Braces or Invisalign for teens?
As a parent of a kid who's about to start orthodontic treatment, I'm curious to hear about personal experiences with braces or Invisalign for teens. Seems like the recommendation for one or the other depends on the kid, but I'm curious to know what other parents think.
Did your older kid have braces or Invisalign, and do you have any tips to share about your experience?
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My daughter wore braces for years, and my son just started Invisalign, so I have some opinions! :) Though it definitely depends on the kid, I think braces are probably best for most teens. Although you have to be more careful about what you eat, and have to deal with irritations like broken brackets, loose wires, etc, the fact that you can't remove them weighs pretty heavily in favor of braces - if you can't remove them, you can't lose them (or "forget" to put them on)! My son is pretty responsible, so we decided to give Invisalign a try. And, although he likes it, we hadn't considered that having to remove them anytime he eats is a huge pain, since he is ALWAYS hungry and needing to snack. It also means he ends up wearing them less than he should, since it's otherwise hard for him to eat between classes, at practice or events, etc. Soooo, we'll see if they end up working as well!
