Parental dental tips

Many people assume that the only real reasons to use invisalign instead of traditional fixed braces are looks and practicality. The fact that invisalign braces are transparent is perfect if you're slightly embarrassed about wearing a conventional metal brace, and it's nice knowing that they aren't actually adhered to your teeth.

Those are compelling advantages, but invisalign also helps prevent decay and dental trauma compared to normal metal braces.

Cleaning your teeth

You need to wear your invisalign braces for most of the day if you want to enjoy good results, but it's always nice to know that you can slip them out for an hour or two when you need to. Whether you're heading out on a first date or giving an important presentation at work, it's nice to know your braces won't get in the way. That's great, but what's even better is being able to remove your invisalign braces to clean your teeth.

Since traditional metal braces are fixed, it can be very hard to brush or floss around them. Even the most dexterous brusher or flosser will find it hard to work around all the supports, and it's much easier for food to get trapped and rub up against your teeth. Since invisalign braces can be removed, you can take them out and then quickly brush and floss as normal.

Preventing white spots

For plenty of people, the pleasure and relief of having their metal braces removed is somewhat diminished by small white spots that are uncovered. These occur due to the process of demineralization. This is the first step of tooth decay, with white spots developing due to the loss of minerals beneath the surface of your tooth enamel.

It's a relatively common side effect of wearing traditional metal braces since plaque and bacteria can build up around the supports where a toothbrush cannot reach them, but demineralization isn't something you're going to have to worry about when you go with invisalign braces.

No protruding metal

People typically dislike the unsightliness of metal braces, and all those metal supports can be as uncomfortable as they are visually unappealing. With lots of protruding metal, any knocks can bash up against supports and cut or graze the soft tissue of the inner cheeks. Even if this doesn't happen, it's relatively common for sores or rough patches to develop. These aren't just uncomfortable – they can also encourage the growth of bacteria and lead to a nasty infection.