What’s Different About Invisalign Braces?
Invisalign braces were founded in 1997 and have many benefits to them.
Instead of attaching a huge chunk of metal into your mouth as braces do, Invisalign are clear plastic aligners that are virtually invisible. They are retainers that are molded to your teeth and are specifically designed to help you reach a better alignment. Though there are now also clear braces or invisible braces, these retainers tend to blend right in to your face and are hardly noticeable. To start the process, X-rays are taken of your mouth and jaw at your orthodontic office in order to help come up with a treatment plan to straighten your teeth out. Once the x-rays are taken, then the aligners are created.
These clear aligners stay on your teeth all the time, but can be removed to eat, which is a huge advantage from traditional braces. Invisalign aligners get changed out periodically (about every 2 weeks) in order to bring you closer to the smile you’re looking for. The process for most cases will take a little over a year.
Constantly taking the aligners off can slow the treatment process, so Invisalign is even designed that you can leave them in to eat if you wish. When eating with traditional braces, remnants of food can easily get caught amongst the wires and metal brackets, making them difficult to clean. For Invisalign, you simply have to wash them out under the tap and pop them back in.
Invisalign are also more comfortable than traditional metal braces. These often tug on the teeth and can cause a certain amount of discomfort. The clear retainer trays are designed to be much more gentle, without as much pressure in the mouth causing discomfort.
However, if you have severely rotated teeth or very large correctional issues, braces may be the only way to correctly align your smile and get your teeth straightened correctly.