Since man first found themselves with time on their hand to consider things outside the realm of their immediate needs for food and shelter, they’ve turned inwards, looking at ways to improve the natural body. One of the first things that they turned to was medicine, treating the various injuries that they were running into with their daily lives, and making sure that the body (and their lifespan) lasted as long as it possibly could at the time; this is something that we continue to obsess over today, by the way, so there’s nothing new there.
Another thing that went hand in hand with the whole ‘taking care of the body’ thing is the worry about the teeth and the way they look and how well they’re working. As is obvious, they started where you would think they would; they began with trying to ensure that the teeth would stay healthy and in the mouth as long as possible. Eventually, however, they moved to discussion alignment.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the idea came up first, but the first people who actually attempted to do anything about it were the Egyptians. They fumbled around in the mouth with various modes of early orthodontic headgear, but nothing that was a resounding success by any means.
In today’s modern world, however, we have a few options for treating malocclusions (a fancy word meaning misalignments). Most commonly, we use standard metal braces; they’re kind of our go-to treatment. However, there’s another treatment method, Invisalign, and here are five reasons why it may be more advantageous for you than the use of standard metal braces.
1. Discretion
A big trend in orthodontic treatments has been toward them being more discreet. Headgear? Not discreet at all. Standard metal braces? Discreet until you open your mouth, at which point it’s glaringly obvious they’re there.
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Discreet cosmetic braces for adults are what people have been looking for, and finally, in the late 90s, we developed a working set. Invisalign braces are made from a hard plastic that is also entirely see-through, meaning that you can put it on the teeth and no one will know it’s there.
2. Comfort
A big issue with standard metal braces is that they can be uncomfortable. It’s not hard to see why; they’re basically little metal brackets put on the teeth that protrude quite a bit into the fleshy part of the mouth, which leads to discomfort and, in some cases, porn.
On the other hand, when you have Invisalign in your mouth, you’re wearing braces that are tiny and barely protrude at all from the mouth, meaning you’re not going to have anything rubbing against that sensitive flesh. Much more comfortable!
3. Ease of use
Standard braces can’t be removed, and that’s by design. They can only be removed by a professional orthodontist, so you’re going to need to learn to work around them when you’re, say, brushing your teeth and trying to floss, or when you’re trying to eat, or when you do any number of things.
Invisalign slips on and off comfortably, meaning that you’re going to be able to easily remove them when you want at meal times and in order to maintain your normal dental hygiene regimen. This means there’s no hassle, and no risk of getting things caught in them and not being able to get it out.
4. Durability
An issue that arises with some of the newer, more discreet materials that are being used today in the standard braces configurations is that they don’t stand up well to the saliva and bile of the mouth, not to mention all the things they’ll be exposed to on a daily basis.
On the other hand, Invisalign braces are only going to be in the mouth for, at most, two weeks at a time, meaning that they won’t be in use long enough for durability to become a worry.
5. Cost
A common worry is cost, and this is doubly true when you’re talking about a new and advanced treatment. Luckily, Invisalign is only five hundred dollars American more expensive than the standard metal braces, which is great when you consider all the advantages that Invisalign has over their more venerable competitor.
So, if you’re looking for a way to realign your teeth into a more opportune pattern, look no further. Call your local professional orthodontist and see if they think that Invisalign might just be right for you, and if so, don’t be afraid to splurge a little bit to get a more discreet treatment method. You’ll be glad you did.