Hidden braces

[Henry]

Hi

I have an overlapping front tooth and initially I was thinking about correcting this cosmetic problem with veneers but later on I found out about hidden braces which seem to be a better solution for my teeth.

I would like to know if hidden braces can be seen by other people when I am speaking to them? If the braces can be seen by other people, can I take them off for very important meetings say for around 45 minutes to 1 hour per day? Can I eat and drink with Invisalign braces in my mouth or should I remove them when I am eating meals?

[Dr Ehsan J. Esfahani]

Hello Henry,

Thank you for your post.

Clear braces such as the Invisalign clear brace is really not very visible during speaking. Invisalign say their aligners are nearly invisible and in my experience this is the case. My patients overall are very happy when they are wearing the aligners as it makes very little change to their appearance.

If however you feel they can still be noticed by other people, removing the aligner is possible which is the second big benefit of the invisalign system. Removing the aligner for about 1 hour for a very important meeting is fine however wear time should not be less than 22hours per day.

The aligners should always be removed for eating as they can be damaged during chewing. Drinking with the aligners in can also damage the aligner if it is a hot drink (tea/coffee) and reduce the effectiveness of teeth movements. Drinks such as red wine or carbonated drinks will stain the aligners and make them noticeable. Drinking water is fine with the aligners in.