If you have typed “braces” into Google and ended up here, this one is for you. Plenty of articles online will try to convince you that clear aligners have made braces obsolete. They have not. Fixed braces still have a proper place in modern orthodontics, and there are cases where they will do a better job than Invisalign will. There are also cases — probably most adult cases, honestly — where aligners are the better fit. This piece is meant to help you tell which is which.

I am Dr Daniel Johnston. We do Invisalign in-house at Biltoft Dental in Murwillumbah, and for cases that need fixed braces or more complex orthodontics we refer to a specialist orthodontist. I am not trying to sell you aligners. I am trying to help you walk in somewhere — here or an orthodontist’s practice — already thinking clearly about what your teeth actually need.

Braces have been the default image of orthodontic treatment for sixty years. Most adults who come in asking about straightening their teeth still say “braces” first, even when what they eventually choose is Invisalign. That is fine. The word is a shorthand for “I want my teeth straighter” — not a commitment to metal brackets.

What has changed is the menu. Healthdirect describes modern orthodontic treatment as “straightening or aligning teeth with braces or aligners”, and notes patients may also have expansion plates, bite-correcting springs, or lingual braces fitted to the inside of the teeth. The options have widened a lot since the 1990s. But that does not mean fixed braces have gone away — it means they are one tool in a bigger kit.

What fixed braces actually do well

Let us talk about the cases where I still recommend braces over aligners.

Severe rotations and large tooth movements

If a tooth is turned a long way from where it should be — say, a canine rotated 60 or 70 degrees — fixed braces have more mechanical leverage to bring it around predictably. Aligners can do rotations, and newer attachment designs have improved things considerably, but there is still a range beyond which a wire and bracket system is more reliable.

The same goes for moving a tooth a significant vertical distance (pushing it up into the bone, or drawing it down). Fixed appliances control those movements more directly.

Impacted teeth that need to be moved into the arch

A canine stuck high in the gum or palate is a classic example. Getting it down into the arch usually involves surgical exposure plus a bracket bonded to the tooth and a chain attached to the main wire. That is a fixed-braces job. Aligners cannot do it.

Teenagers who need growth modification

Children and teenagers with jaw-size mismatches — where the upper and lower jaws are not developing in proportion — often benefit from appliances that guide jaw growth during the years the bones are still pliable. That might be a palatal expander, a functional appliance, or in some cases headgear, combined with braces. This is specialist orthodontic territory, and the timing matters — miss the growth window and the options narrow.

This is outside what we do at Biltoft. If I see a teenager where growth modification is on the table, I refer to an orthodontist.

Teens who genuinely will not wear aligners

This one is blunt, but it matters. Invisalign requires 20 to 22 hours a day of wear. If a teenager will not commit to that — and plenty will not, for perfectly understandable teenage reasons — the treatment stalls. Trays sit in a case instead of on the teeth, each aligner stops fitting properly, and we have to refine repeatedly or give up.

Fixed braces remove the choice. They are on until the orthodontist takes them off. For a young person where compliance is genuinely uncertain, that is not a limitation — it is the whole point.

For more on when aligners do work for younger patients, Invisalign Teen — how we assess whether it will work for your teenager goes through how we make that call.

Very complex bites

Deep bites, open bites, some class II and class III malocclusions — these can sometimes be treated with aligners, but more complicated cases often benefit from the fine-tuned control of fixed appliances, sometimes combined with elastics, temporary anchorage devices, or other mechanics. An orthodontist is the right person to plan those.

Where Invisalign usually wins for adults

If you are an adult searching “braces” because you finally want to do something about your teeth, here is the honest picture.

Most adult cases are mild-to-moderate

The patients we see most often are adults with some crowding at the front, a bit of spacing, teeth that have shifted over the years, or a previous round of orthodontics where the retainers stopped being worn and the teeth drifted back. These are bread-and-butter aligner cases. Both tools can do them — but aligners do them with less social cost.

Aesthetics matter more than you think

Thin, clear plastic trays are almost invisible at conversation distance. For people in client-facing work — teachers, nurses, real estate, hospitality, anyone on video calls half the day — the aesthetic difference is often the deciding factor. Plenty of adults have put off treatment for a decade because they could not face the idea of metal brackets. Aligners remove that barrier.

Hygiene is simpler

With aligners out of your mouth for brushing and flossing, keeping your teeth clean is unchanged from your normal routine. With fixed braces, cleaning around brackets and wires is a daily effort, and decalcification marks — white patches on enamel — are a real risk if hygiene slips across 18 months of treatment.

You can still eat what you like

No food restrictions with aligners. With braces, sticky and hard foods are off the menu for the duration, and broken brackets from a careless bite are a regular source of unplanned appointments.

If you are weighing the full comparison, Invisalign vs braces — which one is actually right for you? goes deeper into the trade-offs.

How to figure out which bucket your case falls into

Short of a proper assessment, here are the questions that tend to point one way or the other.

Are you still growing? If the answer is yes and there is a skeletal component to your bite, an orthodontist needs to see you, and the answer is probably fixed braces and possibly other appliances.

Do you have a tooth that is rotated a long way or stuck up in the gum? That leans toward fixed braces, at least for that tooth.

Is your main concern mild-to-moderate crowding or spacing, and you are an adult? Aligners are likely in play.

Are you honest with yourself about wear time? If you already know you forget things, skip routines, or will take them out for long social evenings — fixed braces are the more reliable tool for you, even if aligners look more appealing on paper.

Is cost the biggest factor? Then you need quotes from both — Invisalign here, fixed braces from an orthodontist — and compare two real numbers.

If this is starting to sound like something you want a proper opinion on, the next step is a consultation. I will look at your teeth, take scans or x-rays where needed, and give you a straight recommendation — aligners with us, a referral to an orthodontist, or sometimes “your teeth are actually fine, leave it alone”. You can book online or call us on (02) 6672 1980.

What braces and aligners have in common

Whichever tool you end up with, the underlying biology is the same. Both work by applying gentle, sustained pressure that remodels the bone around each tooth root. Teeth do not snap into position — they migrate over months, one tiny increment at a time.

That means a few things are true regardless of the appliance:

  • Treatment takes time. Healthdirect puts orthodontic treatment at 18 months or more for typical cases. Rushing the biology does not work.
  • Retainers are permanent. After any orthodontic treatment, teeth want to drift back toward where they started. Retainers — either removable at night or a thin wire bonded behind the front teeth — are the only thing that holds the result. Retainers after Invisalign covers the detail for aligner patients, and the principle is identical for braces.
  • Hygiene matters. Gum health during treatment is not optional. Teeth move more predictably through healthy bone and gum, and white-spot decalcification during treatment is a real and preventable problem.
  • Results vary. Every mouth is different. Two patients with “similar” crowding can have very different underlying bite relationships, root positions, and bone patterns. Individual results vary — any clinician who promises you a specific outcome has not looked at your scan yet.

The Biltoft position, in plain terms

We are an Invisalign provider. We are honest about what that covers and what it does not. For cases that fit within the range aligners handle well, we treat them in-house, with a fixed price of $5,000 for a single arch or $8,000 for both. For cases that need fixed braces, combination mechanics, or growth modification, we refer to an orthodontist. If you would rather go straight to an orthodontist for the whole assessment, that is also a completely reasonable path — the Australian Society of Orthodontists has a specialist finder on their website.

What I would rather you not do is pick a tool before anyone has looked at your mouth. “I want braces” and “I want Invisalign” are both fine starting points for a conversation, not fine endpoints on their own.

For the full picture on how aligner treatment runs in practice, have a read of our Invisalign guide. And if you would rather have a face-to-face chat, 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 look and an honest recommendation — whichever tool that ends up being.

Frequently asked questions

Do you do braces at Biltoft Dental? +

We do Invisalign clear aligners in-house — $5,000 for a single arch, $8,000 for both. We do not do full fixed-braces orthodontics ourselves. If your case needs braces or a combination approach, I will refer you to a specialist orthodontist rather than talk you into the wrong tool.

Are fixed braces better than Invisalign? +

Neither is universally better. Fixed braces have more mechanical control for severe rotations, large vertical tooth movements, impacted teeth that need to be moved into position, and cases where jaw growth needs guiding in a teenager. Invisalign fits most adult cases — crowding, spacing, mild-to-moderate bite issues — and is usually easier to live with. The right answer depends on your mouth.

Can adults still get braces? +

Yes. Adults can have fixed braces, lingual braces (on the inside of the teeth), ceramic (tooth-coloured) braces, or clear aligners. Most adults who come in asking about braces end up preferring Invisalign for the aesthetics and the ability to remove them for eating, but there are adult cases where fixed braces still give a better result.

How long does orthodontic treatment take? +

Healthdirect notes that orthodontic treatment to straighten teeth can take 18 months or more because teeth need to gradually move into alignment. Both fixed braces and Invisalign typically fall in the 12 to 24 month range for comprehensive cases. Simpler cosmetic cases can sometimes be done in 6 to 9 months. Individual results vary.

Should I see a dentist or an orthodontist for braces? +

An orthodontist is a specialist with three extra years of training beyond dental school and is the right person for complex or skeletal cases, and for full fixed-braces treatment. A general dentist with Invisalign accreditation (like us) can handle many straightforward aligner cases. At Biltoft we assess first and refer on if an orthodontist will do a better job than we can.

What does it cost? +

Invisalign at Biltoft is $5,000 single arch or $8,000 full. Fixed braces from an orthodontist vary widely depending on the case and the provider — we cannot quote for a service we do not offer. Most private health extras cover a portion of orthodontic treatment for either option, usually with lifetime limits. Check your fund before you start.