Aligners or Braces – What’s Better for Children?

As you notice crooked permanent teeth making an appearance as your child’s baby teeth fall off, you might want to consider treatment to correct the alignment of the teeth. And this is when the dilemma arises— are orthodontic braces ideal or do you opt for aligners?

While orthodontic braces have been around since time immemorial, aligners are a relatively new solution to malocclusion, and this generally makes it confusing as to what’s better for the child. Let’s take a look at the features and functions of both braces and aligners to make this decision easier for you.

The way they work

When you opt for braces, the orthodontist will first use glue to stick the brackets to the teeth and then maneuver the wires through each bracket. Every month, when you go to your dentist for adjustments, the dentist will either tighten the existing wires or completely replace them based on what’s needed. Aligners, on the other hand, are made with the help of the 3D image of the mouth of the patient. When you visit your dentist once in 2 weeks or so, they will replace the tray or aligner with a new one, which helps move the teeth by roughly a millimeter.

Outcome

One thing, irrespective of whether you choose braces or aligners, is that both of these procedures yield impressive outcomes. What does change is the whole process itself, as stated above. Additionally, braces help tackle dental problems better than aligners, and similarly aligners do a better job at certain complexities. This is something that your orthodontist will be able to help you understand based on your case.

Personal Preference

One factor that impacts the decision of most parents is aesthetics. If you’re planning for dental treatment for your teen, you might want to know their preference as well. In braces, you get to choose clear elastic O-rings or colorful ones. While children generally like to choose out of funky colors, most teens and adults would pick transparent ones. In fact, many children like the ideal of traditional braces as they get to pick colorful O-rings. On the other hand, aligners are completely transparent.

Comfort

Whether you pick braces or Invisalign, the teeth of your child will be subjected to movement, and this may cause varying degrees of discomfort. While braces are more likely to cause soreness from the wires cutting into cheeks if not cut properly, Invisalign does not feature any sharp edges, eliminating this problem. However, children adapt to both braces and Invisalign over time.

While this was to help you draw a comparison between braces and aligners so that you can decide what’s best for your child, heading to the Las Vegas orthodontics clinic and consulting a professional orthodontist will definitely help you make an informed decision. Both aligners and braces come with their own advantages, and choosing one over another does not mean having to compromise in any way. So, what you opt for will depend more on what advantages you would want to prioritize.