Invisalign is not all about vanity. It’s ironic that such a powerful product that has made leaps and bounds in orthodontics is marketed using such frivolous principles.
It’s not about the convenience of being able to eat candy while you straighten your teeth or about forgoing a metal-mouth smile in photographs.
Near invisibility and convenience aside, here are the top 10 most important reasons to use Invisalign, starting with the least important.
10. Aesthetics
I know you may be surprised by this, and I know the people marketing Invisalign may be a bit perturbed, but improvement in aesthetics is icing on the cake!
9. Aligners double as protective gear you can use the rest of your life
You can whiten and protect your teeth from grinding at night or during sporting events (like mountain biking and lifting weights) using your Invisalign aligners – the device has many functions!
8. Shorter, more efficient dental cleanings with the hygienist
Teeth that are properly aligned tend to be more self-cleansing and more self-maintaining. They’re easier to floss and they’re easier for the hygienist to clean!
Crooked teeth are very hard to clean. For example, when teeth are twisted and crowded, the instrument that the dental hygienist uses is rendered ineffective, allowing the bacteria to evade removal during the cleaning process.
7. Speech and phonetics – better speech and pronunciation
Your ability to pronounce words properly is largely determined by the position of your teeth.
I have patients in the movie, comedy, voice over, and music industries, for whom Invisalign has able to help by fine-tuning their speaking voice.
For example, if your two upper front teeth are too long or if you have an open bite, you may lisp or have difficulty to pronounce certain words, or even whistle a little bit as you speak.
6. Misaligned teeth suffer from food impaction and make it more difficult to brush and floss properly.
When teeth do not fit up against each other tightly enough, it is likely that, at every meal, a piece of stringy meat or vegetable will get caught in between the teeth and will stay there until removed by floss.
This condition is called food impaction and can cause great harm to the gums and teeth. The food is held in place by the misaligned teeth so that the bacteria can feast upon it. Facilitating their growth in your mouth will bring about accelerated gum recession and dull, throbbing pain in the mouth.
Proper positioning of the teeth facilitates easier and more efficacious flossing and brushing. If your teeth are all lined up correctly in the proper position, there is less for you to do and less to worry about to have good oral health.
5. Invisalign aligners can fix facial, jaw, and neck pain.
Patients that suffer from sore facial muscles and from the effects of grinding can not only benefit from a better bite, but they can also benefit from wearing an aligner over several months. As long as there is no joint pathology, wearing an Invisalign aligner is a great way to deprogram the muscles involved in grinding and relieve TMD symptoms.
4. Proper tooth positioning leads to better bone architecture and gum positioning, which promotes a self-maintaining mode for oral health
It’s not just what’s above the surface! When the teeth are crooked, the bone that’s supporting the tooth is also crooked, leading to complications. This is referred to as bone architecture and without optimal bone architecture, it is almost impossible to have good gum and tooth health.
3. Better digestion by more efficient chewing and breakdown of food particles in the mouth
The mouth is responsible for the first stage of the digestion of food. Improper mastication of food in the mouth has ramifications for the entire process of the absorption of nutrients throughout the body. To put it simply, you will get less nutrition out of the food you eat without a proper bite.
2. Proper positioning of the lower jaw in relationship to the upper jaw
Here’s the analogy I use with my patients. The jaw is like a door with two hinges – one hinge at each ear and the door jam and the strike plate being your teeth. In an ideal mouth, you want the door to be able to open smoothly and easily and close without effort. The door hits the strike plate and the door jam at the same time without any undue friction or sticking.
Who of us have had doors that we’ve had to force it shut? The door that doesn’t close properly will eventually pull the screws out of the hinge plates and, one day, will not be able to close.
The equivalent in the mouth is TMJ or TMD, pain in the joints, clicking and popping, misaligned jaws, inefficient and painful chewing, or the inability to chew. Perfectly aligned teeth will allow that door to open and close freely without slow deterioration of the jaw and without pain.
1. A good bite
So what’s so great about a good bite? See all of the above!
This is what orthodontics and braces were invented for – not to give you a pretty smile, as you may have been told, rather, to improve your overall health and live without pain!
We dentists study this as a science, but when we bring it to our patients, we fail to educate them and, instead, sell it to them as fluff. No doubt that a beautiful smile brings confidence and self-esteem, but without good physical health, the former is hollow!
We want to be thin before we’re fit!
Mark Burhenne DDS
What do you think? Join the discussion and leave a comment below!
Mark Burhenne DDS is a family dentist and award-winning blogger who has written numerous articles on oral health and advised 
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been going back and forth about invisalign. i already made the decision to go forward but as kicking myself (actually more like having anxiety attacks) because it is SO expensive and I have no insurance and am unemployed. (and the dentist went ahead with it anyway!) Thing is the trays are already molded but yet to get them to me. I dont know if it is too late to cancel altogether because of my financial reasons. Is it?? I am trying to find out what my rights are.
Kim,
You are obligated only if you signed a treatment estimate. If the dentist went ahead without your consent, and you have not paid yet, then you should be fine. However, I would check your local state laws. Call the state offices and ask for the dental division (Dental Consumer Board of Affairs in California). They can give you a quick and accurate answer. Good luck.
Mark Burhenne DDS
How does invisalign compare in cost with metal braces? Are the same benefits available from metal braces (except for #9 $& #10)? My bite is significantly improved, but had to suffer through my late 20′s with metal braces. I have had some movement over the years… so the idea of a life long aligner would have been interesting to me. What is the expected lifespan of invisalign aligners?
Good question. Invisalign can cost more if the dentist sees the cosmetic advantage as something that has added value. Some charge less as it’s easier for them to implement in their practice. It can also depend on whether or not the treating dentist is an orthodontist or general dentist. In general, you will see great variation in pricing for Invisalign, greater than for conventinal braces. So, it pays to shop around. Don’t choose based on the lowest price, but best quality. Beware of the many teaser rates out there for Invisalign. These “teaser” rates represent something called Invisalign Express, which is for simple cases and does not allow refinements. I do barely any Express cases – that’s how useful I think the product is. Hope this helps!
Mark Burhenne DDS
I am getting invisalign and I’m a very good singer and I’m concerned that if i get these invisible braces that my voice will be altered and i wont have my voice anymore what should i do?
I’m 69 years old. My lower front teeth are slightly crooked. My dentist has recommended invisalign braces. I have tmj and I cannot open my mouth very widely and my jaw clicks loudly. I’ve read some reader comments in other websites reporting severe tmj problems while using invisalign. I’m concerned about this and also my age. Any comments?