Which is better-braces or aligners?

There is no answer to the phrase which is better; a more useful question would be which is a more appropriate treatment for me in my personal case, Invisalign in St. John’s Wood or their braces? What are the pros and cons?

Braces suitable to a wider range of conditions compared to aligners, which have convenience and comfort in their everyday use to their advantage. This is a loose generalisation, so let’s look more closely at them.

Standard metal braces

The focus of the traditional orthodontic metal brace is around it’s arch wire. This is a metal rod that is around the arch of the mouth (where it gets its nickname). Attached to the arch wire is the bracket glued to the front of the teeth. When a similar arrangement is glued to the back of the teeth it is called a lingual brace. This is related to the standard metal brace but it’s much harder to fit and less noticeable.

The brace allows an orthodontist to apply pressure to the patients teeth, which is done by tensioning the arch wire. Once under tension, the archwire will continue to press on the teeth and the brace loosens. This is done during a trip to your orthodontist every 4 weeks throughout the treatment and is called brace tightening. It can be quite uncomfortable and over-the-counter pain relief is recommended for a few days after a tightening.

Invisalign style clear aligners

The aligners we use (Invisalign in St. John’s Wood) are a lightweight plastic othoditic tool looking very similar to a gum shield only transparent and less noticeable when worn in public. This is what has led to the nickname invisible braces even though they are technically not a brace.

They are only worn for about 2-weeks each and one is used in a sequence, which comes together to cover the course of the treatment. This can be anywhere between 6 months to 2 years. Each of the aligners is a slightly different shape and the force that pushes on the teeth comes from the elastic tension and the tight fitting. Aligner adjustments occur every two weeks compared to the 4 weeks with an orthodontist. They are smaller steps making some far more comfortable than a brace tightening.

Maintenance and everyday use

Traditional metal braces are fixed in place and they have to be worn when eating and drinking. This can lead to missing certain foods when making your meal choices, like sticky toffee and popcorn, as these have a habit of becoming stuck between the brackets and the archwire. After you finish eating, you have to take care to thoroughly clean your braces. If you have any food left which is stuck so close to your teeth, it will become a cavity risk.

This is not an issue with Invisalign in St. John’s Wood, which you can remove before eating. As long as you brush your teeth before replacing aligners there should be no increased cavity risk and this is much easier than maintaining a brace.

Treatment effectiveness

Both treatments have limitations; this is particularly pronounced with clear aligners who are only considered an effective treatment on the front 4 teeth and lack the necessary force to alter the position of molars in any significant way.