invisalign’s average 12-month treatment duration. Your smile is guaranteed for life with the Byte for Life Guarantee. They will design new aligners to readjust your teeth even if they change years later. Regardless of credit score, any Byte customer can get financing for their aligner treatment. Payment plans for Invisalign differ based on your dentist. Every Byte patient is assigned a dedicated customer service representative who will check in with them throughout their therapy. Byte offers a nighttime-only treatment program that just takes 10 hours per day if you don’t want to wear your aligners 22+ hours each day.
- Candid
In general, at-home aligners don’t compare to Invisalign’s next-level strength and precision, but Candid is one of the most effective home aligner firms. They’re committed to providing high-quality items as well as safe and effective treatment. They’re the only home aligner company that offers a Remote Monitoring service, which allows your assigned orthodontist to monitor your progress throughout treatment.
The average treatment period for Candid is 6 months, whereas Invisalign often takes 12 months. Not many home aligner companies work entirely with orthodontists to build your treatment plan, like Candid does.
- SmileDirectClub
SmileDirectClub is the most well-known and well-known home aligner brand, as well as one of the first to hit the market and a competitor to Invisalign. They go above and beyond to provide the most convenient treatment and have a strong physical presence with more than 300 SmileShops across the country. SmileDirectClub has created over a million beautiful smiles to date, but Invisalign offers a wider portfolio of results and more experience.
You may skip the impression kit and get started on your treatment right away with SmileShops. They also have a network of over 1,000 dentists where you can begin your treatment with a dental scan. SmileDirectClub costs $1,950, which is significantly less than Invisalign. Every customer at SmileDirectClub has access to financing and payment options, with no credit check required.
Final Thought
There’s no denying that Invisalign is an excellent teeth-straightening solution. However, if you’re concerned about the financial and/or time commitment, there are lots of other options. It’s critical to think about each option in terms of your own goals and priorities.