I just retired and inherited some money. I’ve always been embarrassed by my smile and would like to finally get straight teeth. I know my nephew got Invisalign and he had to tell me he had them. I couldn’t even tell. Am I too old to get that if I’m over 60?

Eleanor

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Dear Eleanor,

First, congratulations on the retirement. That is very exciting. It’s even more exciting that you’re getting to live out a dream in improving your smile. The good news is that you are not too old to use Invisalign to straighten your teeth. In fact, you would not even be the oldest.

Dentists have these study clubs where they get together and discuss treatments along with how their patients are responding to them. While they respect their patient’s privacy and do not reveal information like their name or any other personally identifiable information. They only discuss things relevant to the treatment, such as age, etc.

In one of those groups, they were talking about the age ranges of their Invisalign patients. One of them had a 92 year old woman who was getting her teeth straightened and she was doing very well. So you see, compared to that, you are a mere babe.

You are right that no one will even know that you are straightening your teeth, just like your nephew’s treatment. Some people even call them invisible braces. There is another hidden benefit to Invisalign. They can double as teeth whitening trays. You would simply get some professional strength teeth whitening gel from your dentist and wear it in your aligners at a time that is convenient for you.

Doing this will not only straighten your teeth, but whiten them at the same time. Whitening alone can make your smile looks years, sometimes decades, younger, giving you a mini smile makeover. Because you can do them simultaneously, you will also be able to get that makeover at a fraction of the cost it would be if you did them separately.

This blog is brought to you by an affordable dentist in Gilbert Dr. Matt Roper.