Invisalign® vs. FASTBRACES®

Everyone deserves a healthy smile. It might be necessary for adults with crooked or misshapen teeth to use something to set them straight. Fastbraces and Invisalign are two popular forms of orthodontic treatments that can be used to correct your teeth. Dental results can be seen in a short amount of time. Dental braces and aligners can make the process of improving your smile more effortless and affordable.

Most adults who get braces or liners also had them as children or young adults, and there might simply be a few teeth that need to be tweaked due to growth. This significantly cuts down on the amount of time that an individual will have to spend using the dental product. However, for anyone who has never needed orthodontic treatments, it might be a little confusing trying to determine precisely what the difference is between Fastbraces and Invisalign.

Fortunately, Cigno Family Dental offers both Fastbraces and Invisalign at our Greenfield, WI dental office. Dr. Cigno is a preferred Invisalign provider as well as a Senior Master Provider for Fastbraces, one of 20 dentists in the entire world to hold such a title. If you are ready to get started on your journey to a straighter smile, call us today!

What Are Fastbraces?

Fastbraces are a form of brace technology that was designed by specialists after years of research and clinical trials. This new form of brace is able to reshape roots and crowns with fewer wires and fewer adjustments during the process. Fastbraces have a unique triangular shape that gives greater control over how the teeth are reshaped, making this method faster and more structured compared to other traditional braces.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is a liner that helps straighten out or reform the appearance of your teeth. They are less invasive than braces and does not require you to wear them 24/7 while retraining your teeth. For the most part, Invisalign is used strictly to improve the appearance of someone's smile or minor dental problems. They cannot perform the same degree of changes to teeth that braces can, but they are still able to produce beautiful, straight teeth for anyone with a need for a cosmetic fix.

Common Reasons Adults May Need Orthodontic Treatment

Braces and liners can have a number of different applications in treating adults. They may be necessary to correct minimal problems in appearance, or they may be needed to straighten out and realign crooked or overlapping teeth. In adults, overlapping teeth can lead to faster decay as it is harder to clean between them, which leads to a build-up of plaque. Sometimes they are needed to help teeth move to remove spaces between them or to even out teeth that are crowded close together.

Transparent liners like Invisalign are quite popular with adults because they do not have to be worn at all times, are more comfortable than braces, and they can go unnoticed. Fastbraces, on the other hand, are reserved for more severe dental issues, but they work quicker than some other types of braces, so they have an advantage for adults who want to fix their teeth without being stuck in braces over a long period of time.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Invisalign & Fastbraces

Each type of dental treatment has pros and cons that set them apart from one another. You might have a set budget that cannot accommodate one method, or perhaps whatever dental issue you are facing requires an additional level of support to retrain your teeth so that they can be transformed into an orderly smile.

Fastbraces

We already know that Fastbraces work very similarly to standard metal or ceramic braces in that they are going to be affixed to the teeth for prolonged periods of time with appointments to adjust them as needed over time. Below are some of the Fastbraces pros and cons for you to consider before making a decision.

Pros

• There is a shorter treatment period compared to traditional braces or liners like Invisalign. Some problems can be entirely taken care of within four to six months.
• They use technology that adjusts with the teeth, so there are fewer appointments necessary though there will still be check-ups.

Cons

• Fastbraces cannot be removed except by your dentist.
• The initial few weeks are painful as your mouth adjusts. Also, because the teeth are being modified at a much faster pace, some wearers report an "itching" sensation.
• This is a new technology, so Fastbraces can be more costly with an average price tag of $3,500 to $6,000.

Invisalign

Invisalign has become a common option for many adults. These are excellent alternatives to braces for some dental treatments. Below are some dental liner pros and cons to help familiarize you with what to expect if you end up getting them.

Pros

• Invisalign has been around since the mid-1990s and is incredibly common for fixing small dental or appearance-related issues. This makes them more accessible, and you can get them at almost any dentist's office.
• They can be taken out for periods of time, which is convenient.
• Liners are more comfortable even though they need to be worn at least 22 hours a day for them to work correctly.
• Because they are hard to see when being worn, they can help with self-confidence.
• It takes very little maintenance to keep Invisalign trays clean and in good shape.

Cons

• They are quite expensive and can range anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000, which might put them out of range for some budgets. They are also not always covered by insurance since many of their uses are purely cosmetic.
• Because they must be removed for eating, it can be easy to lose them when eating away from home. Before replacing the tray in your mouth, you will need to brush your teeth, and this can be not very enjoyable.
• There may be bracket attachments that stick the trays to your teeth.

Invisalign vs. Fastbraces

You have a pretty good sense now of what the advantages and disadvantages are between these two methods, but we want to make sure that you know which one is best for you and your specific circumstances. While your dentist can help you make the ultimate decision on which one is right for you, below are a couple of ways in which Invisalign and Fastbraces can be compared to one another.

How Are They Similar?

They both are worn directly on the teeth, so they have a physical presence that remains in place and forces the teeth to move in a specifically designed way to produce a more natural-looking smile. They both have to be custom-fitted to your mouth and adjusted over time as your teeth are moved due to the force being exerted on them by the dental braces or liners.

They both take a considerable amount of time, but they are also faster than some other traditional options such as conventional metal or ceramic braces or softer liners. The advanced technology used with Fastbraces and Invisalign makes them ideal for professionals who are always on the move.

How Are They Different?

The primary differences are the types of changes they are capable of creating in the mouth and what the devices actually look like when they are worn. Liners do not need to be worn at all times, they are much harder to notice, and they are not able to provide the same amount of support as braces, so they cannot make extensive changes to the way that the teeth are aligned. Braces are capable of righting even severe cases of overlapping, misshapen, crowded, or crooked teeth. However, they cannot be removed by the wearer and are much more noticeable.

Cost Comparison

The end cost is going to be determined by how much, if any, of the procedure is covered by insurance. In cases where appearance is being improved, but there is no real underlying dental issue, it may not be covered at all. This is something that you will have to discuss with your insurance provider to determine.

Comfort and Aesthetic

As previously stated, Invisalign is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. They are also not always required to be worn. Liners are more comfortable but can take longer to work overall because they are not continuously worn. You will need to keep getting updated trays as your teeth gradually migrate into the desired formation.

Braces can be mildly uncomfortable for a few weeks, but after that, your mouth adjusts. Visually they stand out more, and although you do not have to wear them for as long, you will still need to have them changed frequently. Unfortunately, even if you prefer not to wear braces, some dental issues require them. Luckily, Fastbraces cut down on the amount of time you are required to wear them by working more efficiently than traditional braces.

Choose The Right System For You

Schedule your orthodontic consultation with Dr. Cigno today to discover which system is right for you!