The windows to your oral health! 

Though it’s important to keep up with your oral hygiene and attend your regular check ups, there are some conditions that can occur with your teeth that are difficult to prevent, like when they end up crooked, misaligned, or crowded.

Not only can these teeth be rather embarrassing, but they can also cause a bad first impression in a number of settings, professional or otherwise! A smile is usually the first thing people notice when meeting someone, and, wrong or not, a crooked smile can definitely influence the impression someone has. 

Plus, crooked and misaligned teeth have been clinically proven to cause several oral health problems, like TMJ pain, gum disease, and accelerated tooth decay.

Is there any way to fix these teeth before they become a massive problem? Well, luckily, you have some highly effective options to choose from. Dr. Jeffrey Alvarado and the team at The Lakes Family Dental offer various orthodontic treatment plans as well as Clear Aligners. 

Clear Aligners or Braces?

The first recommendation you may receive when looking to improve crooked teeth is metal braces, which have been used for over 100 years to straighten teeth. But there is a reason that braces are usually used to straighten teeth of children and teenagers…

For most adults, the idea of wearing metal braces is an embarrassing one that can be full of pain and discomfort - for anywhere from 1-3 years!  At The Lakes Family Dental, Dr. Jeffrey Alvarado and the team understand that metal braces are truly a last resort for most adults. 

That’s why we’re proud to offer an alternative to traditional metal braces: Clear Aligners. There are many benefits to choosing Clear Aligners, including:

Spending Less Time Cleaning Your Teeth

Traditional braces require much more additional time to make sure your teeth are cleaned properly. With their wires and sharp metal pieces, much more food than usual will get trapped in between and around your teeth. Failure to remove that food and properly brush and floss your teeth (usually done with a special flossing device) can result in plaque and bacteria build-up. Left untreated, this can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

Clear aligners, however, can be easily removed and put back whenever needed, whether eating, drinking, or cleaning your teeth. Once the aligners are removed, brushing and flossing your teeth is as simple as it was before getting aligners.

You Can Eat What You Want

To keep braces as safe and clean as possible, certain foods, like popcorn, gum, apples, and candies need to be avoided. Not only can these foods stick and build up between brackets and wires. This can not only damage your teeth, but it can also damage your braces. 

With Clear Aligners, you can easily pop out your aligners whenever it’s time to eat, so you can eat whatever you’d like! Just be sure to rinse your mouth with some water before you put your aligners back to avoid trapping excess food between your teeth and the aligner.

You’ll Have Fewer Appointments

With braces, in addition to your regular dental checkups, you will need to visit your orthodontist every few weeks. This is to allow them to check the progress of your teeth and tighten your braces to make sure they continue to shift your teeth. Plus, if you have any issues with your hardware, like a wire popping out or a bracket coming loose, you’ll need to go for an emergency orthodontist appointment to fix it.

With Clear aligners, you’ll only need to visit Dr. Alvarado every five or six weeks to progress to the next set of trays. 

You’ll Have Them For A Shorter Time

Traditional braces are a major commitment. Moving your teeth and jaw into the optimal position takes plenty of time, and with braces, you’re looking at a span of 2-3 years. That’s 2-3 years filled with regular appointments to tighten your wires, restrictions on your food, cuts and scrapes from wires and brackets, and, of course, just having metal on your beautiful smile.

Instead, the Clear Aligners process is so streamlined and effective, many people have straight teeth after just one year! Now, this may depend on your individual needs, but you can potentially save 1-2 years on your treatment!

No One Will Know

Braces are incredibly noticeable. Whether you’re just talking, smiling, laughing, yawning, or eating, it’s very clear to anyone around you that you have metal in your mouth. The only way to completely hide them is to keep your mouth closed.

Not with Clear Aligners! Since these aligners are made with clear plastic, most people will never know that you’re straightening your teeth. Instead of bright, shining metal protruding from your teeth, everyone around you will just see your natural teeth.

Should I Choose Clear Aligners?

If you need orthodontic treatment, you don’t need to settle for discomfort and lifestyle changes, thanks to Clear Aligners. Dr. Jeffrey Alvarado and the team at The Lakes Family Dental are more than happy to create a customized treatment plan to help you achieve the straight, beautiful smile you deserve.

Don’t wait, give us a call today at (956) 688-6000 to schedule your FREE Clear Aligners Consultation!