Why did you choose metals over ceramics or vice versa?

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#16 Post by **markuhde** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 11:35 pm

My ortho does charge a little more for me as an adult I think, though how much more I don't know. I just know the quote he gave me says adult on the top of the pricing. I know it's $200 more than my friend paid for similar treatment that started 2 and a half years ago. I asked about that and wasn't told it was because of my age, I was just told the price had gone up. In fact lucky me, the price went up just a couple weeks before by almost $100...

But I think age is a factor in his pricing because my quote says "comprehensive adult orthodontic treatment - option A" at the top.

That factor does NOT bother me. As an adult he's going to end up seeing me a couple more times to get the same work done since my teeth will, on average, move slower. Hence the price.

Same reason why I get my hair cut cheaper than a girl's although my hairdresser jokes that I'm more work and pickier than most of her female clients.... I do tip her well LOL.

#17 Post by **Natalie** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 4:16 am

good point merytan.

i chose metal over ceramic right at the last minute. i figured if i was going to be wearing braces they'd be visible anyway so i may as well not look as though i was trying to hide them. i thought it would be better for someone to look and think oh she has braces rather than spend sometime staring at my mouth trying to figure out what was on my teeth! and i'm not saying that anyone or indeed everyone would do this but it was just a thought i had!

if i had gone with ceramic then i would have wanted to take advantage of them being more descreet so i would have gone with ligs to match...i was worried about staining (i smoke and like to drink red wine and eat curry. i didn't want to have to worry about what i could and couldn't eat for this reason so i figured metal would be better for me then once they were on i could forget about them. the sort of person i am i would have been checking for staining all the time otherwise!

#18 Post by **Lisa65** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 4:57 am

I'd just like to point out that the difference in cost between all metal and ceramic "social six" is actually a very small proportion of the total treatment cost.

From the orthodontic suppliers orthocare.co.uk (which is where my ortho orders his stuff)

intrigue silk ceramic brackets Â£7.95 each making a total of Â£47.70 for 6
basic metal spectrum II brackets Â£1.70 each making a total of Â£10.20

Â£37 (about 70 USD) is a pretty small part of treatment costs that generally run into the thousands.

#19 Post by **Natalie** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 10:24 am

i wasn't offered social six...either metal or ceramic...i would have had to have paidnÂ£400 more for ceramic than i did with metal.

#20 Post by **Anticipator** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 12:06 pm

Anticpator you make some good points, but for many of us with ceramics, it's got nothing to do with having them for visibility factors. My ortho puts upper six on all his adults (18 years and over) for free, as he considers them a better look than a metal mouth for adults. He's also loves the glow of the coloured ligs on them.

I'm sure that there are some adults who choose ceramic brackets to produce a "glow" when using colored ligs but I truly doubt that it's a statistically significant percentage that opts for ceramics for that reason.

I'm going to stick with my position that ceramic brackets are largely chosen because they are not as visible. I personally think that colors look better on metal brackets, but that's my opinion.

He's also found that the majority of ceramic brackets are smoother in finish and therefore more comfortable. Something I agree with, due to having two different brands of ceramic brackets and two different brands of stainless steel brackets in my mouth. Ok ... that's a limited amount of research ... but more than most can do in one journey!

I've also read that they are smoother, but I've also read they are larger and bulkier.

I guess some people with braces do notice other people with braces, but remember people without braces (unless they have a fetish), will not notice ... it's just not important. So this is only an issue for the wearer and easily fixed by a visit to the ortho for new ligs, or waiting till your next appointment. This has not detered the many people on this site who still wear clear with ceramics due to them preferring this look.

I disagree that only people with braces and people with fetishes notice other peoples' teeth, otherwise I'd imagine less of us would get involved with getting our teeth fixed at all.

Plus if your statement were true that "people without braces will not notice (other people with braces)" then why even bother for ceramic at all?

Maybe it's a cultural difference between the US and NZ, but I think that with as many people who've grown up with the luxury of orthodontia during childhood in addition to the number of people who're currently going through it as adults, in the US teeth are paid attention to, and as an extention, the things on your teeth are paid attention to as well. My view was (when I was choosing brackets) and still is that metal brackets are more aesthetic than ceramic brackets with stained ligs.

I don't want to have to run to my ortho any time I feel like eating a staining food. My work schedule makes appointments hard enough to juggle without adding in additional quicky appointments (which I'm sure most orthos don't want to have to deal with) for purely aesthetic matters. I don't like to be a burden, I don't like to have to schedule in additional visits, I don't like to have yellow looking teeth, metal brackets seemed the proactive answer.

It's a shame you're finding orthodontics an inconvenience. Maybe you need to be more proactive with your treatment, and you'll find the only times you remember you have brackets is when you eat ... and that's very minor ... and clean ... which for me is only two or three times a day ... again minor, when compared to the many other things I do daily!

I do find having braces an inconvenience or maybe a better way of saying it is "it involves commitments." It involves commitments of expense, time, image alteration, diet, occasional pain, and increased hygeine. I'm certainly happy to have the ability to do this for myself, but I did not want to add on additional commitments such as having to skip certain menu items for fear of staining seeing as how I'm already skipping a number because of the "no no" list we've all been given.

No, having braces isn't a huge inconvience and I didn't mean it to sound that way, but it is a lot of small commitments that you have to address fairly regularly. Again, I'm happy to be going through this, I chose this completely for myself, but it does impact our daily lives, and when making my choice for brackets I tried to limit its impact, at least where I could.

I hope things continue well with your treatment, and apart from the inconvenience issues, you sound happy with your treatment ... and that's good!

Thank you, I am quite happy overall, I think my braces are due to come off quite soon (within the next month or two is my guess). I've seen your recent entries in your journal and your teeth are looking great.

#21 Post by **Betty Bat** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 5:16 pm

I think that braces are an inconvenience, too! They aren't bad and they aren't keeping me from doing what I want to do, but it does take me longer to eat and longer to clean. And, I still wear elastics at night, which isn't a thrill.

In the same way, I wear glasses (bifocals) and I consider that an inconvenience, too. They get dirty, they get spots when I go out in the rain, it's hard to read the labels on items on the top shelf in the grocery store, and so on.

And, I'm kind of short - that's an inconvenience, too. I can't reach things on the top shelf in my kitchen, and so on.

So, why is it not acceptable to say that braces are an inconvenience?

#22 Post by **Natalie** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:51 am

He does, but he charges a minimal fee for it. His reasoning is that kids are usually happy with metal and adults deserve to be treated as adults and get what he calls 'the professional' look for no extra fee.

the professional look? is this to say that metal brackets don't look as professional as ceramics? i'm confused...

#23 Post by **skibunnie29** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:08 am

I chose ceramic because even though you can see them, they are not as in your face noticable. I look young for my age and wearing metal braces would make me look even younger. I did not want to get braces and was horrified when I found out. I made the committment, but I'm so happy there are options today that didn't exist years ago. The ceramics are a comforting option for me. I think it's a personal choice of the ortho and patient. I saw adults with metal and I thought nothing of it. I however would feel weird at my age. Once again that is just me though.

Thank goodness for choices, because of that more and more people are getting treatment they may have not have gotten.

#24 Post by **tyrablu** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:44 am

I will put my two sense in about this topic.

I got full metal because:

a. they were cheaper. I was already paying over $5000 (US) for treatment. Even an extra $100 or two would have been stretching my limit as I am paying for the treatment entirely out of my pocket.

b. personal preference. I did not care about having a full metal mouth as people were bound to notice the braces and the changes that were being made anyway. Also I just preferred the metal over ceramic.

TB

#25 Post by **dramaqueendaisy** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:24 am

Hello. Just wanted to say that I chose ceramics because I do alot of acting and I didn't want my braces to get in the way of that. On stage you can't see them and close up they're pretty cool too. I'm 38 and a private patient but as far as I'm aware the cost of the treatment with my ortho is the same for metal. I was fortunate enough to have been given the choice and I'm really chuffed with my decision. Obviously it's a really personal but this works for me! I try to be careful with what I eat to avoid staining...but it's not too bad. Red wine tastes the same through a straw!!

#26 Post by **tommyfive** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:00 pm

as usual, this topic is probably the most lively. as much as it's talked about, people seem to not tire of the debate.

i had options, including invisalign, but i went with the least expensive: traditional metal brackets.

i work at home and i don't mind the look.

for me, ceramics were going to cost about $500 more.

as far as i could tell invisalign was going to be more work keeping the trays clean and all that on-and-off to eat. bleah, IMO. with brackets, it's simple: eat then brush; keep a toothbrush handy and you're set. I have to say though that I miss the good old days of flossing naked teeth! [edited - i know i'm in for some of that with retainers...]

also the ortho told me as well that the ceramic brackets they use are bigger than the metal ones they use, so by their experience i probably would have been a little less comfortable with the ceramics (at least for the first few days).

finally, the ortho mentioned that lig staining can be more noticeable with the ceramic brackets. i said above i don't mind the look, but this bothered me; i don't know why...

treatment time is the same, i'll be just as happy when it's over, and i can buy a six-pack with the change!

lower arch thursday 4/19!

#27 Post by **mbarbi** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:06 pm

i chose ceramics mainly for cosmetic reasons.

#28 Post by **jalapeno** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:39 pm

I went with metal for a couple of reasons:

1) All four orthos I consulted with said they'd rather use metal on me for various technical reasons I forget.

2) My wife got braces a few months earlier than me; they were metal Damons and she absolutley loved them, so I decided to go with the same ortho/same braces. And I am very happy with the look and feel of these metal Damons so far.

I don't find them particularly visible on me. The brackets are really tiny, I have pretty big teeth, the brackets seemt be pretty high up, and my lips come doen to about where the braces are.