8 Reasons Invisalign is Better than Traditional Braces

Wire braces are soon to be a thing of the past! Invisalign technology is fast becoming the number one brace solution in the country. In fact, since April 2008 more than 730,000 patients have tried the Invisalign system. Most dentists know that the Invisalign brace technology is better for their patients than traditional metal braces, which is why they are investing in the training to make the Invisalign brace technology available to his patients. Here are the top ten reasons why Invisalign works better for patients than traditional wire braces:

1. Cosmetics

The most obvious benefit of Invisalign braces is that they offer you the most aesthetically pleasing way to straighten your teeth. With traditional wire braces you are forced to walk around advertising to the world that you are in the process of straightening your teeth. Everyone can see your braces and this can easily lead to some embarrassing moments. Wire braces can also greatly impact an adult’s decision to straighten their teeth. Who wants to walk into a business meeting and try to give a presentation with a mouth full of metal? With Invisalign braces you can straighten your teeth and no one will even have to know.

2. Comfort

The second benefit is also a fairly obvious one. The Invisalign brace system is made with soft plastic trays which are much more comfortable for the mouth than traditional wire braces. Wire braces have a tendency to snag in the mouth and tear the tissues in the cheeks and lips which can be very uncomfortable and downright painful. Traditional braces are also more painful in the way that they straighten the teeth. Braces work by applying pressure to the teeth to gradually shift them into place. Invisalign uses a series of plastic trays that gradually shift your teeth into place, requiring less pressure in the trays than wire braces. Wire braces apply a larger force to your teeth and can cause a lot of discomfort.

3. Easy to Keep Clean

Traditional wire braces are, as the name suggests, wired into your mouth. Therefore, they cannot be removed and must cleaned around. This can cause inadequate cleaning of the teeth which leads to poor oral hygiene. The inability to clean the metal braces can also be really uncomfortable for the patient. With Invisalign you can clean your trays and your own teeth for a clean mouth feeling without any hassle, just as if you weren’t undergoing treatment at all.

4. No Food Restrictions

With traditional metal braces, you have to restrict your eating habits so that you don’t chew any foods that may harm the apparatus. Gum and similar foods are automatically not allowed with traditional braces because they can stick to the apparatus. Hard to chew foods are also commonly restricted because they can damage the wires. With Invisalign you remove the plastic trays while you eat, so there’s no fear that you may damage the trays or that you may get anything stuck to the trays. You can straighten your teeth without having to worry about not eating the foods you love!

5. Faster

Invisalign is also faster than traditional metal braces. Studies have shown that metal braces take an average of almost 36 months. That’s three years! And that’s not even the longest that braces may take. At their worst, some metal braces can take up to eight years to straighten teeth! With Invisalign the treatment takes one year on the low end and eighteen months on the high end. Invisalign braces are approximately eighteen  times faster at the longest treatment length!

6. Minimal Damage to Teeth

As we said before, you cannot remove the traditional wire braces. Patients with traditional wire braces are therefore more susceptible to demineralization of the teeth and tooth decay because of their inability to clean the teeth. This lack of oral hygiene can also lead to root resorption, which is the shortening of the roots of the teeth. The inability to remove the wire braces also prevents Dr. Wells from taking proper X-rays, which leaves him with an inaccurate picture of the health of your teeth and may cause him to put off treatment for cavities and other decay which cannot be seen from the outside. With Invisalign technology, Dr. Wells can take X-rays of your teeth if you have Invisalign because you can take the trays out during the X-rays. You will be able to maintain proper hygiene and prevent damage and decay and other causes of periodontal disease. This will allow you to properly maintain your oral health during the treatment in a way that you would not be able to using traditional wire braces.

7. Computerized Planning

With Invisalign, the dentist uses a computerized system to plan the gradual steps that your Invisalign braces will take. The dentist can use a computer to see what your finalized smile will look like before you even start treatment. With traditional braces you have to attach the wires to the teeth with no guarantee that they will produce a smile that you will be satisfied with.

8. Fewer Office Visits

With traditional wire braces you have to come back into the office as often as every six weeks, sometimes more, to have your braces tightened and adjusted in order to gradually align the teeth. With Invisalign you have a set of trays, and every two weeks you just put in the next tray in the set. There is no need to go back to the dentist every two weeks to get your next tray or for you to see the dentist to have anything adjusted. Only occasional and short visits to the dentist are required to monitor your progress.

With all the benefits of Invisalign over traditional braces it’s no wonder that so many people are deciding to go with Invisalign. Talk to your dentist and make sure that the program is right for you. The steps to treatment are simple, and very soon you can have your brand new smile with little effort and great results.