Are Braces Better Than Invisalign?

It is a common misconception that braces are always a better treatment modality than Invisalign.  For certain cases, braces are indeed more effective than Invisalign because the tooth movements required are not possible or efficient with clear aligners. However, in other cases the reverse is true, as Invisalign would lead to a better treatment outcome than braces.

The best example of Invisalign being a better treatment option than braces is in patients who have very minimal or no overbite (vertical overlap of the teeth), also known as an open bite. Open bites are often seen in patients with long and narrow faces.

When these type of cases are treated with just braces (as they have been traditionally), the back teeth get extruded, which tends to rotate the lower jaw down and back (decreasing chin projection) and making the open bite worse. To fix this problem, elastics are then worn to help extrude the front teeth and create more overbite. This is very problematic because extruding front teeth a) is not stable and therefore prone to relapse, and b) makes the patient have a very gummy and unesthetic smile.

With Invisalign, the open bite is fixed by an alternative method that is more stable and more esthetic. Rather than extruding the front teeth, the back teeth are intruded. This tends to rotate the lower jaw forward and up, thereby increasing chin projection (which is often lacking in the long face patient).

Fixing open bites is just one example of a situation in which Invisalign is a better treatment option than traditional braces. It takes an experienced Invisalign orthodontist to know how to stage your treatment using Invisalign to create an optimal result. If you have any questions, please contact our office in Maple.