Invisalign vs Braces: Cost and Benefits

| January 10, 2016

Both braces and Invisalign were designed to straighten teeth that leads towards good oral health as well as improve your smile. Invisalign did hit the market in 2000, so this treatment does not yet have the same history as braces. Although braces are there for a long time but Invisalign becomes the most preferred choice of the patients.

After having a detailed checkup, your orthodontist can suggest on the basis of your case complexity that you can have choice other than metal braces or not. As we know that traditional Braces consist of metal brackets, that are being glued to your teeth. They are tied together by wires and tiny rubber bands. Nowadays, it is possible to get brackets, which are closely match with your enamel color or colored brackets are also available.

On the other hand, Invisalign is designed to be invisible. Aligner trays made of smooth, comfortable, and of clear plastic that are worn over your teeth to subtly and gently move your teeth. These trays are made according to patient’s specific needs. With the help of X-rays, pictures and impressions, a precise 3-D image of your teeth will be taken and your aligner trays will be configured accordingly.
Invisalign vs Braces: Cost and Benefits

Invisalign vs Braces: Cost and Benefits

Both types of braces have some advantages and disadvantages. It really depends on your personal preferences, which one you choose for yourself. Here is detailed analysis of both types, hope it will help you to decide which one is best for you.

General Benefits of Invisalign over Braces

In terms of following benefits, Invisalign is considered better than traditional braces:

  • Pain, discomfort, mouth sores or injuries are common with regular braces. Patients with traditional braces usually experience pain caused by the brace wires, tooth decay , plaque buildup, tooth discoloration and difficulty in eating.
  • If you’re an adult, who tends to be self-conscious, traditional braces are clearly not for you. Invisalign is a perfect choice to avoid embarrassment what you have with braces.
  • Invisalign are removable so patient can eat, drink, brush and floss more naturally. But you should brush after each meal before putting your trays back in, to avoid staining. But it sounds pretty easy as compare to the problems you face with braces.
  • Invisalign’s success depends almost entirely on the patient. If you don’t wear them, they won’t work. With braces, you don’t have any other choice.
  • It is not possible to find exact success rates for Invisalign, especially since Invisalign has not been around long enough to gather long-term data.
  • The most important fact due to which patients have simply no choice other than braces is the nature of case. For example, you need to rotate teeth or move teeth vertically, Invisalign may not even be an option.
  • Time factor is another important aspect that patient should consider while choosing braces type. Although duration of treatment relies heavily on the severity of your problem.
  • It’s important to realize that it is impossible to know how long it would take to straighten your teeth until you undergo an exam. However, the average treatment time for a patient using Invisalign clear braces is one year.
  • Treatment times for Invisalign vary greatly because it depends on patient. If the patient wear the clear, plastic aligners consistently in order to straighten their teeth, than it will take lesser time.
  • Invisalign aligners must be worn 22 hours per day. If patients do not follow the dentist’s instructions, then treatment time can be prolonged.

Invisalign vs Traditional Braces in Terms of Cost

Cost is one of the important factor that determine the type of braces you get. Most of us think that Invisalign is too expensive for our budget. However, Invisalign is not as expensive as you would think. In fact, the cost is fairly comparable to traditional braces. Metal braces is also expensive.

It is also the matter of fact that depending on the treatment time and other factors related to your case, Invisalign can be more expensive. Some cases like severity of your alignment and bite problems can make your treatment bit expensive. But braces cost is something that you can tackle in more than one ways. you can find an article on our webpage with title “How to Pay for Dental Braces” that can help you to find different methods to pay for braces.

2 thoughts on “Invisalign vs Braces: Cost and Benefits

  1. Julia Smyth

    My Invisalign are so painful and give me mouth sores. Is this normal.?

    Reply
    1. Dr. Rylee Smith, MD

      Julia, with invisalign irritation and sores are common. You can use canker sore medications for relief.

      Reply

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