If you’re searching for an orthodontic treatment to straighten your teeth, you’ve likely explored a few different options. Usually, most people choose between the two most popular treatments—Invisalign or traditional braces. Is one treatment really better than the other? For some patients, the benefits of one might outweigh the benefits of the other. To help you decide whether Invisalign is the right treatment for you, we’ve compiled a list of their top benefits in comparison to traditional braces.
1. Comfort
One of the top benefits of Invisalign in comparison to traditional braces is their level of comfort. Traditional braces use metal brackets and wires to straighten the teeth. These can feel sharp against the sides of the mouth, the lips, and the tongue. It’s common for those with metal braces to experience cuts and sores in their mouths from the braces. With Invisalign, there is significantly more comfort involved. Instead of sharp metal resting against the cheeks, it’s smooth plastic. The clear plastic aligners won’t cause any irritation or discomfort like traditional braces.
2. Appearance
Some patients might feel bothered wearing metal braces because they’re painfully obvious—especially if they’re an adult seeking orthodontic treatment. If you would prefer a more discreet treatment that not everyone knows about, Invisalign is the better option. You will wear clear plastic aligners that are nearly invisible. You can keep your treatment a secret between you and Dr. Safarian. Throughout your treatment, you won’t feel self-conscious about your treatment because it will look so invisible.
3. Convenience
One of the best benefits of Invisalign is how convenient it is. The aligners are completely removable and you can remove them for up to two hours per day to eat, brush your teeth, snap a photo, or do whatever you want. With traditional braces, the brackets are bonded to your teeth until your treatment is over.
4. Speed
Another major difference between traditional braces and Invisalign is that Invisalign tends to work a little bit faster. This is because Invisalign moves the teeth in smaller increments. Instead of large movements every six weeks with traditional braces, you switch the aligners every two weeks. This allows the treatment to move along faster.
5. Easier to Clean Your Teeth
Since you can remove the clear aligners, you don’t have to invest in any special tools to clean your teeth effectively. Instead, simply remove the aligners and brush and floss like you normally would. Visiting the dentist for regular cleanings is also easy because you only need to take your aligners out instead of getting the wire removed first.
6. Fewer and Shorter Office Visits
When you have traditional braces, you typically need to visit the dental office every four to six weeks to tighten your braces. These appointments can take as long as an hour sometimes. With Invisalign, you will have all the aligners you need at home so you can switch to the next set without coming to our office. Instead, you will visit us about every six weeks so we can quickly check on the progress of your treatment. The visits will be short so you can spend less time at our office and more time enjoying your life.
7. Better Oral Hygiene
With traditional braces, it’s hard to maneuver between brackets and wires to effectively brush and floss. This can result in poor oral hygiene, tooth decay, and gum disease. Since you can easily remove your clear aligners for brushing and flossing, you will remove more plaque and bacteria from your mouth. As a result, you will have better oral hygiene than someone with traditional braces.
8. Eat Whatever You Want
The metal brackets and wires with traditional braces can easily become damaged. This is why when you get traditional braces, you’re given a list of foods you shouldn’t eat like chewy or sticky food, hard food, or food you bite into. If you eat the wrong foods, it can break your bracket or wire and require you to visit the dentist to fix it. With Invisalign, you can eat whatever you want throughout your treatment because the aligners are removable.
9. Beautiful Results
Invisalign can address most mild to moderate cases just as well as traditional braces. Only when there are severe misalignment or bite problems would someone not be a good candidate for Invisalign. In six months to two years, you can expect beautiful, straight teeth.
10. No Dental Emergencies
Since you never have to worry about breaking a bracket or dealing with a poking wire, you won’t have to worry about dental emergencies and extra visits to the dentist. The only type of emergency that might happen with Invisalign is losing your aligner or your dog getting ahold of it. However, if you keep it in your case whenever it’s not in your mouth, you should be fine.
Get Invisalign in Chula Vista Today
If Invisalign sounds like the right orthodontic treatment for your needs, you don’t have to just read about the benefits of Invisalign. You can experience them for yourself. Or, combine traditional braces with Invisalign. It really depends on your needs. Contact Irresistible Smiles at (619) 656-6785 in Chula Vista today to schedule a consultation.