If you’re unhappy with crooked teeth, you may be considering different orthodontic options. Traditional braces remain an effective approach for straightening teeth, but there are many reasons why Invisalign clear braces might be better for most people.
At Contemporary Dentistry in Rochester, NY, we try to factor in the overall health impact of your dental treatment and consider factors other dentists might not. In addition to the appeal of having an orthodontic treatment that’s basically invisible, we see that Invisalign also offers many health benefits over traditional metal braces.
Removable for Cleaning
Probably the best benefit of Invisalign is actually that it’s removable. This gives you full access to your teeth for cleaning so you can remove bacteria and help your body maintain a healthy microbiome in the mouth.
With braces, it can be very hard to clean around the metal wires and brackets. Plaque can accumulate in hard-to-reach places, leading to a greater risk of cavities and receding gums. With the increase in oral bacteria, it could lead to changes in the oral microbiome. To try to counter the growth of periodontal pathogens, many dentists will introduce other chemicals that can impact your body, such as additional fluoride treatments and antiseptic mouthwashes.
The cleaning challenges posed by braces increase the amount of oral bacteria in the mouth, which can increase gum inflammation.
Doesn’t Restrict Your Diet
Removing Invisalign doesn’t just help clean your teeth, it means that you’re free to keep eating all the foods you choose.
It’s hard enough to eat healthy when so many of the food choices around us are processed and filled with preservatives, sugar, and high levels of salt. There are unhealthy temptations at every turn. You don’t need an additional diet restriction that keeps you from eating the foods that are truly healthy for your mouth and your body.
Many good diets may be impacted by braces, including raw food diets, vegetarian and vegan diets, paleo diets, low carb diets, and more. Adherence to your diet is critical to achieving the health gains you desire. Braces create additional hassle and make it harder to find options that fit your diet, especially when you’re eating out. Braces can push you toward soft, preprocessed foods rather than the less processed, healthy foods you might otherwise choose.
Less Bonded to Teeth
With braces, you have brackets bonded to your teeth for the duration of your orthodontic treatment. This is necessary because these brackets apply the force to your teeth to help them move.
With Invisalign, the force is provided by the removable clear aligners, which are not bonded to the teeth. Even if some elements are bonded to the teeth, it’s only necessary for a short time.
Bonding material to your teeth can keep the tooth from interacting naturally with the oral environment. Normally, saliva bathes the tooth, and dissolved minerals help the body maintain the tooth and repair damage. Without this mineral bath, tooth enamel can change, and the longer it goes without contacting saliva, the more serious the changes. This is part of the reason for permanent white spots on teeth after braces.
Faster Straightening
No matter what type of orthodontics you use, it can be stressful to your mouth and your oral microbiome. The changes caused by orthodontic treatment multiply over time. The longer treatment takes, the greater the impact.
So it’s good that Invisalign is faster than ever. In the past, Invisalign took about as long as braces treatment, but innovations in the process have made Invisalign faster. A better computer algorithm to plan tooth movements, more effective material, and better ways to deliver force mean that Invisalign can be completed in as little as half the time it used to take.
Straightens Your Teeth
Let’s not forget that straightening your teeth is also good for your oral health. Straight teeth are easier to clean than teeth that have gaps, crowding, and rotated teeth. You get less food stuck in your teeth, too, which helps you avoid the buildup of oral bacteria.
Straight teeth are also more effective at chewing, which can help you enjoy a wider range of foods with less difficulty.
Learn More about Invisalign in Rochester, NY
If you are looking to straighten your teeth, it’s important to consider your options, and choose the one that’s best for you. Invisalign isn’t right for everyone, but when it is an option, it offers many important oral health benefits over traditional braces, especially from a holistic dentistry perspective.
To learn whether Invisalign is right for you, please call (585) 244-3337 today for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist at Contemporary Dentistry in Rochester, NY.
