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Personal preferences are different across the board. When your orthodontist suggests you consider the use of braces or Invisalign to help improve your smile by straightening your teeth, you’ll find people who prefer one to the other and vice versa. Everyone has an opinion, a favorite, and a reason behind what they think, but the fact is both are different and have their own unique way of doing business in your mouth. If you’re in need of one or the other and unsure which is better for you, you might consider educating yourself on the differences, the pros, and the cons of each.
Braces vs. Invisalign
They’re very similar in that both work to make your teeth straighter and your smile more gorgeous. The bottom line is either one benefits your smile, which is the ultimate goal. The latter is merely less noticeable than the traditional method of straightening, but that doesn’t mean everyone wants to go with it when they are given the choice.
When you go the traditional route, you end up with a mouth filled with metal brackets. They’re affixed to your teeth with special bonding glue, and you cannot get them off without a visit to your orthodontist so he or she can use very specific tools. Each brace is affixed to the one on the tooth adjacent to it with a wire and a rubber band. The cool thing for kids to do is pick the color of their rubber bands to match their personality and their personal preferences. It’s a reminder that sometimes it’s really just the little things in life that make people happiest.
In the past, the brackets were always a garish silver that stood out tremendously. Modern advances make it much easier to get these brackets in different colors that are more closely related to the overall color of your teeth. This makes life a lot easier for those who worry about how noticeable the brackets are in photos and in reality.
With aligners, you don’t see the work being done in your mouth. They work the same way, but they’re removable when you have a special occasion and when you need to brush and floss. They’re less noticeable, but they require frequent visits to the orthodontist. With brackets, the ortho’s job is to tighten them as teeth change positions.
With aligners, it’s up to the ortho to fit you with a series of them each time your teeth shift in your mouth. The process takes about the same length of time, but it’s different for everyone. Some people find the ortho recommends one or the other, and sometimes the ortho leaves it up to the patient.
The Pros and Cons
When you go with traditional brackets, you spend a lot less money, but you can’t take them out. You wear them for as long as two years on average, and you must see your ortho almost monthly during this time. They’re more effective for people who have advanced oral health issues, and they’re often the answer for younger kids who don’t have the self-discipline or maturity to keep them in their mouth. Leaving them without a choice is often the best solution for a great smile.
With aligners, you spend a lot more money. However, you wear the aligners for anywhere for 6 to 18 months rather than two years. Your trays must be changed bi-weekly, but you’ll only see the ortho approximately every six weeks. They’re beneficial to those who want to take them out, for those who don’t want to deal with specific food restrictions, and for those who want to eat and feel plenty of comfort.
Unfortunately for many candidates, the traditional method of using brackets is the only option. The only people who make poor candidates for brackets are those who participate in contact sports. While aligners might be a better option for those who want to keep their mouths clean and their restrictions few, not everyone is an ideal candidate. Aligners are not for people who meet the following:
- People with bridges
- People with bit issues in their back teeth
- People who need their teeth moved in a vertical position
- People who need their canines or molars rotated
- People who do not have the ability to keep their trays in their mouth at least 22 hours per day without question
There’s no real right or wrong answer when it comes to finding the best solution. You know if you can handle keeping something your moth when you should or if you’re the kind of person who can’t remember to put trays in daily. You also know if your child is capable of the same. If you don’t have the option to choose, you shouldn’t worry. If you do, speak to your ortho about weighing the pros and cons to see what a professional has to say about the situation.
Call Tisseront Orthodontics Today To Schedule an Appointment
At Tisseront Orthodontics in Reston, Va., you can have an examination from our knowledgeable orthodontist. Dr. Stephen Tisseront provides orthodontic treatments for adults, teenagers, and children with these devices:
• Aligners – designed using Invisalign software
• Braces – metal, ceramic and lingual
• Retainers – to keep teeth in position after orthodontic treatment ends
• Surgical orthodontics – removal of baby or extra teeth
Our patients can have iTero archwires designed at our orthodontic office, and we also offer Acceledent Aura devices to reduce treatment time. Call us today at 703-773-1200 to schedule an examination with Dr. Tisseront in our state-of-the-art orthodontic facility.
Tisseront Orthodontics
11720 Plaza America Drive, Ste. 110 Reston VA 20190-4762
How is Invisalign Different from Traditional Braces?
