WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL BRACES AND ALIGNERS?
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL BRACES AND ALIGNERS?
DEFINITION From DIGITAL ORTHODONTICS - Solo Edition by Dr. Bak Nguyen
Exactly what you think! One is in metal and one is in clear plastic. Usually, metal braces for the exact same case will be more affordable. At a younger age, attending doctors will prefer braces to aligners because they keep full control of the case, not relying as much on the cooperation of the patient.
Now, they are both efficient, aligners and braces. If you need a comparison, think of a convertible and a S.U.V. The convertible is sexy and very desirable on city streets. In the mountains, you will prefer your 4x4 S.U.V. Well, aligners are that convertible and the braces are the S.U.V. The city streets and the mountains are the difficulty level of your case.
I can never say that enough, each case is unique and the only way to know what is the difficulty level, in other words, the complexity of your case is from a consultation with a qualified doctor.
In North America and in Europe, more and more adults are looking to straighten their teeth or to re-straighten their teeth with aligners. In some countries, it is still a symbol of wealth to have braces in the mouth. That is a cultural issue. If not for medical reasons, both are effective treatments if applied to the right cases.
Another general rule, parents and attending doctors will prefer braces for children and young teenagers because of compliance issues and, most of the time, because of the cost, braces are usually cheaper than aligners.
Not, you can be surprised by how educated our children are. They are making their research on the web. I had kids of 12 years old in front of me defending their case to have aligners instead of braces.
Once again, if it is about moving teeth, both alternatives are possible. If it is a bone issue, usually, braces and orthognathic surgery will be the correct answer. Only a qualified dentist can clearly answer that question.