Bright & Co Dental

Aligners or braces: an honest comparison

Clear aligners suit most mild and moderate cases. Here is where they stop and braces take over.

Clear aligners have made straightening teeth as an adult something people actually do. They are not the answer to everything, and it helps to know where the line is.

Where aligners win

Crowding, small gaps and mildly rotated front teeth respond well. Treatment is mostly invisible, you take the aligners out to eat and brush, and simple cases finish in six to twelve months.

Where braces still win

Big bite problems, teeth that need to move up or down rather than sideways, and cases where a tooth has to rotate a long way are still better in fixed braces. Aligners can try, but they take longer and the result is less predictable.

How we decide

A free scan shows the likely outcome before you commit. If we think braces would do a better job we will say so and refer you, because a case that finishes badly costs everyone more than a referral.

Bright & Co Dental

Advice from the chair

Plain answers to the questions we hear most.

Oral health

How often should I really see the dentist?

Six months is the habit. The right answer depends on your mouth, and we will tell you which you are.

Cosmetic

Whitening: what works and what does not

Strips, charcoal, blue light, dentist trays. A plain ranking, and why we check your teeth first.

Children

Your child's first visit

Come when the first tooth arrives, keep it short, and let them sit on your lap. That is most of it.