Clear Aligners vs Traditional
Braces

How can I ease my fears about dental care without medication?

When you visit our dental office, we can discuss ways that you can prevent experiencing anxiety while receiving dental care. Give us a call to go over any and all methods for dealing with dental anxiety that we can offer. In some cases, all a patient needs to do is play music on headphones during the appointment. In other cases, we may need medication or another method to deal with dental anxiety.

How can I prepare for my dentist appointment?

Another easy way to calm your fears is to visit our Las Vegas dental office and meet with Lubna Anwar prior to the actual appointment. Taking the time to tour our office, where you can sit in the dentist chair and have a conversation, will allow you to become familiar with our staff and office environment. After this meeting, when you do have your teeth cleaned, you are doing so in an atmosphere that you feel comfortable in with friendly and familiar faces. During your consultation, we can also discuss what you can expect from a teeth cleaning or a specific procedure. This will help you to mentally prepare for how long it will take, what dental tools we will use, what you may feel during the process and what the recovery period will be, if any. At Care For You Dental, we find that the more informed our patients are the more comfortable and relaxed they feel. This one appointment can help to alleviate the fear of dentists that you are experiencing.

Alignersvs Traditional Braces

Las Vegas, NV

If you are looking into orthodontics options for your teen, it is important to consider clear aligners® vs. traditional braces for teens. You should also know what both solutions look like on a daily basis. Essentially, any orthodontic solution will move teeth by applying pressure. This pressure has to be placed on the right teeth at the right time so that gradually, they move into position. Both solutions do an excellent job. At the end of the day it really comes down to lifestyle, convenience, and what your teen will feel confident wearing.

Begin Straightening Your Smile Today

At Care For You Dental, we welcome you to call (702) 765-4018 and schedule an appointment with our Las Vegas, NV dental office. At the appointment, we can examine your teen and let you know if clear aligners® is right for them. During this appointment, we will answer any questions that you or they have so that they can be empowered to decide how to proceed. After all, while your teen is still a child, an orthodontics treatment requires their involvement and commitment. Once we have it, their treatment will go smoothly and their smile will be transformed into something beautiful.

Here are a few things that you should know about the lifestyle differences with clear aligners® vs. traditional braces for teens:

Costs –

At Care For You Dental, we know that the cost of orthodontics is relatively the same, whether your teen gets braces or clear aligners®. We can give you a full breakdown and discuss payment options when you come in for a consultation.

Time –

If school attendance is important for your teen, than clear aligners Teen® is their best option. They will miss fewer days from school for dental appointments because we only need to see them once every four to six weeks. With traditional braces, some patients need to come in every two to four weeks.

Aesthetics –

When it comes to appearance, nothing beats clear aligners®. Keep this in mind when comparing clear aligners® vs. traditional braces for teens. The clear aligners are clear, so hardly anyone will notice that they are wearing them. The biggest aesthetic benefit is that as their teeth begin to move, their smile will look better. Being able to see an improvement quickly will help your teen to feel encouraged to keep up with the process, knowing that their smile will only get more and more attractive.

Eating –

In our Las Vegas dental office, one of the biggest concerns we hear from teens (especially the hungry ones) is that wearing orthodontics will impact their daily diet. We know that most of our younger patients are fairly particular in what they eat and at the very least, have multiple favorite foods. If things like pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches and popcorn are on their “must have” list, than clear aligners® is a far better option than braces. When wearing traditional metal braces, teens have to eat carefully. You cannot simply bite into a burger or sandwich and if you do, you will have a ton of food stuck in between your teeth. For teens, and adults, this can be completely embarrassing. Many teens change what they eat while wearing braces while others simply don’t eat in public. Both can be inconvenient and silly when clear aligners® provides a better way. Since the clear aligners® are designed to come out while eating, your teen can eat whatever they want without worrying about how they look or their orthodontics becoming damaged. This means that life can continue on like normal, without the annoying adjustments that teens don’t enjoy.

Oral hygiene –

Another factor to compare when evaluating clear aligners® vs. traditional braces for teens is oral hygiene. This is a big deal because, as a dentist, we do not want any of our patients to suffer from decay and as a parent, you do not want your child to end up with a bunch of cavities. At Care For You Dental, our solution is to provide teens with clear aligners® instead of braces. When wearing braces, the risk for decay naturally goes up because it is harder to keep teeth clean. With clear aligners®, the clear aligners come out while brushing so their oral hygiene routine can remain virtually the same. The only slight difference is that the clear aligners need to be brushed with warm water and a soft toothbrush before being put back in. We can also recommend a special cleaning solution but otherwise, the process is the same as always and completely easy. If your teen gets braces instead, they will need to use a special flossing tool and a brush that looks like a tree to get the food particles and plaque off of the area around the brackets. This has to be repeated for every tooth so you can imagine how much longer it will take.

School activities –

Don’t forget school activities when comparing clear aligners® vs. traditional braces for teens. At Care For You Dental, we have found that the majority of our patients do more than simply go to school. They are in the band, choir, play sports, act in the school play, etc. In other words – they are busy. Braces can interfere with this because they can be uncomfortable and make it difficult to play an instrument. They can also create a hazard when playing high-impact sports. Fortunately, clear aligners® does not. The clear aligners can be removed during any of these activities so that your teen does not have to sacrifice anything to straighten their teeth. They will be far happier with the process as a result. If you are unsure about a specific activity and how clear aligners® could impact it, visit our Las Vegas, NV dental office to speak with Lubna Anwar.

After braces –

Once your teen is done wearing clear aligners or traditional braces they will need to wear a retainer. It is normal and few, if any, can escape this reality. The reason is simple. Teeth can revert back to their old position, if only slightly. Wearing a retainer at night, can help to keep teeth in the correct and improved position. The good news is that your teen will be so used to wearing their clear aligners, a retainer will not seem like a big deal. In our Las Vegas dental office, we can explain the various options for retainers but typically recommend a clear, full retainer that closely resembles the clear aligners they are accustomed to.

Call our Las Vegas, Nevada dental office at 702-765-4018 to discuss this solution in further detail. At Care For You Dental, we can answer your questions and help your teen to make an informed decision regarding their orthodontics treatment. We are located in the Las Vegas area and look forward to meeting you to discuss clear aligners Teen®.

How do I get started with Clear Aligners®?

Call (702) 765-4018 and schedule a consultation with Care For You Dental.

Definition of Clear Aligners ® Terminology

Clear Aligners Trays

With clear aligners® treatment, the patient will receive a series of clear aligners trays and swap out each one for the next one in the series every two weeks in order to gradually straighten the teeth.

ClinCheck® Software

ClinCheck® software allows professionals to map out the straightening process the patient’s teeth will go through with clear aligners® in great detail.

Blue Compliance Indicator (Clear Aligners ® Teen)

The blue compliance indicator is a small blue dot on the clear aligners that will fade from blue to clear in order to indicate if the patient is wearing the clear aligners for the proper amount of time and where the patient is in the clear aligners® process.

Gum Line

The gum line is the line in the mouth where the teeth and gums meet. If a patient struggles with gum recession, then the gum tissue around the teeth may begin to wear away.

Incisal Ridges

Incisal ridges are the portion of the crown of the tooth that makes up the incisal portion and can be a direct cause of overbite if they are extended too far.

iTero Element® Scanner

An iTero Element® scanner allows professionals to create a 3D image of the patient’s teeth in minutes and predict what it will take to move the teeth into proper alignment.

Malocclusion

Malocclusion is the condition in which the upper and lower teeth do not meet properly when the bite is closed. Conditions of malocclusion can include overbite, underbite, crossbite and open bite; all of which are treatable with clear aligners®.

Overbite

An overbite is a type of malocclusion that occurs when the upper teeth jut out over the lower teeth, covering them and causing other issues.

Polyurethane Resin

Polyurethane Resin is a USP Class VI medical grade, high molecular weight compound that makes up the clear aligners®.
 

SmartForce Attachments

SmartForce attachments are small attachments that professionals place on the patient’s teeth before placing clear aligners to help move the teeth.

Smart Track® Material

Smart Track® material is in clear aligners® to increase comfort, improve control of movement, increases the speed of treatment and applies a gentle force to the teeth over time.

Smile-Scan

Smile-Scan analyzes the way a patient smiles by measuring the position of the mouth and eyes before giving a score.

Vivera® Retainers

Vivera® retainers are a type of retainer that consists of clear plastic material and helps to maintain orthodontic corrections after a treatment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an appointment, or do you accept walk-ins?
We recommend visiting every 6 months for a routine exam and cleaning. However, some patients may need more frequent visits depending on their oral health.

We provide a wide range of dental services, including routine checkups and cleanings, emergency dental care, tooth extractions, root canal treatment, cosmetic dentistry (crowns, veneers, bonding), and dental implants.

We recommend visiting every 6 months for a routine exam and cleaning. However, some patients may need more frequent visits depending on their oral health.

If you are experiencing severe tooth pain, swelling, bleeding, or a broken/chipped tooth, contact us immediately. We offer emergency dental care and will try to schedule you as soon as possible.

Yes. We treat patients of all ages, including children. We also help patients with dental anxiety by providing a calm environment and discussing comfort options, including sedation when appropriate.