Braces and Invisalign: An Overview
Braces are an effective and safe way to align, straighten and improve the bite, function and aesthetics of a patient’s teeth. They involve brackets with wires placed on your teeth. For those who don’t want metal or want a less noticeable look, tooth coloured ceramic brackets are also available.
For a smaller rotation or the movement of only a few teeth, sometimes a removable appliance is used that patients can insert and remove at will.
Dr. Wong strongly believes in preventive orthodontic treatment for children. This could involve guiding the growth of the jaw, maintaining or creating spaces for future eruption of adult teeth and correcting the arch form of the upper jaw to gain space for future adult teeth.
Invisalign is a new and discreet way to close gaps and straighten teeth. It involves a series of 18 to 30 custom-made mouth guard-like clear aligners. The aligners are removable and are replaced every 2 weeks. There are some other alternatives like Clear Correct that use the same type of mouth guard-like clear aligners to straighten your teeth. However, every case is different and both clear aligner options cannot be used to fix all situations like braces can. A good examination, diagnosis and treatment plan are important prerequisites for good results.