Invisalign · San Luis Obispo & Arroyo Grande
Invisalign with an orthodontist who helped shape it.
Dr. Brett Garrett was an early adopter, and in the system’s early years he sat on Invisalign’s doctor panels giving feedback on the product itself. Two Central Coast offices, and a scan that takes under two minutes.
San Luis Obispo 805.544.3223 · Arroyo Grande 805.489.4625
The problem
Nothing you have to work around.
“I feel like nobody ever notices that I’m wearing my Invisalign. I actually have to tell people.”
— Invisalign patientBraces ask you to change how you live for a while. There’s a list of foods you have to give up, and there’s something visible on your teeth in every photograph until they come off.
Aligners take that off the table. The tray comes out to eat, so there is no list. It comes out to brush, so cleaning your teeth is the same as it always was. And for most of the day it is on your teeth without anyone registering that it’s there.
When aligners are the right answer, and when they aren’t.
Aligners tend to suit
Crowding and spacing, bites that need moderate correction, adults who don’t want anything fixed to their teeth, and anyone who needs to take it out, for work, for a wind instrument, for a wedding.
Braces are often the better route
When there’s a great deal of movement to do, when teeth need rotating or bringing down into place, or when nobody in the house wants to be responsible for twenty-two hours of wear a day.
Dr. Garrett now does more clear-aligner treatment than braces. That isn’t a preference. It’s what the cases have called for. Yours gets assessed on its own.
The honest tradeoff, stated plainly.
Aligners only work while they’re in. Twenty to twenty-two hours a day, every day. If that sounds unlikely for your teenager, say so at the consultation. That’s useful information, not a disqualification.
How it’s done here
Under two minutes, and no putty.
The scan.
Four intraoral scanners across the practice. What used to take five or ten minutes with a tray of putty, sometimes with gagging, now takes under two minutes, and you see your own teeth on the screen while it happens.
The plan.
Your scan drives the movement plan. You see where the teeth are going before you agree to anything.
The visits.
Short, and further apart than most people expect.
A specialist, not a mail-order box.
Aligners are a tool. What they’re aimed at is the part that takes training, and Dr. Garrett is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, which most orthodontists aren’t.
The process.
- 01
Consultation
Exam, scan, the whole plan, and the full fee in writing.
- 02
Your trays arrive
Fitted, with attachments where the plan needs them.
- 03
You change trays on schedule
And come in every couple of months for a check.
- 04
Refinements
Where the finish needs them. That’s normal, not a setback.
- 05
Retention
Your first retainers are included. Retention →
Timeline: most comprehensive treatment runs twelve to eighteen months. Shorter, limited cases finish faster.
Adults
A gentler way into it as an adult.
Deciding to fix your teeth at forty can feel like a bigger commitment than it is. The idea of sitting in a waiting room, of explaining it at work, of a year of photographs, is enough to make people put it off for another decade.
Aligners take most of that weight off. Nothing about your day has to change, the trays go in and out on your own schedule, and the appointments are every couple of months. About a third of orthodontic patients nationally are adults now, and our patients vary in age from as young as 7 to upwards of over 70 years old.
“I find myself smiling a lot more in photos.”
— Invisalign patient
Teens
Invisalign for teenagers.
It works for teenagers, and it works when it’s worn. The trays come with indicators so we can see what’s actually happening between visits, and the conversation about that happens with your teen, not over their head.
Cost
One fee, and here’s what’s in it.
The whole fee comes at the consultation, in writing. It covers your appointments, your aligners and appliances, most emergencies, and your first retainers at the end.
Monthly payments are interest-free, with a discount if you’d rather pay in full at the start. We verify your insurance benefits before you come in, file the claims, and show you what your share is expected to be, orthodontic coverage is usually a lifetime maximum rather than an annual one, and we’ll tell you what yours looks like.
Invisalign FAQs.
Will people be able to tell?
Most patients tell us people don’t notice unless they mention it. Attachments, small tooth-colored bumps that give the trays something to grip, are visible up close on some cases.
Does it hurt?
Each new tray feels tight for a day or so. That’s the tray doing its job.
How long is it?
Twelve to eighteen months for most comprehensive cases. Limited cases are shorter.
How many hours a day?
Twenty to twenty-two. It only works while it’s in.
What if I lose a tray?
Call the office. Usually you go back to the previous tray or forward to the next while we sort it out. Don’t just leave them out.
Is this the same as the aligners you order online?
No. Those ship without an examination, without X-rays and without anyone watching the roots. Here, an orthodontist plans it, checks it and is responsible for the finish.
I had braces years ago and my teeth have moved. Is this the same thing?
Usually a much shorter version of it.
