June is Oral Health Month! At Premier Orthodontics, we care about your oral health every month of the year. But for this special month, we want to focus on the benefits of clear aligners.
A lot of orthodontic advancements have been made since braces first hit the scene. While metal braces are still a common way to get a straighter smile, clear aligners have become a popular alternative to metal braces since their debut in the 1970s.
Clear aligners make straightening your teeth more convenient and discrete than ever before. And in some cases, clear aligners can straighten your teeth even faster than traditional metal braces.
Most people have heard of Invisalign aligners, the most popular brand of clear aligners. At Premier Orthodontics, we offer Invisalign and Invisalign teen aligners, but we also offer other types of clear aligners that use the same method of straightening your teeth, while maintaining a discreet appearance.
Have you thought about getting clear aligners, but weren’t sure about the process, pros, and cons compared to traditional braces?
Below we go over how clear aligners work, how long they take to straighten your teeth, and how much they cost so you can choose the best option for you.
What Are Clear Aligners?
Clear aligners are transparent, custom-fitted retainers that look like a thin, flexible, see-through mouth guard.
Clear aligners help to correct a variety of oral health issues like crooked teeth, tooth crowding, overbites, underbites, and teeth grinding.
What Are the Benefits of Clear Aligners?
If you’re looking for an alternative to metal braces, there are many benefits you can expect from clear aligner treatment.
Clear aligners can offer the following benefits over traditional braces:
- Lower cost
- Less pain
- May straighten teeth faster than traditional braces
Clear aligners can help with more than just give you a straighter smile in less time. Additional benefits of clear aligners include:
Maintain Results
- Aligners can act as a retainer for your teeth after orthodontic treatment to maintain the results
Correct Other Oral Health Issues
- Beyond giving you straighter teeth, clear aligners can help correct other oral health issues like sleep apnea, underbites, overbites, or teeth grinding.
Boost Confidence
- Cosmetic procedures (for closing a gap or fixing crowding) can help with mental health and by boosting your self-esteem and increasing your confidence.
More Comfort
- Aligners are comfortable enough for young children and teens through older adults. And scheduling your child’s first orthodontic assessment as early as 7 years old can save you money and time on future treatment.
- They’re a more comfortable and flexible way to straighten your teeth than traditional braces.
- In some cases, you may only need to wear your clear aligner at night when you go to bed.
Easy to Clean
- Compared to metal braces, clear aligners are easier to clean.
- To clean your clear aligners, soak them in equal parts water and vinegar for 20 to 30 minutes.
How Do Clear Aligners Work?
Your orthodontist first creates a mold of your mouth and teeth (some use 3D technology!). They then provide a new clear aligner for each month as your treatment progresses, and the needs of your teeth change.
The length of time that you wear clear aligners depends on many different things, like genetics and the specific needs of your teeth and mouth.
To realign your teeth, clear aligner treatment plans usually take 1.5 to 2 years. For other oral health issues, this time may change.
Clear aligners can also be worn for longer to maintain the results of your orthodontic treatment, like bite correction and fixing crowded or crooked teeth.
How Much Do Clear Aligners Cost?
Clear aligners will cost you a few thousand dollars, and can sometimes be covered by individual or employer insurance.
On average, Invisalign can cost you between $3000 and $7000. Non-branded clear aligners can range from $2000 to $3000.
The costs for metal braces tend to cost the same as Invisalign. But of course, the cost of treatment can depend on other factors — like the length of treatment, and type of materials.
Paying for orthodontic treatment for you and your family is a common concern, but there are options:
- Check to see if there if your insurance plan covers orthodontic services, and what the guidelines are for coverage. It’s better to know everything upfront than deal with surprises down the line.
- Depending on your employer and any programs, go to the human resources (or equivalent) office and ask about employer assistance programs for medical and healthcare costs.
In addition to offering the lowest prices around, Premier orthodontics also offers affordable payment option plans available to all our patients! Contact us today to learn about your payment plan options for clear aligners or Invisalign >
Don’t Wait to Schedule an Appointment!
There’s nothing wrong with feeling better when you look in the mirror. An increase in confidence can lead to a much-needed mood boost, especially during the winter months.
Premiere Orthodontics wants to make sure you and your family’s oral health is in check. Come in for a free evaluation today! You’re one step closer to a brighter smile >