Invisible Braces

There is more than one way to do everything in life. The end result is the same, but the pathway to get to the end may be very different. Pathways may be different in lengths, taking varying durations to reach the end, and there may be obstacles along the way which make a particular pathway harder to travel.

The same principles apply to straightening your teeth. Modern orthodontics allow us to straighten teeth using many different methods. The end result is straighter teeth, but some methods are quicker than others. Some methods are not as aesthetic, comfortable, cleansable or socially acceptable while treatment is progressing. If you’re thinking about getting invisible braces then you are probably concerned about how you may look with metal braces in your mouth. That’s totally fine. Invisible braces are a great option for straightening teeth while keeping things less noticeable.

The traditional pathway of straightening teeth is to use metal brackets and wires, called braces, to align all the teeth. This generally takes at least 12 months with major patient hesitations being the visible metal brackets and wires, dubbed “train-tracks”, which are considered unsightly, uncomfortable and hard to clean.

This led to the development of a more modern pathway of using a sequence of clear aligners to straighten all the teeth, commonly referred to as “invisible braces”. These clear aligners are actually nothing like the metal brackets and wires which we picture in our minds when the word braces are mentioned. They are nicknamed “invisible braces” because they do the teeth straightening job that traditional braces do but do it in a more incognito way. The aligners are virtually invisible when worn over the teeth as they are thin and clear. It generally may still take at least 12 months to align all the teeth, but aligners are more socially acceptable and much less intrusive on eating, cleaning and smiling.

Is Invisible Really Better?

When it comes to straightening teeth, it really is better. There are many reasons why aligners are the preferred method for teeth straightening by both dentists and patients:

• They are clear and virtually invisible
• They are removable for easier eating and cleaning
• They are thinner and more comfortable
• There are less breakages
• There is better patient compliance
• Precise computer analysis and manufacturing
• Can accurately follow movements provided by each aligner

Some patients are after a quicker fix and don’t want all their teeth aligned, only their visible front teeth. This has led to the same “invisible braces” concept being adapted to treatment of only the front 6 teeth. Front teeth can be straightened the incognito way using clear aligners or other nearly invisible removable appliances. Some cases require brackets and wires to move the front teeth effectively and this can be done with clear brackets and tooth coloured wires. Because only the front teeth are treated, the cost and time required for this orthodontic treatment is reduced. This is commonly referred to as 6 month braces.

If you choose to straighten all your teeth, our dentists will provide aligner orthodontics through Clearpath. You can learn more about aligner orthodontics on this page. If you are interested in a quicker solution that corrects your front teeth only then we will provide that treatment through Quick Straight Teeth. You can learn more about Quick Straight Teeth on this page.