Braces can cause anxiety for teenagers — as if being a teenager wasn’t already stressful enough! Some teens may worry about what they’ll look like with braces, and how braces might affect their everyday life.
The teen years are an important time for your kids to build self-esteem and confidence . In a time where social media and pictures are a big part of life for many teens, having braces could make them feel less comfortable smiling at school or showing their teeth in pictures.
This insecurity has led many teens to switch from traditional wired brackets to clear aligners. According to the creators of Invisalign, there was a 235% increase in teenagers using Invisalign between 2013 and 2017.
Prior to this skyrocket in the number of teens using Invisalign, clear aligners were considered more for adults making minor adjustments to their smiles. Over time, Invisalign has evolved with teens in mind. There’s even an option of Invisalign for kids that allows children who still have baby teeth to begin treatment early.
By using Invisalign, teens can feel more confident and comfortable wearing orthodontics. With clear aligners, they won’t have to worry about braces interfering with big events like senior pictures or that prom photo they’ve been waiting for.
Invisalign Teen can boost your child’s confidence and improve their oral health. Read on to learn about the difference between Invisalign vs. braces and the benefits of Invisalign braces for teens.
How Does Invisalign Work?
Invisalign clear aligners are a series of custom-made clear plastic aligners that help shift your teen’s teeth into the proper position. Invisalign aligners are removable, making it easier for your teens to eat and brush their teeth.
Invisalign Teen and traditional braces both apply pressure to shift teeth into alignment. With Invisalign, your teen will switch to a new aligner every few weeks as their teeth continue to move.
What is Invisalign Teen?
Invisalign Teen is the same concept as standard Invisalign with a few subtle differences.
Many teens’ mouths and jaws are still developing, which means it’s important to provide additional space for growth and shifting teeth. Invisalign Teen is designed to guide your child’s teeth and roots into the best position as they grow.
Our process allows up to 6 replacement retainers free of charge, just in case your teen misplaces, loses, or damages their devices.
Taking aligners out too often (apart from eating) can compromise the effectiveness of their treatment. Invisalign Teen contains indicators to show if the aligners are worn for the correct amount of time.
This helps parents and doctors know if their teens are actually wearing their aligners throughout the treatment process!
Benefits of Invisalign For Teens
1. They’re Comfortable to Wear
Since Invisalign Teen aligners are made of plastic, they’re more comfortable to wear than traditional braces made of metal brackets and wires. Invisalign aligners are customized to your kid’s teeth and gums giving them a comfortable fit.
2. Invisalign Aligners are Discreet
Traditional braces can make teens feel less confident in showing off their smiles during things like school pictures and dances. That’s not the case with Invisalign Teen.
Since these aligners are clear and very subtle in appearance, teenagers can feel assured in showing off their smiles throughout their treatment. Their friends might not even notice they have aligners at all!
3. It’s Easier to Eat Food
If you’ve ever had traditional braces, you know it can be tricky knowing what you’re able to eat. Certain foods can get stuck in brackets, making it embarrassing to remove food in front of people and difficult to chew certain foods.
Since Invisalign Teen aligners can be taken out to eat, chewy or hard foods don’t have to be cut out of your teen’s diet. This means they can brush their teeth after meals, making their mouths cleaner.
4. It’s Easy to Brush Teeth
In the same way Invisalign aligners make it easier to eat, brushing is easier with Invisalign, too. Traditional braces can be difficult for teens to brush their teeth effectively, and they especially make it hard to floss.
With Invisalign Teen, they’ll take out their aligners to brush their teeth, so they can continue brushing the same way they always have.
5. Quick and Painless Appointments
Many teens don’t look forward to orthodontic appointments, when their orthodontist may make adjustments to the wires, which can be uncomfortable.
With Invisalign Teen, appointments are more like check-ups to make sure your teen’s teeth are moving correctly. This means their appointments are much faster and less frequent.
6. Adapts to Daily Life
For teens who play sports or musical instruments, traditional braces can be an obstacle. Getting hit in the mouth while wearing regular braces can cause wires to cut the inside of their mouth and possibly lead to injury.
Wearing Invisalign clear aligners is risk-free. If your child plays instruments or sports, they can take them out when they’re practicing and put in a mouthguard easily.
How to protect your braces and smile with a mouthguard >
7. Invisalign is Effective for Teens
Invisalign results are accurate, precise, and customized to get the results your teen wants . From misalignment to overbites and underbites, Invisalign uses an outcome simulator to map out the path to your teen’s smile, right down to the tiniest shift.
How Much Does Invisalign Teen Cost?
Invisalign can be a more expensive route to teeth alignment than traditional braces, but that’s not always the case.
The price of Invisalign at Premier Orthodontics is similar or even less expensive than that of traditional braces.
The cost of treatment depends on each individual case, and the final cost is calculated after determining what kind of treatment is necessary and how long your teen needs to wear the aligners.
To make your teen’s orthodontic treatment as accessible as possible, we offer flexible and affordable financing options to all patients so that your teen can show off their smile with confidence and you can save some money.
Learn more about payment and financing options with Premier Orthodontics today! >