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!

Just seen your last update. I had a dental phobia for 6 years. Get that sorted as the priority OP, it's miserable.

Dentist here. Please don’t be tempted to use a bargain basement company, there are a few around. As your dentist to refer you to a specialist orthodontist, who have a minimum of 5 yrs post graduate training. Some general dentists do a quick course that they think qualifies them to do the complex assessments needed. You wouldn’t see a GP to do open heart surgery.
I have seen a lot of successful treatments but also seen a few disasters.

@Questionsquestionsquestions I went to an orthodontist in the town near me. Ideally I should have gone to 2 or 3 and got quotes but I liked this place and it was in a convenient place for me so I just went with them. My dentist also offers the treatment but they cost more, despite the fact the orthodontist I used is very good.

I’ll attach a photo of my before and after a

Squid, what a result, they look great! I am watching this thread with interest. I have bad gum problems so assume any orthodontics are currently out of the question but I'd live to rectify some crookedness
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@Squiz81 They look fantastic!!! Well done for all your hard work. I wish they could wave a wand and just straighten my visible front teeth without all those hours. What a transformation, all down to you!

Thanks @Angrymum22 - great to hear from a dentist! The ones I'm looking at are a diamond provider and they are a dental surgery specialising in cosmetic treatment. But to be honest, even with seeing fantastic results, I'm struggling to come around to accepting the risks. I asked about an Inman Aligner and it was dismissed as being sub par. Possibly because it's less expensive!

Thanks @Summerhillsquare - think it's too late to really sort, it's been my whole life. I have tried but early trauma is so formative isn't it? Congrats to you for overcoming it! No mean feat

Thankyou for starting this thread.
I really want to get my bottom teeth straightened, though, from the pictures on this thread, mine are a lot worse that anything you have started with.
So difficult to know what to ask, or what to look out for, and of course it is not only a lot of money, but a lot of at best inconvenience, at worst potential pain - though good to hear that it seems to be discomfort rather than pain.

Am concerned I wouldn't cope without being able to drink tea or coffee throughout the day though

@BackforGood just to warn you - I thought I only needed my bottom teeth straightening. But when I saw the orthodontist she said that I needed both upper and lower. And in fact it’s my upper that will actually move more - to ensure my bite is correct

Oh, right. Thank you.

I honestly have no idea.
I have no idea how a brace works - how it 'holds on' to your teeth. How you then clean your teeth. I've just never been that close to anyone who has ever had one.
Does any of this work involve injections / anaesthetic ?

Yes, I hardly gave a tooth without a filling, plenty of big ones, plus crowns. I’m actually having it done for the health of my teeth as straightening them out will help to keep them clean and restorations in good shape. They gave to use a different fixative I think for any attachments on the crowned teeth but it’s been fine so far. My dentist also made sure, working with my orthodontist, that my fillings are in good shape as changing them during treatment can be a bit of a faff as your trays should be a perfect fit.

Oh, also - I drink tea and coffee with them in. I just whip them out and swill with water after. After eating I do a full floss, teeth clean etc.

I’m surprised that they considered Invisalign okay if you have crowns etc OP, they can’t need much moving?

Have you looked at Damon fixed braces? better force distribution and v compatible with 80s dentistry.

@BrightLyoness

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!

The trays are tight fitting at the beginning of each new tray - I wonder if your dentist / orthodontist would recommend work on that tooth first if it’s not a great filling? I have big fillings and crowns but they’re smooth edged if that makes sense. I bet your teeth aren’t anything they haven’t seen before though! It’s amazing what they can do - there’s some good Facebook groups for seeing what it entails,

I did Invisalign in my late 50s and am pleased with the results. Took 18 months. I had had lots of fillings and a crown beforehand. I did notice that most of my fillings fell out and the crown came off during the Invisalign process but they were old and probably needed replacing anyway. All fixed now.

@ThePawtriarchy they have suggested I get that tooth reshaped but that's exactly what sent me into this spiral of doubt about the process. Because I'm a bit irrational when it comes to the dentist I don't think I can tolerate getting work done that I otherwise wouldn't have to for the Invisalign :-( It's a trust issue mainly. I was the victim of very bad practice in my youth and once bitten twice shy I guess! Obviously one day I'll have to because this old work will fail but that feels different to deliberately asking them to begin work before they technically need to. My fear is that they won't do it properly. It's quite funny really that I started out feeling all gung ho and 'I'm going to fix this thing I've hated for years' and actually I've sort of regressed to feeling like I did when I was a kid again!

[quote BrightLyoness]@ThePawtriarchy they have suggested I get that tooth reshaped but that's exactly what sent me into this spiral of doubt about the process. Because I'm a bit irrational when it comes to the dentist I don't think I can tolerate getting work done that I otherwise wouldn't have to for the Invisalign :-( It's a trust issue mainly. I was the victim of very bad practice in my youth and once bitten twice shy I guess! Obviously one day I'll have to because this old work will fail but that feels different to deliberately asking them to begin work before they technically need to. My fear is that they won't do it properly. It's quite funny really that I started out feeling all gung ho and 'I'm going to fix this thing I've hated for years' and actually I've sort of regressed to feeling like I did when I was a kid again![/quote]
I can understand that. I have a lot of fear of dentists / shame about my teeth. The only thing I can say is if you can find a dentist / Ortho you trust and then treat it as a journey then you’ll get used to the work as it goes along. I would say that Invisalign is quite invasive in that it’s hard to forget about and you’re having to spend a lot of time flossing, brushing and cleaning the aligners. It actually took me a year of dental work to get to the stage of having Invisalign and I probably have 18 months at least to go. But if I can do it, you can!

Thank you @ThePawtriarchy - you're so right, I probably need to think about it that way and sort the tooth first. The last thing I want is to be terrified every day for a year in case something pops off! Maybe Invisalign needs to be a bit further down the road for me. Congratulations on getting there!

You can do it! Maybe think of getting the big filling sorted out anyway because it will likely need doing one way or another and then get the ball rolling from there. If you join the Facebook groups you’ll see such a huge variation of teeth as well, it sort of normalises it all.

I wish I could! My fear is that they'll screw it up so maybe I just need to build up my trust with them a bit. Poor them! I can see the logical, rational path but my fear is all 'red light!' The tech is so much better now than in those days though, I must say

I have been at it for two yrs now.
I hate my invisilign braces.
They are a faff, and feel. Like a mouth guard in my mouth.
Had awful ulcers
I have had three in treatment adjustments.. Means they re did scans and new trays.
I have told my dentist I have had enough.. My teeth are straighter but definitely not lovely straight level result I expected.
I'd never bother again

I had mine done (though I am in my 20's) and it's one of the best things that I have done. Took about 6 months for mine, and never had an issue. I've previously chipped my two front teeth, and was worried they'd be damaged, but they're fine! One tooth did discolour slightly, but the filling was very old and needed redoing anyway, so I had that done.

I personally have never had any issues with plastic retainers like other pp. But I do wear mine for a couple of hours throughout the day as well as night, so that may be it.

Don't go for Smile Direct.

@Theredjellybean I was wondering if this would come up. When I considered the treatment I was quite shocked to learn (researching afterwards) that on average it takes a lot longer than initially suggested and that you can be committing to something that you're not aware of at the beginning. I'm sorry that's happened to you. The process does sound like a total faff (especially if you love food and drink!) and I guess you can put up with it with an end result in mid but if the end just keeps not coming...I can totally see why you feel like that! I'd be the same

[quote BrightLyoness]@Theredjellybean I was wondering if this would come up. When I considered the treatment I was quite shocked to learn (researching afterwards) that on average it takes a lot longer than initially suggested and that you can be committing to something that you're not aware of at the beginning. I'm sorry that's happened to you. The process does sound like a total faff (especially if you love food and drink!) and I guess you can put up with it with an end result in mid but if the end just keeps not coming...I can totally see why you feel like that! I'd be the same[/quote]
It really isn't that much of a faff. Like others have said, it's very common for people to drink through straws etc. You literally take them out for food, rinse or brush afterwards (I just rinsed) and pop them back in.