Are clear aligners better than normal braces?

There are pros and cons to both, and it depends on the patient's needs. Clear aligners are preferred by patients generally since they are not visible and can also be taken out at any time. The great part about our clear aligners is that you are generally done in 12 months with your treatment and you don't have to come to the office for monthly visits, as you do with traditional braces. You easily wear the aligners 23 hours a day, taking them out only to eat. But that can be a downside if a person isn't responsible enough to put them back in. They can also be lost when taken out to eat or get thrown away accidentally. We have even heard of them being eaten by an animal such as a dog.

Clear aligners are great for mild cases but some cases can be too complicated for clear aligners. Traditional braces would then be the option we would choose.

Traditional braces are most commonly used with children since there are no clear aligners for children as their mouth is still forming. Braces are also used in more complicated cases that require a lot of adjustment to the teeth's position such as, raising and rotating teeth or fixing the midline. Both are great options for orthodontics and we utilize both in our offices. Neither are better than the other when applied properly to the patient's needs.