The Invisalign vs Braces comparison has been happening for over 2 decades now, and there are experienced voices on both sides of the conversation. But when it comes to your smile, it’s important to find a voice in Vancouver you can trust.
We want to help. The truth is, with Invisalign vs Braces, both options can get you a better smile.
But if you ask us, you deserve a whole lot more than a better smile. You deserve better value, an experience focused on you, and your best smile (not just a better one).
In this post, we’ll give you the honest pros and cons of each treatment option – Invisalign and braces – so that you can confidently decide for yourself which one is best for your specific situation.
We’ll also tell you honestly why we only offer Invisalign treatment at Dr. Peter Brawn, not braces, and how you and your smile get more value and better results because of it.
This is an Invisalign vs Braces post you’re not going to want to skip. Keep reading to find out how you can get smile results you’ll love like:
- Finishing treatment up to 2x faster than average braces or Invisalign patients.
- Saving time with 50% fewer appointments than at other Vancouver practices.
- Enjoying up to 75% less discomfort during treatment than typical patients.
The Basics: Invisalign vs Braces
First, some quick definitions of what exactly braces and Invisalign are. Both braces and Invisalign fit into the branch of dentistry called orthodontics.
In orthodontics, doctors use different methods to apply light, controlled forces to your teeth which causes them to move and reposition.
What are braces?
Braces are a set of brackets bonded to your teeth. One bracket for each tooth. They’re usually metal, but sometimes can be ceramic or even clear.
Each bracket is tied together into a set by wires and tiny rubber bands. Braces are fixed in your mouth – you have to have them on at all times. You can’t remove them during your treatment.
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign is the most advanced clear aligner system in the world.
They are hard, durable plastic and custom-fit for your particular smile. They fit over your teeth and are what cause movement and teeth straightening.
Like braces, clear aligners usually use small bonded attachments, too. Unlike braces, aligners’ bonded attachments don’t have big brackets on each tooth. The attachments are very small buttons. They’re completely smooth and small enough that they don’t accumulate food.
Aligners don’t have to be clear, but they usually are – which makes them nearly invisible in day-to-day life. More on that later.
Though there are other brands of clear aligners, Invisalign is the most advanced and the most common.
For the rest of the post, we’ll compare Invisalign vs braces specifically.
Braces vs Invisalign Cost
The first Invisalign vs Braces question we often get asked is about the costs. And the answer might surprise you.
But to give you the most honest answer possible, we have to tell you up front – there is a whole lot more to the cost of braces and Invisalign than simply what you pay.
Still, the financial cost is important. So let’s start there.
Are braces or Invisalign cheaper?
The answer is that the price of braces and Invisalign are essentially the same today.
Many patients are surprised to find this out. When Invisalign first came on the market, it did cost more than braces as the premium alternative for getting your teeth straightened.
And while it is still known as the premium alternative to braces today, advancements in technology have made Invisalign prices competitive with braces. Today, Invisalign is even more affordable than it used to be.
For certain cases, braces can be a bit cheaper than Invisalign. But generally, the costs are competitive in Vancouver. And the results, we find, are much better and faster with Invisalign.
In fact, there are cases we can treat with Invisalign at Dr. Peter Brawn that you wouldn’t be able to achieve for any price with braces. But more on that later.
5 Additional Costs With Invisalign and Braces
Besides the obvious financial cost of Invisalign and braces, there are other costs that play just as big of a role (if not bigger) on what you end up spending on your smile. Here they are.
- Hidden fees
- Comfort (or discomfort) during treatment
- Number of appointments
- Length of treatment
- Quality of your care & results
1. Hidden Fees
Every practice in Vancouver has its own approach fees and costs.
There are positives and negatives to each approach, but the key thing is for you to be aware that practices do not all approach fees in the same way.
Here’s what that means for you: the price you’re quoted for treatment may not always be the price you’ll actually pay.
Some orthodontic practices charge extra for add-on services, records, consultations, and other things you might consider a normal part of treatment.
We believe you ought to receive more for your time and investment in Invisalign. So at Dr. Dr. Peter Brawn, we don’t believe in hidden fees – so you don’t have any. The price you see is the one you pay. It’s that simple.
Unfortunately with hidden fees at many practices in Vancouver, you get less than you feel you’re paying for.
Make sure you ask your doctor about hidden fees before starting treatment so you know the real price of your braces or Invisalign.
2. Comfort (or Discomfort) During Treatment
Braces do not have the same level of precision that’s possible as Invisalign.
So no matter how experienced your orthodontist is, it will be impossible for them to avoid causing you a certain amount of discomfort every time your braces are tightened.
Invisalign naturally allows for much more precision during treatment than braces. So starting off, Invisalign can save you a lot of discomfort.
With Invisalign, you also don’t have to worry about the metal brackets which can scratch your gums, or the metal wires that poke your mouth. All of those typical discomforts of braces are eliminated with Invisalign.
And at Dr. Peter Brawn, it gets even better.
You can enjoy up to 75% less discomfort during treatment from average patients with our clinically proven technology that we offer to you as a part of your treatment at no additional cost.
It’s a huge value that you can’t find anywhere else in Vancouver, and it’s yours without increasing your treatment cost at all.
So before you go somewhere else in Vancouver, get a free consultation with us to see how you can save yourself a whole lot of discomfort during treatment. It’s a huge savings you won’t want to miss.
3. Number of Appointments
At most orthodontists in Vancouver, the average patient will have to sit through 20 or more appointments during treatment.
Leading orthodontists in the United States report that the average number of appointments patients sit through for treatment is evening higher – 24 appointments. And it’s increasing!
The average treatment time for Invisalign is shorter than braces (more on that below). So, naturally, choosing Invisalign vs braces for treatment will save you a handful of appointments.
At Dr. Peter Brawn, you can do even better. You’ll save hours of time during treatment just in how many fewer appointments you’ll need to attend to get great results.
Our patients typically need only half the number of appointments to own their best smile as average orthodontic patients in Vancouver.
We believe your time is valuable, so we don’t waste it. If time is money, you’ll save a lot of it by choosing Invisalign at Dr. Peter Brawn.
4. Length of Your Treatment
This one is so important, we gave it a whole section later in this post with charts and graphs so you can see how much is possible for your treatment.
But here’s the short version: Invisalign is proven to be faster than braces.
Shorter treatment will save you time. And saving time saves you money.
At Dr. Peter Brawn, you can save a whole lot of time and money because most patients finish treatment 2x faster than the average patient at other orthodontists in Vancouver.
Curious to know more? Keep reading!
5. Quality of Results
This might be the most overlooked cost of Invisalign and braces of all of them. But it can make all the difference.
Some orthodontists, even ones with great experience, are able to charge less for treatment. But with that lower price almost always comes trade offs.
For instance, an experienced orthodontist may charge less for treatment, but that requires them to need double or triple the patients to cover costs. That means you get a much less personal experience, less of their focus, and often less attention on your case. In the end, you pay for it.
Or maybe the orthodontist has fewer patients so you get more focus, but they’re less experienced. In this case, that may mean you get lower-quality results, or it takes longer for your treatment, or both. Again, you pay for it.
There are very few doctors in Vancouver where you get the best of all the worlds – an experienced doctor, who gives you a lot of their focus, and gets you great results. But they do exist.
Make sure you know what kind of doctor and practice you are choosing for braces or Invisalign, because you’ll pay for it in the end – or you’ll reap the rewards.
Do Braces or Invisalign Work Faster?
In multiple studies, it’s been shown that Invisalign works faster than braces.
Braces are often faster to start treatment, but to call them faster is very misleading. The average treatment time for braces is about 20.6 months in the last published research (this time is going up by the way).
In comparison, clear aligners like Invisalign had an average treatment time of 16.19 months – noticeably shorter.
But get this: average Invisalign treatment times at Dr. Peter Brawn is 50% shorter than even average Invisalign treatment elsewhere.
There’s more. Remember when we said that braces can be faster to start treatment? With Invisalign, once you start, results come quickly. But how quickly?
Well, by the 4-month mark of treatment, here’s the amount of progress for your smile when you do Invisalign at Dr. Peter Brawn compared to going with typical Invisalign or Braces somewhere else in Vancouver.
So yes, Invisalign is faster than braces. And at Dr. Peter Brawn, it can be up to 2x faster.
The only question left to to answer is – how? We use clinically-proven technology that accelerates your teeth movement without causing any additional discomfort. In fact, it reduces your discomfort.
In just 10 minutes of use each day, it can get you your best smile twice as fast as everyone around you will get theirs at other orthodontists in Vancouver.
Do Braces or Invisalign Hurt More?
The short answer: braces typically hurt more than Invisalign.
Invisalign’s design naturally allows for much more precision during treatment than braces. The way braces are designed doesn’t allow for the same precision as Invisalign and often results in more discomfort during treatment.
More ways that braces can hurt more than Invisalign:
- The start of treatment can be especially painful with the amount of initial pressure put on your teeth.
- Brackets that can scratch your gums.
- Wires that can irritate and poke your mouth.
Patients at Dr. Peter Brawn avoid even more discomfort – up to 75% less – with proven technology at no additional cost. Get a free consultation and find out more about how enjoyable your treatment can be.
What’s Better, Braces or Invisalign?
As we confessed to you upfront, the answer is clear to us. In our experience, Invisalign is significantly better than braces for you as the patient.
The technology behind Invisalign makes it possible for us to achieve amazing results for you that would be much more difficult or even – in some places – impossible to achieve with braces.
Results like:
- Finishing treatment up to 2x faster than average
- 50% fewer appointments for the same, great results
- Up to 75% less discomfort during treatment
Invisalign makes all of these and more possible for you at a competitive treatment price to what you would find at other top-rated orthodontists in Vancouver.
At Dr. Peter Brawn, you’ll receive a whole lot more in treatment for the same cost as you would pay for Invisalign or braces somewhere else.
Conclusion
In the Invisalign vs Braces comparison, there is no ‘wrong’ answer. Both can be good treatment options.
But if you’re looking for more for your time and investment in your smile, there is only one great answer: Invisalign in Half the Time.
If you care about receiving the most value for your money and top-level focus on your smile, we made Invisalign at Dr. Peter Brawn for you.
Get a free consultation today to see how you can own your best smile in half the time, and walk away with a personalized treatment plan for getting there. All at no cost to you.
