Do you ever wish you’d had orthodontic treatment as a child or teen? Do you sometimes struggle between thoughts of what it would be like to finally laugh and smile with complete abandon and what your friends and family would think if you had braces at your age!?!
We regularly treat patients in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond who finally realised it’s never too late to have orthodontic treatment and braces. When we ask our adult orthodontic patients what made them choose to get their teeth straightened at Park Lane Orthodontics in Reading the answers tend to fall into the following categories. They’ve finally got sick and tired of keeping their lips together when they want to smile without thinking or they’ve had enough of covering their mouth with their hands when talking. Sometimes they tell us their teeth embarrass them and they feel envious of friends, family or even strangers who don’t think twice about photos, selfies or simply just being themselves around other people. It can be really tiring worrying about your appearance and even worse if you feel you’ve left it too long to do anything about it.
Well, if you’re reading this then we have good news for you. First off, it really is never too late to get your teeth straight and the smile you’ve always dreamed of. Secondly, once you decide to get braces the mere fact of making a decision on something you’ve been thinking about for so long will make you feel lighter and happier. Thirdly, our Reading orthodontists see the transformational effects a new smile brings to patients, every day; whether they’re teens and adolescents or adults asking, is 65 too old for braces? Or, Is there an age limit for orthodontic treatment?
Orthodontic options for adults
Whether you’re a teen or older adult orthodontists will use what we call an appliance to gently move your teeth into their ideal position. These appliances, braces or aligners, deliver controlled forces to gradually move your teeth into their desired and predicted position, over time. This can be anything from 12-24 months and longer depending on your individual case.
As a specialist orthodontist in Reading, Berkshire, Park Lane Orthodontics offers the full range of adult orthodontic treatment options. These include:
Clear braces for adults.
Clear braces use translucent ceramic brackets, rather than metal, which are fitted to your teeth, helping them blend into your natural tooth colour and appear much less obtrusive. A new development in clear brace technology is tooth-coloured wires, helping make the brace even less visible. During your consultation we’ll advise you on whether clear fixed braces are right for you.
Invisible braces for adults
New developments in orthodontic technology mean wearing braces isn’t the conspicuous or uncomfortable experience it has been in the past. At Park Lane Orthodontics we offer a range of nearly invisible braces which help align and straighten your teeth while being unobtrusive.
Invisalign
At Park Lane Orthodontics in Reading, Berkshire, we use Invisalign if our adult patient wants a discreet and nearly invisible treatment option with all the benefits of fixed brace treatment. Invisalign clear aligners are almost invisible, making them ideal if you’re concerned about how your smile may look during treatment. Because they’re removable they make eating and keeping your teeth and brace clean very easy – they just need to be worn for a minimum of 22 hours a day.
Every patient who uses Invisalign has their aligners custom-made, and there are no wires involved, making them one of the most comfortable orthodontic treatments available. This can also help reduce the number of adjustment or ‘comfort’ appointments you might need to book, saving you time, travel and money.
Lingual Braces
At Park Lane Orthodontics, one of our invisible brace treatments is the lingual brace, which fits on the inside of your teeth, making it the truly invisible option. We offer two types of lingual brace system, the Incognito brace system and the 2D brace system.
What’s the fastest orthodontic treatment?
We’ll advise you on whether limited objectives orthodontics is right for you at your first appointment. Because we don’t need to send a mould of your teeth to a laboratory for the brace to be made, treatment can start straight away. This is unlike other limited objectives systems like ‘six month smiles’ or Inman Aligners.
Because there are no extra laboratory costs passed onto you, at Park Lane Orthodontics we can offer our Smile Rapide braces at a competitive and comparable price to similar types of limited objectives orthodontic treatment offered by your dentist. The benefit is our years of training and orthodontic experience at no extra cost.
To find out whether faster (limited objectives) orthodontics like Smile Rapide are right for you, arrange your orthodontic consultation today.
Are there any reasons why I can’t have orthodontics or braces as an adult?
These days it’s quite rare we see a patient we can’t help when it comes to teeth straightening. There are occasions when we have to advise against it or we recommend a delay in treatment while other dental issues are addressed. Older patients interested in braces will need to address the following dental issues before treatment.
Extensive tooth decay. This can lead to multiple cavities which means your teeth aren’t stable enough to support braces. Patients may need dental restorative work before starting any orthodontic treatment.
Periodontal or gum disease. Tooth decay can lead to gingivitis and gum disease which erodes the gum and bone around your teeth’s roots. This means your teeth will be too loose or weak to support braces. Periodontal work will be needed prior to any orthodontics in these cases.
Missing teeth. If you’ve lost or had multiple teeth extracted it means the remaining teeth around the empty sockets may not support braces. You may need to replace your missing teeth and bone before considering orthodontic work.
Root resorption. This is when the body reabsorbs your teeth’s roots which means disqualify you from receiving orthodontic treatment.
The above conditions are fairly rare and as a specialist orthodontic practice we’ll be able to give you all your options at your initial orthodontic consultation.
For all our wonderful older patients who’ve made the plunge and decided to get that life-enhancing new smile the universal sentiment after the braces come off is “I should’ve done this years ago!” The moment those braces come off is often described as “the first day of the rest of my life”. In short, you’re never too old to have braces, just ask these happy Park Lane Orthodontic patients.
Remember, the opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile has not passed you by. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life hiding the smile you have now. You may have missed out on orthodontic treatment when you were younger but that doesn’t mean your stuck with what you’ve got!
Why not contact us for a chat today or book a remote orthodontic consultation from the comfort of your own home.
T. 0118 9411628