Aligners as an Adult
Who clear aligners suit later in life, the problems they can't solve, how they fit around a working day, and what treatment costs at our Lanark practice.
Can Adults Have Invisalign in Lanark?
Yes. Teeth keep their ability to move at any age, so as long as your gums are healthy, crowding, spacing and teeth that have wandered since teenage braces can usually be put right with Invisalign. At Lanark Smile Studios, Dr Davinder Kalsi and Dr Melanie Gray plan each case from an iTero scan. Fees start at £3,250 and already cover refinements, Vivera retainers and whitening. Plan on keeping the trays in for 20 to 22 hours daily, and on treatment lasting anywhere from about six months to eighteen.
Does Age Matter?
Not in the way most people fear. The bone around your roots is alive and constantly remodelling, whether you are 15 or 65. Push a tooth gently and steadily, and bone on the pressure side is broken down while new bone forms on the trailing side, so the tooth travels with it. Each aligner delivers a small, planned dose of that pressure.
What really decides suitability is healthy gums, enough bone support around each tooth and a realistic commitment to wearing the trays. Starting in your forties, fifties or later is entirely normal.
Why Adults Come to Us
Adult enquiries about aligners tend to arrive from three directions.
- Teenage braces that didn't hold. The retainer was abandoned long ago and the lower front teeth have edged out of line. Putting this right is normally quick and simple.
- Crowding that keeps creeping on. Teeth, especially along the bottom, bunch up more with age, and overlapping teeth trap plaque.
- One feature that has always bothered you. A gap at the front, or a single rotated tooth, that catches the eye in photographs.
Mild to moderate bite issues are within reach as well, including a deep overbite, a slight underbite and a crossbite in which some upper teeth close behind the lower ones.
Wondering Whether Aligners Would Suit You?
Come in for a free consultation with Dr Kalsi or Dr Gray, including an iTero scan and your own simulation.
Where Aligners Fall Short
Sometimes the teeth are fine and the jaws are the issue. A lower jaw that sits markedly behind or ahead of the upper one is a skeletal problem: aligners can straighten the teeth on it, but they can't reposition bone. That usually calls for fixed braces, now and then combined with jaw surgery. We consider fixed braces as well as aligners, so if that is your soundest route we'll explain our reasons.
Gum disease must be brought under control before anything moves, as shifting teeth through inflamed bone hastens bone loss, and any decay needs treating too. Existing fillings and crowns are no obstacle. A dental implant, though, is fused to the jaw and stays exactly where it is, so the plan is designed around it. Your examination, X-rays and scan reveal all of this before you commit.
Step by Step Through Treatment
- Free consultation. There's no deposit to book it. Dr Kalsi or Dr Gray examines your teeth, gums and bite, then records them with our iTero scanner in a few minutes, with no putty involved.
- Simulation. A preview of your likely finished smile appears on a photo of your face, followed by each stage of the planned movement. Read it as a goal rather than a guarantee, since every mouth responds a little differently. 2
- Written fee. The movement in your plan sets the package, and the price reaches you in writing before any aligners are ordered.
- Fit appointment. Small tooth-coloured attachments are bonded to some teeth to give the trays purchase. Occasionally a fine strip of enamel is polished from between teeth to create space.
- Changing trays at home. A fresh aligner every one or two weeks.
- Progress visits. Roughly every six to eight weeks, so we can confirm each tooth is on track.
- Finishing touches. Any refinement aligners needed at the end are covered, as are your Vivera retainers.
Aligners in Everyday Life
Take the trays out whenever you eat, and for every drink other than plain water. Before they go back, brush or at the very least rinse thoroughly, otherwise food is pressed against the enamel for hours. Hot drinks can warp the plastic and tea or coffee will discolour it, so enjoy those with the trays out.
Each new set feels snug for a day or two, rather like breaking in shoes. That tightness is what shifts the teeth, and it passes. Some people notice a slight lisp for the first few days. Whenever the aligners are out, put them in their case; a surprising number vanish folded inside a paper napkin at lunch. Clean them gently with a soft brush and cool water.
One side effect many people enjoy is less snacking, simply because removing the trays every time is a nuisance.
Treatment Time
Anywhere from about six months to eighteen is typical. Minor crowding at the front, or teeth that have relapsed after earlier braces, finish at the quicker end. Crowding across both arches, or correcting the bite, generally takes a year or longer. Before you begin, you'll know how many aligners your plan involves.
Two factors lengthen treatment. One is how far the teeth must travel. The other is wear: teeth move only while the trays are in, and a few hours out each day soon costs you weeks. Refinements at the end can add a short spell, and they're included in your fee.
Holding on to Your Result
Teeth that have been moved tend to head home again, and everyone's teeth drift slowly through adult life regardless. The fibres around each root need months to adapt to the new position. For that reason every package finishes with Vivera retainers, made from a scan of your straightened teeth. The usual pattern is full-time wear for a short period, followed by nightly wear for good. Read our guide to retainers for the details.
Fees, and What Diamond Apex Tells You
Depending on how much movement you need, Invisalign at Lanark Smile Studios costs from £3,250 (Lite) to £4,750 (Comprehensive Plus). 1 Included are scans, X-rays, all aligners, refinements, Vivera retainers, home whitening and a hygiene visit. Our Invisalign cost guide sets the four packages side by side. The dental plan discount doesn't apply to Invisalign.
Our group has been an Invisalign Diamond Apex provider in every year from 2022 to 2026. Align Technology grants that tier according to how many Invisalign cases a practice completes, and on that measure it places us in the top 1% of providers in Europe. It reflects a large volume of aligner treatment. It is not a qualification and does not make us orthodontists.
Thinking about whiter or reshaped teeth afterwards? Straightening first often reduces how much bonding or veneer work you need. Our smile makeovers page explains more.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.