Braces can correct crooked and crowded teeth, a misaligned bite, and jaw problems. Braces also eliminate problems you may have with eating, speaking properly, or with keeping your teeth clean. With advancements in dental technology, traditional braces are now sleeker, smaller, and more comfortable.
Traditional braces consist of standard metal brackets that are placed on your teeth with an adhesive and connected by wire. They require periodic tightening so steady pressure can gradually straighten your teeth and align your jaw. While metal braces brackets are still the most common, there are various other treatment options available.
Wearing braces doesn’t always mean having to wear metal braces. One wonderful alternative that patients should consider is treatment with clear braces. Clear braces work in exactly the same way that metal braces do. The difference is in the material used to make the braces. Instead of using metal, clear braces are made of a special ceramic composite. This composite isn’t actually clear, however; clear braces get their name, because the ceramic brackets are specially colored to match the color of your unique teeth. The wires may be the usual metal wires, or they can be white wires that make your braces even less visible.
Clear braces are far more discreet and aesthetically-pleasing than traditional metal braces. In addition, while previous generations of clear braces could sometimes get stained by coffee, tea, curry, and other similar foods, the newest technologies protect modern clear braces from staining. They will match the color of your teeth no matter what you eat.
In general, both metal and clear braces provide the most efficient orthodontic treatment. They can treat virtually any type of orthodontic problem and can do so with the greatest speed. With clear braces, you keep all the advantages of metal braces, while gaining the benefit of an aesthetic smile.
Many adults and teens who desire better smiles find Invisalign to be an attractive type of orthodontics, because the technology aligns your teeth without the need for unsightly braces. In fact, with Invisalign, no brackets or wires will be affixed into your mouth at all. Instead, the system uses a series of removable aligners to straighten teeth.
Invisalign offers a cutting-edge approach to orthodontics by using a series of custom-made, invisible aligners. Using 3-D computer imaging, each aligner is specific to your teeth and gradually and gently shift your teeth into place. Each aligner shifts your teeth slightly, moving them horizontally and vertically and even rotating them when needed. Your aligners are engineered to use the right amount of force in the right place at the right time. When you change to the next set of aligners (typically every 10 days) your teeth gradually move into position, following a custom treatment plan mapped out by your orthodontist. The best part about the whole process is that most people won’t even know you are wearing the aligners. So you can smile with confidence, both during and after your treatment.
The most compelling benefit of Invisalign is the reason for which it was created: aesthetics. Invisalign treatment is very discreet, which is a huge advantage over braces. This is especially true for adults, who may have professional as well as personal and social reasons for wanting to avoid an orthodontic treatment that drastically affects their appearance. However, teens may also prefer Invisalign, and it’s now available for them too.
The fact that Invisalign aligners can be removed brings an additional advantage with hygiene. Keeping good oral hygiene becomes so much easier when you merely need to remove your aligner to brush and floss normally. You’ll also be able to eat any type of food you like – unlike with braces where you must avoid certain foods that might damage the brackets.
Since you have a series of aligners instead of wires and brackets, you actually need to go to the orthodontist’s office less frequently for adjustments which is an added advantage for the teens and adults with busy lifestyles.
Orthodontic treatment with Invisalign aligners also eliminates the need for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to the office for emergencies such as loose brackets and poky wires.
