If you have been weighing up Invisalign versus traditional braces, here is the plain version: neither one is “better”. They are two different tools for the same job, and which one suits you depends on your teeth, your lifestyle, and how disciplined you are about wearing the thing. This is my honest comparison — what each does well, where each falls short, and how we decide at Biltoft Dental.
I am Dr Daniel Johnston. We are an accredited Invisalign provider here in Murwillumbah, but I am not going to pretend clear aligners are the right answer for every mouth that walks through the door. They are not. So let us go through it properly.
How each one actually works
Both appliances move teeth the same underlying way — by applying gentle, sustained pressure that remodels the bone around each tooth root. The difference is in the delivery.
Traditional fixed braces
Small brackets are bonded to the front of each tooth and connected by a wire. The orthodontist adjusts the wire at regular visits, and the teeth follow the wire over months. Modern braces are smaller and more comfortable than the ones you remember from high school, and ceramic (tooth-coloured) brackets are an option if the visual side bothers you.
Braces are on 24/7 — no taking them off, no forgetting. That is their biggest strength and their biggest annoyance, depending on how you look at it.
Invisalign clear aligners
Instead of brackets and wires, you wear a series of clear, custom-moulded plastic trays. Each tray shifts your teeth a small amount — around a quarter of a millimetre at a time — and you swap to the next one every week or two. Small tooth-coloured “attachments” are bonded to certain teeth to give the aligners grip for trickier movements.
The aligners come out to eat, drink (anything but water), and brush. That flexibility is the appeal. The catch is that they only work when they are in your mouth — and they need to be in your mouth 20 to 22 hours a day.
Where Invisalign genuinely wins
For the cases it is suited to, Invisalign has some real practical advantages.
It is nearly invisible
The aligners are thin, clear plastic. Most people you talk to will not notice you are wearing them unless they are looking closely. For adults in client-facing roles — teachers, sales, hospitality, people who are on video calls all day — this is often the deciding factor. I see a lot of patients in their 30s and 40s who put off treatment for years because they could not face the idea of a mouthful of metal.
You can take them out to eat
No food restrictions. You can still eat corn on the cob, bite into an apple, and work your way through a steak dinner. With braces, sticky and hard foods are off the menu for the duration — there is a real list of things you cannot eat.
Cleaning is easier
Because the aligners come out, you brush and floss normally. With fixed braces, keeping the area around each bracket clean is a daily challenge, and decalcification marks (white patches on enamel) are a real risk if oral hygiene slips over 18 months of treatment.
Fewer appointments, usually
With aligners we see you every 6 to 10 weeks for a progress check. With traditional braces, the adjustment visits are typically more frequent. If you work shifts, travel for work, or drive in from up the Tweed Valley, that difference adds up.
Comfort and soft-tissue irritation
Brackets and wires can rub the cheeks and lips, particularly in the first few weeks. Aligners are smooth plastic. Most patients adapt quickly to either, but aligners tend to cause less ulceration along the way.
Where traditional braces still win
I want to be straight about this part. There are cases where fixed braces will do a better job, and I have referred patients on to an orthodontist plenty of times.
Severe rotations and major tooth movements
If a tooth is turned a long way from where it should be, or needs to be moved a significant vertical distance (intruded or extruded), fixed braces have more mechanical control. Aligners can do rotations too — and they have got a lot better at it with the newer attachment designs — but there is still a point beyond which wires do it more predictably.
Skeletal issues that need growth modification
In growing children and teens with jaw-size mismatches, orthodontists use appliances alongside braces (expanders, functional appliances, headgear in some cases) to guide jaw growth. That kind of work is outside what clear aligners are designed for, and it is outside what we do at Biltoft — we refer those cases to a specialist orthodontist.
Teens who will not wear them
This is the blunt one. If a teenager will not commit to wearing aligners 20 to 22 hours a day, Invisalign will fail. The trays sit in a case instead of on the teeth, the plan stalls, and everyone is frustrated. Fixed braces remove the choice — they are on until the orthodontist takes them off. For a lot of teenagers, that is genuinely the better answer. I would rather have that conversation honestly up front than 9 months in.
Very complex bites
Deep bites, open bites, and some class II and class III malocclusions can be treated with aligners, but more complicated cases often benefit from the fine-tuned control of fixed appliances, sometimes combined with other orthodontic mechanics.
Cost — the honest comparison
At Biltoft Dental, Invisalign pricing is straightforward:
- Invisalign single arch (top OR bottom only): $5,000
- Invisalign full treatment (both arches): $8,000
That includes scans, your full set of aligners, in-practice reviews throughout treatment, and a set of retainers at the end.
Fixed braces at an orthodontist can be cheaper, similar, or more — it depends entirely on the practice and the case. What I will not do is quote a number for a service we do not provide. If you are weighing braces as an alternative, ring an orthodontist and get their quote so you are comparing two real numbers, not a guess.
One thing worth noting: most private health extras cover some portion of orthodontic treatment for both aligners and braces, usually with lifetime limits. Check your level of cover with your fund before you start.
If any of this is starting to sound like your situation, the easiest next step is to come in for an assessment. I will look at your teeth, take the scans or x-rays we need, and give you a proper recommendation — aligners, braces, or sometimes “leave it alone”. You can book online or call us on (02) 6672 1980.
Treatment time
Both aligners and fixed braces typically take somewhere between 12 and 24 months for comprehensive treatment, depending on the complexity of the case. Short, cosmetic-only cases (minor crowding at the front) can sometimes be finished in 6 to 9 months with either appliance.
What slows aligner treatment down, almost always, is wear time. If the trays are only in for 16 hours a day instead of 22, each tray does not fully complete its movement and the next one does not fit properly. We then have to refine — take new scans, order additional aligners, extend the plan. Fixed braces do not have that failure mode, because they are never off.
Compliance — the thing nobody likes talking about
This is the quiet truth about clear aligners. They work brilliantly for patients who wear them. They do not work at all for patients who do not.
In our practice, we have a frank conversation about this before we start. If you know you will forget them, leave them in a serviette at lunch, or take them out for long evenings regularly, I will tell you aligners are probably not the right choice. Not because we do not want to treat you — because I do not want to take your money for a treatment that will not finish well.
The Australian Society of Orthodontists and most clinical educators are consistent on this point: aligner success is heavily dependent on patient cooperation, far more so than fixed braces. That is not a criticism of aligners. It is just how they work.
How we decide at Biltoft
When someone comes in asking about Invisalign, the assessment goes something like this.
First, the teeth. I look at the alignment, the bite, any rotations, crowding, spacing, and the overall jaw relationship. We take photographs and usually a digital scan. For more complex-looking cases I will also get an OPG x-ray.
Second, the movements required. Are these within a range aligners handle well? Or are we looking at something where fixed braces — or referral to an orthodontist for a combination approach — will give a better result?
Third, the person. Lifestyle, job, whether you are likely to wear them, whether the aesthetics genuinely matter to you, what your budget is, how long you are willing to be in treatment.
Fourth, an honest recommendation. Sometimes that is Invisalign in-house with me. Sometimes it is a referral to an orthodontist for fixed braces or a more complex plan. Sometimes it is “your teeth are actually fine — here is a night guard instead”. I would rather tell you the truth now than start a treatment that is wrong for you.
So which one is right for you?
If you have mild-to-moderate crowding or spacing, you are an adult who cares about how treatment looks, and you know you will wear the aligners religiously — Invisalign is usually a great fit.
If your case is more complex, you are still growing, you have known yourself long enough to know you will not wear removable appliances consistently, or cost points you toward an orthodontist with fixed braces — that is a legitimate and often better path.
There is no universal answer, and anyone who tells you one option is always superior is selling you something. What I can offer is a look at your actual mouth and an honest recommendation for your actual situation.
For more on how the treatment runs day to day, have a read of our Invisalign guide. If you want to understand what happens at the first visit, what to expect at your Invisalign consultation walks through it. And if cost is the main thing on your mind, what Invisalign really costs in Murwillumbah has the full breakdown.
When you are ready, book a consultation online or call us on (02) 6672 1980. We are in Murwillumbah, easy to get to from across the Tweed and Northern Rivers, and the first visit is a proper conversation — not a sales pitch. Individual results vary, and we will only recommend Invisalign if it is genuinely the right tool for your mouth.
Frequently asked questions
Is Invisalign as effective as braces? +
For mild-to-moderate crowding, spacing, and many bite issues, clear aligners can achieve results comparable to fixed braces when worn properly. For more complex movements — severe rotations, large vertical changes, or some skeletal problems — fixed braces still have the edge. The honest answer is case-dependent, which is why we assess before recommending.
How much does Invisalign cost at Biltoft Dental? +
Invisalign at Biltoft is $5,000 for a single arch (top OR bottom) and $8,000 for full treatment (both arches). That includes your scans, aligners, in-practice reviews, and a set of retainers at the end. We give you a written quote after your assessment so you know the total before you commit.
How many hours a day do I have to wear the aligners? +
Aligners need to be worn 20 to 22 hours a day, only coming out to eat, drink anything other than water, and clean your teeth. This is not a suggestion — if you wear them less, the teeth do not track and the treatment stalls. If you know, hand on heart, that you will not wear them that often, fixed braces are the more honest option.
Are braces cheaper than Invisalign? +
Fixed braces from an orthodontist can be cheaper, similar, or sometimes more than Invisalign depending on the case and the provider. We do not offer full fixed-braces orthodontics in this practice — for that we refer to an orthodontist. What we can tell you is the Invisalign cost at Biltoft up front so you can compare apples to apples.
Can adults get Invisalign or is it just for teens? +
Most of the Invisalign cases we treat are adults — people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond who did not get orthodontics earlier or whose teeth have shifted over the years. Teens can be great candidates too, but compliance matters enormously at that age. We have an honest conversation about wear time before starting.
Will I need a referral to an orthodontist instead? +
Sometimes, yes. If I look at your case and think fixed braces from a specialist will give you a better result — for example, very severe rotations, a significant skeletal issue, or a young patient needing growth modification — I will say so and refer you on. I would rather send you somewhere you will get the right outcome than sell you the wrong tool.