There’s been a huge boom in adult orthodontics in Columbus, which is good because it means that many people who hadn’t gotten their teeth straightened as teens are now seeing the cosmetic and functional benefits of straighter teeth.
Sometimes, though, you might find yourself in an unpleasant situation. You start out getting orthodontic treatment with braces, but decide that many of the drawbacks are harder to deal with than you initially thought, and you want to switch to a system that’s free of all the wires and brackets from metal braces.
Why People Dislike Braces
There are no complaints about the functionality of braces–they remain the best way to move your teeth. But many people aren’t happy with some of the other things that come along with braces.
As adults, we think that the visibility of braces isn’t a big deal–we made it past high school, after all. But sometimes it turns out to matter more to us than we thought. Your first day of going to work wearing braces can be eye-opening.
Another thing that can be hard to deal with when you have braces is the diet restrictions. As adults, we’re used to just eating whatever we want. Not being able to satisfy our cravings can turn out to be a bigger problem than you anticipated. Some of the food restrictions with braces can even impact your health. Having to cut up raw vegetables into small pieces makes them harder to snack on. That, in turn, makes it harder to avoid the fatty, salty snacks you know you have to keep out of your diet.
The constant, needling irritation from brackets and wires can be just too much.
And then there’s the additional time and effort it takes to clean our braces. When your schedule is already busy enough, that might just be the last straw. Plus, the consequences of not cleaning your braces well enough increase as we get older. When we’re young, the risk of gum disease is less. As we get older, the risks increase. Not cleaning well around braces can put you at risk for bleeding, painful gums, even tooth loss.
Invisalign Might Fit in Better with Your Lifestyle
If you’re one of the people who has a really hard time adapting to braces, Invisalign might be a better choice for you.
You don’t have to worry about everyone noticing your aligners–they aren’t as obvious as metal brackets and wires. You get to eat all the foods you want, and your oral hygiene is just ordinary brushing and flossing. And, of course, there’re no wires or brackets. This means you won’t suffer from wires scraping your cheeks. Nor do you have to worry that wires will come out of brackets or channels to poke you.
There are some inconveniences that come along with Invisalign, though, that you should be aware of. First, although you only have to brush and floss your teeth with Invisalign, you have to do it a lot more often. Every time you take your aligner out to eat or drink, you have to brush and floss before putting your aligners back in. For some adults, this is a benefit. By making it harder to snack between meals, Invisalign makes it easier to lose weight. Plus, you might find it easier to stay hydrated when you’re skipping coffee and coke in favor of plain water for most of the day.
Also, you should know that it might take a little while to learn to speak with your aligners in. Once you get adapted, they’re fine, but until then, you might be a little awkward in conversation.
Considering the Option
If you want to consider switching to Invisalign, there are several things we should discuss. First, Invisalign can’t do all the movements that traditional braces can accomplish. If you want to switch to Invisalign, it’s best to get those unique movements out of the way first. However, with new Invisalign techniques, it is more capable of advanced tooth maneuvers than ever. This switch works best if we plan it from the beginning, but we can still manage it if we’re trying to switch horses midstream.
Next, consider the cost. It’s a lot more expensive to make the switch midway through than it is to do either from the beginning.
Finally, see if there are better ways for you to cope with the limitations of braces to make sure that there mightn’t be a way that you can deal with some of these nuisances after all and complete your treatment.
If you would like to talk about making this switch, it’s good to talk to a dentist who does both types of braces in Columbus, OH. Please call (614) 848-5001 for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist at Firouzian Dentistry.
