Oral hygiene is as important as your physical one. If not taken seriously, it can cause many issues to your overall health. Having straighter teeth benefits you aesthetically and saves you from many health problems.
Clear braces are a new alternative to traditional metal braces. They are removable and their flexible nature benefits your smile by offering an easy treatment process and precise results.
Confidence, for many people, might be driven by how they look. Having crooked or misaligned teeth significantly affects your smile and can also give an improper shape to your jaw.
Misaligned teeth do not just affect your appearance but also cause other problems to your overall health. Having crooked or misaligned teeth makes it difficult to properly brush or floss your teeth, resulting in gum diseases, bad breath, and tooth decay.
However, teeth misalignment must be treated to avoid any further discomfort. Initially, you will need to consult your licensed orthodontist to figure out the best possible treatment for your case of misalignment.
Importance of Teeth Straightening
Growing up, many adults notice something unusual about their teeth but might not be clear what it is. If your teeth are not properly aligned or do not meet when you close your mouth, it is better to consult an orthodontist.
In the past, people used to rely on traditional orthodontics to get their teeth misalignment treated. However, nowadays, modern teeth straightening solutions like clear braces offer an easy and affordable treatment option.
With this being said, it is better to get your case of teeth misalignment treated with the treatment option suitable for you. Misalignment of teeth occurs when the upper and lower sets of teeth overlap each other.
As a result, you get an improper bite every time you close your mouth. Following are some cases of teeth misalignment;
- The overlapping of your upper set of teeth with the lower ones results in an overbite.
- The overlapping of your lower set of teeth with the upper ones results in an underbite.
- Crowding of teeth occurs when there isn’t enough space for the teeth to grow and they overlap each other.
- An open bite occurs when both sets of teeth slant outwards and do not meet when the mouth is closed.
- Uneven or wide gaps between teeth result in diastema.
Misaligned teeth might dull out your charm and result in bad breath, swollen gums, and tooth loss. Teeth straightening is important as it can prevent many periodontal diseases and boost your confidence with a beautiful straight smile.
Besides appearance and oral health, there are a variety of other reasons to get your teeth straightened;
- Improves speech
- Prevents unnecessary headaches or joint aches
- Makes brushing or flossing easier
- Prevents gum diseases or tooth decay
- Prevents food from getting stuck between the teeth
- Improves your confidence
- Aligns your face and jaw
Both clear braces and traditional metal braces can precisely treat teeth misalignment but it is better to consult your orthodontist and plan out the prospects of your treatment. Keep reading to figure out which teeth straightening treatment might be the best fit for you.
Choosing Your Treatment
For effective teeth straightening both clear braces and traditional metal braces can be used. They might have distinct properties but both instruments apply gentle yet constant pressure to properly align your teeth.
When you finally decide to opt for medical help for your misaligned or crooked teeth, the first step will be to make an appointment with your dentist/orthodontist for a consultation visit.
They will thoroughly examine your case and depending on the severity of your misalignment, suggest a suitable treatment option. In some cases, clear braces, despite their flexible options, might not be as effective as metal braces.
Let’s look into the above-mentioned teeth straightening options and their working principles.
Braces
Braces straighten your crooked or misaligned teeth. They are affixed to your teeth and constantly keep on exerting gentle pressure to align them properly. No matter what type of braces you are using, the purpose is to straighten your teeth.
Types of Braces
Whenever someone mentions braces, the image of traditional metal braces always comes to our minds. Braces are customized according to the age and severity of a person’s teeth misalignment case. There are several types of braces;
- Traditional metal braces: These braces have metal brackets attached to every tooth and an archwire passing through them. These are affixed to your teeth and might put a few restrictions on eating and brushing.
- Ceramic braces: Do you want your teeth to be perfectly aligned and want to get braces but do not prefer the metal ones? Ceramic braces are customized according to the color of your teeth which makes them less visible.
- Lingual braces: In case you don’t want people to notice that there are wires attached to your teeth, you can get lingual braces that get attached to the back of your teeth.
- Clear braces: Being the most recent and flexible addition to the list of teeth straightening treatments, clear braces have proven to be equally effective as the rest of the options. These are made of plastic and can be easily removed.
Requiring Braces Treatment
In case you have malocclusion and your teeth do not meet properly which can result in a bite, you should not wait for another second and bring this situation to your orthodontist’s attention.
Besides, if you have unusual gaps between your teeth, or have crooked, crowded, misaligned, or protruding teeth, you should consider getting braces as it can cause numerous problems for your health.
Crooked or misaligned teeth can become a problem if not treated on time. It would be extremely difficult to clean your teeth which can lead to several gum diseases or tooth decay. Moreover, it can make eating difficult for you as well. Read below to find out the distinctive features and functions of traditional metal braces and their modern alternative, clear braces.
Traditional Metal Braces
The most commonly recognized type of braces is the traditional metal ones which are the least expensive and have proven to be an extremely effective treatment for teeth straightening.
Traditional braces are metal attached to your teeth. They keep on applying constant pressure on your teeth to straighten them. This process straightens your teeth as well as aligns your jaw.
Traditional braces require many orthodontic appointments. On each visit, you will get an adjustment for your braces. Getting braces might take up to two to three hours. Braces do not hurt while they are being applied to your teeth.
However, you will feel soreness for the first few weeks after you have gotten them and for some days after your adjustment appointments as well. Braces are customized in such a way that they adhere to your teeth.
Structure of Metal Braces
Traditional braces are made up of metal and customized for every individual according to their age and severity of their teeth misalignment case. In traditional metal braces, the structure is the same for every piece.
Brackets are made of stainless steel and glued to your teeth. These brackets are responsible for applying pressure on your teeth. The archwire connects the brackets on your teeth and is responsible for applying pressure to align your teeth.
Your jaw needs to be aligned to give your face a better shape. For this purpose, ligatures are placed around the brackets to apply pressure on your jaw. Spacers or molar bands are made of rubber and are used to add space at the back of your mouth. They are only used if your mouth is tight to properly fit the braces.
You might be given headgear as well which only needs to be worn at night. Getting braces might feel like a difficult task after reading about its components but let us explain how useful and important it is in case of teeth misalignment.
Benefits of Metal Braces
Braces are not solely responsible for improving your smile but they provide a ton of other benefits as well. Let’s shine the light upon them.
- Improved speech: Malocclusion can result in the development of certain defects in your speech. Braces, however, can get your teeth properly positioned and improve your speech.
- Improved oral hygiene: Straight teeth are easier to clean. You can conveniently brush or floss if your teeth are properly aligned. This will prevent any future gum disease or tooth decay.
- A beautiful smile: Imagine people looking at you in awe, because you have those shiny white perfectly aligned teeth that they had only seen in Disney movies. Braces can be extremely helpful in achieving your bright new smile.
- Aligns the jaw: If your teeth are misaligned, bacteria can benefit from the situation and start eating your bones off. Braces can align your teeth and prevent the loss of your jawbone.
Are you now considering getting the braces? If you have teeth misalignment, you should make an appointment with your orthodontist and get started with your treatment plan.
Getting Treatment
The work of traditional braces and clear braces might be the same to an extent; however, the treatment process for both plans is entirely different. The first step will be booking a consultation appointment with your orthodontist.
In case you have a severe case of teeth misalignment which cannot be treated otherwise, the orthodontist will begin the procedure by attaching metal braces to your teeth after they have been customized to fit you.
Metal brackets will be glued to your teeth and the archwire will pass through the brackets to connect them and provide support in exerting pressure on your teeth. Rubber bands are used to secure the metal wire around your teeth.
Getting braces should not hurt but you might feel soreness for the first few weeks of getting them and it will always be sore after you are done with your adjustment appointments.
The treatment may last up to 12 and a maximum of 24 months. For the adjustments, you will need to visit your orthodontist occasionally. For effective treatment, make sure to properly clean your teeth, to prevent tooth decay and gum diseases.
Cost of Traditional Braces
Metal braces can cost up from $4000 to $7000. Their prices are affordable and make them cheaper than clear braces which do cost a little more than the other teeth alignment treatment because of their flexible and removable nature.
Let’s look into the alternative for the traditional metal braces and the perks they have to offer.
Clear Braces
Being a wonderful alternative to traditional metal braces, clear braces have quickly made their place in the market. Their flexible nature has caught the eye of so many individuals.
Clear braces tend to be invisible which makes them a far cry from the metal brackets and wires attached to your teeth. They are removable which can be a great relief especially when you want to eat something or effectively clean your teeth.
With their cool features, clear braces have helped many people regain their confidence and start their journey toward teeth straightening. They have proven to facilitate people who wish to avoid traditional metal braces at all costs.
Structure of Clear Braces
They are made of BPA-free plastic and come in the form of trays. Unlike traditional metal braces, aligners are not affixed to your teeth and can be removed upon your wish.
Clear braces comfortably fit your teeth as they are customized according to your case of teeth misalignment. They are medical-grade plastic trays that completely cover your teeth and apply constant pressure to properly align them.
Benefits of Clear Braces
- Their invisible nature means that you would not have to shy away from going in front of people, wearing them because people would not even notice you wearing anything on your teeth.
- You can remove clear braces if you want to eat or brush your teeth. Unlike traditional metal braces, they are not glued to your teeth.
- The aligner trays are customized according to your case of teeth misalignment which helps them to effectively align your teeth.
- Clear braces are more affordable than the other teeth straightening options.
Getting Treatment
For in-office clear braces, you can make a consultation visit to your orthodontist. The visit is followed by a digital scan of your teeth. You will then be shown a 3D treatment plan for your new smile.
For at-home treatment, you can order an impression kit which will be mailed to your home. You can make your impressions and send them back to the experts. This process can be carried out from the comfort of your home.
A customized 3D treatment plan will be sent to you which needs to be approved by you. Once you approve the treatment plan, your custom-made clear braces will be mailed to you. This marks the beginning of your teeth straightening journey.
After you have gotten your custom-made aligners, you will need to wear them for at least 22 hours a day, for them to work effectively. The treatment usually goes for 4 to 6 months. The trays need to be changed every 2 weeks.
After you have completed your teeth straightening journey, you will need to wear custom-made clear retainers for at least 22 hours for 6 months. After the specified time, you can resort to wearing your retainer only at night.
These retainers do not work in the same way as the aligners. Where the clear braces perfectly align your teeth, your clear retainers make sure that they remain aligned for the rest of your life.
Cost of Clear Braces
Prices vary for different brands of aligners. In-office aligners can cost more than at-home aligners. It’s easier and cheaper to get at-home aligners but this depends on your case of teeth misalignment.
Your orthodontist will provide you with payment plans, depending on the length of your treatment. You will be able to opt for an affordable payment plan. Depending on your ease, you can either pay the full amount or choose to pay in installments.
Aligner32 offers two affordable treatment plans and flexible payment options. Our clear braces cost up to $1299 for the All Day Plan and $1399 for the Night Wear Plan.
Traditional Braces vs Clear Braces: A General Comparison
Where clear braces are the new alternative to traditional metal braces, the latter has been in the market for quite some time now and is known to be an effective teeth straightening method.
Clear braces are flexible enough to be removed of your free will but metal braces are attached to your teeth with brackets connected by metal wires. Clear braces are made with medical-grade BPA-free plastic while the brackets and wires in metal braces are made with steel.
The invisible nature of clear braces makes them hard to notice however, metal braces are simply attached to your teeth and can be seen whenever you open your mouth.
Clear braces can be easily taken off and placed in lukewarm water, to be cleaned but metal braces are difficult to clean as they are attached to your teeth. Metal braces can be used to treat all cases of malocclusion but clear braces can only treat a few cases.
Clear braces do cost more than traditional metal braces but they are equally effective and can take less time to treat your case of teeth misalignment.
Which One is Better?
Getting your teeth aligned can be a transitioning journey of your life and choosing your treatment should be a personal decision. However, this decision can be inspired by a lot of various factors.
Both traditional metal braces and clear braces almost provide similar treatment and have benefits of their own but the introduction of aligners has caused a good kind of hype among customers.
Aligner32’s flexible nature and affordable prices have inspired the decision of so many patients. We offer a ton of benefits that appeal to the patients enough for them to choose us over the other leading brands.
Suppose you care about your appearance and want comfort along with being presentable. In that case, we will recommend you get Aligner32’s clear braces as they are unnoticeable and removable, which promises you comfort and confidence.