Reading this makes me feel pretty anxious, honestly. I've been considering braces for a while now, but the cost has always been a big hurdle for me. A friend of mine actually tried one of those DIY kits she found online—she swore by it at first, said it was easy and cheap. But after a couple months, she started having weird jaw pain and headaches. She ended up going to an orthodontist who told her she'd messed up her bite alignment pretty badly. Now she's got to wear braces twice as long as she would have if she'd just gone professionally from the start...and it's costing her way more than she ever expected.
Hearing about permanent gum damage and tooth loss is even scarier, though. I definitely don't want to risk that kind of damage just to save some money upfront. But I am curious—has anyone here had experience with clear aligners from dental schools? Are they as reliable as traditional orthodontists? I'm cautious about trying something new, but if it's safe and affordable, it might be worth looking into.
I totally get the anxiety—been there myself. A couple years back, I looked into dental school aligners because, let's face it, my wallet wasn't exactly thrilled about traditional orthodontics either. Honestly, it went pretty smoothly. Sure, appointments took a bit longer (students gotta learn somehow, right?), but everything was supervised by experienced orthodontists. My teeth turned out great, and I didn't end up with any horror stories or surprise expenses...thankfully. Just make sure you're patient with the process—it's slower, but worth it for peace of mind (and your bank account).
Glad it worked out for you, but did you ever worry about consistency? My daughter tried dental school aligners, and while the supervision was solid, we noticed different students each time...felt like details got lost occasionally. Did you have any similar issues?
We experienced something similar when I had my aligners done at a dental school. The rotating students were thorough, but occasionally details slipped through the cracks—had to remind them about my previous adjustments a couple times. Overall decent, but definitely required staying vigilant.
"Overall decent, but definitely required staying vigilant."
Haha, I feel you on the vigilance part. But honestly, dental schools aren't always that sketchy—at least mine wasn't. When I got my veneers done at a dental college, I was bracing myself (pun intended) for chaos. Turned out the students were super meticulous—almost too meticulous. Like, they'd triple-check everything and call over their supervisor every five minutes. At one point, I swear there were six people staring into my mouth debating shades of white like it was some high-stakes art critique.
Sure, it took forever and a day to finish each session, but slipping through the cracks? Nah, more like getting stuck in the cracks of bureaucracy and endless double-checking. Maybe your school was just more chill...or maybe mine was just extra paranoid about messing up someone's smile. Either way, DIY braces hacks sound terrifying compared to even the most distracted dental student!
