What Takes Longer: Clear Aligners or Braces?

Clear aligners and braces are two different dental options that people may consider when hoping to realign or straighten their teeth. While they both offer the same goal in mind, people may not realize that both have different ways of executing the goal. It is important to know the main differences of clear aligners as well as braces - the main difference including the length of time necessary to achieve straightened teeth.

Today, we will go over clear aligners and braces, as well as how long it takes each to straighten the teeth. People that are considering both may find it beneficial to know which takes longer.

Clear aligners or braces: Which takes longer?

Clear aligners

Some may have heard of them while others may not have because they are still relatively new to the dental industry. Clear aligners offer the same end goal for patients seeking straighter teeth, but the way that they work is much different than that of traditional braces. Clear aligners don't have wires or bands to connect, but instead, they act as a clear removable aligner so that a patient is in control.

Clear aligners work very simply. The patient must always keep the aligners in, in order to achieve maximum results. The only time that an aligner is suggested to be removed is when the patient needs to brush and floss regularly.

A lot of people may not realize it, but clear aligners typically work much faster than that of braces. A clear aligner works to apply pressure to all of the teeth together, as opposed to each individual tooth, as braces do. If a patient remains disciplined with their aligners, then the clear aligners are determined to work faster than braces.

Braces

Getting braces as a method for straightening the teeth have been around for many years. Braces use wires to connect brackets that are placed on each tooth. The wire runs from bracket to bracket in order to straighten each tooth individually. The bracket and wire combination puts a small amount of pressure on each tooth causing the natural shift.

Braces don't have to be adjusted by an orthodontist as often as aligners do. Because braces are working to individually shift each tooth, they require less attention than clear aligners do.

However, braces do require that a lot more attention be given to them during daily cleanings. Braces are harder to clean because of the wires and brackets on the teeth, so a person should expect to spend a lot more time on their teeth each day.

Knowing the differences between clear aligners and braces can be beneficial to a person considering getting their teeth straightened. Clear aligners do offer a quicker result while braces may take longer but they both aim to provide a straighter smile.

If you still have questions regarding braces or clear aligners then give us a call today. Our trained professionals can walk you through both treatment options. We're happy to help in any way that we can!

Request an appointment here: http://www.orangecoastortho.com or call Orange Coast Orthodontics at (949) 860-1231 for an appointment in our Laguna Hills office.

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