Metal Mouth Message Board

ok, i need to make a decision on metal or ceramic. i would prefer ceramic but i love black tea and red wine. ill be wearing them for 18 months so my fear is with regards staining. i believe the braces are damon type. i have also heard that ceramic take longer is this true?

I have ceramic. If I had to do it over, I might just go with metal. I love coffee, spaghetti, and all the stuff I'm not suppose to eat. Ceramics are good for the first couple weeks after you get your ligs changed. After that they stain and you can see them probably just as much as metal. It's a personal choice, but I would have done metal if I knew I would stain them so bad. I have pics on my blog I just took... it's four weeks since my last adjustment and they are stained.
www.allbraced.blogspot.com

If you want ceramic, go with self litigating ceramics. There is no staining because you do not have ligatures. I have these and recommend them to everyone trying to make a decision.

Hmm, I'm not sure if there is any truth of ceramic taking longer. I've heard that debate before..

I have ceramic on top and eventually will get metal on the bottom (I don't have choice unfortunately - but to be honest, I don't care all that much). The ceramic for me was the same cost and I have co-workers that have it as well. People don't notice them as much. I haven't had any issues with staining, but I chose silver ligs. At least so far, so good!

p.s. I wish I could have chosen SL!! I didn't have a choice.. but it hasn't been a big deal.

cheers, just getting these last minute decisions done. trying to remain calm and not freak out. he he he he!!!

Ceramic & metal braces take the same amount of time. I have ceramic and have not had too many problems with staining the ligs. I also drink black tea - but with milk. If I eat or drink something I think might stain, I just brush my teeth shortly after.

a vote for the metal corner: i have metal braces and really love the way they look! they were also cheaper than ceramic.

I've had ceramics for about a month and I love them. Daily tea drinker and no problems with staining. People hardly notice them - I've only had one person comment so far.

I have the self ligating ceramics on the top 6, and loveee them. No staining or anything because there's no ligs, and I'm a loyal Coke drinker. Dr said they aren't any less sturdy/slower/etc, so I was sold.

i'm also putting in my vote for self ligating ceramics! i have damon clears on top and they are self ligating so perhaps thats what yours will be? it is fantastic! they don't stain at all because of no ligatures so you can eat and drink whatever you want. and i also love that they dont show up in photos!

when I was deciding between the two I asked about the staining and if they take longer. I was told they do not take any longer than metal ones and that the ligatures, depending on what you eat, can be stained. I got the ceramics and have only had them stain 2x from eating spaghetti and cheese curls which I really should have avoided any ways lol My Orthodontist has many colors to choose from and I found that the greyish ones dont stain much if at all and the Pearl/clear colored ones stained a little easier. I am the only one who notices it though, everyone else thinks Im crazy lol If I had the chance to go back and change them I definitely wouldnt because they're wayyyyyy less noticeable than metal braces in my opinion. Good Luck!!!

What are the drawbacks to damon clears? Any? Are they harder to get off at debanding than radiance? I read once a long time ago that someone with ceramic used light purple ligs and they looked less noticable than clear ligs because of the staining. Anyone else have unnoticeable lig suggestions for avoiding staining on ceramic?

drgnchsr36 wrote:Hmm, I'm not sure if there is any truth of ceramic taking longer. I've heard that debate before..

I have ceramic on top and eventually will get metal on the bottom (I don't have choice unfortunately - but to be honest, I don't care all that much). The ceramic for me was the same cost and I have co-workers that have it as well. People don't notice them as much. I haven't had any issues with staining, but I chose silver ligs. At least so far, so good!

p.s. I wish I could have chosen SL!! I didn't have a choice.. but it hasn't been a big deal.

I am three weeks into ceramics and the doctor told me maybe a month or two longer with ceramic. Remember these are guessimates anyway.

I have ceramics on the bottom, and I have never noticed any staining, even when I drink black coffee and red wine, as well as eat spaghetti sauce almost every day.

I wanted ceramic on the top & bottom. My orthodontist suggested just the top. So I took his advice. Upper teeth are ceramic and the bottom are metal :)