Over the years, wire braces have been the common choice for people who either felt the need or were recommended to realign their teeth. This is often done in childhood for the final set of teeth or as grown adults who didn’t have this opportunity earlier and may prefer to attend to it later in life.
It used to be that wire braces were the only effective way to correct minor tooth or teeth misalignments. However, for non-major realignments, clear aligners are now another option that is becoming more popular in dental surgeries.
In this article, we look at the reasons why clear aligners have become a popular option.
1. Greater Comfort During the Night
Having wire braces fitted is usually uncomfortable. They can cut into the side of your mouth or catch on your tongue when you aren’t careful. When you are trying to sleep, they don’t exactly promote a restful, pain-free night of sleep either.
When wearing night time clear aligners, this is no longer an issue. There’s nothing to cut into the internal side of the mouth, it’s far less obstructive, and isn’t unlike wearing a gum protector or a guard to prevent teeth grinding. As such, it’s far easier to get used to than wearing metal braces where reaching a level of comfort with them is a tough ask.
2. Effective Solution for Small Tooth Misalignments
When you grow up with one or more teeth misalignments, it may not feel like a major thing, but it might still bother you. Getting a full set of braces for only one or two teeth might seem excessive, and it’s a major inconvenience to have them fitted and wear them for years.
The beauty of invisible braces is that they don’t require any extensive fitting and work well to gently correct more minor misalignments that may otherwise not get addressed. To get an in-depth look at how wire braces compare to clear aligners, check out this comparison from alignerco.com who have extensive experience with this type of dentistry. They also offer the convenience of aligner treatment from the comfort of your own home. Check out their services to find out more.
3. Easy Removal When Needed
Trying to eat with braces fitted is a bit of a nightmare. It’s easy for food particles to become stuck inside the braces and not know about it. People may politely not mention it even when you wish they would have.
Instead, with clear aligners, it’s possible to intentionally remove the aligner before going out for a meal in a restaurant or to share one with friends at their home. This removes any potential for mishaps to occur, so you can have a great time with zero worries.
Once home again, the clear aligner can just be fitted back into place to continue the work of gradually straightening your teeth.
4. Use for a Shorter Duration to Fix Tooth Alignment Issues
With wire braces, it’s not uncommon to require that they’ll be fitted for two years or even longer in some cases. This becomes highly inconvenient and usually patients are relieved when they’re finally removed. The fact that they must be worth 24/7 doesn’t help either. Unfortunately, there’s no break from wearing them.
With clear aligners, because they’re a popular option for small tooth misalignment concerns, less time is needed to work their magic. It can be as little as 6 months and perhaps as long as 11 months for stubborn teeth that put up resistance! But either way, it’s usually under a year, which is gratifying to hear compared to the duration required for wire braces. That’s far more bearable when considering aligners over braces.
5. Far Less Expensive Too
While it’s possible to get financing to cover the expenses, that doesn’t make it much better (it can also add interest to increase the total cost). Wire braces are often over $5,000 and can be considerably more than that. This is a tough pill to swallow to create a smile that you’ll be prouder of.
In comparison, a clear aligner is around the $1,100 to $1,500 range. This is a far more affordable amount. Some people can cover it by saving up; others may choose to put the cost on their credit card or seek other solutions. However, the substantially lower expense makes it a far easier decision whether to go ahead or leave the teeth as they are.
For anyone who’s considering getting their teeth realigned, there’s now more than one way to do so. It will depend on how crooked the teeth are and how much work a set of braces or clear aligners will need to perform over time as to which is most appropriate. However, when the realignment is less severe, then clear aligners are a wonderful alternative that is less costly, more pleasant for the wearer, and worn for much less time too.
