Are you researching Invisalign for yourself or your teenage son or daughter and wondering what percentage of teenagers get Invisalign? Did you know that upwards of eighty percent of all teenagers will get braces or Invisalign? This means that in a group of your teen and his four best friends, four of them are either wearing braces, have worn braces, or will get braces before they become adults. Though for teenagers, Invisalign is still a relatively new treatment, more and more teens are choosing this treatment over traditional metal braces. While Invisalign has not released any hard numbers when it comes to how many teenagers are getting Invisalign, it is easy to infer that more and more teens are flocking to this treatment option, for a wide variety of reasons. These include the following.
1. A staggering 92% of teens feel self-conscious when wearing metal braces.
Teenagers are already inherently self-conscious. They are trying to find ways to fit in with their peers, and while many of their peers will also be wearing metal braces, many will also be using Invisalign or will have already completed their orthodontic treatment. They don’t want to stand out from the crown, and metal braces can make you do exactly that. They are very noticeable—every time you talk, laugh, or smile, they can be seen. Even if no one ever teases them about wearing those braces, they might still feel self-conscious while wearing them.
2. Teens who choose Invisalign are twice as likely to have boosted self-esteem.
When he is straightening his teeth using a system that no one can even tell he is wearing, your teen is much more likely to be confident. While someone who is looking closely might notice that he is wearing the clear plastic aligners, it is unlikely that, as he goes through his normal day, that anyone will see the aligners. This can make him more likely to feel confident. When he doesn’t feel like he has to hide his teeth, he won’t avoid talking to people, laughing, or smiling.
3. Invisalign is just as effective as metal braces.
For most problems, Invisalign has a system that can fix it.
While it was originally only designed to be used for very acute orthodontic issues, it can now be used some of the most common and most complicated problems. It can usually treat these problems at the same rate as metal braces. This is why more and more teens are defecting from metal braces and are choosing Invisalign. They can get the same treatment, at the same pace, for about the same price, without having to deal with metal brackets and wires.
4. Invisalign costs about the same as metal braces.
Because Invisalign is now covered by mother insurance policies, and there are programs designed to help you pay off your Invisalign treatment over time, you can often get an Invisalign treatment for about the same amount of money as you would pay for traditional metal braces. Though most people will not even consider this option for their teenagers, Invisalign really is about the same price as braces, and because they come with far less hassle and fewer issues than metal braces, even a little extra cost is definitely worth it.
5. Teenagers who wear Invisalign are less likely to be teased.
According to surveys of teenagers who have worn Invisalign and those who have worn metal braces, teenagers who are wearing Invisalign are actually 68% less likely to be teased by bullies and even by their friends. Their teeth are getting straighter (which means they are also less likely to be teased for having crooked teeth), but the bullies can’t see the mechanism by which the teeth are getting straighter. This means that they simply can’t tease your teen.
6. Teenagers are actually better at wearing their aligners than adults are.
Surveys of orthodontists across the country have found that teenagers actually wear their aligners more often and for longer stretches than adults who are supposed to be wearing their aligners. Even the data backs this up—teens are more likely to finish their treatments on time than their parents are, simply because they are better at maintaining that treatment and following the instructions of their orthodontist. Because Invisalign is so much easier to manage than metal braces, your teen is more likely to do what he needs to do, when he needs to do it—even more likely than you are!
7. Losing aligners is no big deal.
One of the biggest concerns most parents have about Invisalign for their teens is what will happen if their teen loses an aligner. Every parents of teenagers know that things just go missing—they get somewhere, they are accidentally thrown away, they are forgotten, etc. Invisalign has a remedy for this. Specifically for teenagers, Invisalign provides six free replacement aligners. As soon as your teen notices that an aligner has gone missing, you should contact your orthodontist.
Though neither Invisalign nor any other company has released data that suggests what percentage of teenagers get Invisalign, the issues that come along with metal braces are largely solved by choosing the Invisalign system, making it clear that more and more teenagers are opting for this treatment over metal braces. If more than eighty percent of all teens get braces at some point between ages thirteen and eighteen, a huge portion of those teens are getting Invisalign, with more and more flocking to this treatment as times goes on. In fact, in ten years time, we may see no teens wearing metal braces at all!
