Smiling Celebrities Have Worn Them---Would You Invisalign?

Is it just us, or have you, too, noticed a lot of adults suddenly getting 'invisible' braces?!

Most of the time, you can't even see the braces, and that's the beauty of Invisalign. Many smiling celebrities have hit the red carpet wearing these clear plastic aligners to straighten their pearly whites---people like: Katherine Heigl, Justin Beiber, Elin Woods, Zac Efron, and Tom Cruise.

The plastic braces are worn 24/7, except at mealtimes. Full treatment takes about 1 year, with office visits every 6 weeks or so.

The cost of Invisalign kind of blew us away-----From $3,500 - $8,000. Wow! We were not expecting such a steep price. Then again, we've had root canals that resulted in a couple of thousand dollars each, when all was said and done. Yeah, dental work isn't cheap.

So, metal braces versus clear, plastic ones. Look at the photo depicting both. It's a no-brainer, cosmetically-speaking. Who wouldn't want an almost invisible dental makeover?

Would you Invisalign? And is this clear plastic system just as effective as wearing a set of unattractive, old-fashioned metal braces?

From the results we've seen of relatives and friends wearing Invisalign, this is a brilliant concept. Their teeth look amazing. But Invisalign does have its critics. Read on from Boston orthodontist Mouhab Rizkallah, DDS:

1. Invisalign cannot predictably control any changes in back tooth bite relationships. In fact, it can really cause back tooth bite problems if you try to move the back teeth and fall short of your goals. Braces can control back tooth bite relationships readily.

2. Invisalign cannot predictably rotate cylindrical teeth (such as canines and premolars) because it lacks predictable "friction grip", but invisalign can readily rotate angular teeth, such as incisors, because this does not require grip....it only requires point force at a distance away from the center of the tooth. Example: USING 1 finger from EACH hand, try to turn a drinking glass that is cylindrical versus one that has 4 sides. With the cylindrical glass, you will need to try to squeeze your fingers toward each other (producing friction grip) to rotate the cylindrical glass. With the 4 sided glass, you only need to apply forces in opposite directions at the square corners of the glass....no friction grip needed. That is why Invisalign cannot rotate cylindrical objects predictably. Braces, on the other hand, are glued to teeth, and therefore have absolute friction, and can thereby rotate any tooth. Voila!

3. Invisalign cannot predictably accomplish uprighting root movements: I don't know how to effectively communicate that in text. It would require a picture. Braces accomplish this readily.

4. Invisalign cannot predictably accomplish vertical movements, as the aligner is designed to release in the vertical plane of space. Braces accomplish this readily.

Bottom Line: I love invisalign for patients that do not need Bite correction, rotation of cylindrical teeth, root uprighting, or vertical tooth movements.

Well, we would still LOVE to Invisalign for absolutely perfectly straight teeth. We would do it, if our smile doesn't require all that other stuff.
How about you?