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I've already posted my dilemma in the clear aligners strand but figured that you lot on here would be able to give advice too....
To cut a long story short, I'm in a dilemma over whether to go for invisalign treatment that will improve my slightly crooked smile but won't help my crooked bite, or having ceramic braces that will sort out the lot.
One of the teeth I'm particularly concerned about is too far up in the gum and my ortho is also concerned that invisalign treatment may not bring it down.
My main problem is that I had full metal braces at school and absolutely hated it! I don't have great self esteem and am just worried about going through a similar experience with ceramic - are they much less noticable than metal?
Luckily I'd only have to have them for 5 months which isn't long compared to most of you, but I really don't know whether I can put up with a metal mouth again or whether I should settle for clear aligners and less perfect results.
I would get the ceramics over the clear aligners if I were you. The ceramics look so much better than metal in my opinion. Also, I'm not sure but I think clear aligners are more expensive than braces. Also, I was told if you lose one set of aligners you have to pay for the hole treatment over again. If you get ceramic braces you only wear them five months unlike most people who have to wear them for a year and longer. The time will fly by very fast.
Go with what will fix your bite. It may not be the driving force behind your motivation for getting braces , but if you don't fix it now it may become a bigger problem in the future (speaking from personal experience here). If the look of metal really bothers you, by all means go for the clear brackets. I had metal put on last Monday and after the first two days of shock everytime I looked in the mirror I can honestly say I don't really 'see' them anymore. In fact I keep having to point out the braces because people really don't notice. I think people are really much more self absorbed than we given them credit for.
initially when i decided i wanted my teeth to look better i considered having veneers/crowns, having braces never even crossed my mind...then when i rang a cosmetic dental practice and spoke to them they said that ideally they would rather not shave down perfectly healthy teeth and asked how i felt about braces...WELL...i did not even want to consider braces! as i did start to consider them however, i considered invisaligne, lingual and ceramic. the dental practice i has my consult with did not offer lingual, i don't think anywhere near where i live does so i then started to consider just the ceramic, metal weren't an option and invisaligne went out the window somewhere along the path, not quite sure why! i think i read a few stories that put me off it. personally i think if your smile is only slighty imperfect yet you're still wanting the treatment then i don't think you'd be very happy if you went the invisaligne route...why pay out money and waste time and energy if you're still not gonna have the perfect smile? i now have metal braces which a year ago i would not have even considered and i'm doing fine. this forum has helped me a lot and given me the confidence i needed to go for it. my change from ceramic to metal was due to staining/cost etc etc...
my point is that although initially i never would have considered braces full stop, here i am now with full metal braces! i have to keep these for approx 9-12 months which is relatively short compared to some people on here. 5 months is absolutely nothing in comparison and will fly by! i can assure you that the hardest part about the whole braces saga is making the decision and worrying about the process BEFORE it happens. once the decision is made and the braces are on it is much much easier and all the support on these pages is just brilliant.
i think for you to consider any sort of treatment on your teeth you must be more confident than you give yourself credit for and if you're gonna start working toards a better smile then why not have the perfect smile? do you honestly think you'd be happy with anything less?
i guess i'm basing my opinion of this on my experience and those i have read about on here so i may be totally off the mark, if so i'm sorry on the otherhand if this strikes a chord then i'm glad to have been of help...
Last edited by Natalie on Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
Yes, ceramic are much less noticable than metal, but they ARE noticable up close. People will still notice you have braces, probably just not as many people.
I spent the day with someone who took several hours to notice my ceramics!
Howdy,
This is a question that gets discussed often on this website. It's kind of like asking "what is a better pet - a cat or a dog". You might want to check back on some of the other discussions on this.
Basically the answer is - it depends. On your personal preference, on what your ortho recommends, on the specifics of your case, ...
It would be very nice if there was a single answer for this question, but I don't think there is. So, go with your gut feeling on what's right for you and the recommendations of your ortho.
I have ceramic and they are really not that noticeable.
It's like, "Do you have braces??? How long have you had them for?"
"Oh, several months now"
"Seriously!? I never noticed them"
I would say go for the ceramics if it's going to fix your bite problems.
I am like you - very self conscious, not much self esteem. But since I got the braces my teeth have straightened considerably, and since you can hardly even see the braces anyway, it's like I have an almost perfect smile, so I am actually feeling a lot better.
I have ceramics on top with a gold archwire and they are a LOT less noticable I think than the when I had a silver archwire.I posted a picture of them on MMF under Lig Colors.
I have ceramics (top and bottom), and they are not noticable from a distance. My wife says she can't see them at all after about 10 feet. Up close they are visible, but they don't jump out at you like the metal ones. My daughter and son have metal, so I have something to compare too. Their braces are very noticable at any distance...
I spent Saturday with my brother and he did not notice them for several hours. He finally noticed them when I laughed... Then it was, "do you have braces? Oh, to straighten up your teeth...". And that was that.
Most people don't seem to notice, that I can tell. When they do, they start glancing at your teeth to figure out what is different. That is about it, not a big deal so far...
My suggestion is to go with the ceramics. Get your teeth straightened AND your bite corrected.
At some point a bad bite has a very good chance of causing other problems.
Of the two treatments that I'm aware of to correct bite issues, both require braces. Ceramics aren't that noticeable.Even today's metal braces are significantly less noticeable than the metal bands of twenty years ago. I teach school and had the ceramics for about a week when I finally told my students that I was surprized no one had said anything. The response I got was we didn't know except for one girl. She told me that she thought I always had them!
If you have a bite issue, take care of it. Its false economy to start the process and leave it half done only to repeat it in ten years. Plus if you're a grinder you'll destroy the trays.
So far in almost two months I love the progress. Makes the process something I actually enjoy.
Good luck in your decision.
Mike
I wore braces (this time) for 1294 days or 3 years, 6 months and 17 days.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
i can assure you that the hardest part about the whole braces saga is making the decision and worrying about the process BEFORE it happens. once the decision is made and the braces are on it is much much easier and all the support on these pages is just brilliant.
This is the most true quote I have ever seen in regards to getting braces as an adult. Once they are on... it is CAKE.
Wow you lot, I'm so glad I found this site - and the number of fast replies show just how many people are in this position!
Thanks so much for your replies, it's helping me to lean towards ceramic braces (though still squeamish and not completely decided)
Mike, I am a grinder from time to time! Which I didn't realise could affect invisalign treatment (and I guess could probably worsen my bite in the future). Luckily at the end of treatment they're going to put a permanent wire behind my front teeth so they can't relapse once straight so hopefully this will be the second and last time I have to have braces!
And Natalie, if you were able to make the move from only considering veneers to full metal braces with no real confidence issues then hopefully I can do it too!
Keep the replies coming, it's so confidence building!
As other members have already mentioned, I agree it's best to go with the actual braces if you have to correct your bite.
In regards to ceramics, I have them on my uppers and lowers and I've been told they're not noticeable from far away. Friends noticed the wires, but only if they were standing as close as 5 feet.
But whatever you decide to choose, you'll have a great smile in the end!
I had a tray made for teeth whitening which I've been assured is very close to the Invisalign trays. In less than two weeks that tray had more than one hole in it. If you grind and have bite issues, you are not a good candidate for Invisalign, imho.
My bite issues have grown worse as I've aged. I wish I had done this sooner but I didn't. As most people have said making the decision is the hard part. Once you start and begin to see progress its a thrill, a rush, a great experience! For me I have three goals, seeing my teeth (seriously before braces they were invisible, helping with my TMJ and my bite. They're far from perfect but I see 200% more teeth than before. They'll even show up in a photo. I'm sure over the next two years the other two goals will be achieved.
As you've seen in the pictures the ceramics are not that bad.
I've come to believe that people will pay attention to them when you pay attention to them.
Good luck in your decision.
Mike
Mike
I wore braces (this time) for 1294 days or 3 years, 6 months and 17 days.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
on the otherhand if this strikes a chord then i'm glad to have been of help...
