I am 74 years old and would love to finally have straight teeth! I know it seems like I’ve waited forever, but I focused on kids and then grandkids. I finally have some money for me! Is it possible for me to get that Invisalign thing where no one can tell you have braces or am I too old and decrepit? I have a granddaughter wearing them.
Evelyn
Dear Evelyn,
I’m glad you wrote. Not only are you not too old for Invisalign, you are part of the clientele they are looking for. Invisalign was originally designed for adults. Many times, adults wanted to improve their smile by straightening their teeth, but they had a job in a professional setting. A mouth full of metal wires and brackets would not have been a great thing for their career. It wasn’t until several years later that Invisalign Teen came on the market.
If it makes you feel better, I know of a group of dentists who get together and discuss their Invisalign cases as a study club. They also compare statistics of the patients, though no personally identifiable information is disclosed. One of the things they do talk about is the age of their patients. Several of the dentists had patients in their eighties. In comparison, you’re a babe.
There is an additional benefit to Invisalign that helps with older smiles. As we age, our teeth pick up stains. Teeth whitening can make us look decades younger just by taking care of those stains. The aligners used by Invisalign to straighten your teeth can also double as teeth whitening trays. This also saves you money in the long run because instead of needing to have custom trays made for your whitening, you can just have your dentist provide you with the professional strength whitening gel. Then, you will wear that in your aligners at a time that is most convenient to you.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.