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!

No pain, but achy day 1 of each new tray but I tend to put them in before bed.

My youngest DC (also 4) calls them my “fake teeth covers”...

As my eldest is likely to need some teeth intervention when older (she has teeth like my DH..) we have been having a few conversations around it too that sometimes the dentist helps you with your teeth to make them fit better / easier to clean etc

I am 29 and have metal train tracks. The no tea without faffing was a deal breaker for me.

I did Invisalign at 40. Best thing ever! Superb for losing weight and my teeth are still lovely ( if I say so myself!)

I am 37 and got clear train tracks at the start of March. I was told Invisalign will take about 2 years but the train tracks will only take about 1 year. I don't regret my decision at all

I had both Invisalign and 'train tracks' my dentist was an Invisalign dude and said my teeth were on the borderline of too crooked for Invisalign but took advice and said it would be fine, did it for nearly two years (and I will be honest and say I sometimes forgot to put them back in after meals or if I'd had some wine ) but not often, and eventually dentist said we had got as far as we could realistically get with them and I would need train tracks to get the results I wanted (I was pissed off but had come that far etc etc) so saw train track lady and had them for just over a year and it was honestly worth the time and every (thousands) penny! If I had my time over I would go for train tracks from the start and if I were advising a friend I'd say the same, I have fillings in nearly all my back teeth (molars?) and had no problems in that regard with either method. Go for it OP - you honestly won't regret it, and you'll almost certainly wish you'd had it done sooner!

I'm having mine fitted on Saturday. I have terrible teeth as had a lot of fillings as a child - I've always had good dental hygiene but thjnk I must have bad genes as my there is always something wrong with them. They do a risk assessment of lots of scenarios based on your teeth quality and mine was a bit raised in certain categories because of big fillings - let's hope all is okay!

@tildaandjo they told me they could avoid moving teeth with really big fillings, they can choose which ones don't get touched so hopefully they'll do that for you too!

@iknowimcoming sounds like you had a nightmare! So glad they sorted it in the end. Invisalign is so expensive, I wonder if they just want you to go for it for that reason even though something else might be better

@ProperVexed I'm so happy for you! That's great. Fingers crossed I'm saying the same as you next year

Hi
I am in 50s and was nearly finished my Invisalign when COVID hit. Would say it is approx 12 months but depends upon how many slingers you need. I am really happy with the result and they look as good as my kids teeth and they had train tracks. If you are going to spend all this money make sure you were them for as many hours a day as you can. Use the little foam thing to bite on to make sure they are fitted as well as possible each day. When finished do get a retainer wire as well as the plastic retainers and use them every day. Finally make sure you have hygenist appointments as if your gums are good your teeth will move in the way they need to and stay that way. Good luck. It’s not the cheapest thing but if you follow the tips you will have lovely teeth!

Ps. I should have also said that I have a crown and some fillings. They don’t move the tooth with the crown but fillings fine and can be moved.

Thank you @orangeplum - was it a negative experience going through the process? Or not that bad and worth it? I am very anxious about my teeth so I'm in the position of weighing up my desperation to have them fixed vs my mental health. What a position!

Hi @brightlyoness
I didn’t find it negative at all and I am v happy with the outcome. I think it’s worth it. At first I was conscious of them but people I know well and who would be honest said you couldn’t tell I had them in either by looking or listening to my voice. I was convinced I had a lisp. I didn’t find them sore at all but every 2 weeks you use a new one so for the first day it’s slightly tighter but not in my opinion sore. Some dentists have the camera to take photos of your mouth. Mine didn’t so I had to have moulds taken. Not the nicest thing in the world but it was fine. If that sort of thing makes you anxious then chose someone with the camera.

Tbh I think when it’s finished it will be a great boost to your mental health as you will see a better smile. Good luck.

Thank you, I think you're right. I just need to be brave and go for it!

Be brave OP! Here's my (very blurry due to anonymity zooming out sorry!) before and after's in case they help!

@iknowimcoming they look great, you must be so pleased! Thanks for sharing

Must say though mine are a lot more crooked than yours and they told me 6-9 months which I'm struggling to believe!

My friend's husband did this when he was nearly 60 and it's worked a treat.

Can I just piggyback onto this and ask what you all did to get started? Do you just ring your sensors and ask if they do Invisalign? And book an appointment to take about it?
Or do you need to find a specialist dentist that does it?

@BrightLyoness I’ve just started and I’m 50 with several crowns and fillings. When they worked out my plan they took all of this into account so the teeth with crowns barely move - and they also won’t put the attachments on them. They said to me that the only big issue is if you’ve had previous root canal treatment. I must admit it’s scary when you sign the papers as it points out everything that goes wrong. I decided to bite the bullet and so far so good.

@Questionsquestionsquestions I found that as soon as I started googling Invisalign loads of adverts appeared on my Facebook feed! The Invisalign website does list all the providers but I ended up going to my nearest one - they were advertising an Open Day with a special deal, but 3 months on they still are having Open Days!

I have Invisalign in at the moment. My treatment hasn’t exactly gone to plan in that I was only initially meant to have 13 trays and I’ve now been given an extra 12. I have one stubborn tooth that, although isn’t that crooked at all, just won’t budge. I have 7 trays left so we’ll see if it happens this time.

It is disheartening right now because it is a lot of effort. I have lost unnecessary weight so I’m really hoping the magic happens in the next few weeks. I also have fillings and a root canal, as well as composite on my front teeth (I grind badly). The filling in my root canal did not withstand the force of the braces and has come out. My new trays take the missing filling into account and cover it but I won’t be able to get that fixed until I’m done now.

It will all be worth it though if my teeth actually end up straight.

And a final few things to mention - without attachments they really are invisible. When I came home with mine, dh wouldn’t believe me when I said they were in!

It is a pain taking them out to eat then having to clean teeth. . I’m looking at it positively and thinking about the weight loss - there is no more grazing or coffee all through the day. I’m trying wine through a straw tonight for the first time!

@ExposedBulb how far into it are you? And how long did they tell you it would take? I think my issue will be getting over all the things that can go wrong, even though they're rare! But I have quite a dental phobia so am in a rubbish position because I long to get them fixed and feel better but my fear paralyses me!

That's my concern @DollyTots - I don't think I'd cope well with something going wrong! Out of interest too, how hard are they to get out? I have a very large filling that was done badly and sticks out. I can't imagine a tight fitting tray going around it because it would pull it out, I'm sure!

@BrightLyoness I’m on my 2nd tray out of 35 - so a long way to go! I’m expecting it to take a year.

The provider I go to doesn’t feel like a dentist at all. It’s more like a beauty parlour as they concentrate on cosmetic dentistry. Perhaps a place like that would suit you better?

I'm mid 40s with terrible teeth and doing Smile Direct. No bits glued to teeth, cheaper and quicker. Two of the teeth being moved are root filled, and they haven't crumbled yet.