Invisalign or Braces for 12 year old

[ArtfulRubyKoala]

What are your experiences with Invisalign for teens? I have no experience but my orthodontist was recommending them over braces. They are so expensive though so I more inclined to go for braces…. Do I need to be less tight and go for it? Are they a lot better?

YABU - Invisalign all the way
YANBU - Save some pennies and go with traditional braces

My dentist said they’re not great for teens because they have to be so disciplined about keeping them in nearly all the time. We decided to go with traditional braces because of that.

@Tabletable I did mention that as a concern, but he was still very keen in recommending the Invisalign. I don’t know any teens who have them, which is why I am keen to hear from people who have had first had experience

My dd got Invisalign but she was a bit older - 13. We discussed it and she was quite adamant that’s what she preferred and committed to sticking to the regime. It worked out well for her but braces might be better for someone younger. You take them out for eating so there is a chance of losing them or forgetting to put back in….

I would never get Invisalign for a 12 year old. You have to be very, very disciplined for them to do their job, and I fear it would be a constant pain in the arse making sure they are wearing them when they should, never mind the issue of appliances being lost.

Both of my kids had braces and we got them the clear brackets. They were barely noticeable.

We were offered invisalign or braces for Dd 18 months ago when she was 12. We went for fixed braces due to the self discipline needed for invisalign which orthodontist did agree with.

I bet he was keen. He makes more money from Invisalign.

I'm not a teen but I've not long finished my Invisalign. I think they're really good as you can eat anything!! Just pop them out. And you can't massively notice you have them in, especially compared to traditional braces. However, after you eat, you have to brush your teeth straight away and put them back in. Same with any drink apart from water. You need to wear them 22 hours a day. So it depends if they're sensible/ disciplined enough to do that, otherwise they're a waste of money as the teeth won't move.

I've done Invisalign and I wouldnt trust my dd with them. It's too tempted to ditch them for an afternoon.

Are braces not free for children? My 12 year old has braces and they were free but she did have a strong need for them

Hmmm…. That makes sense….. he barely spoke about braces tbh

No there is a sliding scale for what the NHS will pay for. My younger daughter is completely free but my older daughter's braces have cost me £3600!

Ahhh my 13 yo is really keen for Invisalign and now I’m worried!

Was she comfortable at night with them? How much did they set you back and how long was the process?

(sorry for hijacking OP!)

DD (12) is on week 5 and going well. The big advantage for us was she plays a musical instrument and I remember all my friends who played wind instruments being in tears as their mouths were bleeding from the braces. There wasn't a cost difference, our orthodontist charges the same for metal ones.
We were also concerned about brushing/cleaning/eating and came to the conclusion that both DD (and other DC who has dyspraxia and will get them soon) would be able to clean their teeth more thoroughly with Invisalign.
DD takes hers out at break to eat something, and brushes her teeth at the end of break time to put them back in. She has two friends who have train tracks and they eat at break time, but don't brush their teeth after.

Today is actually the first day she hasn't had them in long enough, we went on a day trip and she forgot her box and brush so took them out at lunch and put them back in when we got home.

@AnnetteKurtan she didn't sleep well the first night but she's been fine ever since.

Invisalign isn't great unless it's a mild problem. I've done them and they didn't even correct the main issue with one of my teeth.
Yes aesthetically they are better but they are a faff and you have to brush teeth all the time after every meal, make sure to carry the case to store them etc etc. They also took a lot longer time than it was indicated at first so watch out for hidden costs.
My DS has traditional rail track braces and I have to say his teeth now are absolutely perfect

Wow, I never knew that. I thought it was just adults that had to pay for braces. Dental work is so expensive for people 😔

My DD 12 has traditional braces. They’re free on the NHS. They’re the removable ones which has been a problem getting her to wear them but she sleeps in them at night (puts them in about 9pm& sleeps til 7-8am) and they have made a huge difference already. In only 9 months.
So I’d say yes compliance can be an issue with tweens/teens but I’m happy (& so is the orthodontist) with the progress of only wearing half of the day. Not recommended I know but thought I’d share our experiences.

My child was much younger when he got Invisalign. He has very nice and straight teeth but needed them because a couple of his baby teeth were not coming out due to lack of space in his mouth as his teeth were tightly squashed. He had just turned 9, he started in May 2021 and just finished in February 2024. He had to get new trays twice as his jaw was expanding (orthodontist said that would happen) and the teeth all came out.

Initially he was great at wearing them, but once the novelty wore off he had to be reminded to wear them and also had to take them off during contact sports (rugby, soccer, taekwondo) so realistically was wearing them around 12/15 hours a day and mostly at night.
We paid a once off fee of just under €4K and that covered everything. I ended up getting dental insurance for all the kids just in case.

So op in your case your 12 year old might be disciplined enough to wear them.

Don't get Invisalign for a teen. I have to constantly remind my dd to wear the elastic bands on her braces, there is no way she would wear the Invisalign consistently enough, especially at school when I wouldn't be there to remind her. Also, braces can work a lot quicker.

To add, I had Invisalign myself a few years ago and faff of taking them out to eat and drink is annoying. I ended up with a couple of cavities after and it was probably due to drinking things that weren't water while wearing them (ahem, wine) 😳, even though I did rinse afterwards. I'm an adult that should have known better, but I wouldn't trust a kid to be disciplined!

To be honest I really think it depends on the personality of the individual. I personally think it’s probably too much of a bother for under 12s but some teens are incredibly disciplined.

@AnnetteKurtan my dd ended up having her Invisalign for nearly 3 years but that was because she started her treatment about 6 months before the covid pandemic so then there was a very long interruption!!! But she got used to it very quickly.