Recent advancements in dentistry allow you a number of different ways to straighten your teeth. One such method, provided by the Center for Beautiful Smiles, is Invisalign, a straightening process that ditches traditional metal braces for clear aligner trays.
If you’re thinking about talking to your dentist about Invisalign, here are some benefits and drawbacks to the process.
Benefits
Freedom to eat: Traditional braces can require you to give up many foods because they tend to stick to your metalwork. But with Invisalign, your trays are removable, so you simply take them out at mealtime.
They hurt less: The visit to the dentist to get your braces tightened has always been a dreaded affair, but Invisalign aligners pop right onto your teeth without any pain.
Your routine stays the same: Instead of brushing and flossing around wires and brackets, Invisalign allows you to take off your trays and continue with your standard oral care routine.
They could help you lose weight: More of a psychological benefit than anything else, the process taking out your aligners and brushing your teeth after every meal will likely decrease snacking and extra meals throughout the day and night.
They live up to the name: While technically not invisible, Invisalign trays are totally transparent and fit snugly over your teeth. In fact, Invisalign’s most obvious benefit is the fact that they aren’t obvious at all.
Drawbacks
You have to wear them: Traditional braces are locked onto your teeth, so you can’t get lazy and forget to wear them. Invisalign wearers should keep their trays in for 20 hours a day (although 22 is preferred). And since you take the trays out for eating, that means the aligners have to stay in your mouth almost the entire day.
You have to brush between meals: While this means your teeth will be sparkling clean all the time, it also means much more brush work. That means you’ll need a travel toothbrush (or two) and attention to detail before popping your trays back in. After all, invisible aligners don’t have much of an aesthetic benefit if food is always stuck in them.
Even if you can’t see them, you might hear them: Since they’ll be on your teeth all the time, some words may give you a bit of a lisp or a whistle, particularly when you’re first starting out. However, this gets better over time.
They can take longer than you think: Just like traditional braces, they often take longer than you’d expect. The typical Invisalign patient wears their aligners for 12 months, but sometimes that treatment gets extended in the form of “finishing” trays. After all, if you’re spending all that time, you’d better get those teeth perfect.
Invisalign is a painless, discrete, and effective method for straightening teeth. If you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, then contact the Center for Beautiful Smiles today for a consultation.