With growing esthetic expectations from society about having a beautiful smile, there has been a growing demand for more esthetic orthodontic treatment options. In fact, about 25% of orthodontic patients are now adults. Some of these adults may have had braces when they were younger and stopped wearing their retainers, while others are experiencing orthodontics for the first time in their lives. Whereas for most children braces are a new and exciting part of their lives, many adults avoid orthodontics for the fear of needing braces to correct their smiles.
In the past decade, clear aligner therapy has become increasingly popular; first with adults and now with teens and children as well. Clear aligners are removable orthodontic appliances that are custom made to fit over your teeth. Invisalign, Clear Correct, and Smile Direct Club are some of the more commonly known brand names of clear aligners on the market. Aligners are a plastic modality used to sequentially move teeth about 0.25 millimeters in a specific direction and specific order per aligner. Each aligner is worn about 7-14 days depending on the type of treatment. Once the aligner fully moves the tooth to its desired position for that aligner, you can switch to the next aligners to continue to progressively move the teeth to their final positions based on the orthodontic treatment plan.
To put it simply: braces are metal or ceramic and aligners are plastic. They are tools used by a trained orthodontist to move the teeth and jaws in a safe manner to a position that will improve the bite and straighten your teeth. The orthodontist can help determine which modality of treatment is best your situation, based on diagnostic records including radiographs, photographs, and digital impressions. Moving teeth and jaws is a complex biological process that needs to be planned and treated correctly from day one. There are some types of bites where Invisalign would be the best modality of treatment, and there are other types of bites where braces may give the best results. There are also many instances where it doesn’t matter if you use braces or Invisalign to get to the final result, AS LONG AS THE DOCTOR IS FULLY TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED IN BOTH TECHNIQUES!
Remember, these are just different tools orthodontists use as part of their treatment to achieve the final goals of correcting bites and producing beautiful smiles. A golf club is just a tool as well, but if you give Tiger Woods and I the same golf clubs, you can definitely expect different results after 18 holes.
Orthodontists are trained dental specialists, who go to orthodontic residencies for an additional 2-3 years AFTER completing dental school, to become experts in aligning the jaws, fixing bites, and producing amazing smiles. They are trained to treatment plan with the end goal in mind from the starting point and know the how to produce beautiful smiles, while improving the bite and function.
If you are ready to get that smile you’ve always wanted, but have been hesitant about how to go about getting it, call us for a complimentary consultation. We can show you a “before and after” simulation of your teeth before starting any treatment and work together to achieve that smile of your dreams!