B R A C E S
It may not sound significant, but allowing your child to play sports without braces is beyond important. Whether they play soccer, basketball, football, lacrosse, etc., sports are aggressive and can lead to mouth injuries – with or without braces. The problem is that if your teen plays with brackets on their teeth, any time that their mouth is touched, they can get a cut. Even if they are mildly and innocently hit, they could end up with a bloody lip. Things that would never cause a sports injury, can when wearing braces. We highly recommend Invisalign Teen® for athletic teens because it is far safer. If they want to remove the aligners and wear a mouthguard, they can. Regardless, there will be no metal brackets to increase their risk of an injury.
If your teen is tired of living with crooked teeth, now is an excellent time to consider orthodontics. We regularly answer questions about Permanent Braces and Invisalign ® as an alternative to braces for teens. Invisalign Teen® is growing in popularity as more and more teens are transforming their smile without the use of bulky and noticeable braces. We can let you know whether or not Invisalign® is the right solution for your child and how to get started.
Fixed braces
Fixed braces are braces that cannot be removed for eating or cleaning purposes, as they are attached to the teeth. These fixed braces are the type of braces you most commonly see people wearing. Small metal attachments or brackets are bonded to the front of the teeth and are joined together with fine metal wires (sometimes known as “train-tracks”). These braces are the most sophisticated available. They may be the only way that a severe problem can be corrected by the orthodontist.Clear braces
Invisalign® is an excellent way to straighten your teeth and adults of all ages often prefer it over traditional metal braces. Teenagers and adults love Invisalign® because it straightens teeth without anyone noticing that you are correcting your smile.How does It work?
Our team straightens teeth using a series of aligners. First, an impression of your teeth is taken so that a series of aligners can be created in a dental lab. The aligners themselves are made out of a thermoplastic material that is strong and at the same time flexible in order to be comfortable when worn for long periods of time. The material is virtually invisible.The aligners should be worn for 22 hours a day and every two weeks; they need to be switched out with the next one in the series. Over a period of months, the aligners will slowly move teeth into place, making one minor adjustment at a time that is targeted to specific teeth. This helps your teeth to be comfortable as they are moved into position at a manageable pace. Once you are done wearing your aligners, your teeth should be perfectly straight.3
Benefits of Invisalign®
- Patients may prefer wearing Invisalign® because of how convenient it is in comparison to wearing traditional braces.
- The aligners are clear so no one can tell you are straightening your teeth.
- They are only worn for 22 hours a day so you can take them out to eat dinner, go on a date, or make an important presentation at work.
- You can brush and floss your teeth like normal, and no additional tools are required.
- There is less of a risk that your teeth will become stained as compared with wearing metal braces that can be difficult to clean.
- The procedure is more comfortable than metal braces since the aligners move teeth into place slowly and only focus on a few teeth at a time.
- Aligners are easy to take care of, and you only use the same aligner for a couple of weeks.