Metal Mouth Message Board

So small history. I'm genetically missing my top lateral incisors and have a leftover baby canine. The missing teeth have caused gaps in the whole top row of teeth. I'm finally, at 27, OK with the fact that i'll have to get fake teeth to replace the ones i'm missing. Kinda wish I would have just gotten the braces last year, but thats a whole other issue.
Anyways, I had my final consult last week and then went across the street to my orthos cousin (who's my dentist) and made the appointment to get my baby tooth pulled. I'm not nervous about any of this process, actually pretty excited. But after reading a lot of the 'First days in Braces' stories, i'm starting to wonder if i'm nuts for going with regular metal braces instead of ceramic. All the people seem to get ceramics on top and metal on bottom.
I personally have no problem with it, but i'm wondering if other people will think i'm crazy for having the colored bands and metal, instead of the clear ones.
So I'd like opinions. I'm not going to change my mind, but kinda want to know what people think.

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2-18-10 getting baby canine pulled
3-15-10 getting braces put on

One of my favorite pts was a 75 y/o woman who got metal braces and picked colors everytime. She sang in the church choir and would pick the colors based on what the group was wearing during the particular holiday season.

So crazy? Defintely NOT

Not braced yet -- but I plan to go with metal also and mess with different colored ligs. I figure they will be seen by anyone close enough to see them, and I might as well have some fun with them as long as they are there! Something about the look of ceramic just bugs me, too, not sure why. Just a personal choice, and I know lots of people are very happy with ceramic.

As an unexpected benefit, it will also save me a few hundred dollars -- turns out the price of ceramics for front teeth was built into the estimate!

Ceramic v/s metal is a completely personal choice. I chose ceramic (actually clear sapphire--Inspire Ice.) I love my choice and would choose it again. But no, I can assure you you are not crazy. Many adults opt for full metal.

Absolutely nothing wrong with choosing metal braces. We have patients ranging from under 10 to in their 70s with them. As mentioned above, it depends on how they make you feel. Some people "embrace" their new look, and make the most of it by having fun with various colours, while others just want a more simple look.

Good luck!

Not weird at all.

I love my metal braces, especially flashing them at other people who have braces.

People choose ceramic on top so that it's less visible. If you don't mind them being visible, then metal is perfect for you!!!

Some people love their metal mouth, I actually am going to miss mine

Well, my ortho said that metal braces are more efficient than the others. But, i got ceramic top and bottom as my job requires me to meet people (corporate communications). Else i would opt for metal with colorful bands! Anyways, ceramics are noticeable as well...just not that obvious. I love my braces and i'm getting used to it..2 years to go! 4th day now!

I like you struggled with the options of metal vs ceramic. Got metal 2 days ago because my Ortho said they do stain, they cost more, & they can break and not move teeth as fast and they are bulkier. I didnt want to deal with being anymore limited to what I could eat than I already am and wanted to get out of them as soon as possible. Would be nice not to see them as much but the odds sure out weighted being able to see them. After reading the horror stories of people wanting to rip them off after the first day, I was SCARED!! I took Advil before my appointment and have continued to take Advil. A little sore but not near what I expected, sure didnt feel like I was hit in the mouth. Good Luck, hope this is encouraging!!!

I first got ceramic braces on my upper teeth. I originally planned to also get the ceramics on my lower teeth but 2 months later, when it was time to have my lowers braced, I opted for the metal ones. I'm glad I did. I personally don't find ceramic braces aesthetically any better than metal. They are huge compared to regular metal brackets and the wire orthodonts normally use still has this "dreaded" metallic colour - so it just looks odd. Also, I personally feel that metal braces are much more comfortable in my mouth - probably because of the size difference of the brackets.

I have all metal and I love my braces. I am having fun with the color ligs too. I’m not trying to hide them so I try to enjoy them. I don’t have any experience with ceramic but I’m not really of fan of the way they look. But that’s just my opinion.

Good luck on whichever you choose.

Bellalalala wrote: I love my metal braces, especially flashing them at other people who have braces.

Haha, I do this too!
Although wouldnt say I love my braces, but I am definitely happier with my decision of getting all metal over ceramic.
I am still too nervous to get colours though. Only black and grey.

b
How often do you go for a lig change? I went for metallic pink the first time and now I have royal blue. My appointments are only 4 weeks apart so its not too bad if I pick a bad color which I’m sure is going to happen.
Go for it. Its fun and other people barely notice. I’m afraid my ortho is going to run out of colors soon. There weren’t too many to choose from and I’m only at the beginning of my journey.

Well i had the baby canine removed yesterday. The root on it was so tiny that my dentist doesn't know why it was holding on so well. He said it should have come out while eating corn on the cob, or an apple...weird. Also since it had such a tiny root there is no "socket", so really no need to wait so long to put the braces on. Too bad my ortho is the only one in town, cause he's booked for 3 weeks out.
I do feel better about going with metal though, thank you all for the comments. I'm actually looking forward to colors, even though i'll be sticking to the less obvious ones.

I don't think it makes much difference which you have.
By the way, my teeth sound like they were very similar to yours - missing one lateral (the other horrible and peg-shaped) and still had a baby canine next to the adult canine.

Boohill wrote:b
How often do you go for a lig change? I went for metallic pink the first time and now I have royal blue. My appointments are only 4 weeks apart so its not too bad if I pick a bad color which I’m sure is going to happen.
Go for it. Its fun and other people barely notice. I’m afraid my ortho is going to run out of colors soon. There weren’t too many to choose from and I’m only at the beginning of my journey.

I go every 4 weeks aswell. The problem I have is that my ortho only has a few colours, and none of them are cool. They are all really loud colours I think there is grey, black, blue, pink, orange, yellow, green, purple and clear. Just the most basic colours. No metallic blue, deep purple or anything cool like that.
My next appointment is this thursday and I am already scheduled for March 18 which is only 3 weeks, so this might be a good time to try something new.. hmm we will see.