Pros and Cons of Invisalign system

Many adults and teens who consider orthodontic treatments are interested in Invisalign system. They like to get their teeth straight and beautiful without wearing braces and come to Care Orthodontics to ask Dr. Phan about Invisalign.  Here are the break downs of Invisalign pros and cons that may help you as you make an informed decision whether this appliance is right for you.

The pros of Invisalign - there are many:

1)      The aligners are invisible.  With the transparent plastic materials, most people will not notice that you are wearing them so you can very much being discreet as going through orthodontic treatment.

2)      The aligners are removable. You can remove them if you feel too much pressure and want to take a break from treatment.  You can be remove them for important social events such as date nights, board meetings, wedding, photo shots, speaking engagement, etc.

3)      The aligners are easier to brush and floss. Without the added apparatus in the mouth such as brackets and wires, there are less food traps. Flossing with Invisalign is an ease, the same as you do without any treatment.  In comparison, flossing with braces required using special flossing devices such as floss threader, water flosser or Waterpik.  Whichever system that your wear, whether braces or Invisalign, your orthodontist will recommend you to brush and floss daily to prevent cavities and gum diseases.

4)      There are less orthodontics emergency visits. Without many braces and tubes glued to the teeth, there are less chance that they will come off and thus less emergency visits.

5)      There are no diet restrictions compared to braces.  With braces, you need to stay away from eating hard and crunchy food.  Hard food break glue around brackets and cause them to detach.  With Invisalign, you have no diet restriction.   You can eat everything including hard, crunchy and sticky foods such as apples, carrots, ices, nuts, hard chips, caramelized candies, chewing gums, etc.

The cons of Invisalign:

The cons have to do with your compliance to treatment.  You must wear Invisalign aligners almost full time to get enough stimulation and tooth movement.  If you leave the aligners out of the mouth long enough, your teeth will stop moving or not moving enough.  For treatment success, you must wear the Invisalign aligners for your teeth to move. 

1.  You must wear the aligners 20-22 hours a day, leave out 2 hours to eat, brush, and floss.  If you tend to forget to put aligners back on after eating, snacking or brushing, your teeth may not experience enough force to move. Less time wear will lead to inadequate fitting or non-fitting aligners.
2. You need to remove aligners to eat.   Most people complain that they don’t get to snack enough during the day as it is a hassle to remove the aligners to snack.  The truth is that you can eat, you just need to remove the aligners, snack, brush your teeth and put the aligners back.  It takes a little bit of time, but possible to indulge in food.  You should brush after each meal; however, if you are in a crunch and  don’t have time to brush, at least swish water in your mouth for a minute to wash away most food before putting the aligners back.   This will cut down on the amount of sugar and plaque to minimize cavities.  

Just like anything in life, you must work and follow through to succeed.  Once you wear Invisalign, you will figure out a way to make the appliances fit with your lifestyle and routines.  If you have further questions, schedule for a consultation appointment with Dr. Nancy Phan.

Dr. Nancy Phan is a Board-certified orthodontist and dedicated many years to bring out the true beauty of your smile and strong bites.   Visit our website at www.CareOrthodontics.com or call Care Orthodontic today at 408-971-2885 to schedule an appointment.