CERAMIC VS. TRADITIONAL??????????

[juf_84]

I have the brackets I have- self-ligating metal- because that is what my ortho works with. I am really happy with my braces.

I never, ever wanted ceramics- when I was younger I had a few friends who had them and they looked gross! I don't know if it was the brackets or the ligs or what, but yuck! Now I see people in ceramics and they look fine. But they weren't for me- and it was moot anyway because I wasn't given a choice.

[lionfish]

It's really a personal preference. My ortho does invisalign, lingual, ceramic and traditional metal.

I opted for lingual on top and ceramic on the bottom. All my wires have been metal and I've always gone with pearl ligs and/or powerchains (call me conservative....).

I also eat liberally of the staining foods. I was a bit fussy about this at first, but I'm so over it now. Perhaps it's because I only show lower braces.

And as for one bracketing system being faster or slower than another......yes, please, can we bury that forever?

[ilvpoohbear76]

I am new to braces as I just got them on the 7th of this month but I can say that I opted for the traditional metal braces. I really do not know what brand they are.
I opted for them because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of the ligs staining for the clear or ceramic braces.
Yeah sure I knwo people have said that I could have gotten colors for the ligs but to me that kind of defeated the purpose of clear or ceramic braces.
I just figured that I would rather have people see me with metal braces and know they are braces than to see me from a distance with ceramic braces with stained ligs and think until they get close that I do not brush my teeth.
Anyhwo I just thought I would share my thoughts on this subject.

[Drama Queen]

Not all drama queens want to be noticed! I just make a bit deal out of things and worry about things that I really shouldn't be - thats why I am such a drama queen!

xx

[pippy]

I've got ceramic top and bottom - I was pretty good at avoiding the naughty stuff for about 4 weeks and then was over it!! So lots of red wine, spaghetti, choccy, coffee and tea...ligs were a bit yucky when I got them changed but not so much that anyone else would notice. Had them changed to silver ligs whcih are pretty, make my teeth look whiter and after two weeks hammering with the red wine are resisting all my best attempts at staining them

progress wise I have seen major changes in only the first few weeks so can't imagine all metal going any faster - the only reason my ortho was dubious about all ceramic was in case they ruffled my lower lip too much being slightly bigger than the metal....but all was well and I can't even feel those ones. Go with what you really want - that's all that will really matter

[wiredkitty]

I have ceramics on top and metal on bottom. I've found the ceramics feel really big, rough and dry comparing to the other brackets in my mouth and wondered if the metal brackets would have been more comfortable. My ligs are also stained cause I eat curry and drink coffee and red wine so I'm going to try silver ligs next.

The ceramics still look better I reckon but I think the metal ones would be more comfortable and you wouldn't have to worry about the ligs staining.

[babykitten75]

I have traditional metal braces and I'm 23. Most people don't even notice I have braces!

I originally wanted CLEAR braces. I read about the clear ligatures staining easily and since it's all clear, sometimes if it's stained, it will look like you have stuff stuck to your teeth (until you get your ligs changed). So I chose metal because treatment time would have been longer for me and it would have costed me more $$$ if I had gone the clear braces way. I'm actually pretty happy with my metal ones. At first, I hated them, thought they were ugly, etc. but after like a day, I was used to them.

Another reason why some people choose traditional because CLEAR braces might be NEW to your Ortho and he/she may be more knowledgeable about tradtional metal braces.

Also, I read that CLEAR braces are actually bigger so it's better for some people to get metal braces if their top teeth will constantly be biting/touching the lower clear brackets and could possibly knock them off

I still think the choice should be totally up to the individual because clear brackets are pretty cool and good for cosmetic reasons if you don't want your braces to be noticeable, let's say for work or social reasons. Just make sure to brush well to keep them clear. I think someone mentioned using baking soda - that sounds like that would help whiten teeth (I might have to try that since I learned I have to be careful when eating mustard!! LOL)

Either way, make sure you get the braces you want since that will make you happy!

Good Luck!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 teeth extracted: Thursday, July 20, 2006
2 teeth extracted: Thursday, July 27, 2006
5 spacers put in: Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Spacers out, full braces in: Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Brace Treatment Time: 22 - 26 months.

[lionfish]

I have traditional metal braces and I'm 23.

Another reason why some people choose traditional because CLEAR braces might be NEW to your Ortho and he/she may be more knowledgeable about tradtional metal braces.

Um, clear (ceramic) braces have been around for at least the last 15 years where I come from. They are not new technology.

The bottom line is that, if you feel comfortable with your choice, then that's what is important.

[SecondTimer]

I have to decide for myself if I'm going to get the ceramics on top. I'm getting spacers in two weeks and then will have another week to decide between ceramic or steel. I'm really worried about staining the ligatures with ceramic, and I don't see the point of getting ceramic brackets with colored ties. I've been following this thread closely as I try to decide what I'm going to do. I actually don't think I'd mind the steel brackets, but my Ortho said most of his adult patients choose the ceramic. I'll probably get ceramic just to be like everyone else. Yeah, I know that's not a very good reason!

[Cablindian]

I'm getting the top braces put on today, and I have decided to get the metal. I actually like the look of the metal brackets, and they are pretty small. Also, my ortho told me ceramic could add 6 months onto my treatment time. The extra 6 months it would take in ceramic, I could be sporting my new smile. I decided to not be so vain and get the traditional on top. Another bonus: At the inital consultation, I was convinced I wanted ceramic on top and bottom. As a result, I prepaid for ceramic. Now that I've decided against it, I'm about 6 months ahead of payments. YAY!!!

[jcdamon3]

...The only way I would even listen to anything anyone said is if we had one ortho who has used BOTH self-ligating and non-self ligating and has had success with BOTH systems. We would also need an ortho who has tons of experience with BOTH Ceramic and non Ceramic traditional braces. I doubt that this is going to happen on this board so I am not going to hold my breath for an answer. Although I do think it might be easier to find an ortho on this board who has info on the latter issue rather than the former.

All I care to do is listen to what my OWN ortho tells me who has used BOTH systems. And I have no reason to believe that he is lying to me or smoking dope or something.

As I stated above. I (you) also have no reason to believe that my (your) ortho is using out dated equipment, is misinformed or smoking crack.

Listen to your ortho.

[Gennel]

Before I went in for my consult I wanted clear brackets. I did not know that he offered pale gold brackets also! Once he saw me he said that I needed metal brackets so I had the choice of silver or gold, I chose gold.

I asked my ortho from his experience what was the difference between metal or clear brackets?

He said from his experience: metal brackets can handle more force than clear brackets. The clear brackets very often break or crack when they are being removed. Treatment time can sometimes be a little longer with clear brackets

Even if I had the choice to get clear, I would'nt have picked the clear ones. I had/have issues with my smile!

My ortho has not worked with self-ligating brackets but his assistant has. So I asked her if she noticed that self-ligating patients had a quicker treatment time than those patients that had non-ligating brackets. She told me that either had the same treatment time. She never really saw any patient that was done sooner with their treatment because of the self ligating brackets. She also has braces and has the non-ligating /metal brackets.
Your ortho is the best person to help you decide which to get.
I might have gone for self-ligating brackets if they were offered at this ortho's office if I knew then what I know now! You might not realize how tender your teeth are when they have to remove ligatures and put new ones on.

Gennel

[jcdamon3]

Closing the doors with self ligating can hurt too. I have never had that much pain from an adjustment because usually by the time I go in for an adjustment it has been six weeks since the last ones and if I had any pain at all it was over with after about a week.

So here is what I want to say about Ceramic vs metal, vs ligating and non-ligating.

There are 1,000 of orthos out there with different experiences and different opinions, there are 100's of bracket choices. There are even more opinions when you count the assistants. So here is the answer for you in deciding

1000 orthos X 100 brackets X 2000 assistants X opinion X experience == ?????

No one has any right to tell anyone else what brackets they should get or what choices they shoud make because each individual case is going to be different. If you have two orthos that you like equally well and one is telling you to get ceramic and one is telling you that ceramics take six months longer, then you need to decide if having ceramic brackets is more important than getting out of braces sooner. Do you have to believe the ortho that is telling you that you will get out of braces 6 month sooner with metal? YES, but only if you decide to go with that ortho! If you don't WANT to believe him, then that means you don't trust him and you shouldn't hire him as your ortho. If your ortho is telling you there is no difference then you are free to choose whichever you feel more comfy with.

But my advice is don't listen to anyone on this board because all it is is another set of opinions. What you need to do is listen to what the orthos are saying and if they are telling you something you don't want to hear, then move on!

Thank god when I was making this choice I went to an ortho that was recommended to me. He only had one choice and it was damons. I looked up the literature, I liked what I saw, I liked the Ortho and I went with him. I feel like I made a good decision and will stick by it and stick by what my ortho told me. Which i won't say here because people will just say - "Well MY ortho told me this!"

I don't care! All I care about is that I trust my ortho and I like him and if I didn't trust what he said, then I would be in alot of trouble.

[NervousNelly]

Hi Everyone,
In my (humble) opinion, I'm very happy with the decision to get ceramics. People I speak with don't notice until I tell them, which I'm happy about. I've been braced for almost 4 weeks now. I have not had any problems with staining. My ortho advised that there is no difference in treatment time and the ligs are the only thing to get stained (if at all) not the brackets. I don't smoke but I do drink tea and eat lots of spaghetti sauce. I haven't had a problem yet. He also told me if you tend to clean your teeth right away after eating the offending food, you'll most likele be ok. Hope this helps.

[CreedAngel81]

I have ceramic on top and metal on bottom. I am completely happy with my decision. Most people don't even know I have braces unless I bring it up. I don't have to worry about staining because I always ask to have wire ties instead of clear ligs at each adjustment. Although I do have to be a little more careful when I floss. I don't know if I could have gone through with this if I wasn't given the option of ceramics...I'm too vain I guess.