Dental care and the techniques for curing various dental conditions have improved a lot over the years. With the improved technology, one doesn’t have to worry over misaligned teeth or any other dental condition. Certain tools and devices such as braces and aligners can help resolve your troubles by improving your dental condition. But there is always a comparison between the tools-aligners and braces. Most people come up with the question-“Are aligners better than braces?”
To answer your question, here we guide you with braces vs aligners for dental treatment and you can choose the one that suits your requirement.
Braces
Dental braces are tools or devices that are used in orthodontics that align and straighten the teeth and help them position properly. The braces are also useful for correcting overbites, underbites, gaps, deep bites, crossbites, crooked teeth, and several other flaws in the teeth and jaw. Children or teenagers mostly prefer braces as this can help straighten the teeth and correct misaligned bites at an early age.
There are various types of braces such as metal or traditional braces, ceramic braces, and lingual braces.
- Metal Braces
As the name indicates, these traditional braces are made up of metals. They include brackets that are fixed to the front position of the teeth and bands that come around each tooth. These act as separate braces for every tooth. But there exist rubber bands and metal wires that link around these brackets. This is mandatory when there is a need for more pressure on the teeth.
- Ceramic Braces
Ceramic braces are made up of tooth-colored ceramics to avoid noticing the braces much. One can make ceramic braces even with gold.
- Lingual Braces
In lingual braces, the brackets are usually attached to the backside of your teeth facing your tongue.
Aligners
Aligners are used to straighten teeth just like braces but with limited functions. Aligners are available in clear or invisible trays that perfectly fit your teeth. Aligners are custom-made devices for each patient according to the digital scan of the teeth. They give pressure on the teeth gently and help straighten them. One should remove the aligners only during brushing, eating, or flossing. The more time you wear the aligners, the better it will help treat your teeth.
Braces vs Aligners
A comparison of aligners and braces can give you some key points with which you can understand what is your requirement.
- Advantages of Aligners
Aligners are invisible trays and that’s why it is less noticeable than braces.
As aligners are removable, one can eat anything they wish to amid the aligners treatment. But in braces, this is not possible, as certain food may damage the brackets and you need to repair your braces and the treatment will delay.
When it comes to teeth hygiene, aligners are far better than braces because you can brush and floss your teeth as you regularly do after removing the aligners. But most people face this as a great issue while using braces.
On the whole, aligners are more comfortable than braces as the material is smoother than the braces.
The dental appointment is so easy with the aligners treatment compared to braces. Braces treatment takes a long time and frequent doctor visits are needed.
- Advantages of Braces
Braces once fixed cannot be removed often until your doctor removes the braces after treatment. But when it comes to aligners, one should wear them 22 hours a day. There might be a chance that people forgot to wear the aligners immediately after eating. This can delay the treatment.
Aligner treatments are useful for some functions but not for all dental functions. So, for complex treatments, go for braces which are the best option for all aligning functions.
Bottom Line
Both aligners and braces involve straightening and aligning the teeth but use various materials to treat. Choose the one which suits your requirements and visit your dentist for more information.
