Braces are different today because the 21st Century pre-teens and teens are so dramatically different than these same patients of 10 to 15 years ago.

Today’s teens are far more socially aware, technologically savvy, face a greater degree of stress as they work to achieve educational goals and are involved in a variety of active contact sports. Given the busy lifestyles of today’s teens, there is no room for them to be sidelined with broken brackets or to even be distracted by the discomfort often associated with fixed braces of any kind.

The newer fixed braces have dramatically reduced the discomfort traditionally associated with braces, but one of the distinctive advantages with Invisalign Teen is that forces to the teeth can actually be modified to result in a greater degree of comfort for the patient.

Can you imagine how much easier this type of treatment can be on teens when they are faced with the stress that comes with final exams, a big game or music competition?

Although today’s modern braces do not limit a patient’s activities, there still remains food restrictions. Gum, hard, sticky foods such as pizza crusts, or candies such as caramels and Gummy Bears and worms can be destructive to braces, and broken appliances can result in significantly prolonged treatment time.

With Invisalign ® there are no food restrictions because the aligners can be removed for eating, but they must be worn 20 hours per day to be effective. Most modern braces and appliances do no restrict physical activities but removable sports mouth guards must be worn to protect the teeth from accidental trauma.

In many sports such as soccer, basketball and karate, Invisalign already serves as a protective mouth guard.