Aligners Vs Braces Warren & Southgate MI Researchers believe that thousands of years ago, our mouths were more prominent, and our teeth were straighter. We had bigger mouths because there was no such thing as cooking our food. We ate everything raw or partially cooked on a fire. As time went by, we got more and more advanced, and we ate more and more cooked food. Our mouths began to shrink, and because our mouths are smaller, but our teeth really haven't changed that much, our teeth have to figure out a way to exist together in our smaller mouths. Often, the teeth respond to a smaller mouth by coming in crooked. In fact, over one-third of all adults have crooked teeth. Just because they came in crooked doesn't mean they have to stay crooked, however. If you have crooked teeth, All About Orthodontics® can fix them. There are several ways we can fix crooked teeth. Two of the ways we fix crooked teeth most often are with aligners and braces. Here is some information about the difference between aligners and braces. Why You Might Need OrthodonticsPeople need orthodontics for different reasons. One of the biggest reasons you might need aligners or braces is because your bite isn't correct. If you don't get your bite corrected, it might lead to issues with your teeth and your jaw later. You could have an overbite, an underbite, or a crossbite. We also use orthodontics to fix teeth that are crooked, that are overcrowded, or that are too widely spaced. All of these problems can be adjusted using either braces or aligners. Braces vs. Aligners: The Pros and ConsBraces use brackets that are glued onto your teeth with dental cement. Usually, the brackets are placed on the front of your teeth. However, we have also put them in the back of the teeth as well. Each bracket on your tooth is threaded with a wire that connects one bracket to another. We tighten the wires over time, and the wires move your teeth into the spaces in your mouth where they should be, according to your treatment plan. We might change the thickness of the wires as your needs change during your treatment. Usually, people with braces visit us once a month or every other month to get their braces tightened. Many patients can benefit from braces. If you have severely overcrowded or overlapping teeth, braces are your best option. Braces are also suitable for people who won't remember to wear their aligners. If you wear braces, you need to keep up with your oral hygiene. If you don't have good oral hygiene while you wear braces, you may have cavities or discolored teeth when we remove them. We use clear aligners to straighten teeth as well, but they can't be used for major overcrowding issues. They are used for minor tooth spacing or minor alignment issues. The aligners are made from clear plastic, and they fit over your teeth. You will wear aligners all the time, but remove them to eat, drink and brush or floss your teeth. Aligners are clear, so they are difficult to detect, which many people like. Aligners also allow you to eat and drink what you like, so there are no food restrictions like there are with braces. It is easy to keep up with your oral hygiene as well because you don't need a special routine the way you would with braces. You have to remember to put the aligners in after you eat or drink because if you don't, it could delay your treatment time. Do you have questions about what orthodontic product you should put on your teeth? We can help! Give All About Orthodontics® a call at us at 586-999-8818 for Warren location or at 734-999-4774 for Southgate location. |
 Dentistry Made Affordable Warren586-999-8818 Southgate734-999-4774 Clinton Township586-834-8000 HoursMon - Fri: 9:00am - 7:00pm Sat: 9:00am - 4:00pm |
