Invisalign for Adults

Can Adults Have Invisalign?

Yes. Most adults with crooked, crowded or gappy teeth can be treated with clear aligners. Teeth move at any age, as long as your gums are healthy, because the bone around each tooth keeps remodelling throughout life. Each aligner is shaped slightly differently from the last, so it presses gently on particular teeth. The bone on one side of the root makes way, new bone fills in behind, and the tooth moves a fraction of a millimetre at a time.

Age isn't the limit. What matters is healthy gums, enough bone around the roots, and whether you'll wear the aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day. Adults usually come to us for one of three things: teeth that have drifted since braces as a teenager, crowding that has slowly got worse, or a gap they've always wanted closed. All three are well within what aligners do.

What Aligners Can Treat

• Crowded or overlapping teeth, often the lower front teeth, which tend to bunch up with age
• Gaps between teeth, including a gap at the front
• Rotated teeth
• Mild to moderate bite problems, such as an overbite, underbite or crossbite
• Relapse: teeth that have moved since braces when you were younger

Aligners are less suited to severe bite problems caused by the position of the jaws, which may need fixed braces or jaw surgery. Gum disease needs to be treated and under control before any teeth are moved, because moving teeth through inflamed bone can make it worse. Fillings and crowns don't stop teeth moving. Implants can't move at all, so we plan around them. Your examination and iTero Lumina scan tell us which group you're in. If aligners aren't the right tool, we'll say so and explain the alternatives, including a referral to an orthodontist.

What Happens, Step by Step

• Consultation and scan. The consultation is free, with a £40 deposit refunded within 7 days of attending. Dr Davinder Kalsi examines your teeth and gums and takes an iTero Lumina scan in a few minutes. No putty.
• See the result. A simulation of your possible new smile on your own face, then a stage-by-stage plan of how each tooth will move. It's a plan, not a promise: teeth respond differently, and your progress is checked at every review.
• A written fee. The plan tells us which package you need, and the price is fixed in writing before you start.
• Attachments. Small tooth-coloured bumps bonded to some teeth help the aligners grip. Occasionally, a fraction of a millimetre is polished from between teeth to create space.
• New aligners every one to two weeks, with reviews every six to eight weeks to check progress.
• Refinements. If your teeth need fine-tuning at the end, the extra aligners are included in your package.
• Retainers. Vivera retainers hold the result.

Living with Aligners

Wear them for 20 to 22 hours a day. Take them out to eat and to drink anything other than water, and brush before putting them back in, so food isn't trapped against your teeth. Hot drinks can warp aligners and coloured drinks can stain them, so it's water only while they're in.

Each new set feels tight for a day or two. That's the aligner doing its job, and most people describe it as pressure rather than pain. Some people have a slight lisp for the first few days, which soon passes. The attachments are barely visible, and they're polished off at the end of treatment.

Clean your aligners with cool water and a soft brush, never hot water, and keep them in their case whenever they're out. Most people get used to them within a few days, and many find that taking them out to eat quietly cuts down on snacking.

How Long Does It Take?

Most treatments take 6 to 18 months. Simple cases, such as a little crowding of the lower front teeth or relapse after old braces, can take a few months. More complex cases typically take 12 to 18 months. Your stage-by-stage plan shows the expected number of aligners before you start, so you'll know roughly where you stand.

Two things affect the timing more than anything else. The first is how far your teeth need to move. The second is wear time: teeth only move as planned while the aligners are in, so if they spend too long in their case your teeth won't keep up with the plan and treatment takes longer. Refinements at the end can add a few weeks, and they're included in every package.

After Treatment: Retainers

Teeth naturally try to drift back, so retainers are essential. The fibres that hold each tooth in its socket take months to settle into their new positions, and teeth keep shifting gently throughout life whether or not you've had treatment. Most people wear removable retainers full-time for a short period, then at night for the long term.

Vivera retainers are included with every Invisalign package at St Vincent Smile. They're made from a scan of your finished smile, so they fit precisely. Our guide to retainers after Invisalign covers how to wear them and how to look after them.

What It Costs

At St Vincent Smile, Invisalign ranges from £3,750 for Lite to £5,250 for Comprehensive Plus, depending on how complex your case is.² Every package includes refinements, Vivera retainers, whitening, your scans and X-rays, and a hygiene visit. Our Invisalign cost guide sets out all four packages and who each one suits.

Treatment of £1,500 or more can be spread through Chrysalis Finance, interest free over 6 or 12 months, or over 12 to 60 months at 14.9% APR representative, subject to status. See finance for the details. Orthodontic treatment isn't included in the dental plan discount.

Many patients follow aligners with whitening and bonding as part of a smile makeover. Straightening first means less tooth needs to be added or removed later, and whitening is already included in your package.

Questions

This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.