admin
Apr 07, 2020
Although hidden behind the lips, teeth are an essential part of our mouths. They allow proper chewing, talking, and are responsible for the most beautiful smiles in the world. Naturally, if they are not correctly aligned, you feel something amiss in your life.
It can cause low self-esteem and even lead to getting bullied by kids in school. Most people consult an experienced dentist in Hope Island to straighten their teeth and get the perfect smile. However, they are often confused about choosing the right treatment between traditional braces and contemporary aligners.
While both the procedures are beneficial for straightening teeth, your dentist is the right person to make a choice. Depending on the nature of your problem, the orthodontist will decide the treatment. However, you must be aware of their pros and cons to understand their suitability. So here is the differentiation.
Advantage and Disadvantages of Metal Braces
1. Braces are Useful in all Types of Teeth Straightening
The traditional braces are a comprehensive treatment for correcting multiple dental problems with ease. Whether you have crooked teeth or unaligned teeth or protruding teeth, dental braces are a perfect remedy for all the challenging issues.
They have been in use for the longest time and are still considered one of the best methods of straightening uneven teeth.
2. Metal Braces Cannot Be Removed
Kids are quite impatient, and it can be difficult to make them wear something for long. This problem is eliminated with metal braces as they cannot be taken off.
Thus they are quite successful among kids as well as impulsive teenagers and adults. Since you cannot remove them, there is no need to discipline yourself into a removal routine and no need to clean and floss them either.
3. Treatment Time of Metal Braces
The average time for metal braces treatment is two years, but it can vary depending upon the needs of the patient. For instance, if you need to cover gaps between two teeth, then the duration can be reduced considerably.
4. More Frequent Visits To the Dentist
With metal braces, you will have to visit your dentist every month to examine the progress of the treatment and tighten the wires or change them if required.
5. Restrictions On Foods and Drinks
When you are wearing metal braces, you are not allowed to eat sticky foods or others which are hard to crush as they can damage the wires and brackets.
Plus, the sugar-coated stuff can lead to cavities. So you may have to give up on most of your favourite sugary delights for a few years.
6. Brushing and Flossing Can Be Challenging
Since metal braces are fixed, it is difficult to brush and floss your teeth and maintain optimum oral hygiene and a healthy smile.
It can lead to other dental problems like cavities due to the trapping of food in the wires and discolouration due to ineffective brushing.
7. Uncomfortable And Painful
Some patients with sensitive gums complain of discomfort, pain and soreness due to the presence of wires and brackets in their mouth. Also, many are not happy about their appearance with braces and may become a recluse during this period.
Advantage and Disadvantages of Invisalign
1. Invisalign Is Transparent
Invisalign are clear aligner trays which are smooth and invisible. No one can notice them while they work on straightening your teeth discreetly. This is the reason why most adults opt for this treatment if allowed by their orthodontist.
2. Aligners Are Removable
One of the advantages of Invisalign is that it is not fixed and can be easily removed without professional help. They are customised by your dentist to fit onto your teeth correctly and can be taken out at any time.
However, one of the things that you need to know before getting Invisalign is that for the success of the treatment, you need to wear them for 20-22 hours in a day.
3. Eat Whatever You Like Without Any Worries
With Invisalign, you are free to eat whatever you want as you have to remove them while eating. You can utilise the off-time for eating your food, but you may have to increase your speed so that you do not reduce the aligner wearing time.
Also, you have to brush and floss every time after eating so that the trapped food particles do not damage your teeth.
4. You Can Clean Your Teeth Properly
You can continue your regular oral cleaning routine and reach all the teeth with your brush without any interference from aligners as you can remove them while brushing and flossing.
However, you also have to clean the aligners regularly to avoid any infections or tooth decay. It can be done by rinsing them with luke-warm water.
5. Treatment Time Is Reduced
Invisalign treatment ranges from six to eighteen months, depending on the problem being fixed. However, it is costlier than traditional braces since the aligner trays have to be replaced after every two weeks.
Also, there is minimal discomfort due to the shifting of the teeth, which lasts only for the first few weeks.
6. Visits To The Dentist Are Lessened
With Invisalign, you don’t need to visit your dentist every month. You can schedule the appointments after six to eight weeks. You must keep replacing the aligners every two weeks.
7. Suitable Only In Case Of Moderate Issues
Although your dentist in Hope Island is the best person to suggest the right treatment for your dental problem, Invisalign is mostly suitable in mild anomalies, such as moderate crowding and minor alignment problems.
It is not recommended when the teeth are extremely crooked or uneven as the aligner trays may not work on them.
Conclusion
If you are planning to get your teeth straightened, then make sure that you understand the benefits and troubles of both the procedures before going ahead with the treatment.
