An Invisalign Story

When I was a kid, your parents had to belong to the country club to be willing to sponsor orthodontic care. Ortho care was perceived by most as merely a cosmetic service (and yeah, that was a few decades ago.)

When I graduated dental school, preventive care was only beginning to bloom. The strong connection between oral and general health, as published by the U.S. Surgeon General, would appear 20-years into the future.

I had little interest in the magic of Orthodontic care until it changed a life. Mine. The care, provided by a dear friend, set me up for a healthy future. And a byproduct of orthodontics paving the way for no cavities, a healthy bite, and no periodontal disease…was me coming out of my expressive shell with a smile I couldn’t wait to share. And a dentist should be smiling…kind of like a kid looking at a Christmas tree or Jordan looking at a hoop, right? It felt good walking the talk.

When Invisalign arrived 20-years later, I was ready for certification in about a minute. Our office trains up to 200-hours per year to grow clinically while being our vision of making a difference for others and making dentistry fun. And we remain committed to providing the least invasive care and creating the context of “health mouth, healthy body, healthy life.” The least invasive care is no invasive care. Invisalign care was a definite fit.

Today, with Invisalign, we can align arches for adults in as little as 4-7 months. Maintaining health during the process happens with direct access for oral hygiene; the plastic trays guiding teeth into position are removable.

When my braces came off, I’ll admit to being jealous of my friend getting to change lives every day (the way he transformed mine.)

And today I know how it feels.

Dr. Von Bulow is a Gold Plus Invisalign provider, an American Academy of Clear Aligners (AACA) Board member, columnist for the AACA Journal, and 2015 Invisalign Summit Shootout Finalist.