If you’re in need of orthodontic care, you have some decisions to make. You’ve found yourself in the trusted hands of Dr. Eleni Michailidis and Dr. Abraham Chahine but you haven’t decided what orthodontic treatment is best for you. The major decision remains: Invisalign or braces?

There are many factors to consider before you make your big orthodontic decision. Some of these factors will be based on personal desires and cost, while others will be based on your individual needs for orthodontic treatment.

The Initial Process

The process for braces and Invisalign vary greatly due to their nature. With traditional braces, the teeth are prepared so that brackets can be bonded to the tooth surfaces. Wires are joined to the brackets to make the adjustments to the position of the teeth. Elastic ties are used and changed routinely to make additional changes.

The process for Invisalign is much different. Dr. Eleni or Dr. Abraham Chahine will take a special impression of the top and bottom teeth, which are submitted to Invisalign with specific instructions to design a treatment plan. Clear plastic aligners are created to make gradual adjustments to the position of the teeth by wearing them on a specified schedule. Every time an aligner is changed, the teeth move closer and closer to their final, desired positions.

Cost

Cost for both Invisalign and traditional braces should be considered for your treatment. The costs will vary based on your individual needs for treatment. The complexity and duration of your treatment will determine the cost to provide you with the orthodontic treatment you need.

During your consultation, Dr. Eleni, Dr. Abraham and their staff will be able to provide you with the necessary information for your treatment. We are in network with several PPO insurance providers and we accept assignment and do the paperwork for other out of network providers.

Making Adjustments

Orthodontic care requires regular appointments to ensure the teeth are adjusting properly. With traditional braces, appointments are scheduled every four to six weeks. At the appointment, the wires will be adjusted and any elastic ties will be replaced. Alternatively, Invisalign appointments are typically very brief. The appointment allows Dr. Eleni and Dr. Abraham the chance to check the progress of the aligners, make any adjustments and deliver more aligners.

Care & Maintenance

Caring for your teeth is just as important as ever during your orthodontic treatment. With braces, care must be taken to brush all surfaces of the teeth around the wires and brackets. Specialized floss threaders will guide the floss around the braces. The brushing and flossing process will take extra time during your morning and evening routine to allow for proper cleaning.

Invisalign, on the other hand, should be removed during the cleaning process. This allows patients the ability to brush and floss their teeth without any interference. After eating and cleaning, the aligners can be rinsed and placed onto the teeth for continued wear. An added benefit to Invislaign is that unlike braces there aren’t any food restrictions!

Length of Treatment

The length of treatment for most individuals with either braces or Invisalign is typically around a year to two years. Both options can also be combined with accelerated orthodontic treatments which can reduce the length of treatment considerably.

The information provided in this article is not meant to be medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you would like to learn more about this and other orthodontic-related topics, feel free to contact Avenue Orthodontics by clicking here or by calling 516-484-0234 to reach our Roslyn office or 718-767-8400 to reach our Whitestone office.