Clear or Metal...Is one better?

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Boohill
Posts: 152
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:08 am

#16 Post by Boohill »

Congrats GeenBug on taking the plunge to get started on this journey. When do you get your braces put on?

mwic1985 or anyone else who can answer. I will be getting full metals in about 3 weeks and I drink 3 or 4 cups of tea a day and I’ve read that tea stains the glue around the brackets. How do you clean that? Does it come off when you brush or does it stain over time and have to be clean at the office?



Thanks in advance
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Adalia
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:52 pm

My ortho said...

#17 Post by Adalia »

Hi!
So I just wanted to chime in; got braced on Saturday metal all the way but I nearly cried at the sight of it. My diastema seemed even weirder than before . Many co- workers have actually nit even noticed. I thought I was going to do ceramic but my ortho threw me for a loop by telling me that her choice would be metal. She felt she could apply more force but that it was up to me. Well, when o saw how much bigger the ceramic brackets were I opted for the much smaller metal. Not to bad so far and I swear my teeth already look different. I must say though, that on this site most of the ladies sport the ceramics and it made me wonder what I'd look like with them. My doc said if I hated them she would switch them ( top) to the ceramic. There was no price difference between the two options. I wish you the best of luck!

bracedup
Posts: 71
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:41 am
Location: Australia

#18 Post by bracedup »

I have all metal self ligitating braces. In three weeks I have had a lot of movement already. I like them and I couldn't be happier.

Steph in Sac
Posts: 160
Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:18 pm

#19 Post by Steph in Sac »

I have ceramic and though the brackets are bigger, I am happy with my decision. No one even notices them. (Only have on lower and teeth don't show much.)

Adalia
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:52 pm

#20 Post by Adalia »

Steph,
I think the ceramic look awsome! I'm so mortified over my metal (insert muffled weeping) . I will try to post a picture but I really am so super aware of them . I just have to own the look like u do bracedup! I really am excited about the prospect of being done faster. I'm just trying to figure out exactly how the self ligating work but i don't have those.

Bracedup: are yours Damon braces?

Oh well back to my angst: At least my students love them and they have been so wonderful.
You guys need to post some pictures!

By the way, my cement on the molars where those anchor things are placed is really noticible when I'm peeking in there. Is that normal ?
Ortho said she didn't want any spaces for food to make it into.

Snowglobe32
Posts: 1224
Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:05 pm

#21 Post by Snowglobe32 »

Why do some people seem to think metal brackets work faster? This topic has been discussed numerous time. The brackets hold the wires in place....they don't move teeth faster.

I love my teeth
Posts: 410
Joined: Wed May 20, 2009 5:16 pm
Location: Michigan, USA!

#22 Post by I love my teeth »

Adalia-

My ortho directed me toward metal for the same reasons, he needed to apply forces that he was not confidant the ceramic could take...he thought if I went with ceramic I would get a comprimised result!! I feel exactly like you do--horrified at how I look, It's been 11months today, and I still hate them--especially in pics!!

At my last appt, he said he was done with the forces he needed to apply and if I wanted to switch the top 8 to ceramic I could--He needed to reapply a bunch to brackets anyway--I jumped at the chance--how silly, sees how I have been in metal for 11months! Of course I had to pay a bit for them, but I am hoping I will be happy with them---maybe that could work for you down the road? just a thought, I never thought I would do it, but here I am doing it, on Monday the 19th!
Wore Braces for 2 years, 5 months, 3 days



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ashesgap
Posts: 709
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:55 am
Location: CO

#23 Post by ashesgap »

Snowglobe32 wrote:Why do some people seem to think metal brackets work faster? This topic has been discussed numerous time. The brackets hold the wires in place....they don't move teeth faster.
Metal does work faster. My ortho told me that, and many people on here have been told the same thing.
29 years old
2-18-10 baby canine pulled
3-15-10 got braces
12-22-11 Moving-SO EXCITED!!
1-2-12 Meet new Ortho
1-5-12 Begin finishing treatment
3-5-12 Canine Implants...dun dun dunnnnn
4-9-12 Deband!
I had braces for Two Years and TwentyFive Days
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TigerLily
Posts: 269
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:48 am
Location: London

#24 Post by TigerLily »

I have clear braces top and bottom and the brackets definitely don't stain as I had a bracket replaced after 2 years and checked the new one carefully but it was practically the same colour. I had wire ligatures throughout so didn't have the staining issues on ligatures, although I did have the odd clear powerchain which stained after a curry (turmeric).

However, my brackets are not ceramic but polycarbonate (Ormco's spirit plus), this is what my ortho prefers over Clarity etc though she does also do them, this is what she's wearing herself.

Adalia
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:52 pm

#25 Post by Adalia »

Hi love my Teeth:

my dentist did say I had the option to change if I wanted... And I think I will. I was reading Tigerlilly's post and noticed she said she had clear polycarbonate brackets . All the types and brands availabe ! I thought I'd done my research before getting my braces but on this site I realized I had only scratched the surface. I'm still trying to get a handle of all the jargon.
Powerchains, ligs, and damons oh my!

Do you guys all have waterpicks?

Tigerlilly: do you have any pictures of your brackets/ mouth ? I'd love to see how those poly's look!

TigerLily
Posts: 269
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:48 am
Location: London

#26 Post by TigerLily »

I don't have any pics of mine but you can see them in this Ormco product catalogue, they are called Spirit.
http://www.ormco.com/index/Ormco-Products
(Ormco also make some of the very well known brands like Damon and Inspire)

I also googled to see if I could find some pictures and found some pictures in the case studies section of this website
http://www.bexleyortho.co.uk

TigerLily
Posts: 269
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:48 am
Location: London

#27 Post by TigerLily »

Adalia, just read back on your previous posts. Don't worry about your metal brackets - once one moves forward in treatment, clear brackets don't seem to matter much when your mouth is full of all types of stuff like elastics and closing loops!

I think quite a few people on archwired have waterpiks, I did buy one but only used it once or twice as it didn't really do much for me so seemed too much of a hassle. Brushing thoroughly with isotonic toothpaste (before isotonic became available, I always used the oxygen bubbles ones), then brushing again with mouthwash only as well as swishing around with mouthwash gets everything squeaky clean.

Adalia
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:52 pm

#28 Post by Adalia »

TigerLilly: wow! Thanks for the info :-) I'm about to go explore on the links you posted and will be going on the hunt for the super hero sounding isotonic toothpaste. Sounds like what the X-Men might use for preserving their smiles!

sunan
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2010 2:10 am

#29 Post by sunan »

I am a spammer. My entire country IP range in China have been banned from this board because of my spamming.

crumble
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2010 9:39 pm

#30 Post by crumble »

I just found this thread after posting the following PM to someone on here;

I also had my ceramic fixed appliances paid privately before having my double jaw surgery (just 1 week ago, owwww!), I did this due to thinking it did not seem proffessional in my job to have a metal mouth and was a bit worried about my image/people staring at an adult in braces etc but I have regretted every step of the way having ceramic braces.

Firstly, they cost me and extra £350 on top of my private fees as you pay individually per bracket.
The total treatment time is lengthened as it takes longer with ceramic as they can't put as much strain on the teeth.
Ceramic brackets break easier which also lengthens treatment time. I've broken 3 brackets and each time had to wait over a week for a new individual bracket to be shipped from america as the orthos don't keep them in stock due to the cost of them.
The worse thing is from an aesthetic point of view I actually believe they look worse than metal braces as the clear bands stain so easily so they only look clear the first 2 or 3 days after getting them changed. No matter what you eat they will stain so you then spend the next 6--8 weekks until the next change looking like you have a very brown dirty mouth and teeth. This looks worse due to the fact that people cant see the braces, only the dirt so it looks like you just don't brush your teeth or are a very heavy smoker.
And the final thing I think is that people have commented to me that they stare more as it looks like something is wrong with my mouth and they can't immediatey see what,whereas if I had metal braces they wouldhave just looked once and seen it was obvious and probably never noticed again!
When I actually got my braces I was strangley proud of them/wanted people to notice as I found it amazing they were making such a change to my teeth and wanted people to comment etc but they never did as they thought I was embarased about them and wanted to hide them. It seems that a lot of people get this affect and actually really miss their braces on debanding!
Also after your jaw op the mouth wash you have to use whilst you can't clean properly can turn the elastics and ceramics dark brown/black which looks pure disgusting

I really wish I had knew about some of these before making my choice, Idon't know if any of this will be a help to you but I found my private ortho was very keen to push me into this choice due to the extra money he makes for it but every NHS ortho/orthognathic person I have seen since tell me how much people usually regret the choice/how much extra work it makes for them

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