The answer is probably no!
The 100 year life is becoming more and more possible for more and more people and so we are seeing more and more people come to see us in their 60s and 70s. If you are going to live for another 30 to 40 years or more, then orthodontic treatment may be a perfectly good idea. The types of treatment that people go for may be slightly different in older patients, who may just want something doing to allow a tooth to be restored, so that chewing and eating is easier.
Years ago people were not aware that adults could have orthodontic treatment but we now see patients over a wider and wider age range. As a result we are seeing more people who just want to improve their smile and feel good about them-selves. It might be just not smiling on photographs or being self-conscious in others’ company, this could be in any social or business situations.
Clear Aligners
Invisalign treatment and lingual braces enable alignments to be carried out so that it is more difficult for people to tell if you are wearing braces. These treatments are becoming more popular but there are some bites which different appliances are more effective for. This is where an assessment by your specialist orthodontist comes in useful.
One of the issues with orthodontic treatment is that when aligning the teeth, small triangular spaces can appear between the teeth. These are more common, the longer in tooth that you are. We can reduce these down in a number of ways but sometimes they can be restored by your own dentist following treatment.
The Ageing Mouth
The longer we live, the more things that happen to our teeth, such as wear, gum recession, restorative treatment. These all need to be considered by someone experienced in orthodontics. Never just sign a disclaimer saying that you are dentally fit because this places the responsibility on your if things don’t work out. Anyone asking you to sign a disclaimer may be assuming you have had a detailed assessment by someone who knows about orthodontics. A normal check up by your own dentist is not enough, if they were not aware you were going to have orthodontic treatment. So you sign a Disclaimer assuming you had a check up with your dentist but when things don’t go well, the company will advise you that you signed the Disclaimer so you can then be found at fault.
Teeth grow throughout life, but from the inside in. They don’t get bigger, but the space inside the teeth, called pulp, gets smaller. This is because the dentine, which is under our enamel, gets thicker. The dentine is quite yellow in colour and so because it gets thicker, out teeth get darker as we get older. This can be remedied with tooth whitening and is something quite a few of our patients have done, once they finish their orthodontic treatment.
Monitoring
If you have Invisalign or any treatment with Aligners or other types of brace, our Birmingham based specialist orthodontists will monitor your oral health as well as your own dentist and in this way, problems can be picked up early and dealt with for you before they become an issue for you in most cases.
Problems and appointments
Gum problems can appear, or speed up very quickly and go un-noticed unless properly monitored. This is why no face to face appointments are unwise. Some virtual appointments are a good idea and can be mixed in to some treatments, especially aligner treatments. This can be good if you have long way to travel or are more at risk in relation to Covid and want to avoid public transport.
I am now 2/3 of the way through my clear aligner treatment here in Birmingham so if you need to discuss anything with us, we can tell you from both a patient and an orthodontists perspective what might be possible and what to expect if you decide to go ahead with treatment.
Book a free smile assessment with our Treatment Coordinator to find out more.
