Just Jill is the creation of Jill Cohen Morris. Jill is an avid Rambler and mother of two from Toronto, Canada, with a remarkable zest for life and a fabulous sense of humor.
Dear Just Jill,
I’m 60 and thinking of getting braces! Does this even make sense? Never thought that sentence would come out of my mouth!
In my early teens, like most, I had braces, headgear (ugh, remember that?), and a retainer … the whole deal. My teeth were perfect!
Over the years, they have shifted. Fast forward 45 plus years, and they are a bit of a mess. My teeth are no longer aligned, which is causing inflammation. I am told this can cause bone loss, especially at my age.
Truthfully, I used to love my smile, and now I find myself trying to hide my teeth when I smile.
Have any Sole Sisters had recent experience with orthodontics? Braces or Invisalign? I have decided to go ahead, just not sure which route to choose.
What’s a gal to do?
Sincerely,
Crooked Teeth Tanya
Sole Sister Advice & Comments
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I am a big supporter of this! It is your face and your smile, not to mention way better oral health if your teeth are aligned. Also, they will only become more crowded as you age. Why not fix it if you can! Also, most people would benefit from wearing a mouth guard at night to prevent shifting. I had major orthodontic work as a teen. When I noticed my teeth started to shift in my 40s, I got a mouth guard to preserve the smile I have. It has worked like a charm!
- Great topic! About four years ago, my dentist asked when did my top teeth start moving around. Odd as I had never really thought about it, but I certainly had some movement that had pushed some of my top teeth backwards. I took the cue and went through about a year of Invisalign to correct my smile. I did it during the pandemic, so I was happily masked during public moments. Everything worked really well for me, and I am super happy with the results. Retainer every night now for the rest of my life, not a big deal, I’m so used to it!
- I bought myself braces for my 50th birthday, and I'm talking full-on top and bottom braces! Not Invisalign! I was getting horrible headaches, and my teeth were all over the place. Had them on for 2 years and am so glad I did it. I wear top and bottom retainers at night, but they're not huge like the old school ones. The Invisalign seems to be better for people who don't need too much moving of teeth. Your orthodontist should be able to help figure out what's best in your case.
- There are also issues with braces as we age, causing slight mobility and bone loss. Ask the orthodontist about this as well at your consult. They don't mention this. It still may be worth doing, but good to have all the facts. Root resorption can occur while wearing braces, which is why it's important to understand what it is, how it is caused, and what it means for patients affected by it. Thankfully, most cases of root resorption have no adverse effects and are an expected part of the process of wearing braces.
- Go see an orthodontist pronto. If your roots are good and you're a good candidate, I don't think it's something you'll ever regret. Plus, your teeth will age better when they are aligned.
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And my Aunty got them at 70 yrs old ... so I figure go for it!
- Life’s too short! If it will make you happier and smile more, go for it!
We look forward to hearing your advice in the comments!
Happy Rambling!
READ MORE > Ask Just Jill, Rambler Cafe Blog
SSR doesn't endorse the advice, or content shared in this column. Our goal is to access the wisdom of our incredible Sole Sisters.
Yes, my friend lost weight on Invisalign because she was very conscientious that she should brush her teeth after eating and before putting in the appliance…so, often she decided the treat was not worth the effort.
I did Invisalign at 60. It took getting used to wearing the “trays”(aligners), especially putting on/taking off the elastics and the aligners. Not everyone needs elastics but they were truly a hassle, probably for either trays or braces. It was an adjustment to not being able to snack whenever randomly as it’s recommended to wear them more than 20 hours a day and after eating to clean the teeth before putting trays back on. So more planning around food was needed. Eating was normal once aligners were out. Flossing and keeping teeth clean was like normal. I chose them because I didn’t want the look of braces and I was concerned if my mouth/lips would get irritated by the knobs/wires on each tooth and I didn’t want to eat with wires/knobs on nor have a wire break and hurt my mouth. I didn’t have to go in regularly to get the wires tightened. They give you a bunch of trays to last a while and you only get checked once in a while or as needed. Braces would require more patience cleaning/flossing than trays but I think you could eat anytime without thinking how long the trays were out of your mouth. The invisalign app isn’t great so I used Trayminder and that helped me keep track. I went with invisalign because I wasn’t going to do the needed corrections with braces. Unfortunately I got permanent wires behind the top and bottom front teeth so have to floss with a threaded floss but the retainers are easy enough to wear at night. Good luck.
I got braces at 62. Wore them for 2-1/2 yrs. to correct my bite to protect my front tooth crown. So very glad I did. I embraced them every day and just “owned” my brace face Never too old to self care
I got Invisalign in my mid 50s, now in mid 60s. My only regret is that I waited so long. Find a good provider that you trust. Smile!
At 60, I decided I wanted to straighten my teeth as was always self conscious about my smile & didn’t like having my photo taken.
I started with Invisalign but as another comment mentions, they are a lot of work. You basically have to wear them all the time except to eat/drink. I would forget to put them back in after eating or having coffee and ended up not being the best ortho patient. I also found it hard to talk properly with the liners in. I personally found the Invisalign really constricting for my schedule.
I switched to regular braces after a few weeks and couldn’t have been happier. I found them easy to look after (waterpik was my best friend) and my orthodontist put clear brackets on my teeth so you could barely even tell I was wearing braces.
I’m happy with my teeth now and have no regrets about getting braces at 60!
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