Am I too old for clear aligners?
Traditionally, orthodontic treatment was for teenagers. It was common to have a metallic smile from the age of 13 to 15.
If braces hadn’t been worn during teenage years, adults would keep their crocked smile for the remaining of their lives. We would very rarely observe a brave adult wearing a full mouth of braces; Tom Cruise being one of them a few years back.
With the invention of clear aligners, orthodontic treatment started being more appealing to adults who had not worn braces or who wanted to correct a relapse. But is there a time limit to orthodontic treatment? In reality the answer is no.
Teeth will move easier on a younger person because their bone is not as dense and they are still growing, but clear aligners treatment will still work perfectly on an adult. Clear aligner treatment will work at any age as long as gums, bones and teeth are healthy and there are no medical issues. Teeth alignment on an adult may only take a bit longer than on a teenager with the same needs but a straight smile is absolutely achievable. It is very rare that an adult will need to be in treatment for a long time because mild to moderate cases can be resolved in a couple months. Most severe cases were already treated at a young age.
Straightening your teeth with clear aligners as an adult will help you smile with confidence and also prevent dental issues such as dental decay, gum disease, bad breath and tooth loss.
Age itself is not a limitation for clear aligner treatment and pretty much for anything nowadays. As long as proper patient screening is done to evaluate dental and general health, most adults are good to go. There is actually a very high success rate amongst adults as they are more motivated and more responsible in wearing their aligners all the time and treatment outcome is excellent.