What’s the Difference?
Braces
(+/-) Fixed to teeth, cannot remove
(+) Compliance only required for hygiene and rubber band wear
(-) Must avoid eating hard, sticky, and chewy foods
(-) Appearance will change
(-) Additional time for cleaning teeth
(-) Higher risk of white spot decalcification with poor hygiene
(-) Broken or loose braces require additional appointments
(-) Appointment intervals 6-10 weeks
(-) Possibility of lip injury during sports
(-) 2-3 days of discomfort after braces adjustments
(-) Moves all the teeth
(-) May be difficult for lips and tongue to adjust to braces
Invisalign
(+/-) Removable for eating and hygiene
(-) Requires greater compliance
(+) Controlled tooth movement
(+) Eat and drink what you want
(+) Clear and virtually invisible
(+) Continue normal brushing and flossing
(+) Low risk of white spot decalcification
(+) Great for patients with crowns or dental work
(+) Possibility of shorter and fewer appointments, if worn properly
(+) Appointment intervals 10-12 weeks
(+) Great for active lifestyles
(+) Less than 24hours of discomfort from tooth movement with aligner changes
(-) May be difficult for speech to adjust to aligner wear for a few days
