If your teeth aren’t aligned quite right, your dentist may suggest braces. While braces have certainly come a long way since they were invented and are now much less painful and noticeable, they do still have a number of drawbacks, and many young people hate the idea of having braces. However, there is another option that has far fewer downsides: Invisalign.
How It Works
This type of teeth straightening is different from braces in several ways. While both will provide you with straighter teeth and improve your overall oral health, the way they do so greatly differs. Braces are metal brackets that are actually glued onto your teeth and remain there for several years or longer. These metal brackets are connected by wires that help to hold them in place. While most people think of ugly pieces of metal when they think of braces, today braces are much closer to actual tooth color.
Using Invisalign, on the other hand, involves wearing a series of aligner trays. These trays are made out of plastic and you simply slip them down over your teeth. Each set of these aligners is made specifically for you from X-rays and impressions your doctor takes of your teeth. You wear Invisalign aligners for a specific number of hours a day, removing them only to eat or drink something that’s not water. As your teeth straighten, you move from one aligner to the next until your teeth are aligned.
The Benefits
Electing to go with Invisalign in DC instead of braces means that you won’t have to worry about things like food getting stuck in your braces, nor will you feel any discomfort or pain from the wires rubbing. The time required to straighten your teeth will also be much shorter. While you may wear braces for several years, you’ll only need the aligner trays for up to a year and a half if you have serious issues. Some people only wear them for about six months.
