White straight teeth have staked a claim in the world of beauty and aesthetics. However, did you know that having straight teeth is more beneficial than simply for looks alone? The way your teeth align in your mouth drastically impacts your bite. This means the way your teeth land together as you bite, chew, and speak. In other words, crooked teeth could be detrimental to tooth and jaw health, eating, speaking, and even singing. One of the ways many men and women are choosing to tackle the issue of crooked or misaligned teeth is using tray-based aligners like Invisalign®.
At Bradford Family Dentistry, we meet many patients who long to have an even, white smile but hate the idea of metal and elastics marring their mouth. For these patients, we choose Invisalign®. To help you better understand how these devices work and how they may be beneficial to your smile, we have created this simple guide to tray-based aligners. Here is what you need to know.
Why Choose Tray-Based Aligners?
While the world has changed since the origination of hurtful names like “metal mouth” and “cheese grater” in decades past, many feel there is still a stigma to wearing metal braces. As so many patients are choosing braces to increase self-esteem, drawing attention to metal, porcelain, wires, and elastics often takes away from the experience. Thus, one of the most common reasons patients choose Invisalign® in Bradford is because they are invisible.
Benefits Of Tray-Based Aligners
Some of the other benefits to choosing tray-based aligners over traditional metal braces include:
- Hygiene – Brushing around the frame of wire braces is complicated. It also requires the use of specialty floss to get in between hard-to-reach areas. Even with careful brushing, many people who choose traditional braces often have problems with food getting caught in their brackets.
- Convenience – Once metal braces go on, there is no getting them off without the help of an orthodontist. In fact, people who wear metal braces often go years before seeing their teeth bare again. Invisalign® in Bradford allows users to remove the tray aligners as needed.
- Eating Habits – Eating with metal braces is a hassle. There is a long list of foods you cannot eat, such as nuts, chewing gum, marshmallows, and popcorn. While most orthodontists still recommend that patients avoid overly sweet and sticky junk foods, Invisalign® allows patients to remove the aligner to eat, and then replace after brushing their teeth. This removes most eating restrictions.
- Comfort – All braces are a little uncomfortable when the alignment gets changed to tighten gaps and move teeth. However, many patients report that Invisalign® aligners are less uncomfortable to realign than metal braces.
Both traditional and tray-based aligners offer the same beautiful end result, but you may feel that Invisalign® is a better choice for you. At Bradford Family Dentistry, we are happy to sit down and explain all the details of both.
Best Age For Invisalign®
While there is no defining age during which Invisalign® should be worn, there are some age-related guidelines to follow. For example, Invisalign® only works when worn regularly. Like metal braces, which never leave your teeth, your tray-based aligner should stay on unless you are eating or brushing. For this reason, many dentists suggest patients be old enough to uphold this responsibility of long-term wear. Most suggest the teenaged years as a minimum, and adulthood (with all natural teeth intact) as a maximum age point.
How Invisalign® Works For You
Just as metal braces are tightened regularly to achieve the desired alignment of teeth, Invisalign® must also be adjusted on a regular schedule. The clear aligners slowly and gently move your teeth to their correct location through a series of alterations made to the aligner trays. Most Invisalign® users get new trays every 2 weeks to perpetuate this process.
The slow movement of teeth is the major reason why regularly wearing your Invisalign® is so important. When the trays are not worn frequently enough, the adjustments made to that tray do not take effect. This means your next tray may not properly fit your teeth, and you will need to wear your previous tray longer or have new molds taken.
Eating And Brushing With Invisalign® In Bradford
We briefly touched on the method of eating and brushing with Invisalign® earlier. However, it is an important subject to be thorough about. One of the main reasons individuals choose tray-based aligners over traditional metal braces is for the freedom they provide. While eating and brushing, you remove your tray and replace it afterwards.
Your dentist will likely recommend you take it easy on sweets and treats, as they are not good for the enamel on your teeth. However, Invisalign® enforces fewer dietary restrictions than traditional braces do. This is because of your ability to remove the tray while eating. There are no wires to get caught in your food, and you do not need to avoid hard foods that could crack your braces.
While this provides freedom to eat what you want, it is still important that Invisalign® wearers brush and floss thoroughly. This too, is easier to achieve, as there are no wires in the way of your brush. Metal braces require the use of specialized floss to get into difficult-to-clean areas. With Invisalign®, you simply remove your tray and floss as usual.
Regular Use Of Clear Aligners In Bradford
Interested in learning more about clear aligners in Bradford? Bradford Family Dentistry can help! Explore your perfect smile options and call today: 905-775-5307 or click here to request an appointment.