Have crooked teeth and want to straighten them for a better aesthetic appearance? When treating misaligned and irregular teeth, the top two orthodontic options that come to mind are braces or Invisalign. Both traditional braces and Invisalign have their pros and cons and come at different costs. If you are stuck between the two choices, you have this blog as a detailed walkthrough of traditional braces vs Invisalign.
What is Orthodontics?
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry which deals with treating misaligned teeth and jaw. It is specially centered around improving the appearance and functions of the teeth. It offers a perfect smile and a healthy oral cavity with perfectly aligned teeth, which improves the smile, appearance, and function of teeth.
Orthodontic treatment includes two famous types: traditional braces and Invisalign. The choice depends on the individual’s misaligned teeth and jaw, budget, suitability, and lifestyle. Patients can visit dental clinics with qualified orthodontists to discuss their requirements and get the best treatment that suits their needs.
How do Traditional Braces Work?
Traditional braces consist of metal brackets attached to the teeth using adhesive. These brackets are attached to a wire that goes around the teeth. Each bracket is attached to the other with elastic bands called ligatures that hold the wire in place and tighten it. The brackets and wires provide orthodontic tightening to straighten teeth and align the jaw.
This treatment works effectively for crooked teeth, crowded teeth, gapped teeth, and other teeth alignment issues. The ideal age to get traditional braces treatment is between 9 and 14. However, adults can also get this treatment to have perfectly straightened teeth. The whole treatment takes around 2 years to complete through constant pressure.
How does Invisalign Work?
Compared to traditional braces, Invisalign treatment is a new dental procedure that aims to achieve a better aesthetic appearance. It works through a series of custom aligners that put constant pressure on the teeth to change their position.
For the best aligner treatment, the orthodontic specialist takes a 3D scan of the teeth and jawbone. This scan gives a briefing about the structure of the aligners and the duration required to get the teeth in the desired position. The Invisalign set has to be changed every few weeks for better effectiveness. Every set is different from the other and works in chronological order until the desired position of the teeth is achieved.
Pros and Cons of Traditional Braces vs. Invisalign
Pros of Traditional Braces
Various benefits of braces help people achieve straight teeth. Some of the benefits are:
Durable
Traditional braces are made of stainless steel or other durable material, which ensures longevity. Due to high quality material, there is a reduced risk of damage or breakage. Therefore, braces are low maintenance. So, if you have an active lifestyle, are a foodie, or like to play sport, braces won’t affect anything you do.
Most Effective Orthodontic Treatment
When dealing with teeth straightening and alignment issues, traditional braces work most effectively. It is so because the procedure takes years to complete. With its slow straightening and aligning process, the teeth get into the desired position gradually until people witness a clear difference.
With regular checkups and meetings with the dentist, the attention is paid to individual tooth position. Braces work effectively on all kinds of teeth, or the jawbone or the severity of the misalignment.
Suitable for all Ages
Braces are suitable for all age groups. It works well for children, teenagers, and adults. Therefore, people with misaligned teeth do not have to wait till adulthood to get their confident smiles. Whether you are 15 or above 50, traditional braces work as a perfect option to get straightened, beautiful teeth.
Effective for Complex Cases
As compared to other orthodontic treatments for teeth alignment, braces are among the most ideal solutions. It can deal with the severe misalignment, overcrowdedness in the oral cavity and fills any unnecessary gaps. The procedure takes time to gradually put the teeth and jaw in the ideal position, which enhances individuals’ confidence by improving their teeth functionality and appearance.
Affordable
Unlike other orthodontic treatments like implants or Invisalign, the traditional braces are affordable yet effective. With its wide popularity, the braces provide a cost-effective and durable solution.
Improved Aesthetic Appearance, Speech, and Chewing ability
In the debate of traditional braces vs Invisalign, braces have a lot on lifestyle and the aesthetic appearance. They are also included in the cosmetic procedures to give a better looking smile and jawbone positioning. With slow straightening method, braces offer an improved smile, which helps in boosting confidence. Moreover, by catering to gaps and overcrowded teeth, braces also help in improving speech and chewing ability. Therefore, the overall health and appearance of a person improves with this orthodontic treatment.
Improve Oral Hygiene
When teeth get straightened and properly aligned, the cleaning becomes better. Toothbrush bristles and floss can reach every nook and corner of the teeth. Thus, ensuring a proper and thorough cleanliness which promises an improved oral hygiene, which positively impacts the overall health.
Cons of Traditional braces
While there are various benefits, braces also have some downsides like
Stays Visible Even From Far
Braces are highly visible even from far. They look like wires attached to the teeth. Even if the people try colors of their own choice or ones that are close to their natural teeth color, they still stay visible. It highly affects the natural appearance of the people. It may look cool to some young one, but normally people with braces may prefer invisible options like Invisalign.
Food Limitations
If you are a foodie, you may not like getting braces. This orthodontic treatment can stop you from eating certain types of food. Chewy, hard, crunchy, and sticky foods are enemies for braces. They tend to get stuck and may break the wire. Eventually the braces get damaged and they may pop off. Therefore, it is vital to keep a check on your diet and stay away from foods that hinder the procedure.
Non Removeable
Braces are a non-removable treatment. They cause a lot of discomfort, like soreness and pain, that you feel like removing them for some time. It is also difficult to brush your teeth with braces. This non-removable procedure can be quite tiring sometimes.
Harsh on Gums and soft tissues
Braces are made of metal that stays in contact with the inside cheeks, tongue, lips, and gums. The constant friction while eating, chewing, or sleeping can cause soft tissue injuries in the oral cavity. This can be irritating for the people. The painful injuries turn into mouth ulcers, irritating, and spicy or extremely hot or cold foods can be difficult to eat. It can also hinder chewing and speech.
Long Treatment Duration
Braces take almost two years to completely straighten teeth. In cases of severe misalignment, it may take more than the usual treatment period. The whole time lasts with pain, discomfort, soft tissue injuries, and regular visits to the clients. The longer the period, the more discomfort patients feel and the more tiring it gets with each passing day.
Require Difficult Maintenance
IT is difficult to brush your teeth with braces. Bristles may get stuck with the brackets and damage them. Therefore, for proper cleaning and maintenance, you require professional help. Moreover, for fixing and monitoring of teeth straightening, you may need to pay regular visits to the dentists. It can affect your everyday life and your schedules.
Pros of Invisalign
Invisalign can be a great option for teeth alignment. With its invisible look, they keep doing their work in silence until you achieve a perfect smile. Below we’ll brief you on all the benefits of Invisalign.
More Comfortable
Unlike braces that cause friction, discomfort, and injuries, Invisalign are very easy to use. They are more comfortable to wear in everyday life. The fact that they are removable makes them even easier to use. People can easily remove them without any professional help or disrupting their treatment procedure. As Invisaligns are custom-made to everyone’s teeth shape, there are no sharp edges that cause discomfort. Thus, having Invisalign can be a suitable choice for a carefree life.
Better Dental Hygiene
Aligners are removable. So, you can remove them any time you want. Unlike braces, there are no wires for food particles or bristles to get stuck on. You can simply remove your aligners, brush and floss your teeth, clean your aligners, put them back on. There you get your perfect dental hygiene that keeps plaque, and bad breath away.
Improved appearance
As aligners are invisible and custom-made to everyone’s jaw shape, they improve a person’s appearance. They look like natural teeth, and the wearers do not feel embarrassed in public because wires are visible on their teeth while speaking or chewing.
No Food Restrictions
The aligners do not limit any dietary options for the people. If you want to eat or drink anything, you can simply remove your Invisalign and eat and drink normally. If you want to eat with invisible braces on, the food particles may get stuck in the aligners. But, you can safely clean them afterwards to avoid any bacteria build-up in the mouth.
Fewer Appointments to the Dentist
With aligners, there are fewer visits to the dentist as compared to braces. All you have is several sets of Invisalign that need to be adjusted after a certain time according to the treatment progress. You only need to visit the dentist once in a while, so the dentist can assess the progress of teeth straightening.
Cons of Invisalign
Invisalign are beneficial in the orthodontic treatment. However, they also come with various cons like:
Discomfort
While Invisalign are made of soft material, they are still uncomfortable and feels like an alien object to the gums, tongue, and cheeks. There can be some small cuts on the inside of the cheeks and tongue that may be hurtful sometimes.
Headache and Jaw Pain
With a slow teeth alignment process, the Invisalign treatment is painful. There is a certain degree of pain that remains constant and keeps the head and jaws hurting. Invisalign continuously puts pressure on teeth and jawbone to get them in an ideal position. Therefore, people with severe headaches, or migraine, should reconsider getting this treatment.
Costly
Invisalign treatment is more expensive than traditional braces. There are several sets of invisible braces that you need to get, which makes it more expensive. Moreover, the cost also depends upon the severity of the misalignment and the type of treatment you are getting.
Not Suitable for Complex Cases
Some people have severe misalignment where teeth overlap each other. There are significant gaps between the teeth. In such complex situations, Invisalign do not work effectively.
Cost of Braces
In Pakistan, the cost of braces starts from PKR 85,000 to PKR 400,000. The cost depends on the severity of the misalignment, the quality of braces, the metal to be used, the skill of the dentist and the period. However, once you spend the amount, it pays back every penny.
Cost of Invisalign
Invisalign, being a comparatively new and effective orthodontic treatment, is expensive. The cost of invisalign or invisible aligners starts from around PKR 200,000 and goes up to PKR 400,000. The cost depends upon the severity of the situation nd personal preferences.
Traditional Braces vs Invisalign: Which one is Better?
Considering all the pros and cons of traditional braces and Invisalign, it is hard to pick one. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice depends upon a person’s individual preference, budget, comfort, lifestyle, and other factors. Thus, if you are considering orthodontics treatment, discuss your needs clearly and go for an option that suits you.
FAQs of Traditional braces vs Invisalign
Are traditional braces better than Invisalign?
Traditional braces are a long-term tried and tested orthodontic treatment to achieve straight teeth. However, Invisalign are also working its way as the best with their benefits like invisible treatment, more comfortable, offer better oral hygiene, etc. Thus, it is difficult to say which one is better. Explore both the options before making a final decision.
What are the disadvantages of Invisalign?
There are various disadvantages of Invisalign like:
- Discomfort
- Headache and jaw pain
- Expensive
- Not suitable for complex cases
Why do people choose Invisalign over braces?
People usually choose Invisalign over braces because they are invisible, more comfortable, easy to remove, and easy to clean. Therefore, for a cleaner and better look, they choose aligners over braces.
Is Invisalign less painful than traditional braces?
Invisalign is significantly less painful than traditional braces. They may be painful for the first few days. But, with time, the pain reduced, and everything seemed normal.
