Clear Braces vs. Invisalign
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The Invisalign Clear Braces
These are clear, removable aligners which are given to people who don’t want to wear the traditional braces on their teeth. Patients can wear this both on their upper and lower jaw. Similar to braces, these are designed to induce pressure on the patient’s teeth whenever they’re worn. Patients will need to wear this consistently for 2 weeks and will be given a new set of aligners afterwards. They will do this until their teeth have become straightened. The final set of aligners will serve as retainers for a few months. These will prevent the teeth from shifting after being straightened by the Invisalign clear aligners.
Originally, aligners were not given to young patients as well as to growing children. This is because the shells of the aligners may cause a conflict with the eruption of new teeth in the dentition. For example, the growth of a child’s wisdom tooth. But, thanks to the growing demand for aligners for children, a newer, much modern design, was made. Unlike its predecessor, this kind of aligners has breakable tabs where the teeth are expected to erupt during the entire time of wearing them.

Invisalign Clear Aligners Pros:

  • These are not visible to the observer.
  • They are removable which makes it easier for the user to eat and do their regular oral hygiene.

Invisalign Clear Aligners Cons:

  • These are not as effective as the traditional braces
  • They can’t be used for patients who have complicated orthodontic cases like cross bites, deep bites or overbites.
  • · These can cost really high compared to traditional braces. In fact, these are the most expensive among all the other orthodontic treatments available.

Ceramic Invisible Braces
Part of the advancement of dental technology, we now have what we call Ceramic Braces. These are composed of tooth-colored brackets and bands and an arch wire. Ask your dentist about the available colors of these ceramic braces. Colored bands are also available for pre-teens and teenagers.

The metallic arch wire is coated with a tooth-colored material to make it more aesthetically appealing.
The only major advantage of ceramic braces is its fine aesthetic appeal. Since it’s mostly tooth-colored, it doesn’t stand out too much or by using colored-bands, it can almost look like an accessory.

When it comes to disadvantages, there are a couple like the following:

  • These are not as effective like the traditional metal braces when it comes to enforcing tooth movement and alignment.
  • These are more expensive than the standard braces.
  • These can easily stain, especially if the user’s oral hygiene is not consistent.​

Learn more about invisalign or clear braces here.