Why More People are Now Choosing Invisalign Braces
Early humans had bigger, stronger jaws, but soft and cooked foods have weakened ours, causing crowding and crooked teeth. Invisalign braces offer a remedy. Crooked and misaligned teeth are commonplace and affect almost 60% of the world’s population, rising to 72% and 81% in Europe and Africa, respectively.
The explanation is simple. Besides being weaker, our jaws are much smaller than those of our primitive ancestors but must accommodate the same number of teeth, causing malformed dentition, formally known as malocclusion. Although the signs are often barely noticeable, they can be unsightly and embarrassing when more prominent. For many years, tooth straightening has been the most common application of orthodontics.
However, before the introduction of transparent braces, most orthodontists fitted their patients with the metal variety, and although they are far from discreet, they are still widely used today. Many of those reading this article will recall wearing these to get straight teeth and classmates who couldn’t resist laughing and calling them “metal mouth”. Today, in addition to children, many adults also decide they would like perfectly straight, well-aligned teeth but want a more discreet and comfortable way to achieve this.
Conventional Metal Wires and Brackets vs Invisalign Braces
The first and most obvious difference between these tooth straightening options lies in the name of the latter. These transparent orthodontic devices are essentially invisible to others from a distance, offering the wearer a greater degree of discretion that can help boost confidence. In addition, the following four reasons you should choose this option are less obvious but equally valuable advantages of these clear aligners over their metal counterparts if you want straight teeth:
- Unlike metal braces, which are usually fixed to your teeth, Invisalign braces can be removed while eating, drinking or brushing but should be worn for at least 20 hours daily for best results.
- Brackets and wires can irritate your lips, cheeks and tongue, especially while an orthodontist makes adjustments. The snug fit of soft plastic aligners avoids these problems.
- Once fitted, metal braces require frequent adjustments, for which repeated dental appointments are essential. By contrast, patients are given several sets of aligners, which they must use sequentially to progressively push their teeth closer, thus minimising the need for appointments.
- Having all that metalwork attached to your teeth tends to restrict what you can eat. For example, it would be most unwise to attempt to eat tough foods like raw nuts as this could damage the brackets and wires and delay your treatment plan. When wearing Invisalign braces, you remove them and eat whatever you wish as long as you remember to rinse your mouth or brush before replacing them.
Although clear aligners have many benefits, they are unsuitable for patients with extreme misalignment. Also, wearers must be disciplined as it is too easy to remove them, and they must practice strict oral hygiene whenever they do.
Booking Your Invisalign Braces for That Perfect Smile
If you are a Gauteng resident, no one is more experienced or better qualified to rectify overcrowding and misaligned teeth than Dr Ivan Marx and his team. You can just click here to book your appointment with the Johannesburg or Pretoria branch and finally own the smile you have always dreamed of.