Invisalign Has Got Braces Beat – Hands Down

Thanks to breakthroughs over the last century, we’ve gotten better and better at manipulating the teeth in the mouth in order to improve the smiles of our population. And that’s very important to people, that they have a presentable smile; our culture puts an almost absurd amount of importance on the smile, and it’s something that we use everyday, in almost every situation. We use a smile to convey all sorts of emotions in every relationship that we have, whether it’s professional or personal, using it to, as the title of the classic book suggests, ‘win friends and influence people’.

Of late, we mostly use one method of treatment in order to fix malocclusions of the teeth (malocclusion, by the by, is a scientific term for ‘crooked teeth’, mostly used by people who have spent years in schools to learn about dentistry), meaning braces. Braces have only been around for about fifty years, or slightly less, but they’ve quickly become the ‘go to’ method of treating teeth. However, in the last decade and a half, we’ve seen the growth of a new method of aligning the teeth, one greatly improved over its more known predecessor. I’m talking about Invisalign, invisible braces.

Invisalign has improved over its predecessor (and has improved the lives of cosmetic dentists with experience) in a number of ways, but what follows is a brief discussion of the three major advantages it has over the more standard metal braces in common use.

1. Discretion

One of the main drawbacks to the older braces, standard metal braces, is shown in their very name. ‘Metal’ braces. In general, metal is not, nor has it ever been, discreet; it’s bright and shiny, catches the light easily, glints with the slightest provocation, this list could go on and on. This makes it a poor choice for people who are trying to fix some cosmetic problem with their teeth that they may be more or less embarrassed by. People, in general, don’t like to draw a lot of attention to what they perceive to be the issues with their own body, and because of this, some people don’t get the corrective cosmetic dental work that they may want or need.
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Thankfully, Invisalign offers an answer. It isn’t made of metal at all, in any way, in any portion. Rather, the whole system is made of a hard plastic that is also somewhat flexible. The most important point, however, is that, unlike its metal cousin, Invisalign aligners are absolutely invisible to the naked eye. Your friends could be seated across from you at a dinner table and not notice that they’re in. And speaking of dinner…

2. Ease and comfort of use

One of the worst things, for most people, about standard metal braces is their propensity for getting things caught in them. It almost seems like a result of the design (which is sensible, because it is, in a way), but anything you eat will, in some way, end up stuck in the braces that you’re wearing. To compound the situation and make matters even worse, having braces mounted on your teeth makes it far more difficult for you to brush and floss them, meaning there’s a chance that you won’t be able to get to all those hard to reach nooks and crannies, leaving you in need of more quality dental care, in the vein of a filling for a cavity or something similar. Not a desirable outcome at all.

On the other hand, this isn’t a worry for your Invisalign aligners, which you can, and are suggested to, remove during meal times and for brushing and flossing of your teeth. This makes it a lot easier to make sure that, as you’re straightening your teeth, you’re not damaging them by making them harder to clean and more likely to trap various debris from your meal.

3. Cost

A big worry for everyone these days is cost, and that’s understandable. Luckily, Invisalign is very affordable, being only slightly more than their competition, standard braces. It’s important to note that your prices will vary, as prices vary by locality, but, in general, Invisalign costs somewhere around five hundred dollars more than standard metal braces. That’s a steal for something that is such a step up in discretion and comfort and ease of use!

So, if you’re in the market for a treatment to straighten out your teeth and make your smile a little bit more perfect, consider Invisalign aligners. Be sure to ask your local experienced dentist if they’re the right choice for you and your particular malocclusion!