There\u2019s no debating that, back in the day, braces were big, bulky, visible, and very painful? For example, until the 1970s, various materials were wrapped around the teeth to hold the wires in place. Orthodontics has come a long way since then, and now, we have methods of straightening teeth that are much more discreet and much more comfortable. In fact, these days, we have methods of straightening teeth that are virtually invisible!<\/p>\n
Crowded teeth impact more than just your smile. For one, crowding increases your chances of developing decay and cavities. Teeth that are crowded or protruding are more likely to chip and break, and crowding also heightens your risk of developing gum disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n But with all of these new advancements in technology, choosing which type of braces to go with isn\u2019t as simple as it once was. Invisalign<\/a> and Six Month Smiles, for example, are both brands of clear aligners that have become popular because they\u2019re discreet. But there\u2019s a lot of differences between the two that might influence your decision, so let\u2019s outline the pros and cons.<\/p>\n Both Invisalign and Six Month Smiles are aesthetically pleasing and neither option is dramatically noticeable. Six Month Smiles uses thin, white-colored brackets that closely match the color of your teeth. At first glance or from a distance, it might look like you don\u2019t have braces at all. However, they\u2019re still visible brackets.<\/p>\n Invisalign uses removable thermoplastic clear aligners, and as its name implies, they\u2019re close to invisible. Your friends and family may not ever know you\u2019re getting orthodontic work done unless you tell them!<\/p>\n One of the big questions people like to ask is, \u201cWhat will it cost me?\u201d The answer to this depends on your insurance and the duration of treatment. If the treatment is longer, it\u2019s going to cost a little more. Six Month Smiles takes six months, on average, while Invisalign, on average, takes twelve months. The length of treatment for both types of braces also depends on the severity of malocclusion.<\/p>\n Traditional hardwire bracket braces<\/a> are known for being painful and uncomfortable. Six Month Smiles is more comfortable than traditional braces, as they\u2019re made of plastic rather than metal. But Invisalign does away with the wires and brackets altogether. The sleek, smooth acrylic is comfortable against your gums.<\/p>\n Invisalign can be an awesome choice for mild to moderate malocclusion (bad bite). What\u2019s great about this is that most orthodontic cases fall into this category. However, in the case of more severe crowding and\u00a0 significant bite issues, Invisalign isn\u2019t quite the right tool for the job, and brackets will then become necessary. Six Month Smiles does a good job treating these more significant cases. Both treatments are relatively new, but Invisalign has been around a little longer than Six Month Smiles.<\/p>\n Invisalign aligners can be removed temporarily if needed. You can remove your aligners if you need to eat certain foods or brush and floss your teeth.<\/p>\n With wire brackets and Six Month Smiles alike, there are certain foods you won\u2019t be able to eat. This is especially true for foods that are crunchy and sticky. Some foods on the restriction list include bagels, corn on the cob, chewing gum, apples, beef jerky, and nuts.<\/p>\n You can eat anything you want with Invisalign! Simply remove the aligners and continue to enjoy your favorite nutritious snacks and meals.<\/p>\n With bracket braces such as those provided by Six Month Smiles, tiny food particles can get trapped, and if you don\u2019t do the necessary work of cleaning between your teeth with special flossers and water picks, your risk of tooth decay<\/a> and gum disease will increase.<\/p>\n While this can definitely be prevented with rigorous oral routines, adolescents in particular tend to have a hard time sticking to their oral hygiene routines<\/a>. There\u2019s nothing quite as disappointing as having your brackets removed and finding that your teeth have decayed.<\/p>\n You\u2019re less likely to experience decay related to orthodontic treatment with Invisalign because you can easily remove the aligners to properly clean your teeth. It\u2019s important to still brush your teeth after eating to ensure particles don\u2019t get trapped between your teeth and aligners, which can be stained by the food and drink you consume.<\/p>\n Here at Berrien Dental, we offer Invisalign because it\u2019s discreet and removable; however, one size does not fit all, and Invisalign is not for everyone. We will help you determine if Invisalign is the right choice for you.<\/p>\n If you have a question about Invisalign clear aligners<\/a> or would like to schedule an appointment<\/a>, reach out to us. We\u2019re excited to serve you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The field of orthodontics has come a long way. There\u2019s no debating that, back in the day, braces were big, bulky, visible, and very painful? For example, until the 1970s, various materials were wrapped around the teeth to hold the wires in place. Orthodontics has come a long way since then, and now, we have…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":204802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[101],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204798"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204798"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":204955,"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204798\/revisions\/204955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berriendental.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Aesthetics<\/h3>\n
Cost and Duration of Treatment<\/h3>\n
Comfort<\/h3>\n
Range of Treatment<\/h3>\n
Practicality<\/h3>\n
Decay Risk<\/h3>\n
We offer Invisalign at Berrien Dental.<\/h2>\n