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

If your daughter could have been accepted as an NHS orthodontic patient (your general dentist must have thought so or wouldn't have referred), this suggests that your DD's orthodontic need is significant. In which case, fixed orthodontics rather than removables, are the way forward.
Invisalign isn't suitable for significant orthodontic need and I wouldn't be paying privately for my 12 y DD to have it; they'd be having fixed only, (I'm a dentist btw). There would be far too much temptation for a 12 yr old not to wear the appliances or mislay /lose them, with all the associated costs that would bring. If you want less noticeable, ask about white /clear brackets but definitely go for the fixed option.
Retention, often part-time night wear for life, is part and parcel of orthodontic treatment.

Thank you I appreciate your input . I agree the work required must be fairly significant

@Quppity she was 13 and 2 months when they were put on

And she just qualified for nhs, but otherwise I would’ve paid privately for train tracks.
It’s strange I was very worried for her as she is very self conscious anyway and can be a bit socially anxious, and I remember thinking that braces would’ve been awful when I was 13. But it seems different now, almost a bit cool to have them 🤷‍♀️ I don’t pretend to understand 😆

Taking the trays out for eating at school would be a total hassle.

I had train tracks at 13 and have them again now as an adult (because my orthodontist never gave me a retainer). They aren't really painful except for the first few days and for about 24 hours when they are tightened. So many teens have them that nobody would remark on it.

I had invisalign age 35 at great cost and would not not consider it for teens. 22 hours a day commitment is needed for results. I got my results and wear my retainer overnight religiously but kids can't be trusted with this in my opinion.

At certain stages, especially with attachments the treatment was very uncomfortable and taking te trays out would have been tempting. Non compliance means a whole new scan is needed at extra expense, basically starting again and increasing the cost.

Both of my image-conscious dds had metal braces and apart from the initial pain and discomfort were absolutely fine with them. By about the age of 14, it's the kids without braces that seem to be in the minority around here! They now have lovely smiles. They wear plastic retainers at night and have been very diligent with them.

I am halfway (i hope!) through treatment with Damon Clear braces. I was advised to use them by my orthodontist over Invisalign because even though my teeth look ok cosmetically, there are a number of underlying problems with my bite. His advice was that fixed braces are better for widening the 'smile arches' and fixing more complex issues. They have been quite sore and painful (strangely the clear brackets are bulkier than the metal ones, I think because they wouldn't be as strong if smaller), but they are a lot less visible than the metal ones.
I will be having fixed wire retainers fitted as part of the package as well as night time ones. I'm sure I'll be ok to wear them for the rest of my days!

I currently have fixed braces myself, I discussed Invisalign with the orthodontist and he said it was an option but he strongly advised fixed braces for a better result. I would go with what your orthodontist advises rather than trying to make the decision yourself.
I’m not massively loving the experience and I’m only 5 months in but am hoping it will be worth it longer term! I’ve been fairly lucky that I’ve not had much pain with the exception of about a week after my last appointment when he wrapped a band around the front four braces to start closing the gap. They were mega sensitive for a few days!
I do struggle to eat anything other than reasonable soft foods but that’s because my teeth feel quite loose at minute with all the movement plus I’m very conscious of not snapping the wires. My SIL also has fixed braces and is forever snapping her wires I have no idea how she does it so frequently!

@SilkenBunny

Both of my image-conscious dds had metal braces and apart from the initial pain and discomfort were absolutely fine with them. By about the age of 14, it's the kids without braces that seem to be in the minority around here! They now have lovely smiles. They wear plastic retainers at night and have been very diligent with them.

I am halfway (i hope!) through treatment with Damon Clear braces. I was advised to use them by my orthodontist over Invisalign because even though my teeth look ok cosmetically, there are a number of underlying problems with my bite. His advice was that fixed braces are better for widening the 'smile arches' and fixing more complex issues. They have been quite sore and painful (strangely the clear brackets are bulkier than the metal ones, I think because they wouldn't be as strong if smaller), but they are a lot less visible than the metal ones.
I will be having fixed wire retainers fitted as part of the package as well as night time ones. I'm sure I'll be ok to wear them for the rest of my days!

Interesting I have clear brackets at the top but when the bottom ones go on (not on yet as there is less work to do there) I have been advised to have the gold brackets. I was happy to pay the extra for clear but was told the gold brackets were smaller and more effective for what I need at the bottom. It’s fascinating really what different options are right for different people which again is why I would always advise to go with the orthodontists view.

Thanks it’s really helpful to get all these opinions. The orthodontist said she could choose Invisalign or fixed braces. Didn’t comment on which would give best result or which they recommended. Just said we could choose. My dd was most keen on Invisalign in the appointment and the orthodontist seemed happy with that. But these comments are making me think fixed is probably going to be better. I spoke to dd tonight and she is willing to do the fixed. But we will not rush the decision as dont think it’s urgent.
I think I will speak to orthodontist again just to ask a few questions about the differences between the two treatment options

I’ve had Invisalign as an adult and my teen daughter has them now. She doesn’t find them a hassle at all, she’s just grateful not to have fixed braces as she really didn’t want them. She’s knows they were expensive and is very appreciative that we paid, bless her, so she’s very good with wearing them and changing them on time. Her teeth look perfect and very white with all the brushing. She only found the first set mildly painful for a couple of days but once her teeth were moving she hasn’t had any more pain. She needed a slight change during treatment but it was all included in the original price.

I've had both Invisalign and two sets of train tracks: The metal ones and the "white" porcelain ones. The train tracks were godawful by comparison. With Invisalign, the only pain is from your teeth moving for a day or two when you change aligners, which is comparable with the pain every time they tighten your braces with train tracks. With train tracks you get given special wax to stop the metal or porcelain from rubbing against your mouth and causing agony. It's not a very good solution.

If your teeth drift a bit after your treatment you have all the aligners and can go back a couple of steps and get your teeth back to perfect. If your teeth drift after train tracks you need more braces (hence having had three sets... my teeth were particularly hard to make stay aligned even though I'm religious with my retainer). Lose your retainer? Pop in the final Invisalign aligner while you get your new retainer made up and your teeth won't move. Only the Invisalign has produced lasting results.

11/10, would recommend Invisalign every time.

I think one of the important questions to ask is will both treatments give the same end results. If the answer is yes you can weigh up the pros and cons.

When discussing Invisalign I was told in my case I could expect treatment to take two years or longer where as fixed is more likely to be 18 months (all being well).

Oh and if she's a tea or coffee drinker like I was, the porcelain ones will be permanently brown, making all my photos from that time look like I had really not taken care of my teeth!

@PeekabooAtTheZoo

Oh and if she's a tea or coffee drinker like I was, the porcelain ones will be permanently brown, making all my photos from that time look like I had really not taken care of my teeth!

I’m a prolific coffee drinker and mine aren’t stained. I do have to avoid certain foods though that can stain the brackets.

Also don't be fooled into thinking that "faster results" = "better results", it's much better to take it slow and get permanent results. They rushed my porcelain ones over 18 months, at the time I thought it was great to get it over with faster but the braces weren't in each position long enough for the teeth to stay put, even with wearing my retainer every night, so over the next few years they very slowly drifted back to their original position, hence needing Invisalign as an adult. After orthodontic treatment you need a night time retainer forever so it's like having Invisalign 40% of the day for life anyway whichever route you go down.

@WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe Interesting. The clear bands on mine used to go brown first and I can always tell when the bands had been changed but when the porcelain came off my teeth looked a lot whiter all of a sudden.

[quote PeekabooAtTheZoo]@WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe Interesting. The clear bands on mine used to go brown first and I can always tell when the bands had been changed but when the porcelain came off my teeth looked a lot whiter all of a sudden.[/quote]
Ahh yes I admit the bands do stain! My porcelains still look pretty white but again I admit that their whiteness makes my teeth look even more stained than they already did (can’t wait for the whitening treatment after it’s all over!)
I’ll be interested to see if the gold brackets have the opposite effect to how the colour of my teeth look once they go on the bottom.
Must admit I’m fed up after just 5 months and trying hard to convince myself it’s not so bad!

I had both as an adult. Train tracks far less faff overall although i didn’t enjoy them being put on. Quickly got used to them. No pain.

Invisalign for me was painful and faffy and I don’t think I would recommend to young teens.

I now have a single wire permanent brace which I never think about.

I’m a prolific coffee drinker and mine aren’t stained. I do have to avoid certain foods though that can stain the brackets.

I inadvertently are soup containing turmeric about two weeks after having mine on.......

ate

If you're prepared to pay for Invisalign for your dd you might therefore be prepared to pay for Damon clears - they are bulky and uncomfortable however there are not fastened on by elastics which can discolour. (The elastics were the bane of my dds' treatment!) Damon operate via a hinge mechanism on the brackets, allowing for a smoother movement and less pressure and friction. Thus treatment time is significantly shorter (I was quoted 14 months with Damon, 24 months with normal) and less painful. Any aching pain I've experienced with them has only been palpable since the orthodontist started me with the elastics that hook on from the top to the bottom and even then that only lasts a day or two after wire change.

Whatever system you go for won't be easy; braces are a hard slog. There was a thread on here once where Invisalign users were bemoaning them, saying they weren't as discrete or pain free as they were led to believe, I'll try to find it. I was also given the option of lingual braces that sit behind the teeth and are completely invisible however the ortho warned me that they were incredibly uncomfortable on the tongue and inner mouth. (Not to mention crazy expensive!)

Invisalign on a child would not even be an option where I work. It requires complete compliance and wear 23 hours a day, and retainers are always for life no matter what type of braces you have.

Fixed ceramic braces may be a better option for your child as they are less noticeable and only the wire is metal but realistically half the kids in her class will have metal fixed braces.

It's a big commitment and even more so when you're paying privately but I would 100% not go for Invisalign. Not only the compliance issue but the end result will never be as good as with fixed braces due to the lesser control of tooth movement using aligners.