Everyone wants a beautiful smile. Everyone wants to be healthy and be able to eat free for life. The functioning of your teeth and chewing system plays a major part in long term health.

There are many considerations when choosing a Denver orthodontic treatment for yourself or your children. Certainly cost is a major factor. The other major factor to consider is whether cosmetic tooth alignment is all you want or if you need bite correction at the same time. Focusing on bite correction in conjunction with tooth alignment is a longer term solution. Many children that get cosmetic tooth alignment only find they need to repeat orthodontic treatments in adulthood to correct problems associated with the bite such as pain in the jaws and premature wear.

Denver Invisalign aligners are a new popular option for tooth alignment. They start out as applied 3-D computer imaging graphics. These images are made into "transparent, removable and moldable braces. Instead of one pair of braces that are constantly adjusted, a series of braces are worn in succession." (http://inventors.about.com/od/dstartinventions/a/dentistry_4.htm)

The manufacturer of Invisalign touts them as "the best way to transform your smile without interfering with your day-to-day life." There are no metal wires or rubber bands and in many cases they can offer rapid results.

Invisalign aligners offer several advantages over traditional metal braces for tooth alignment:

• They are not noticeable - almost transparent
• They use less force=less pain
• You can take them off to eat
• You can brush and floss normally
• They don't cause mouth irritation the way metal braces do

Unfortunately there are many downsides to Invisalign also.

• Invisalign is a cosmetic fix only and will not change the bite or jaw alignment to correct an over or under-bite. They are used for cosmetic realignment only. If bite correction is needed, braces will have to be re-done in adulthood.
• Invisalign can be much more expensive than standard braces.
• Cleaning is a big issue - especially for children. The most important thing you have to remember when using Invisalign aligners is that you must brush your teeth after each time you eat and drink anything - no exceptions. The reason for this is to prevent accumulation of food inside the aligners, which will cause halitosis (bad breath) and cavities. Even when simply removing your aligners to eat or drink something, you must rinse them after removal and prior to reinsertion. This will remove any saliva that has remained in the clear aligners.
  Some Invisalign Denver aligner wearers will tell you that they even soak their clear aligners in Listerine overnight to kill all the germs. It is important that you clean both the inside and outside of your Invisalign Denver aligners. Another important thing to keep in mind is to NEVER put your aligners under hot running water. The high temperature of the water, instead of killing germs, will warp the aligners.
  The cleanliness of the holding trays is as important as the hygiene of the aligners themselves. Since you must remove the Invisalign aligners every time you eat and drink, you will be placing them directly inside their cases upon removal from your mouth. The aligners will be wet from your saliva when placed in the holders. To continue doing this frequently throughout the day will cause the containers to retain dampness, which is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria which cause bad breath and mouth infections should you have bitten your tongue or, have a mouth sore. The solution to this problem is to simply rinse and dry your Invisalign Denver trays on a daily basis.
• Success is largely dependent on a patient's habits and how consistently they wear the aligners. Unlike traditional braces, a patient must commit to wearing the aligners for a minimum of 20-22 hours per day, removing them only when brushing their teeth, eating and drinking. As an added problem, the aligners can be lost when removed for eating. These are problems most often associated with children.
• Should treatment get off track when patients fail to wear the aligners for the required daily length of time, the next set of aligners in the series will not fit properly and a new set of impressions and aligners will be needed, thereby increasing the total cost.
• Certain teeth can be problematic for Invisalign aligners to rotate. Some lower premolars with their rounded shape can be difficult for the aligners to grasp and apply a rotational force to.

• Tooth alignment only (either traditional braces or Invisalign) is a cosmetic service. Bite correction is a health service as bite correction treats the entire chewing system.
• A beautiful smile is important, but won't last without bite correction.
• If you have the extra money to spend on Invisalign over regular braces, your time and money might be better spent on permanent bite correction orthodontics.
• Consult your Denver orthodontist to discuss the many options for great health and a great smile.