What should I prefer – brace or clear aligner?

In your research on treatments on offer for correcting misaligned teeth, you must have come across a variety of methodologies. There are several options and depending upon the severity of the condition, some may even involve surgery. However, to ascertain whether or not you require a surgery to get rid of the condition, a visit to dentist is a must. This is because, for the mild cases, wearing dental equipments like metal braces/clear aligners and tooth positioner will be sufficient. Whether you need braces or aligners is a question of choice. Whatever you choose, avoiding tooth positioner is something that is not permissible. We will discuss about its importance later in the article. First let's focus on aligners.

The traditional method of treating dental imperfection involves asking the patient to get fitted with metal braces. These, under the supervision of an expert, are fitted on the teeth. By applying continuous pressure, the misaligned teeth are forced to move to their proper positions. The time duration for which one has to wear them varies. It is for the dentist to decide how long that will be. Wearing them brings several restrictions. The most obvious is maintaining oral hygiene. It becomes somewhat difficult to brush and floss teeth when undergoing treatment. Also, people are strongly advised to not eat any food that might damage them.

Now, let's focus on clear aligners. These work similar to braces i.e. they also apply constant, gentle pressure on the teeth to move them to intended positions. The difference is that they are just worn over the teeth. One can remove them as per will and when required. However, caution must be exercised because they are required to be worn for a significant part of the day so as to have the maximum effect. Just because they can be removed should not be considered as a free license. This option should only be exercised when eating, brushing or flossing. They offer another advantage in their appearance. Due to their transparent material, it is almost impossible to detect whether the person you are speaking to is wearing them or not.

Now to tooth positioner. It is actually a finishing product that helps the newly aligned teeth to remember their new positions. It helps fixing them and prevents a relapse. The dentist will ask you to clench them which is actually an exercise. It can double up as a mouth guard during sports and other such physical activity. The reason it is so important is because of the fact that unless they are worn, there is a chance that the teeth might return to their improper position and will ultimately nullify all the work. So, a tooth positioner is as important as an aligner or a brace in the process of teeth straightening.