if only i’d had invisalign …

This is a sponsored post, which means I got paid to write it (as writers should). As always, all opinions are mine.

I don’t regret for a minute that I was born before computers or before cell phones or even before the iPod. There’s only one thing I do deeply wish had been around when I was growing up – and that’s Invisalign. Honestly, I would be happy if it had just been available when my kids were growing up.

You see, all four of us – my husband, my son, my daughter and I – wore braces. Yet we all have crooked teeth. WTH?

I recently attended Bloggy Boot Camp, where I got to learn a lot about Invisalign and the new Invisalign Teen. During the whole presentation, I think I sat there with my mouth open. My mouth full of teeth that could have been straight if only I’d had Invisalign when I was younger.

We think of wearing braces almost as a rite of passage – it seems like everyone does it – but that doesn’t mean they have to be big, clunky and painful. Technology has come a long way, and Invisalign’s removable plastic aligners are lightweight and effective. By definition, they’d have to be more comfortable than imprisoning your teeth in metal. As a teenager, my husband hated wearing his braces so much, he actually pulled them out himself. I just remember constant visits to the orthodontist and that horrible feeling every time he tightened them.

Not much had changed by the time my kids got braces a quarter of a century later. They were both active in sports during the time they wore them and, yes, there would be blood when a baseball or softball went awry. This wouldn’t have happened with Invisalign’s plastic aligners.

Because my son was adamant about not wearing braces at his Bar Mitzvah – he didn’t want that metallic glare in the pictures – the orthodontist removed them right before the big event. In hindsight, that was probably a little premature. If he’d had Invisalign, he could have removed the aligners for the celebration and put them back in afterwards. No harm done. He may even have just kept them in because they’re virtually invisible. Instead, his teeth have moved dramatically and I feel like we wasted a huge amount of money.

Although Invisalign costs about the same as traditional braces, the benefits seem significantly greater and there are usually fewer, shorter appointments and no need for emergency visits to fix broken wires or brackets. Ooh, just thinking of all the times I had to beg to get one of the kids in at the last minute because something broke and was sticking into their cheek or gum makes me break out in hives.

So that’s my big regret. Fortunately, it’s not too late to fix it.

While other midlife women are going under the knife and opting to lift a little here or trim a little there, all I want to do is get my teeth back on the straight and narrow. Invisalign may not have been around back in the day, but it’s here now and seems to me like a much easier, less invasive way to keep a youthful appearance than plastic surgery.

And once my teeth are straight, I’ll happily embrace the creases likely to grace the corners of my eyes from smiling so much.

If you or someone you know has used Invisalign, I’d love to hear about your experience! Please leave comments below.

This is a sponsored post. As always, all opinions are mine.