What's the difference between Invisalign vs Braces?

Invisalign clear aligner therapy, like braces (bracket and wire) are tools a dentist can use to create the proper force and momentum to safely re-position and align teeth.The aesthetic differences are easy to tell.  Invisalign treatment does not contain unsightly metal and wires, but rather it is a clear plastic.  Teeth have tooth colored "attachments" placed for anchorage and certain movements.  Hygienically, the difference is tremendous.  As, aligners are not worn when eating and drinking and are taken off when brushing and flossing. Whereas, traditional braces are fixed in the mouth and therefore are prone to trap food and are difficult to keep clean.After reading this, one may ask, why would anyone choose braces?  The answer is that in medicine there are always different options to achieve a desired outcome.  And there are always different variables that make one option better than the next.  Some variables are patient born - meaning is the patient able to be compliant enough to wear a removable device vs a fixed wire and bracket?  Conversely, is the patient going to have the manual dexterity to properly clean around braces vs easily removing the aligners and easily cleaning there mouth.   Additionally, certain movements or current teeth misalignment may be better served with braces over invisalign or visa versa.  Some variables are Doctor born - meaning some are more comfortable with what they have been practicing and/or do not have enough experience with different options and therefore, suggest the one they are more comfortable with over the other. If you are interested in seeing if Invisalign is a good choice for your specific situation, you should seek out an experienced Invisalign provider in your area ( look for Invisalign Elite or Elite 1% titles).  An experienced Invisalign provider can easily tell you if you are better served with Invisalign or better served with bracket and wires or a combination of the two.My hope for every patient who comes to my office for an Invisalign consult is that I can say the magic words:  Invisalign will be a great treatment option for you.  And for most those words are spoken.

Given the choice between clear aligners and brackets and wires, no one would choose conventional braces.  In our office we have completely stopped using brackets and wires.  We were getting equal treatment time with the same result at the same cost.

Well here are a few differences:Invisalign: nearly invisable; fast and require minimal adjustments; cheaper than metal braces; allow you to whiten your teeth as you straighten; are generally pain-free to inside surfaces of your lips; require short follow-up appointments; are safe for those playing contact sports; are great for mild to moderate cases of misaligned teeth.Metal braces: unsightly looking; slower and require cumbersome adjustments, rubber bands, etc.; more expensive than Invisalign; make it impossible to whiten your teeth as you straighten; can be painful for the inside surface of your lips; require longer follow-up appointments; are more dangerous for those playing contact sports; are great for severe cases of misaligned teeth.That's my synopsis, so follow me if you have any additional questions

Invisalign and braces are BOTH amazing, but the two options are SO different. In almost all situations (except a few), very similar results can be accomplished with braces and Invisalign in a very similar amount of time. So, what makes them so different??? THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE
On one hand, Invisalign clear trays are removable and can be taken out whenever you like. On the other hand, braces are glued onto your teeth. The two options provide a VERY different experience.
PROS OF INVISALIGN: A) Esthetics - of course Invisalign looks better than braces B) Comfort while eating - you are able to take the trays out while eating which provides a nice sense of freedom C) Less diet restrictions - with braces, there are more restrictions on foods that you not supposed to eat
PROS OF BRACES: A) Less responsibility - you don't have to worry about taking trays in and out because they are glued onto your teeth B) Predictability - because braces take compliance of wearing trays out of the picture
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN BRACES AND INVISALIGN: A) Your friends will know you are in the middle of orthodontic treatment whether your have braces or Invisalign - it's not a secret B) Mild discomfort - discomfort in orthodontics is from your teeth moving so soreness can be expected from either treatment modality. B) Time of treatment - if accomplished as efficiently as possible, braces and Invisalign should move your teeth in a similar amount of time 
DECISION TIME!!!! I think the two most important aspects to make this decision are (1) Your view on the appearance of braces AND (2) Responsibility.
-If you do not like the appearance of braces and you know that you will be responsible wearing the Invisalign trays, you likely will choose Invisalign.
-If you do not like the appearance of braces but don't think you will be responsible wearing the Invisalign trays, you may try Invisalign but clear braces may really be the best option.
-If you do not mind the appearance of braces and know that you will be responsible wearing the Invisalign trays, any option is probably good.
-If you do not mind the appearance of braces and don't think you will be responsible wearing the Invisalign trays, you will likely choose metal braces or clear braces.

Invisalign uses a series of custom plastic aligners that gradually straighten the teeth. The aligners must be worn for a minimum of 22 hours/day, so basically full-time unless you are eating or brushing your teeth. You can still drink water with the aligners in. The aligners are switched out every week to 2 weeks according to the speed of movement of your teeth. 
Braces use metal brackets and wires bonded to the teeth to move the teeth. The archwires have shape memory and put force on the teeth to correct position of the teeth. Sometimes elastics or other appliances are used in addition to the brackets and wires to correct the bite. 
Both methods are effective at moving the teeth and improving your smile. In saying this, each has its advantages and disadvantages. 
The main advantages of invisalign are they are clear and practically invisable so they are highly esthetic. This is especially important to our adult patients. The other advantage is the fact that they are removable so there are no diet restrictions and it is easier to maintain great oral hygiene. The main disadvantage is they require high compliance in order to achieve great results. 
Braces have an advantage in correcting certain types of bites, such as severe deep bites or cases that require surgery, although invisalign technology has come a long way in correcting these types of cases. The disadvantages of braces are they more noticable, less hygienic, and often require more visits for adjustments. 
I believe at looking at each patient on a case by case basis and going over the pros and cons of both treatments with them prior to deciding together which treatment would be best for them. But generally, I consider Invisalign to be the first choice in most cases.

Invisalign is a brand of clear aligners that move teeth in position using a series of tightly fitted plastic trays. Each tray moves teeth by .25 mm and must be worn for 22 hrs a day for the treatment to be effective. Braces on the other hand move teeth through use of wires that are looped into brackets which in turn are cemented to teeth. Technology behind Invisalign makes the treatment more predictable. Therefore patients have a clear understanding of the results they should expect and the time required to achieve the results ahead of making a commitment. This along with requirement for less office visit makes Invisalign a convenient choice for adults in particular. 

Invisalign
aligners and fixed or  “train track” type braces  both allow the dentist to move your  teeth. They do  however  work in
very different ways.
Fixed
braces have small  metal or sometimes white  brackets which are glued
onto your teeth and cannot be removed during treatment. Wires are then attached
onto these brackets and changed during the course of the treatment until the
desired tooth movements are achieved. Treatment takes usually between 12-24
months for most treatments.
Invisalign
consist of a series of clear aligners . Each pair of aligners (an upper and
matching lower), moves your teeth by a pre determined amount before the next
aligners is then worn which further moves the teeth . There are no brackets
attached to your teeth although often very small white “attachments”
essentially “white coloured surface attached  filings “ are placed to the
surface of specific  teeth to aid in movement but these are almost
undetectable.
There
are advantages and disadvantages to both systems;
For
some complex treatment Invisalign will not get the results possible with fixed
braces. However for many cases Invisalign can get a perfectly acceptable result.
Fixed
braces are generally cheaper than Invisalign.
Invisalign
allows you to see an animated demonstration of the proposed treatment and
resulting outcome using software which allows you to see the prosed final
result before you start  - called  a
 “ Clinicheck” . This is not the case with Fixed braces.
Treatment
times are comparable with both systems and come sometimes be quicker with
Invisalign.
Fixed
braces cannot be removed by the patient while with Invisalign  the dentist
is relying on a patient wearing the aligners  for 22 hours a day which can
be a problem if the patient is not motivated to do so.   
Invisalign
are cosmetically superior to fixed braces . Fixed train track braces are quite
poor aesthetically even if one uses white rather than metal brackets as it has
a wire attaching them to your teeth – hence the term “train tracks”. One cannot
normally see that a person is wearing their Invisalign aligners while with
fixed braces it is quite evident. As a result many patients and  especially adults  do not like fixed braces as an option.
With
fixed braces care has to be taken when eating as brackets can break off. This
will necessitate further  dental visits to have these repaired . This may
 prolong treatment time and can  be chargeable. Invisible aligner
type  braces do not have this
disadvantage although the  aligners can
be lost and sometimes  broken.
Another
big benefit with Invisalign   is that the aligner  can be
removed to clean your teeth where as this is not possible with fixed braces .

Both Invisalign and braces straighten teeth so that they look and function better. They apply controlled forces to teeth to move them in a specific prearranged direction. Most of us are familiar with traditional braces, which are made of stainless steel or titanium. The parts that comprise braces are the brackets, which are attached to the the teeth using a special bonding agent that adheres to the tooth surface. Unlike braces, the Invisalign system uses clear, virtually invisible aligners to move teeth into place. Aligners are custom fitted and created using advanced, 3-D imaging software to generate a graphical representation of the doctor’s treatment plan.
The main difference between braces and Invisalign is that during treatment, braces cannot be removed and they are essentially permanent. On the other hand, Invisalign can be removed if you want and it’s actually recommended you do so before eating. As well, many patients find that Invisalign is less painful than braces,   because aligners straighten your teeth more gradually. Every couple of weeks you will receive new aligners that will apply forces to gradually move your teeth, without any tightening required.
Because Invisalign is less forceful than braces, it might not be able to fix all issues. Invisalign is meant to straighten out moderate to minor imperfections like crooked teeth. If you have bite issues or severely problematic tooth alignment, then this option may not be strong enough to completely fix them.

As many others have pointed out, Invisalign and traditional (metal) braces, do have their differences; Invisalign is a great option for patients that are looking to avoid having obvious and bulky metal braces, however, not all patients are good candidates for Invisalign. Some of the more complex cases may be better suited for traditional braces. One thing to make sure to understand with Invisalign is that the results predicted in the online software (called "ClinCheck") may not be a 100% accurate depiction of what the actual final results may be. Although, once you get through the invisalign treatment, you will likely get noticeably better results that with which you started. It's all about managing expectations. Traditional braces can move teeth in ways that invisalign cannot, and, if your dentist is an Invisalign provider, he or she should be able to identify which cases are better suited for invisalign and which cases should be referred to an orthodontist for traditional braces. 

Invisalign is great!  But it is a brand, just like BMW is a type of car, Apple is a type of computer, or Louis Vuitton is a type of handbag.  
Invisalign is a type of clear aligner therapy that uses clear retainer type appliances to move teeth by putting forces on teeth from the aligner.  We can achieve a lot with clear aligner therapy, but not all movements are achievable with this therapy.  I would be weary of doctors who promise the world with Invisalign--they probably haven't done enough cases to see what can and cannot be achieved with clear aligners.
I primarily use Invisalign to achieve beautiful smiles in the front part of the mouth, where we can easily tip teeth into the correct positions.
Conventional braces use different forces to anchor the teeth using metal wires, and therefore we can usually obtain stronger forces from these appliances, and therefore address more complex issues.
Invisalign is a great therapy option for some patients, but it would be best to be evaluated by an experienced doctor to see if you can achieve your goals together!