How do you make decisions? Do you go on gut instinct? As friends and family for input? Research the information from reputable sources? List the pros and cons? Each of those and every combination of those ways of making decisions is worthwhile and valuable. When it comes to straightening your teeth with traditional braces versus with Invisalign in NE Calgary, you should consider it from every angle. We want to help you make an informed decision, whatever approach you take. Here, to start is a list of some of the pros and cons of Invisalign.
Advantage #1: Keeping your teeth cleaner is easier with Invisalign
If well-maintained Invisalign aligners are practically invisible — and they are — how can we say they’re more attractive? They’re invisible and your teeth are crooked at the outset. Crooked as your teeth may be at the start of your treatment plan, they’ll get straighter by the week. And invisible aligners are more attractive than metal brackets and wires on your teeth. Especially since you’ll be able to take your aligners off to get your teeth clean. Traditional braces make keeping your teeth clean even harder than usual.
Advantage #2: You can eat what you want
When you eat while straightening your teeth with Invisalign in NE Calgary, you’ll do so after taking out your aligners. You’ll be able to eat any food you want without any interference by braces and wires as long as you clean your teeth thoroughly afterwards. If you want to eat stringy, crunchy, and sticky foods, go right ahead! (Unless you’re wearing braces, in which case, good luck getting all the detritus cleared out of those wires and brackets.)
Advantage #3: Invisalign avoids the stigma of “metal mouth”
It’s a sad truth that wearing braces has been stigmatizing for generations of teens. The prospect of looking like a teenager again is one reason that many adults live with crooked teeth much longer than they need to. With Invisalign, that stigma associated with wire and metal brackets is eliminated. For that reason, among others, many adults decide as mature adults and even seniors to have their teeth straightened because they can finally do so without feeling sheepish about looking like high schoolers.
Disadvantage #1: Invisalign giveth and Invisalign taketh away
One of the great advantages of Invisalign is that you can take your aligners out (unlike traditional braces). But there’s a catch. You shouldn’t take your aligners out for long, and not for more than two hours a day. Your treatment plan will assume that you’ll wear your aligners for 22 hours daily. You’ll need to rigorously track the minutes without your aligners and be disciplined at all times. That way, the plan developed by an Invisalign dentist near you can be completed on time and on target.
Disadvantage #2: It’s easy to lose your aligners
Traditional braces have one clear advantage: You can’t lose them since they don’t come off your teeth! It’s not true about your Invisalign aligners. Your aligners are easy to lose unless you keep track of them, and it takes time to replace them if lost for good. (Pro tip: Keep your last completed aligner on hand just in case you lose your current aligner. Wearing the last one won’t push you forward toward the finish line, but it’ll keep you from falling behind.)
One article like this won’t answer every question and won’t provide you with all the information you need. We hope it’s a start, but we encourage you to contact a dentist in NE Calgary to arrange an assessment and consultation to get the rest of the information you need to decide which approach to take to achieve straighter teeth.
