The choice between braces and Invisalign can be made easier if you know the pros and cons of each. Even though, esthetically, Invisalign is your best choice to move teeth, many adult patients still go with Clear after we discuss all of their options.

Let me show you the advantages of braces over Invisalign and why most patients still prefer clear or metal braces versus any orthodontic aligner.

Price

Let me start with pricing because this is the most confusing for patients. Many of our Dallas patients believe that Invisalign is cheaper than braces which is not the case.

Parents believe that because Invisalign is a clear plastic aligner or that it looks less noticeable, it must be cheaper when in fact, Invisalign is typically roughly 20% more than braces.

For some people, the additional cost makes no difference, but for most parents this may be the determining factor when choosing between braces and Invisalign.

Ease of use

I have personally been treated, as an adult, with braces and Invisalign. In my opinion, braces are far easier to maintain than Invisalign. Let me explain…

Having braces makes it more difficult to clean your teeth, but you do not need to worry about taking your braces off to eat and potentially forgetting to put them back in after cleaning your teeth.

With Invisalign, you need to remove them every time you drink, eat, brush, and floss. It is very tempting to take them out more often than actually needed.

Many patients will remove the trays for important meetings, work functions, school functions,  etc., and then all of a sudden, they are only wearing the trays for fourteen hours a day instead of a full twenty-two.

If you do not wear your trays for enough time, your teeth will not shift properly, which leads to longer treatment. 

Range of treatment

With braces, you can treat nearly any case because you can utilize rubber bands, expanders, Herbst appliances, etc., along with braces.

Now don’t get me wrong, you can use all of those items along with Invisalign, but it is a more intricate process.

For example, you could use an expander initially and then get retainers to hold your teeth and then start Invisalign. It takes more visits and is less stable than utilizing braces with expanders.

Most braces patients get rubber bands at some point during treatment so you can properly fix their bite. You can utilize rubber bands with Invisalign, but their effectiveness is not as good as braces.

Conclusion

Invisalign can be a great method of treatment for patients, but I believe the majority of people would benefit from braces more so than Invisalign.

The range of treatment, ease of use, and cost are all factors that lead most orthodontic patients in our Dallas location to utilize braces over Invisalign.