How does it feel to be at the top of your game when you feel your smile just isn’t in the same league? For Olympian Jordan Chiles, 23, it meant remembering to hide her teeth, even when she was earning her spot on the U.S. Team and leading them to a silver medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Just like millions of Americans, Chiles wanted to smile with confidence. And she was ready to make a change.
“I was just uncomfortable with my smile,” says Chiles. “After braces, my teeth shifted and even though they were straight, there was just something off. It wasn’t giving.”
Jordan Chiles on Smile Confidence
“It was always the worst during interviews and times when I could see my own face,” Chiles tells NewBeauty. “Even when I had braces I would rarely smile during routines. And when I did, my lips would stay closed.”
Smile confidence is basically exactly what it sounds like: how you feel about your smile. That might seem like a mostly cosmetic concern, but it turns out how easily we smile and how we feel about it has far-reaching impacts on our mental health. Studies show that act of smiling can impact our mood and our health, as well as how we’re seen by others.
“I didn’t realize until I was older exactly how much it had impacted my confidence,” Chiles says. “And one day I just realized that I didn’t like my smile. There are parts of me that I love unconditionally, but my smile just wasn’t one of them.”
Tired of having to dampen the edges of her greatest moments to monitor her smile, she was ready to smile with real joy. Partnering with Invisalign, Jordan Chiles decided to embark on a smile makeover to boost her confidence.
Ready for a Change
When you travel as much as Jordan Chiles, convenience is key. “That was what really appealed to me about Invisalign,” she says. “It’s really on the go, you just pop them in and out. And if I ever lost a tray I could just request a new one.”
That ease of use helped get Chiles on track to her new smile, a process that would take about six months. “When I got my first consultation with Invisalign, immediately they explained to me why I felt strange about my smile,” Chiles says. “One of my teeth was in the center of my face, so that threw off my whole smile.”
Though her teeth were straight, they ultimately weren’t in the right place.
“You’re telling me my smile is crooked without it looking crooked?” Chiles jokes, grinning. “And when I started seeing them shift, it all clicked into place for me.”
Invisalign partners with orthodontists to create customized treatment plans and aligners to safely move teeth in stages. For Jordan Chiles, that meant a series of six aligner trays to shift her smile successfully.
The Smile Makeover Process
For Chiles, the actual process of moving her teeth took about half a year. That said, there will still be maintenance. “I’ll wear an overnight tray forever, basically,” she explains. “That helps protect your investment and make sure your teeth don’t start to shift back like mine did after braces.”
Chiles ultimately had six aligner trays, each to move her teeth incrementally. “They had to basically gap my teeth intentionally and then move them all over and then line them up correctly,” she says. “And after that final tray it just changed everything. I was like a whole new person.”
Jordan Chiles Is Finally in Love with Her Smile
The average price of Invisalign comes in at between $3,000–$5,000, though depending on your dental insurance, some of that can be covered. That price tag comes from the collaboration between an orthodontist and Invisalign’s technology, as well as the discreet SmartTrack plastic material.
For Chiles, it was an obvious choice. “This is the best investment I’ve ever made in myself,” Chiles says. “It was an investment in myself and my happiness and confidence, and I’m enjoying it so much.”
Once her six-month treatment plan had finished, the results were immediate and overwhelming.
“It just all clicked into place,” she says. “I’m finally in love with my smile. I’m so happy I could cry.”
