It used to be that in order of a dental patient to straighten his or her natural teeth, he or she had no choice but to use metal braces. Now, however, Invisalign treatment offers an effective and comfortable alternative to classic metal orthodontics.
Our Santa Monica dentist is here to give you the information that you need about your orthodontic options. Today we’re comparing and contrasting Invisalign and metal braces. Let’s get started!
Both metal braces and Invisalign aligners are designed to perfect a patient’s natural smile. These treatments move your teeth into better positions: closing gaps between teeth; straightening crooked smiles; and improving misaligned bites.
While the goals of these two treatments are the same, the way that these treatments achieve results are quite different.
When you use metal braces, you will have metal brackets attached to your teeth. These brackets are then connected with a metal wire, which is what applies the torque, or force, to move your teeth.
When you choose Invisalign, on the other hand, you will not have any brackets or wires attached to your smile. Rather, Invisalign aligners are mouthpieces that are crafted from clear plastic resin. These aligners fit completely over the patient’s existing teeth—this aligner is what applies pressure to move the teeth. In order to keep the patient’s smile moving in the right direction throughout treatment, you will wear a new aligner every two or three weeks—each aligner moves your teeth a little more.
Because Invisalign aligners are totally removable, you will take them out to eat, drink, and clean your smile. This is quite different than the day-to-day patient experience of metal braces, because when you have metal braces, you have to do everything around the brackets and wires.
If you want to speak to our Santa Monica dental team, and learn whether Invisalign may be right for you, please feel free to call us!