Invisalign when older

[BrightLyoness]

Has anybody had Invisalign but with dodgy teeth - crowns, fillings etc? I'm older than the average customer I'm sure and my teeth bear the marks of growing up in the 80s. I'm told by the dentist that it doesn't matter but I'd rather hear from those that have done it!

My friend had Invisalign recently. She's late 50's and was happy with the results.

Fantastic! Do you know how long it took her?

I saw a friend recently who I haven't seen for some time. Her teeth look fab! She had Invisalign and I'm so impressed I'm seriously considering it myself. She said it took 18 months but that there were delays in that due to covid and in 'normal times' it should only have taken a year. She had a few different issues (one tooth didn't seem to want to move, another was a different colour) but the dentist dealt with each on as it arose and she now has perfectly straight teeth and she's very happy with the end result.

ooops sorry meant to say she's 47 years old.

That sounds great! I can't imagine not being able to even have a cup of tea with them in but I'm just trying to gear myself up to do it. It's a pretty long term commitment - they've quoted me 9 months but I suspect it'll be a lot longer...

Just bumping this : they look bloody hard to get off and I'm worried about my fillings!

There is a really good Facebook support group. I am learning a lot every day from it

@Grapefruity I had a look at that and it just freaked me out as the first post was from somebody saying they'd got nerve damage from it!

@BrightLyoness I was 22 when I had them so not that old at all but just thought I'd share my experience of Invisalign- I actually had Invisalign on my top teeth and a traditional brace on the lower ones as they were too crooked for Invisalign. The Invisalign was a lot less painful than the traditional brace and also had the advantage of being able to 'speed things up' a little bit- my orthodontist was happy for me to move on to the next aligner a couple of days earlier than planned which I quite liked doing!

Much easier to keep clean than the traditional brace, and to be able to take it out just to have a little break now and then- it's nice taking it out to eat/drink actually. You do get used to taking them out too and it's really not too hard.

My one bit of advice is get a fixed retainer afterwards and don't just use the plastic retainers! I didn't have a fixed retainer and my teeth moved slightly. I definitely recommend Invisalign though.

She had them on for 12 months.

My friend said she lost weight as she didn't want the hassle of taking them out to eat every little but she used to munch on! So it made her stick to 3 meals a day! She also got the fixed retainer as she was worried they might move a bit after all her hard work.

Thanks, I love gone down a rabbit hole of googling bad things about it so it helps to hear positive stuff

I had braces at 27 so not that young but I had lots of fillings etc to work with. I know you're asking about invisalign but have you considered normal braces? No faffing about taking them in and out or risking them not working properly if you don't use them correctly. I was set on invisalign until I did some research and my dentist advised that traditional braces would be more effective in my personal circumstances. I went private so had white wires and brackets which weren't noticeable unless close to me. Nobody cared and the only people that commented were kids in my class who thought it was 'really cool miss' 😂 Not hard to clean or anything at all.

*I meant to say still quite young! Not 'not that young'. Oh to be 27 again!

@User65412 thanks for this - was the choice in any way influenced by your fillings? The dentist steered me away from fixed because they put pressure on all of your teeth and it's only certain ones I want moved

Ah interesting! I only had my smile 'fixed' - not my whole mouth. Just the top ones that show when I smile. It was like a fast track course? Took about 14 months. I did have to have one tooth removed due to crowding and the dentist felt the brace would close the gap better than invisalign. Have you been for a consultation yet? Like I said, I went in for invisalign but the orthodontist was obviously the expert so I was happy to follow his lead and advice.

Yes I went for a consultation but I'm SO aware of how keen they are to sell it iyswim. It makes me not entirely sure if I'm being listened to about my concerns re my dodgy teeth. The dentist moved me on to one of their treatment coordinators so her job is obviously to get me to sign up no matter what. She keeps batting away all my concerns but...looking at the group online it looks like a real faff and an ordeal, it's really putting me off!

I had invisalign at 45 and it was the BEST THING I have ever done for myself (apart from eye laser treatment). I lost nearly 3 stone with mine, partly by deciding this was going to be the year that I changed my life and partly because it stopped me snacking and only eat three meals a day. I did drink the odd cup of tea and coffee but they do stain so best to stick to water. They aren't difficult to get in and out once you are used to doing it and the beauty of them is you can't see them so no one knows really. In fact your own teeth look much nicer during the process as although they are see through, they do cover up little imperfections and just look nice in your mouth. They are really really good!

@BrightLyoness for me, having had both at the same time (and the fixed traditional brace for longer) I would say there are advantages and disadvantages to both... funnily enough I wanted Invisalign mainly because I thought it would be invisible, I didn't want to have braces... but i found that they are quite visible really and look more 'odd' than traditional braces (particularly ceramic braces which don't notice very much) and I actually preferred the way the traditional brace looked!

I didn't have to faff around taking that one out obviously but I didn't find this difficult with the Invisalign and it was more annoying with the fixed brace having to clean it (and also worry about it getting stained or the wire breaking). I found the Invisalign less painful too.

Invisalign is good for when the issues are less severe- it can't cope with much more severe crowding example so has its limitations. But I would say if its not extreme work that's needed, it works really effectively.

Either way OP, if you want to do something then do just go for it. Best thing I ever did I know lots of people who had invisalign who've said the same. It's so worth it afterwards 😁

Do it op. Best thing I did for myself. People comment on how great my teeth are now. I was late 40s/hovering around 50 I think when i did it. You won’t regret it!

I did it when I was 38. Best decision and no regrets.

I have no fillings but I do have a crown from where a tooth was broken in my teens. The orthodontist ending up damaging it a bit when removing an attachment, he made a composite thing to fix it and it looks better than it ever did before! After that he didn’t put the attachments on that tooth.

I drank through a straw as couldn’t be bothered to keep removing them. I got a pack of stainless steel ones and they are great for hot and cold drinks.

Thanks, I really need a bit of cheering on as I'm wavering on not doing it at the moment.

@Purplecatshopaholic How long did it take you? Did it fit into your life ok?

@Squiz81 I will be getting some straws cos there's no way I won't be passing some wine through them

I’m still in the middle of doing it (tray 11) but so glad. Late 30’s here and decided that I wanted to treat myself. Not usually a fussy person but I have been feeling increasingly self conscious as my teeth have been shifting.

Really pleased with how it looks so far, and pretty comfortable it will work out well.

So far one tray per week, 14 trays planned and potentially some more at the end to refine

@pitterpatterrain How've you found getting them on and off? And any pain? So glad it's going well for you! Mine are pretty awful - my four year old has started commenting!