Metal Mouth Message Board

I am getting braced on Friday after years of wanting braces and then talking myself out of getting them (I am 23). My orthodontist has said I am suitable for either ceramic or metal braces - I will be getting metal on the lowers - but I keep tossing up between the options for the top row. Depending on who I talk to I get conflicting advice - some say the metal is more comfortable, some say the ceramic. In terms of aesthetics I will definitely be self-concious about the braces, so I'm not sure whether to go all-out and hope it's not too shocking (I'm imagining my reaction being similar to that when I get a bad haircut - which usually consists of tears - unfortunately I'm just that sort of person!) or opt for the ceramic and try to lessen the blow a bit!

Any advice would be much appreciated. My ortho uses either the Inspire Ice brand or Tip Edge (which I can't get much info on online?)

Also - is it true that the silver ligs are best for avoiding staining? I drink 1-2 cups of tea a day (black tea, but with milk) and do eat quite a lot of tomato-based foods. Being vegetarian, it's a bit of a fall back to do a pasta with tomato sauce!

I have metal on lower and ceramic on the upper. I have the In-ovation C brackets which do not have ligs, they are self litigating. I drink TONS of soda and therefore the ligs would be very bad for me. I like the clear on top...they are a bit bigger but you will adjust just fine. I am happy with the choice of clear!

Get the metal one. People won't be scrutinizing you like you think. Both me and my brother have full metal braces and we are 20 and 21 yrs old. To be honest when he first got his braces, I could barely noticed them. Just get the ones that are not crazy-colored.
I have also found that metal braces are the strongest and the most efficient type of braces. They also require the least time to be worn.


good luck.

I felt exactly the same as you when I was trying to decide. In the end, my orthodontist (seeing how nervous I was about how they would look) told me he thought I should get ceramic on the top six. Braces are a terrible shock when you first see them on your teeth, but I am really glad I got ceramic. They are very comfortable (I think I have inspire ice), and I have spent whole days with people who haven't noticed I've got them at all.

I love it when people are bold about having braces, but I'm quite a self-conscious person and I think I'm just a bit more comfortable with the whole thing being quite discreet.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

PS - I found the rubber ligatures a complete pain - they went yellow after about a week. I love tomato sauce, curry, red wine... I didn't want to give them up! My orthodontist now uses white wire ties which are brilliant and don't chip or stain. I definitely recommend asking for them.

I have ceramics and I like that they are more discreet, but they are not invisible. I would go ceramic again if given the choice, but you can still see them so it'll be an adjustment either way.

I definitely recommend ceramics if you're self-conscious, but self-ligating ones are far better. As other people have commented, it's the ligatures that are the pain. I have ceramics top and bottom, self-ligating on the top and with clear ligs on the bottom and I am quite careful but still they have gone quite yellowish. I think I would be mortified if my top arch looked like my bottom one since it's the one people see (luckily my bottom one is quite hidden)

Only you can make the decision though - good luck!

Metal bottom and ceramic top is good. I have ceramic on both and I feel they are kind of bulky feeling, and they are not invisible. But, the metal on top would have been more visible so the sacrifice for comfort is okay with the tops.

As long as you are aware that no matter what braces you get, they are visible, you'll be okay. But yeah, ceramics are probably less visible.

I have metal on the bottom and radiance clear braces on the bottom.

Although i do love coffee curry and red wine i'm really happy i had the clear. They're hardly noticeable and although people may not scrutinise metal braces as much its more about how you feel in yourself. I have clear elastic bands but they're not too bad as long as you avoid tumeric. Tomato sauces don't cause me any staining troubles either.

I have full metal at 22 years old. I was shocked the first time I saw them an for a week I had a pitty party for myself an thought about going to my ortho an asking to have them taken off. It takes a bit of getting used to. Now when I see pictures of myself I think I look odd with braces but oh well I am only going to have to weird them for about 2 years an that is okay with me as long as I get the teeth I want.

My advice is don't get clear ligs. That was the first 'color' I had an they stain so bad! They turn yellow in a week. I have purple ligs now an I actually like them a lot better.

ugh *wear them* sorry didn't preview the post before I submited it

Thank you for all the advice and encouragement - this website is great! Certainly makes me feel less odd for getting braces at my age!

I'm pretty set on getting the clear braces on top tomorrow (my ortho uses Inspire Ice). I think that it will definitely help with the shock of having things on my teeth! My ortho is happy for me to have a look at both tomorrow to compare though, so that's good.

Unfortunately I'm pretty sure the Inspire Ice need ligs, so I'll just try out the pearl or silver and hope for the best. I don't drink coffee or smoke, so that should at least help with the staining a bit!

Just over 24hrs of freedom to go!