Just got clear braces on top. Should I do metal or clear on bottom?

[spree43]

Hi- I just got my top braces on today- they are clear. However they are VERY bulky. I'm wondering if it might be better to ger the metal on the bottom? Does anyone think it might be more comfortable since they are supposedly smaller brackets? or if anyone has metal on bottom or clear in top-do you find it more comfortable?

any help would be great. thanks!

[MummaFish48]

Hey spree43....
I was told the ceramic on the bottom are a little less robust and prone to breaking more easily, so I am going for ceramic top and metal bottom as I can't be doing with too many trips back and fore to replace broken brackets!
I guess it depends how careful you are too!!

[shanlola]

I have ceramic on top and metal on the bottom and I would recommend you get metal on the bottom as it is true that ceramic are much more bulky, my bottom metal brackets are tiny and do not show when i speak unlike my ceramic ones which i am very conscious of when i smile/talk! I feel like they are huge, I wish I had known the size difference between the two when I had asked for ceramic on top as I would now prefer metal on both top and bottom, plus my ceramic top set cost me an extra £300!

I have had a bracket come off my top ceramic set however it was about an hour after being braced so I think it was just because it hadn't set fully at my appointment rather than anything to do with its durability, however I have read that ceramics are more difficult to remove when you are being debraces. Hope this helps x

[spree43]

thanks shanlola..I knew the ceramics were bigger but they feel SO huge in my mouth. I eant to rip them out.. Do you ever get used to that? I know it's only day 2 but I don't know if i can do this for almost 2 years ugh... with the metal on the bottom though- have they caused you any pain/ulcers?

[Prometheus]

Hi Spree43, I have metal on the bottom and clear on the top. The metal ones are definitely less bulky than the clear. I was not given a choice for the bottom ones, but I could choose the top. My doc said she puts clear on the top for most or her adult patients. I too was worried about how bulky they were compared to the metal, but I went for it anyway. Like your experience, I was in shock about how large they felt, I could not get my lips down over them for a few days. Never the less I did get used to them after about a month or two, and now I don't really notice the difference. Most of the time I forget they are even there, except when I eat, that continues to be annoying one year into this. -P

[Snowglobe32]

I also had clear on top and metal on the bottom. I was told the clear brackets were too bulky to have on both arches because they could clash against each other and cause damage. I've seen people with clear on the top and bottom so maybe the size of my teeth played a role in the decision??

I didn't mind the metal on the bottom at all, you couldn't even see them.

You will get used to the clear brackets, don't worry.

Good luck!

[shanlola]

Haha I wanted to pull mine out too at first you are not alone! BUT you will definitely get used to the big feeling, I got mine 8 weeks ago and I would say that by the 2nd or 3rd week I barely noticed the feel of my ceramics against my gums any more, they feel very natural to me now and don't get in the way of speaking.

The metal braces on my bottom teeth and and archwire attached to it's brackets lie very close to my teeth as they have such a small profile so they haven't given me any ulcers so far but I have had so many in the top area of my gums because the archwire attached to my ceramic brackets don't lie as close to my teeth due to the bulkiness of the ceramic brackets, I have mainly had ulcers from the back of the wire where it ends at my molars - this can stick out quite a bit, however I have found that I am getting ulcers less often now - maybe my gums are getting tougher?

It is of course your decision but I would say that as the braces on the bottom set off teeth are hardly visible or much less visible than the top braces are it is not really worth having ceramics on the bottom and metal feel much more comfortable in the mouth due to their smaller profile, I think that based on how alarmed I felt by the size of the ceramics on the top set of my teeth that I would have really freaked out if I had them on my bottom aswel, hope your 2 years goes quick, I have been given 18 months and I cannot believe I am now 2 months in :)

[pjade1]

I have the clear ceramic on top and metal on the bottom. If I had to do it all over again, I would have done metal on top too. The ceramic brackets are much bigger and more annoying than the metal ones. I would definitely get the metal on the bottom if you already have ceramic on top. You don't really see those anyways.

[diamond63]

I have ceramic on top and metal on bottom, but not by choice: the ceramic brackets were too wide for my narrower lower teeth, and wouldn't fit. Otherwise I'd have done ceramic on both. They were bulky at first but now I don't notice them at all. I do think they're less noticeable due to the color, even though they're bulkier and you don't see those teeth as much. Of course some of this depends on the person; obviously some people's lower teeth are more visible than others due to things like overbite vs underbite, size of teeth, etc. Also brackets get placed in different areas for different problems; if they are placed closer to the base of the teeth you'll see them more even with your teeth shut.

I've never had trouble with ceramic brackets breaking or coming off - except the one attached to a fake tooth. But then I also had a metal one come off that was attached to a crown - nothing seems to stick as well to fake tooth material.

They definitely do stick out further in general. But if you have metal brackets and need elastics, you have to have little hooks sticking out for elastics and those are annoying too.

There are pros and cons either way.

[Beckett]

I just had ceramic installed on upper and lower. Several years ago my orthodontist would have done ceramic on top and metal on bottom, but he said the new ones are just as strong for the bottom. I can't compare if they feel bulkier than metal, in my opinion anything stuck to your teeth is going to feel bulky for a while until you get used to them. I like that they are as invisible as the top. Not everyone's smile hides their bottom teeth. I also have extremely sensitive teeth, especially to cold, and was worried about the metal conducting temperature changes too much and bothering my teeth.

My 10 year old also has ceramic upper and lower. The very most back brackets for both of us are metal though.

[Ziggy]

I'm pretty sure the ceramic brackets are used for vanity purposes and when you smile they are not as noticeable. I have both ceramic and metal on top and I'm sure when I get the bottom bracket they will be metal. It's easy to see the size difference so it's easy to understand why an ortho would choose to use metal on the bottom.

[testimony777]

If your bottom teeth show when you smile or talk (as mine do) I think it is worth it to go clear on the bottom. I have ceramic on the top and bottom and am very happy with that choice so far. I will say this, my husband has metal on the bottom and he did not have as much pain from scraping on the inside of his bottom lip as I did. That of course could just be because we are two different people but perhaps the size of the brackets had something to do with it. At any rate, while my braces definitely felt bulky those first few days, now after less than two weeks I don't notice them when my mouth is at rest. So, even if ceramic brackets are more bulky and take longer to get adjusted to, a few extra days of adjustment on the front end should not keep you from having the desired look you want for the next one to two years.

[spree43]

thanks for everyone's input. You can't see my bottom teeth at all when i talk or smile so I think I will get the metal if they are smaller. I kind of really hate the ceramics but I also don't want full metal so it is what it is. i'm only ar day 3 so I'm still whiny and miserable and am contemplating just scrapping the whole thing and getting them off. I know in 2 yrs I will be kicking myself though

[testimony777]

thanks for everyone's input. You can't see my bottom teeth at all when i talk or smile so I think I will get the metal if they are smaller. I kind of really hate the ceramics but I also don't want full metal so it is what it is. i'm only ar day 3 so I'm still whiny and miserable and am contemplating just scrapping the whole thing and getting them off. I know in 2 yrs I will be kicking myself though

It really does get better; in another few days you will definitely not be in as much pain. On day three I felt like I had little shards of glass affixed to my teeth. My hubby kept telling me that by the end of the week I would be adjusted and no longer in pain. I love and trust my husband, but it took everything in me not to call him a liar lol. Low and behold, by day five I felt much better and by day seven I was good as gold. Hang in there, It will be worth it in the end

[spree43]

really trying to hang in there..It's day 5 and I had one good day...the rest of the time I don't smile and try to talk as little as possible. My overjet is pretty bad so that the bulkiness of the ceramics just adds to it and my lip can hardly cover them. So I try to talk as little as possible because the rubbing against the brackets is so annoying Ugh. I know it won't always be like this as the teeth start to move but it is truly awful right now. I can't believe I am paying thousands of dollars to torture myself ha