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One of the reasons I wanted to get Invisalign instead of braces was that I didn’t want to try to rock the braces look as a forty-year-old. (I’m a member of the Invisalign Mom Advisory Board, and am receiving complimentary treatment.) No matter how much of a crush I have on Rachel Maddow, I can totally see her tooth-colored braces each night on her show, and it’s just a ridiculous look for an adult. I look ridiculous enough on my own.
There are some things to know, however, if you’re considering Invisalign for “mature” teeth. My awesome orthodontist, Dr. Hung, went over all of his concerns with me at my consultation.
The thing I like best about Dr. Hung is that he managed my expectations right from the beginning. He showed me a picture of a young woman with perfectly straight teeth, and told me that my teeth simply would not look like that with any kind of orthodontia work.
For several decades, I’ve been using my teeth. Daily. I’ve been wearing them down gradually. And since they’re crooked, I’ve been wearing them down unevenly. Once my Invisalign treatment is done and my teeth are straight, they still won’t be totally even. Concern number one.
Also, some of the teeth are so crooked that when they are straight next year, there may be small spaces between them near my gum line. Dr. Hung described it like this: your teeth are basically narrow triangles, with the bottom point hidden below your gums. (Please excuse my bad drawing skills – those are teeth, not dreidels.)
The size and angles of the triangles are affected by what they’re growing next to. If they grow in straight, the teeth adjust so that there aren’t any spaces between. But mine have been growing differently, so once they are straight they may not fit together perfectly at the bottom. See those little spaces above the gum line? Concern number two.
I weighed all of this, and decided that I still wanted to go forward. I simply do not like the way my teeth look right now, and the imperfections that result from straightening my “old” teeth will be minor compared to the crookedness!
I am a member of the Invisalign Moms Advisory Board. I am receiving complimentary Invisalign treatment as part of this program. All opinions are my own and based on my own treatment experience. Full disclosure can be found here: http://shout.lt/ggGP
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 1. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.