Why You’re Never Too Old For Teeth Straightening

One of the greatest dental myths still doing the rounds in 2024, is that there comes a time when age becomes a barrier to teeth straightening. Well, we are pleased to inform you that this is downright nonsense, especially since achieving a straighter smile is easier than its ever been.

With options like Invisalign removable aligners on the table, older patients with busy lives can fit their treatment around their lifestyle. There was a time when this was exclusively the other way around though… back when fixed metal braces were all that was available. It was the braces that called the shots, not the patient (we’ll come onto this a little later on…).

In this piece, we’ll talk about:

• Why there’s never been a better time than now to get braces if you’re an adult.
• How treatments like Invisalign (Leeds has plenty of providers including us!) facilitate patients experiencing the maximum lifestyle flexibility possible during their treatment.
• The lifelong benefits of having straighter teeth (and the unexpected knock-on effects you may not even have considered).

Make Your Treatment Work Around YOU!

As dentists working in 2024, we can totally understand why many of our adult and elder patients have put off having treatment when they were younger. At a time when only clunky, lifestyle-inhibiting metal braces on offer, it’s no wonder many adults just didn’t feel getting their teeth straightened was worth the effort.

The good news is, that even metal braces have now become more patient-friendly. They’re more comfortable, lightweight, and compact, and you can even choose to have ceramic versions that look discreet.

Better still, there’s Invisalign.

Invisalign enables you to get on living your life, with minimal interruptions to your day-to-day life. This is a huge advantage over fixed braces, and it’s made possible because of the following:

Invisalign aligners are removable

Removable aligners = a gamechanger.

Having the capacity to take your aligners out when you eat, drink and brush your teeth takes a lot of (what patients can feel is the “headache”), out of the treatment process.

It’s as easy as this. You can simply take your aligners out (for up to 2 hours each day), and brush and eat entirely as you would normally.

There is no such luxury with metal braces, which are a fixed entity in your mouth, and require some dietary alterations on the part of the patient. This can be a huge deal breaker for many adult patients, who simply don’t have the time or inclination to rearrange their lifestyle around the treatment in this way.

With Invisalign, you have complete freedom to continue eating as normal, and there’s no danger of food becoming stuck in your aligners (which are removed before eating). Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of metal braces is sticky foods becoming lodged in the brace, and causing dental decay and bad breath. By contrast, Invisalign can be removed and easily cleaned. You can also floss normally and without metal any components to navigate.

Invisalign aligners are comfortable

As a patient-experience-orientated treatment, Invisalign aligners had to be crafted to be easy to get used to and comfortable.

Not only are the aligners bespoke, fitting over every curvature of each tooth near-perfectly, but the plastic from which they’re made is smooth and will not cause any irritation to the soft tissues in your mouth.

The older metal braces of yesteryear certainly couldn’t boast the same thing. Being as hefty as they were, metal braces from a couple of decades ago would routinely irritate patients’ soft tissues, making the many months of treatment hardly something to smile about.

Invisalign aligners don’t limit your hobbies

Many of the patients we see for Invisalign are keen players of contact sports like rugby and martial arts, as well as musicians who play woodwind instruments like the flute, clarinet, saxophone, or harmonica.

Metal braces place limitations on partaking in these activities. In the case of contact sports, metal braces can make it extremely difficult to protect teeth with a sports mouthguard. Meanwhile, playing a woodwind instrument with a metal brace can take some adjusting to, especially after each time you have your brace tightened every 6-8 weeks.

But guess what? Invisalign takes all of these obtrusive factors away by being…. Removable!  

Invisalign aligners produce predictable outcomes

Choosing to have your teeth straightened is a big commitment. With this in mind, you want to be sure that the outcome will meet (and hopefully exceed), your expectations.

Invisalign integrates ClinCheck software, which allows you to see every single movement your teeth will go through before you start your treatment. You will also be able to see how your smile will look once treatment is complete, giving you the inclination and motivation to proceed with teeth straightening.

Private Dentist: Leeds-based Meliora Dental’s Invisalign Expertise

Here at Meliora Dental, we are fortunate to have the talents of Dr Kunal Rai, who is an elite Invisalign Go provider.  Kunal is an advocate of Invisalign, delivering training to fellow dentists about how to optimise the use of Invisalign for the best clinical outcomes.

He frequently delivers full smile makeovers using Invisalign and cosmetic dental treatments such as composite bonding and teeth whitening.

A forward-thinking dentist, Kunal is continuously seeking ways to enhance the Invisalign treatment journey so that teeth straightening is an inviting prospect for patients of all ages.

Click here to choose Meliora Dental for Invisalign, Leeds-based reputable dental practice. We offer a wide variety of restorative and cosmetic dental treatment, provided by clinicians who deeply care about putting a smile on your face, and helping you to feel the most confident you can about your teeth.

Contact our friendly reception team by clicking here.