Maintaining good oral health is essential for children’s overall health and well-being. While regular dental checkups and proper brushing and flossing are crucial, some children may also benefit from orthodontic treatment to correct issues with their teeth or jaw.
According to data from the Washington State Department of Health, in 2020, Snohomish County had a dental care utilization rate of 52.6%, which is slightly below the state average of 54.8%. This means that just over half of the residents in Snohomish County received dental care within the past year. This data underscores the importance of seeking dental services to maintain good oral health. For children who need orthodontic treatment, Invisalign can be an excellent option.
This blog will explore five reasons why parents may want to consider Invisalign for their children’s orthodontic needs.
Invisalign is an excellent alternative to braces, primarily because of its transparent material that is almost invisible. Throughout the treatment, the patient is given several aligners that exert pressure on the teeth to straighten them out. So, like braces, the slight and gradual pressure allows the teeth to move to the required position.
Even though Invisalign offers a treatment similar to braces, several other reasons make Invisalign a better choice when you have the option to choose:
Affordability
Although dental treatments can be incredibly beneficial for a beautiful smile, they come with an unfortunately hefty price tag. Most insurance plans do not cover these expensive procedures leaving people to pay out of pocket. However, with the affordability of Invisalign aligners, parents can opt for a cost-effective solution for their children’s orthodontic needs.
The Invisalign cost in Snohomish, WA, comes with an estimated price tag of $5k to $7k – which is quite manageable over time. Plus, a one-time investment does not seem like an unreasonable expense to acquire quality service. Furthermore, many dental clinics allow you to make monthly payments, so you don’t have to pay upfront, making them cost-effective.
Appearance
Kids are wary of the look that braces give. The metal glued to the teeth can steal away precious time from your child’s life as they shy away from social gatherings or taking pictures. It can even scar their personalities if the children around them make fun of their looks.
The child can remove their aligners when they eat during lunchtime. This way, they can eat and drink as they please and place it back when they’re done. This mainly helps with the issue of food stuck in the braces that might make the kid subject to jokes, impacting their confidence.
Perfect for Challenging Cases
Dentists previously dealt with cases like overbite and crossbite with ortho headgear. The headgear is a hassle to wear, and wearing it for 12 hours or more means the child has to wear it just when they return from school, isolating them from social life.
Challenging cases that orthodontists treat with headgear are not possible to treat with Invisalign. Although the cost increases when the number of aligners increases for such cases, kids and teens can wear them confidently.
But before you make a choice, you must know that the dentist can recommend the best treatment for your child’s case. So, consulting with a specialist and trusting their decision is the best way to go about it, especially if the case is challenging.
Shorter Treatment Time
Compared to a braces treatment that lasts an average of 19.9 months or 1.5+ years, Invisalign treatment takes around 6-18 months, depending on the case’s complexity.
The quick treatment can allow your child to get free from aligners quicker. So, a healthy smile is just a few months away when you opt for Invisalign treatment. Aligners are replaced every 1-2 weeks and adjusted slightly in the ideal position of the teeth. The duration that an aligner lasts depends on the dentist’s direction.
One factor that impacts the treatment’s duration is the patient’s consistency. Orthodontists recommend that Invisalign aligners be worn for at least 22 hours daily. This leaves 2 hours during which the child can remove the aligners. It is typically to allow removing the aligners for eating and drinking anything other than tea, coffee, juice, or other hot and staining beverages.
Comfort Level
Invisalign does not have wires that limit the child’s food intake. The child can remove the aligners and enjoy directly biting onto hard fruits and eating popcorn and hard candy, which they wouldn’t have been able to do with braces.
Additionally, there is no hassle of visiting the dentist for loose brackets or wires poking into the cheek. The child can even direct bite into a corn cob to eat or chew gum like other kids because they can easily remove the aligners made for this treatment. They would need to put it back in after eating to ensure that the aligners are doing their work for at least 22 hours daily.
The only care required during this treatment is keeping the aligners away from hot foods and beverages or those that might stain the plastic or cause it to warp.
Parents agree that Invisalign is an excellent alternative to traditional braces to help get a great smile for their child. Apart from being affordable, the treatment is perfect for challenging cases, is comfortable for the wearer, and has a shorter treatment time.
However, consulting with the dentist for the best dental treatment is necessary. Most dentists also recommend Invisalign for kids to straighten teeth quickly and hassle-free.
