Invisalign clear aligners are a great orthodontic treatment choice for teens and adults. Younger children, however, are typically better off with traditional orthodontic treatment options. Here, our Surrey dentists explain why.
At Straight Smile Centres, our Surrey dentists are sometimes asked by parents why we don't prescribe Invisalign clear alingers for children. These tend to be parents of kids who are worried about how their braces will look, or parents that believe their kids may struggle to maintain sufficient oral hygiene with metal braces.
But there are a few very important reasons that Invisalign isn't the right choice for young children.
The main reason we don’t prescribe Invisalign for children is maturity level. Young children are simply less responsible that adults and teens (and rightly so, they're kids!) and may not be willing or able to comply to their prescribed treatment plan as well as they should.
Kids are more remove their aligners when they shouldn’t. If they feel uncomfortable or sore, they're more likely than adults to let frustration get to them and just take their aligners out. They are also more likely to get side tracked and forget to put their aligners back in, or even lose them after taking them out.
The Invisalign treatment process is calibrated and scheduled with extreme care and attention to detail. During treatment, the patient must wear the aligners full time, only removing them to eat, or for brushing and flossing.
Infrequent wear and lost or damaged aligners can slow down or completely halt the progress of treatment, and even damage the teeth. This can result in oral health problems, and it can be expensive as well; missing or damage aligners must be replaced, and extended treatment time to correct new misalignment problems must be paid for as well.
For these reasons, our Surrey dentists prescribe traditional braces for children who need orthodontic treatment, as braces are securely affixed to the teeth and can only be removed by a dental professional.