The Difference Between Clear Braces And Invisalign Treatment

If you would like to straighten your child’s teeth but are concerned about how the traditional braces will affect their appearance, clear and Invisalign braces are both excellent choices. However, there are unique differences between the two.

Clear Braces

Clear braces straighten the teeth the same way as the traditional metal braces. The good thing about having clear braces in Scarsdale, NY, is that no one will know that you have them as someone cannot notice them easily.

The process of placing the clear braces is the same as that of the metal braces, except that the materials used for this are clear. First, the clear brackets are applied to each tooth. An elastic ligature is then placed around each bracket, and the clear wire connects all of the brackets. Your dentist then uses the elastic to hold the archwire on each bracket.

The brackets ate made of porcelain and are tinted to match the color of your tooth. The elastics are clear and thus cannot be easily seen

With clear braces, even the most challenging dental problems such as underbites, overbites, and crossbites can be treated by our  pediatric dentist in Scarsdale, NY, with high-quality results

Invisalign Braces

Invisalign braces are a dental treatment option for straightening your teeth, completely different from traditional braces. These treatments use clear, plastic alligners that can be removed and fit over your teeth perfectly, and you can change them after a few weeks.

Each Invisalign brace is designed to move your teeth slightly towards their correct position. The alignment might look like a mouth guard except that they are molded precisely to fit your teeth. You should take the clear aligners out while eating, drinking, or practicing your dental hygiene.

Before you wear your aligners, your dentist has to do some minor prep work. First, a series of attachments termes as bumps are bonded onto some of your teeth si that the clear aligners have something to grip to. The bumps are made from a composite material that matches your teeth’ color.

Pros and Cons for Clear Braces vs. Invisalign

The disadvantages of having  clear braces versus Invisalign at  Smile Scarsdale Pediatric Dentistry & Family Orthodontics include:

• The clear braces are permanently attached to your teeth until your treatment ends, but the Invisalign braces can be removed while drinking, eating, and dental hygiene. However, the Invisalign has to stay on your teeth for at least 22 hours every day, thus, this might need some discipline.

If you are not committed to wearing them daily, then the treatment may take a bit longer, and at times, clear aligners may have to be refitted, thus making you incur more costs.

• Since you have to remove your clear aligners to clean your teeth, dental hygiene is much easier with clear braces. However, with clear braces, you have to be diligent about brushing your teeth to avoid plaque and decay from occurring in small or hidden places.
• The clear braces come with some food restrictions associated with them. For instance, you have to avoid taking sticky or hard foods such as popcorn or any other food that can potentially break or damage your clear braces. But with Invisalign braces, there is no restriction since you have to remove them before eating.
• The Invisalign braces are more expensive than the clear braces
• Since you will remove your clear aligners when you want to eat or drink, it can be easy to throw them away accidentally. Your dentist will recommend placing it in a tray or a designated container to help avoid this kind of mishap.
• Invisalign braces are less irritating to the inside of your mouth than clear braces. They also have an easier adjustment period.
• Clear braces require more visits than Invisalign appointments. This is because you need to visit your dentist for regular adjustments. But with Invisalign, you are given all of your trays at the beginning of the treatment, so you do not need to visit your dentist often. You can only come in for periodic visits for your dentist to check your progress.
• You must clean the aligners whenever you remove them throughout the day. Therefore, your dentist will advise you always to use clean aligners when inserting back after cleaning your teeth.

Meta Description: Invisalign braces though clear, are not the same as clear braces and use a different method to straighten your teeth. Here are its pros and cons.