They are still the most effective way to get a great smile
Traditional braces are still the gold standard for straightening and correcting bite problems because we can control the physics. It’s really not dentistry, we’re really doing physics on teeth versus even clear aligners like Invisalign retainers. We can get beautiful results many times with Invisalign, but you really can’t get the detail finishes and results optimum that so many patients demand. So traditional braces is really the gold standard and the best way to go for the majority of patients who have really bite problems besides just crowded teeth.
Braces are smaller these days. They’re not like your grandma’s braces. We use titanium wires, which are 1/10 of the force of our old-fashioned steel wires that everybody used to complain about. You know, every time you saw the orthodontist, you can’t eat for three days, that doesn’t happen anymore. Again, a third of our practice are adults, and they don’t even complain about the wires or pain any more because the titanium wires are so small, are so light forced, and the brackets are so small.
We also again use invisible retainers. So you go through that little bit of hassle to have braces done traditionally, but then there’s no hassle once you’re done after that 18 months, hopefully, with braces because retainers are invisible. You don’t see a big metal bar on front. You don’t talk funny with removable retainers. Our practice really exclusively uses bonded retainers because we know it’s the best long-term result to keep you from needing braces later on down the road.