The truth about Damons

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#1 Post by **jrh37** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 8:24 pm

I am getting damon's October 31st on top and bottom. My biggest issue about getting braces is how they will look--all metal.

My ortho says that they are 50% clear...but I am not so sure about that. The pictures I have seen don't seem to be 50% less visible that traditional metal. Also, he says it will be much faster, probably less than a year. But he can't promise that....

What is the deal? Do they really look half-clear? Are they that much faster? I have read all about them on the Damon website and from Doctor's sites, but what are YOUR experiences. I would TRULY appreciate any pictures of people with top and bottom damons to get myself prepared.

I am no longer deciding...this is my only option for the work I need to get done (jaw alignment and occlusion). I just want to be the most prepared for how I am going to look the second I get out of the chair. I am nauseous thinking about it....and need your help.

Thanks!

#2 Post by **jcdamon3** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:21 pm

Hi,

I have damon 3's and while I am camera shy - sorry about that, I just want to give you reassurance that I had all the same feelings as you did when I realized I wasn't getting the clear ceramics on top. I just about went crazy trying to look for pictures. By the way if you can find a post from "attagirl" she has a good picture. Also the Ormco website http://ormco.com/damon/index.cfm, if you go to their case studies there are some really good pictures there but I just noticed that those are damon2, so yours will look much better. They really are much smaller than the metal brackets, but they are pretty obvious. When you smile, there will be no question in people's mind that you have braces on. This is good and bad. It is good in that they won't be wondering why your teeth look "weird" Bad if you want totally invisible braces.

I think you will be very happy with them. I have the damon3 and my daughter has the metal brackets. She has purple ligs. Her show up much more than mine. But again, you can definitely tell I am wearing braces. I don't try to hide it. In fact I think I smile more now that I have braces. Isn't that weird? My teeth have moved ALOT in just a couple of months, it is really amazing.

Good luck on your journey!

#3 Post by **Attagirl2** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:31 am

Hi, I will save you the trouble of the attachment. I have Damon 3's. I like them very much. My troubles are the following:
1. I have gold crowns on all my first molars. Over the course of the past 11 months, I have broken the brackets off three of the molars two times each. After the second time around, I have had the offending molar banded.
2. I make an extremely large amount of tartar and it gets into the brackets keeping the doors from opening. The doctor has found a compound that can be put on them to help remove the tartar, so this is helping. (Some one reported that a high calcium content in the saliva causes the tartar build up. I drink at least 3 glasses of milk a day plus whatever other calcium I get....)

You can stay calm - getting them on does not hurt. Your teeth/jaws will be tender afterwards as the pressure from the wires start working. I suggest taking a ibuprohin before going to your appointment, and use chapstick before too.

Best wishes to you.

#4 Post by **Nikkiekoala** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:51 pm

I love my Damon 3's. They are very small. You can definitly tell that I have braces but that doesn't bother me. In fact I feel more secure about my teeth now with braces than I did before. That is because now people can see that I am doing something about it. I haven't had any problems with them. I had one bracket come off but that was not a surprise to the ortho being as it was on a crown. He expected it but thought he would try anyway. I have had to have a wire changed on the bottom and the doors were a little tough to open but they opened with slight pressure. It usually is the bottom brackets that will have difficulty opening.
Good luck with your journey towards a super smile.

#5 Post by **raregem** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:46 am

I think Damon 3's are great. I can brush my teeth normally (I hear normal braces are annoying to clean), food rarely gets stuck in it, and it's as if I don't even have them except the usual pain that braces cause. They supposedly work faster and don't hurt when they are taken off (normal braces do). They are also smaller and half clear. There are no ligs so they aren't even as prevalent as other braces although people will be able to see you have them but no one really cares if you have braces to be honest.

If you are concerned about the metal part and wish you had ceramics since they are clear, well ceramics hurt getting taken off. They are stronger than teeth and have the ability to chip teeth. Damon 3's are imo the best braces out there right now. Orthodontics have to go to special seminars to even be allowed to use them.

#6 Post by **AustinWired** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:22 pm

I have ceramics, and they're okay, but I would really have considered Damons had they been an option. The reason- I have small teeth, and ceramic brackets are kind of big. They also have rough edges, so if you are prone to canker sores (and I am) they can be a bit troubling at times. It would also be nice to not worry about ligatures all the time. I don't really like colors on mine, and the white and clear ones stain pretty easily.

Hope this makes you feel more confident about the Damons!