Experiences of Invisalign vs train track braces for children?

[Quppity]

Due to long waiting lists we opted to do orthodontic treatment privately for our daughter who is 12. She could have either Invisalign or train track braces. It is more expensive for Invisalign but the cost is not extortionate as private train tracks are also pretty expensive.

I am just needing to weigh up the two and which would be better. I wonder if Invisalign is more difficult for a child to manage and train tracks better once they are used to them. But is Invisalign less sore? How do they cope at school with both these methods? And once treatment t is finished do they need to wear a retainer at night still ? I would be really interested in hearing some real life experiences if anyone would be kind enough to share them with me

I have invisalign and find it quite hard to be compliant and I’m an adult. At that age I’d definitely go for train tracks. She’ll be done by mid-teens and have lovely straight teeth.
I’ve been told I will either need a retainer or some sort of permanent fixing on the back of my front teeth to hold them in place or they will just move back after treatment. I know quite a few people whose parents paid for braces but have wonky teeth as adults because they didn’t want to wear their retainers in the 16-21 period so, i think probably better to go for the wire behind the teeth if offered.

Thanks that’s interesting. She was keen for Invisalign during the appointment as they look less scary but I wonder if she isn’t mature enough to manage them. But then double train tracks don’t sound too appealing either

I think it perhaps depends a bit on your daughter's personality and whether you think she will stick with Invisalign.

I have it at the moment and for the first week I absolutely hated it. If I hadn't already paid thousands of pounds I think I would have given up!

It's much better now but it is a real faff having to take it out to eat anything and having to brush teeth before putting it back in. I mostly work from home which really helps. When I have to go to the office I find it a pain and don't like the thought of brushing my teeth in the toilets.

I think I'd go for train tracks for a child/teen just to ensure compliance and avoid aligners getting lost!

Our daughter started Invisalign a couple of years ago and has found it really easy. She’s 13 now and is hopefully finishing treatment soon. She doesn’t get much pain at all. At school she wears them til lunch time and doesn’t put them back in til she’s home so no brushing at school. Her teeth look amazing but yes, she’ll have to wear a night retainer after treatment. Having heard others talk about having metal braces and the pain and cleaning, she’s really glad she had Invisalign.

Happy to answer any other questions that I can if you have any.

My teen has metal braces and can be a bit dramatic and I haven’t had any moans about pain from them at all. I’m sceptical that the long term effects of Invisalign would be as good as traditional braces. Also 12 seems young, both mine were advised to wait until a bit older for braces due to mouths growing and baby teeth coming out etc. Are you sure you can’t wait for nhs treatment?

I had Invisalign as an adult and the results are amazing. I have a fixed wire behind my teeth now, just like you would after braces, and I also wear a night retainer. The long term result depends on things like that, that will keep your teeth in the straightened position (not on the means used to straighten them).

HOWEVER, I am not sure the majority of kids could handle the faffing around that comes with Invisalign. I am pretty conscientious and I lost two aligners throughout the process. It’s also just a pain to take them out every time you want to eat or drink anything other than water, and brush and floss before putting them back in.

Mild staining can also be an issue with Invisalign, no matter how fastidious you are about brushing before you put them back in. I had whitening afterwards which came as part of my Invisalign package but I’m not sure you’d want a kid to do that.

Longlistwriter how long is the retainer worn? Is it forever? Sorry if silly question

Her baby teeth are all out. We opted for private as dentist seemed to think timing right and that her teeth weren’t bad enough to be allowed nhs treatment anyway so no point waiting. But turns out orthodontist says they are bad enough for nhs. But now we have taken private route we can’t revert to nhs

For 12 months she will have to wear the retainer every night, then 3 time’s a week. I think that’s pretty standard for orthodontic treatment as my partner still wears his a few times a week after having metal braces years ago. Its a small price to pay for a nice smile and your bite to be correct.

My daughters baby teeth were all out too. She’s had no issues with staining, her teeth are naturally very white anyway. She hadn’t lost any aligners, she’s in the habit of putting them straight into the little container she has for them.

@Quppity Some form of retention may be needed for life. Some people's teeth will always want to move back to their original position, some won't, but you'll not know until it's too late - hence lots of adults now getting braces again after having them as a kid and not retaining.

My dentist wanted belt and braces so I have the fixed wire, and a plastic one which is pretty much an invisalign tray. I don't wear the plastic one often, will pop it in overnight occasionally but it means that if my wire came off I've got a backup. Also if the teeth started moving despite the wire, I'd notice when the plastic one felt like it wasn't fitting as well.

It is news to me that it is normal for these wires and retainers . I had a brace as a child and don’t need anything now . I guess I was lucky

Longlistwriter I wondered about wearing til lunchtime might be a good plan. So does she miss morning snack then and just have a good breakfast ?

DD2 started Invisalign last Monday she's 12, DD1 had train tracks plus numerous other things as she has hypodontia on the NHS, she has now finished treatment and has to wear a retainer for life at night.

DD2 cried when she got home after the fitting as she found it all a bit overwhelming, very unlike her, a week on she's absolutely fine. It is a faff taking them out to eat but she just gets on with it at school, we did her first scan at home last night and sent this over on the app and got the go ahead today to move onto the next set, these feel tighter and hurt a bit but nothing much. This is a revelation after years of going back and forth to the Royal London every 6 weeks. Yes it's expensive, DD has a lip trap so it was necessary to treat her now even though she hasn't lost all her teeth. We know she will have to wear a retainer but this is standard now with all orthodontic treatment.

Yes, she has cereal and crumpet at about 8am, only water til lunch and eats lunch at 1pm. She’s home by 3.30, has a snack and cup of tea, brushes her teeth and then puts her aligners back in til dinner time. The orthodontist says that’s fine and her teeth have moved really quickly. She really didn’t want to brush her teeth at school which I understand.
Has the orthodontist made you aware of any attachments she may need? They’re like little tooth coloured bumps they put on the teeth to aid movement. And my daughter had to have elastics a couple of times as well, but only at night, again it just speeds up the movement. Make sure she’s aware of it all to save any surprises during treatment.

The orthodontist didn’t mention the little bumps/buttons that go on the teeth but I did read about them elsewhere. It’s so important to research all of it myself for her

Does anyone know what a retainer looks like that is worn at night ? Is it the moulded plastic things that sit in the roof of the mouth? I am not sure she would go ahead with treatment if I told her that she would need to wear something at night forever

The orthodontist didn’t mention the little bumps/buttons that go on the teeth but I did read about them elsewhere. It’s so important to research all of it myself for her

They’re not really noticeable but just something to be aware of. My daughter has had them on and off throughout treatment, sometimes she hasn’t had any for a month or so.

As for the retainer, I know the sort you mean. I asked on her last appointment and the orthodontist said there’s different types. She told us that it would be like wearing aligners for my daughter so I’m presuming not the ones that you mention. I’d definitely ask your orthodontist if you think that your daughter wouldn’t be keen, but we were told before starting treatment that some sort of retainer would be necessary after any type of orthodontic treatment. Maybe the wire behind the teeth that a pp mentioned would be an option?

My DS had traditional twin track braces on the NHS but due to Covid delays we opted to go private for DD.

We had the same decision to make and decided on Invisalign and honestly it's so much easier. I can't even tell if my DD has them in but the results have been great so far.

Both methods give great results. Both require a retainer to be worn at night after the treatment ends.

We've had to do fewer check ups with Invisalign so it has made things easier.

We have had no soreness whereas DS did have a little bit with with the traditional braces.

DD is delighted as she is very image conscious. DS didn't care that you could see his braces and he even went for different coloured wires each time.

Invisalign does rely on your child remembering to clean them and change them over each week. It's easier to brush the teeth as you just take the retainer out.

The traditional braces can leave the teeth looking discoloured if the brushing technique isn't correct. My DS wasn't the best at that but regular trips to the hygienist sorted that problem out.

My DD was so desperate to see results that she has been really good at doing everything she needs to do.

The best thing is not having to worry about what they can and can't eat as you take the retainer out to eat.

In my experience the £700 extra for the Invisalign has been well worth it.

My DD has had the little bumps/buttons put on her teeth - you can't really see them.

Oh interesting to hear such positive story about Invisalign. I guess I will give her all info and let it be her decision then hopefully she will be more likely to stick to it

Re the night retainer - my DS is now at the stage where he only needs to wear one a two or three nights a week. He was offered a fixed wire retainer but we decided against.

My nieces still where their night retainers even now in their mid 20's and say that they can tell the teeth have moved if they don't wear them for a few days.

I can’t comment on invisalign but my dd has had traditional train tracks for nearly a year and it’s been a massive non issue, have been really pleasantly surprised. Loads of kids have them so she’s not self conscious about how they look, and she can eat pretty much anything apart from the first day or two of having them on or when they’ve been tightened.

How old is your daughter user?

12 seems very young.
we were told that all first teeth need to be out, second teeth mature and wisdom teeth well visible on x-ray.
if invisalign (or similar systems) are suitable depends on the severity. it's not suitable for more severe cases.

I have just finished Invisalign treatment and wouldn't recommend it for a child. Too easy and tempting to take them off/forget/lose. You are expected to wear them for 22h. It is not easy. I constantly found myself wanting to have a drink or a snack and I couldn't.
Re the retainer, it is very smooth and comfortable, doesn't bother me at all. I also have a metal wire thing on the inside of my bottom teeth. Both will stay with me forever.

Oh btw with Invisalign at first you get some a lisp problem. Might put your dd off.

My dd 14 has double metal braces, she didn't want them but we're 3 months along and she admits they are great. She can see the difference already and it's helped improve both her oral hygiene and diet.

A colleague of mine has the Invisalign and has had nothing but problems. She's 3 years on she is not happy with the changes. She has to brush her teeth as she would with metal braces. She's needed 3 replacement braces. She wishes she got metal.

I'd also say my teen says braces and glasses are very cool