As a teenager every time I visited the dentists I was a little bit worried that I’d be told that I needed braces. I was already wearing the National Health Service’s hideous glasses (the blue model to start with and the John Lennon ones later) and the last thing I needed was a lot of ugly metal in my teeth too. I think that all that concern was misplaced as my teeth are actually quite straight naturally thank goodness, but the worry was very real at the time, especially as quite a few friends had braces fitted and seemed to wear them for ages.
Thankfully things have moved on over the years and there’s now no need to be self-conscious about wearing braces because they have found ways for them to look a lot less obvious, but which still do the job just as well. The answer is Invisalign. Invisalign is a new type of orthodontic system. It makes use of clear plastic aligners to straighten the wonky teeth, instead of the traditional, fixed, metal braces. Each aligner is worn for just two weeks and is then replaced with the next one in the series. By custom-making the aligners, each one can be slightly different to allow room for movement. The Invisalign treatment is planned in advance using sophisticated computer software, so you can actually see what your treatment will achieve before you start to wear your aligners.
Obviously the benefits of not being about to see the aligners is huge for many of those facing orthodontic treatment, but there are other pros to enjoy too. Invisalign aligners also have the advantage that they are easily removable. This gives patients more freedom and choice about how they wear their aligners. It also avoids any problems with eating or cleaning your teeth.
I never wore braces either – and at some point in my teenage life I think that disappointed me. I can’t imagine why though!! It’s amazing the advances they’ve made with all things dental – I know my nieces got to choose what colour braces they wanted, but not being able to see it all sounds even better!
It is great that there is now the option to have more hideable braces as I remember having very noticeable braces when I was younger and being very self conscious about them!
Wow, how cool is this! I’ve never heard of invisalign – I suppose I may have seen it & not known!! Looks like a great alternative to traditional braces.
I have the invisalign clear braces and can’t believe the difference in my teeth in short a short space of time. I am only half way though my treatment and huge difference.
My teen would love this as has decided she doesnt like her teeth and yet she won’t wear metal braces.
I had a plate for my incisors, so fairly minor, but made it a nightmare for playing the clarinet. I always wanted train tracks instead!
I was just talking to my sister today about getting these braces as I have always wanted nice teeth but I am no good at dentists and the thought of “train tracks” always stopped me in my tracks but the more I hear about this brand the more I want to get them done. I need to fix my bottom row of teeth so badly. Great blog post.
I was one of those teenagers who always wanted glasses and braces but never needed them.
I wore braces, as did both my girls, and my eldest son needs them too. All their friends had them so it’s almost cool! Kaz x
I had braces when little x some kids thought i looked cool x