Everyone loves seeing a great smile. But when your teeth are out of alignment or crooked, your smile isn’t exactly great looking. What are you going to do, get braces and look like an awkward teenager again? If you’re an adult who needs orthodontic work, we offer a great solution at our Highland, MI dental office: ClearCorrect.

ClearCorrect uses a series of clear plastic trays similar to mouthguards. Over time, they will gently move your teeth to their proper position, giving you that great-looking smile you want to show everyone. In other words, they work like clear braces. That said, ClearCorrect has many clear advantages over traditional braces.

1. They are much harder to notice on your teeth: One of the biggest fears adults have about orthodontics is having everyone seeing them wearing braces. Looking younger is usually a good thing, but who wants to look like a middle schooler? All of that metal and wire might not be worth it if you have to look that awkward. Thankfully, ClearCorrect uses clear plastic trays instead of brackets and wires. When worn, they blend in perfectly with your teeth and gums. That means someone is going to have to be really, really close in order to notice that you’re wearing ClearCorrect. Many patients can use this system without people noticing.

2. They can be removed when needed: Traditional braces are usually cemented on the front of your teeth. They need to be, so they can pull and move your teeth to the correct positions. But that means you can never take them out. No matter where you go or what’s happening, those braces are there for years. With ClearCorrect, you only get the benefit when you are wearing them. That’s why you need to wear the clear plastic trays as often as possible during the day and night. However, they can be removed whenever you want. If you want to take them out while eating dinner, go right ahead!

3.They won’t hurt the inside of your mouth: Your mouth is not meant to have all of that metal, ceramic, and wires that come with traditional braces. That means it’s likely you’ll catch the inside of your cheeks or lips on them from time to time. Catching your skin on braces can be very painful and can even leave scars on the inside of your mouth from repeated cuts. The ClearCorrect trays fit snugly over your teeth and are made from smooth plastic, meaning you will never catch them on your cheeks or lips.

4. They won’t stain your teeth: In order to stay attached to your teeth, traditional braces require a strong bonding agent like cement. Otherwise, the brackets won’t deal with the pressure and could snap off instead of moving your teeth. But some patients find that, once the years have passed and the braces are taken off, that cement has led to a discoloration on your teeth. Either the cement itself stained your teeth, or the uncovered part of your teeth were stained while the part covered by the brackets did not. Either way, you are left with an embarrassing stain. This cannot happen with ClearCorrect. Not only do the aligners cover all of your teeth, but they are also removable and do not use anything that can stain the enamel.

5. Eating food is easier: Because traditional braces are made from metal or ceramic and include wires, you are limited to what you can eat. Hard foods like ice, nuts, apples, popcorn, and chips could hurt braces and should be avoided. That’s right, no chips! Other foods to avoid with traditional braces include gum, cake, cookies, carrots, bagels, and hard shell tacos. Don’t forget that you could be wearing braces for years. ClearCorrect clear plastic trays can be taken out whenever you want, which means you don’t have to worry about foods hurting your orthodontics.

6. Cleaning your teeth is easier: One of the reasons to avoid sticky foods (like gum or caramels) when wearing braces is that they can get stuck on your braces. In fact, lots of food can collect along the brackets and wires. If you want to avoid a higher risk of tooth decay, you will have to thoroughly clean your braces after every time you eat something, even just a quick snack. This can get old, especially if you’re at work or a party. Who wants to stop everything to clean out your braces so often? ClearCorrect comes right out when you want, so you don’t have to do anything different when it comes to brushing and flossing. And being able to take the clear plastic trays out means they are extremely easy to clean.

If you need orthodontic work so your smile looks even and aligned, you don’t need to fear the embarrassment of showing everyone you have braces. At our Highland, MI office, we can offer ClearCorrect “invisible braces” that will gently move your teeth to where they belong without all of that embarrassment. Call us today at 248-329-3552 and schedule an appointment with Dr. LoCascio to see if ClearCorrect would be a good choice for you.