Melissa Amos had never worried about her weight because she didn’t think she needed to.
The 45-year-old mother-of-three from Hertfordshire practiced yoga, took long walks with the dog and made sure she ate healthy.
However, things changed, says Melissa, as she entered her 40s and even though she continued to exercise, her weight started to gain – partly because she says she started mindlessly snacking on chocolate, granola bars and cheese.
One day Melissa stood on her scale and got a nasty shock: her weight had gone from under 11st to over 13st. At 6 feet, this meant that, according to the NHSshe was classified as obese.
Although her weight was a concern, it was not her main concern at the time. Those were her teeth.
‘I didn’t feel healthy or comfortable, but I was more concerned that one of my bottom front teeth was starting to stick out. So I went to the dentist.’
Melissa Amos had never worried about her weight because she didn’t think she needed to
That trip, in March last year, turned out to be one of the most fateful of her life.
The dentist recommended she get Invisalign, an adult brace that is removable, clear plastic aligners designed to straighten teeth.
Invisalign, which typically costs between £1,500 and £5,500, is believed to be used by hundreds of thousands of Brits, who typically wear the molds for around a year and a half. Not only are they more discreet than traditional metal braces, but they can also be removed for eating.
Crucially, Melissa is one of a growing number of Invisalign patients who have discovered that it has an unexpected effect: it helps them lose weight.
While patients can take out the plastic molds (often called trays) whenever they want, they are encouraged to leave them on for at least 22 hours a day – during which time eating is impossible. This immediately affected Melissa’s eating habits.
“My dentist said that if I wasn’t consistent from the start, it would affect the entire course of my treatment,” she says.
‘That involvement has made me much more aware of the choices I made.
The 45-year-old mother of three from Hertfordshire practiced yoga, took long walks with the dog and made sure she ate healthy
Invisalign, essentially adult braces that are removable, clear plastic aligners designed to straighten teeth, is believed to be used by hundreds of thousands of Britons
‘I sometimes used food as a distraction or to calm myself down. Because I had to take the Invisalign out every time I wanted to eat, every time I got the urge to snack, I had to stop and ask myself, “Am I really hungry, or am I trying to change how I feel?”
This small change had a direct impact on her weight. Within a month, she had lost more than 2 pounds and continued to lose even more over the following months. As her weight improved, Melissa – who works as a mental wellbeing coach – felt she could exercise more. “I realized how much I loved walking,” she says. ‘I then started strength training, to take advantage of my new strength and vitality.
‘When I started thinking more about my health, I put my diet in ChatGPT [the AI chatbot] and found out I wasn’t eating enough protein. Now I eat a lot more protein-based foods, like eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, and peanut butter. I feel more satisfied and less hungry.’
Since getting her Invisalign fit, Melissa has lost about 2 pounds, and now that she will be wearing the appliance for several more months, she expects to lose even more weight. She says her teeth have also improved. “The changes to my teeth, bite and jaw were remarkable,” she says.
Dr. Daniel Sutcliffe, founder of The Bespoke Dentist in London, says: ‘For the best part of a decade I heard the same thing from patients, usually half-laughing and saying, “You’ve made me lose weight.”
“If every snack means you have to remove the containers, the cookie just isn’t worth it.” It puts a little hurdle between you and the cookie jar.”
