Braces for my 80 year old mother. Does anyone have experience with Seniors and Invisilign?

She's 80 and the new dentist is recommended an expensive alternative to braces to straighten her teeth. I find it ridiculous that a person in that position is taking advantage of the elderly.

As someone mentioned earlier, Invisalign is a name brand, so you are also paying for that brand recognition. Also, keep in mind, sometimes the dentist will be required to shave down the patients teeth to fit it. Not always, but something to consider if there are risks.

Everyone's teeth will have some sort of movement throughout their life. If your mother can still eat properly, don't waste money on that. At the very least get a second opinion from another reliable dentist.

Most importantly, find a new dentist.

No offense PMruns but this sounds just ludicrous.

Why not go and get her botox and fillers while you are at it. Maybe a
tummy tuck and a boob job too. This new dentist should become her
old dentist ..............quickly.

Sorry for the sarcasm but save her money for something useful. Who knows
what her future holds but at her age she will probably need that money for
more important things.

Why on earth would a 80 year old need braces? I do not think I have ever heard anything so ridiculous.

My mom was 95 requiring denture replacement and someone wanted to sell her implant. She would have been considered a high surgery risk..

You can get another opinion, but generally just about everyone pays out of pocket.

I would not bother.
And if there really is a problem with her overbite there are other products that do the same thing "Invisalign" is 1 brand name.
Keeping the teeth she has is important I am sure she has had the overbite for at least 70 years.

OP stated this is a NEW dentist who SUGGESTED to have her mother's teeth straightened for a slight overbite. This certainly DOES NOT justify spending $7000 at age 80 for such a minor dental adjustment. There is NO mention of other dental problems with eating - chewing food. This dentist is trying to SCAM this elderly woman.

I'm still paying $3800 out of pocket on a payment plan even with dental insurance coverage. IMO they are still very expensive where the resulting benefit better be worth it.

Invisalign isn’t really braces. There’s a clear plastic tray molded to the upper teeth and another one for the bottom teeth. They are fitted to put pressure on certain teeth and are changed to new trays as the teeth align so as to put pressure on different teeth. You can wear them overnight and never in the daytime, or you can wear them day and night, removing to eat. The process isn’t at all painful. An 80 year old should be able to handle this just fine. The payoff is that with properly aligned teeth, biting and chewing is much easier. Many elders can’t eat properly due to dental problems and their health suffers.

My gene cesspool is full of orthodontic woes. Mainly overbites. My father got braces and his jaw broken and repositioned. Wired shut for 6 weeks. He was 45 at the time. Had he done nothing, he would have ground down his lower back molars and the jawbone by the time he was in his 60s. So it was worth doing.

But at 80? If mother is not grinding down her teeth and overall doing okay? Braces would be a waste of money. I don’t know how uncomfortable (or not) Invisalign is, but braces are not comfortable!

You are not serious are you? An 80 yo woman with an overbite needs Invisalign like I need a new hole drilled in my head.

Geesh there is no way I would waste that much money on something like that. That's one month in a AL home or least where I live.

Pass

Seriously????? I had a slight overbite my whole entire LIFE which did absolutely nothing in the way of 'continuing to move' which really makes no sense at all, except to enrich the dentist by $7K. Since mother is on a tight budget, she can use $7K in about 7,000 other ways more beneficial to her than braces at 80 years old. If her 'slight overbite' hasn't moved enough to cause issues in all these years, I would venture to guess it ain't goin' nowhere! She's lucky to HAVE teeth at 80, so my vote is to find a new dentist.

I recently had Invisilign applied to my teeth (age 65). HOWEVER, I had major dental problems many years ago with 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed at age 30. They had to be surgically extracted in the hospital plus a front tooth removed. I wore metal braces in my 30's due to those badly shifted teeth. Regrettably, I should have later worn a retainer at night as now there is significant front teeth shift - crooked and irritating rubbing my tongue.

I consulted with my dentist and orthodonist who both confirmed it would help me to prevent loosing another front tooth. I am NOT doing it for cosmetic although straight teeth are lovely. PLUS - we have dental insurance which paid $2K for partial cost towards $5800 - balance I pay.

That is my story - but I DO NOT think your 80 year old mother needs or should spend her money on these braces!! What is this dentist thinking except $$$$. GREED!! I actually thought I was TOO OLD until I was convinced they would help my problem. But honestly - if I were age 80 I would not spend my money on them. I agree it smells like a SCAM.

In addition, these braces are removed EVERY TIME you eat and must be cleaned daily. I use a straw to drink my ice tea but remove them for my hot coffee. I do not even eat a snack while wearing these braces. Obviously, I sleep in them to get my money's worth and fix this problem!

I know of no legitimate dentist that would recommend any kind of braces for an 80 year old person. And for just a "slight overbite." I mean really???? She's made it 80 years with this supposed overbite right? You don't think that she can make it through the rest of her life with it?
If it smells like a scam, walks like a scam and talks like a scam, guess what? IT IS A SCAM!!!
Please don't allow your parents to spend their hard earned money on something so very foolish this late in their life. I'm sure that they will need that $7000 for something way more important and legit soon enough, so don't let your mom get talked into wasting her money on something she just doesn't need.

I had Invisalign and it worked well. I don’t hesitate to recommend it when needed. If you decide to go through with it, you might be able to find a dentist who doesn’t charge that much.

Thank you for the quick responses. I really trusted this dentist because she’s the one I see for my own dental work but this didn’t make sense. I think I’m losing it sometimes myself. I thought it was a crazy idea and she was super worried about the cost but I needed to get an outside opinion. Her parents lived to 101 & 103 so I was thinking “it’s crazy but she could have 20 years to go”.

I appreciate your help!

I agree. Insurance usually does not cover adults for braces. I would tell him/her no thanks. #1 reason, they cannot afford it. Not that it could not happen but teeth don't usually shift,IMO, unless there is a dental problem like gum desease or missing teeth si the remaining teeth have some support. Think you better find a new dentist.

Pmruns, I would suggest a second opinion. Something just doesn't sound right here.

Your dentist is a freaking scam artist. She has lived this long with her teeth the way they are so there is no point in fixing it now. Scam artist dentists are out there. This guy takes the cake. Ask him what kind of car he drives and Google his address to get my point. Things like this piss me off.

That dentist is a hack preying on your mom. Sadly, there are a lot of them out there, especially ones who recommend things that aren't covered by insurance.

A slight overbite is how your bite is supposed to be. This guy should be reported to the local dental licensing agency in your state.

Your mother doesn't need Invisalign -- that's absurd. Invisalign doesn't work well anyway, and a lot of people who use it find their teeth move back where they started anyway.

I would think that 80 is a bit old for braces.