You may have been planning to get braces for your kid all along. Invisalign is one option. Invisalign is the name of a well-known brand of transparent plastic aligners, and the parent firm Align Technology does target young children and teenagers with its advertising. Market competitors include ClearCorrect and Spark, among others.
Is Invisalign your child’s best option? It might be. Learn about the advantages, drawbacks, and probable expenses of Invisalign before making a choice.
Teenage Invisalign benefits
Clear plastic aligners put pressure on teeth and aid their movement into alignment, much like conventional braces with metal brackets and wires. Before switching to a new set, the user wears each pair of aligners for a few weeks. The outcome will ideally be a uniform grin.
Check out a handful of these benefits of having your teen use Invisalign.
Removability
For many children, brushing and flossing are simpler when there are no wires or brackets to work with. Additionally, a healthier mouth typically results in fewer cavities.
Self-confidence
Many young kids experience self-consciousness while wearing braces on their teeth. Your youngster may not feel as conspicuous using transparent plastic aligners since they are less noticeable. Additionally, this can be good for their mental health.
Less annoying
If you’ve worn conventional braces, you may remember that your mouth would have painful patches where the brackets or wires brushed against your lips or cheeks. Such friction and discomfort won’t occur with Invisalign.
Less urgent situations
Neither fractured brackets nor broken cables. That is a benefit of Invisalign over conventional braces. You won’t need to schedule an urgent appointment with your child’s orthodontist to remedy a problem.
Can kids who are under the age of adolescents use Invisalign braces?
Most kids who need orthodontic care start their journey between 9 and 14 when they have at least some permanent teeth – the ages range. According to the US Association of Orthodontists, early intervention is preferable for specific children.
Could Invisalign be a part of that? Perhaps. Invisalign First is manufactured and sold by Invisalign for younger children. In the early stages, often known as Phase 1 of therapy, the product may assist with various problems. Additionally, since the aligners are removable, you can ensure that your kid continues to wash and floss their teeth thoroughly without any obstructions from the devices.
Various outcomes regarding efficiency
Would knowing there isn’t a definite benefit for transparent aligners regarding orthodontic tooth movement alter your choice? When analysing the efficacy of transparent aligners, a 2015 study of 11 research, including two randomised clinical trials, showed conflicting findings.
Requires adherence
It would be best to consider whether your kid has a poor compliance history. For the aligners to be successful, experts suggest you wear them for 20 to 22 hours. You may remove them to eat, drink, and clean them, but you must return them to their original location afterwards. They cannot do their function if they are not in the mouth.
Possibility of loss
If your kid takes out their transparent plastic aligners to eat lunch and then leaves them on the lunch tray, you could regret the thousands of dollars you spent on them. Because aligners are removable, they run the risk of being misplaced. You may wish to evaluate your teen’s maturity level.
Insurance may not pay the expenses
Any brace costs a lot of money. However, heed this warning if dental insurance relies on it to cover part of the expense. The cost of Invisalign may not be covered by insurance.
How much will children’s Invisalign braces cost?
In most areas, Invisalign is roughly as expensive as traditional braces. The cost is estimated to be between $3,000 and $5,000 by the Consumer Guide to Dentistry. But it may change depending on where you reside, how complicated the therapy is, and how long it takes.
The price of this sort of product is often not covered by insurance. However, you and your dentist may be able to figure out a payment schedule. Additionally, you may be able to cover part of the expense using a flexible savings account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA).
Teen Invisalign
What difference do the transparent plastic aligners make for your adolescent from those used by adults? Several blue dots.
The creators of Invisalign considered parents’ concerns about whether their kid is wearing their transparent plastic aligners long enough. Aligners with blue indication dots are available. With continued use of the aligners, the blue spots will diminish.
They may not be ideal, but according to research, they may be helpful. Therefore, if you see a bright blue dot on a pair of aligners your kid has had for a long, it can mean they aren’t being used often enough.
Additionally, it may assist the orthodontist in avoiding switching your adolescent to a new pair of aligners before they’re ready, which can hinder the course of therapy.
Traditional braces vs Invisalign for adolescents
Which option – Invisalign or conventional braces – is preferable for your teen? Think about the following issues:
- Do you have dental insurance that might cover the price of conventional braces in whole or part?
- Can you afford the price of Invisalign with your budget?
- Do you think giving your adolescent a choice to wear transparent plastic aligners rather than more clear braces could boost their self-esteem or perception of themselves?
- Are you concerned that your youngster won’t wear removable aligners consistently enough?
You may want to talk to your adolescent’s orthodontist about this since they’ll probably have a professional opinion about what would be best for your teen. Traditional braces could be better if your kid needs considerable treatment on their teeth or bite.
In actuality, little study
For more complicated malocclusions (teeth misalignments), according to Trusted Source, alternative orthodontic procedures are preferable to transparent plastic aligners.
For whom are Invisalign braces a suitable fit?
It may come down to your kid’s decision if the orthodontist advises that your youngster might benefit from either traditional braces or transparent plastic aligners like Invisalign.
You might want to think about mental health issues, such as if your kid could feel less nervous if they had a less apparent orthodontic appliance. You could also think about your child’s propensity for misplacing stuff.
According to certain studies, adults like transparent plastic aligners more than children. Kids choose colourful ties, which are coloured plastic bits that go around each tooth’s brackets, according to a 2010 research.
Therefore, you may not want to assume that your teen or adolescent would choose Invisalign or a comparable product over conventional braces.
Alternatives to Invisalign and conventional braces
There are other orthodontic procedures than braces and aligners. Headgear applies pressure to the jaw and teeth, moving them into position by fastening bands or straps around the wearer’s head or neck. With the help of your child’s orthodontist, you may discuss your child’s requirements and find out whether headgear is advised.
Although it is not as often used as it once was, some orthodontists still suggest headgear to treat more severe malocclusions. It often coexists with conventional braces.
Compliance is a problem when trying to get youngsters to wear headgear consistently enough for it to be effective.
Takeaway
It may come down to what you believe would work best for your kid, barring any unique orthodontic difficulties that would limit the use of Invisalign. Speak with your child’s orthodontist.
Zuella Montemayor did her degree in psychology at the University of Toronto. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
