Traditional Braces vs. Invisalign: How to Choose What’s Best For You

The technology available to straighten your teeth today is not the same as back when your grandparents got braces. If you’ve heard scary stories, throw them out the window. Dental technology has revolutionized teeth-straightening options. Now, we have many highly effective treatments, including braces and Invisalign. But which is better?

Advantages of Invisalign

Virtually Invisible

One of the main advantages of Invisalign is that they are virtually invisible in your mouth. Invisalign are clear aligning retainers that are worn over your teeth. Because they are clear, it’s difficult to tell when people are wearing them. This is one of the main reasons why you might seek out Invisalign in Fort Worth. That way you can continue with your day-to-day life without making a dramatic change to your look.

Won’t Get Food Stuck in Your Braces

With Invisalign, you’ll be able to take your retainer out to eat and drink. This can help you to avoid getting food stuck in your braces. Just remember to put your Invisalign back in right after you’re done!

Easier to Brush and Floss

Just like with eating, you can take your Invisalign retainer out to brush and floss your teeth. You won’t have to worry about having a special flosser to reach in between braces brackets.

Fewer Dental Visits

We love seeing you in our office, but we know you have a busy life outside of the dentist. With Invisalign treatment, much of the work is done outside of our office. You won’t need to come in for adjustments as often as if you have braces. We’ll just need to see you once in a while to track your progress and make sure your teeth are responding well to Invisalign treatment.

Invisalign Disadvantages

You Must Be Disciplined

It’s great that Invisalign is removable for eating and brushing your teeth, but you need to hold yourself accountable by putting your Invisalign back in right away. It’s recommended that you wear your Invisalign for at least 20 hours a day. If you can’t keep yourself accountable, Invisalign won’t work as it’s designed.

Advantages of Traditional Braces

You’ll Never Lose Them

Braces don’t come out of your mouth like Invisalign does. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to self-manage your orthodontic treatment each day, braces may be a good option for you. You can eat, drink, brush, and floss without removing your braces.

Better For More Severe or Complex Cases

Braces have more force to move teeth than Invisalign does. If you have an intense overbite, underbite, or large gaps in your teeth, our dentists may recommend braces to give you a better result.

Clear Brackets Are Available

At Smile Fort Worth, we offer clear brackets for your braces. They’re not quite as invisible as Invisalign, but they can blend into your teeth to make your braces a more subtle lifestyle change.

Faster Treatment Time

Generally, traditional braces will be able to correct your teeth in a quicker time frame than Invisalign. A lot of people like this, because they want to get through their treatment as quickly as possible. You can speak with our dentists to find out how long each treatment would take for your specific situation.

Disadvantages of Braces

Overall Look

You may want to avoid the change of appearance in your life that braces come with. While clear brackets are available, people will still be able to notice you are wearing braces. More adults choose Invisalign because they don’t want the look of braces. They may have had orthodontic treatment as kids, but their teeth have shifted and they want to correct their smile without committing to the braces look.

More Difficult to Brush and Floss

Brushing and flossing become a bit more difficult when wearing braces. You’ll need to make sure to get in between all of your brackets to get pieces of food out of your braces. And, you’ll need special flossers to reach between all the gaps in your braces.

Regular Dental Visits

We’ll need to see you about once a month to tighten your braces and assess how your treatment is coming along. For people with busy schedules or frequent travel, this can be difficult to accommodate.

Adjustments to Diet

When wearing braces, we recommend avoiding hard, sticky, and sugary foods. These can damage your braces or cause discomfort to your teeth. Your mouth may also experience discomfort shortly after your braces are tightened, so you may have to eat softer foods from time to time.

Your Treatment, Your Decision

Smile Fort Worth is a great place to seek braces or Invisalign in Fort Worth. Each treatment comes with its pros and cons. What’s important is that we find the right option for you and your lifestyle.

Drs. Harlin, Wilkinson, and Collins have decades of combined experience with traditional braces and Invisalign. Plus, when you choose to have your orthodontic treatment at our dental office, you can save time by combining orthodontic check-ups with routine dental exams.

Schedule an orthodontic consultation today to take the first step to a straighter smile.

Smile Fort Worth: Our Fort Worth Dentists Take Your Comfort Seriously

At Smile Fort Worth, we are a local dental practice staffed by compassionate humans. We want to get to know you, learn about your smile concerns, and figure out how we can reduce your anxieties in the dental chair.

If you’ve put off a dental appointment because of fear, it’s time to try a new approach. Visit a local practice that puts patient comfort first. Schedule an appointment with Smile Fort Worth today!