Are you thinking about straightening your teeth but feel torn between braces and Invisalign? While both are beneficial, the latter is widely recognized as being more comfortable, much easier to maintain, and far more circumspect. At Parkwood Dental in Bradenton, FL, we feel strongly that aligners can transform your smile – and your life.
Why Is Invisalign the Best?
Discretion is the first word that comes to mind when considering these clear, plastic aligners. They are nearly invisible and therefore offer a subtle treatment for anyone seeking a healthy bite and beautiful smile. Before these aligners came onto the scene 20 years ago, adults often settled for smiles they perceived as less than perfect; they didn’t want to mar their professional appearance with braces, often associated with adolescence.
Plastic trays opened the door to orthodontic care for any career professional. They’re also appealing for older teens. Invisalign Teen is a specialized program designed for growing mouths. It uses a similar design and achieves the same effective results as traditional trays with added features, including a tracker that lets teens know the trays are being worn appropriately.
Comfort Is Top Priority
With patented technology, these trays straighten teeth in a much more comfortable manner than braces. They’re made with SmartTrack, a multilayer polyurethane plastic resin designed explicitly to align teeth. The resin itself is:
- Highly effective for precision tooth movements
- Safe to use
- Gentler on your mouth than metal
- Less traumatic on gums and soft tissues
Each aligner is made to fit snugly around your teeth and therefore does not cause painful friction. Braces, on the other hand, contain wires that may become loose and poke your mouth. The brackets also tend to rub sensitive oral tissues. Aligners, meanwhile, have nothing that might catch or cause discomfort and are a more pleasant treatment.
Easy to Clean and Maintain
Aligners require some degree of willpower, as they must be worn 22 hours a day to be effective. The ability to remove them as needed, however, poses more than one benefit. For starters, you can take them out during mealtime to eat what you want. The only caveat is that you must promptly brush your teeth, clean your aligners, and put them back in when you’re finished.
Their unique design similarly makes the trays easy to clean. You can gently scrub them with a toothbrush or soak them in warm water. The end result is a decreased risk of dental decay and/or gum infection.
No Need for Change
Braces require that you clean around brackets and between wires, and without due diligence, your teeth may suffer. Some patients, for example, develop cavities while wearing braces. But trays allow you to continue your same oral hygiene practices as before; you simply need to brush more frequently. You can also floss and use mouthwash as you have always done.
Fewer Office Visits Required
With braces, you must visit your orthodontist on a regular basis. This time is used to review your progress, tighten wires to continue moving your teeth, and address other concerns, including loose wires.
Plastic trays have no components to tighten and therefore need fewer office visits. Your treatment will consist of a series of custom-made aligners. Each is worn for two weeks, and then you move onto the next set. This regimen steadily moves teeth into their desired positions with predictable, long-lasting results.
No Food Restrictions
Braces remain in place for the duration of treatment and therefore force you to make significant dietary changes. You can no longer eat sweet treats, salty morsels, or raw, crunchy vegetables. You must also forego sticky and chewy foods like caramels, bagels, and pizza.
These same foods, however, aren’t a problem with plastic trays. You simply remove them and eat what you want. The same is true of beverages; you can easily enjoy hot, cold, and sweet drinks at your leisure. The key, again, is in regularly brushing your teeth and cleaning your trays.
Effectively Treats Most Concerns
In some cases, trays work more effectively than braces because they apply force across the entire tooth. This means they can correct any number of issues, including:
- Underbites
- Open bites
- Overbites
- Crossbites
Just as important as what trays treat is how they work. Thanks to their discreet design, trays can boost the confidence of patients who already feel unhappy with their mouths. Some patients hesitate to laugh, eat in front of others, or smile wide. Compounding these insecurities with highly visible braces can only cause additional harm.
Visible Improvements
Because trays blend naturally with teeth, they draw less attention to the mouth. This means you can camouflage the work being done as your teeth shift and straighten into more desirable positions. And your confidence will soar as you gradually begin to see the fruits of your efforts.
The Freedom of Choice
Whether you opt for traditional braces or clear trays, you’re making a wise decision. Concerns with crooked, overcrowded, or misaligned teeth do more than harm your confidence; they’re also harder to clean and can lead to more dental problems in the future. Schedule your consultation to see which option works better for you – call Parkwood Dental in Bradenton, FL, today.
