Overjet and buck teeth - metal or clear braces?

[nataliikor]

Hi, I'm getting my braces (hopefully) soon (and by that I mean October-time, with the queue to my ortho being enormous).
I wonder what type of brackets I should go for and I'm extremely baffled...

I have an overjet and big teeth, which two factors make my teeth stick out. It's not a disaster, but (the way I see it) you can tell that the teeth are a bit too prominent, especially that I have a long face.

I wonder if, in my case, clear/ceramic brackets wouldn't mean shooting myself in the foot - I don't want my teeth looking even more prominent and becoming a horse. :P Also, I've read that metal brackets are more lasting and move teeth faster (plus, obviously, they're a bit cheaper). In addition to that, some people complain that the ligatures stain pretty badly - I don't want to end up with dirty looking teeth, especially as I drink a lot of tea and coffee...

On the other hand, I've always hated the look of metal braces - realistically I know they're not that bad, but subconsciously they remind me of black, rotten teeth and they just don't look that good. That said, I have seen some people rocking metal brackets and looking really good despite the questionable colour.

Unfortunately, there is no way of getting "mock" braces of both sorts to try them on and see, so I need some opinion from people who have been there and done that - please help or I'll never make up my mind! :v

[WanderingWallflower]

If you drink a lot of tea/coffee I'd say go for metals.. plus the brackets are smaller than ceramics.. so it's more comfortable. I had to get metal top and bottom because of how bad my teeth are so you have to see what works for you.

[Tyrantblade]

This is a highly personal thing; what is the biggest issue for you?

Comfortability? Go metal

Braces being less visible? Go ceramic

Going full metal was easy for me because i dont care if people notice my braces; the reality is most people you come across will probably know either way; but they almost always do not care enough to say anything.

Its just what is the best choice for you?

[BlondeCam]

For a heavy coffee drinker, you'd probably have to use smoke or grey ligatures on the ceramics which is still much less conspicuous than full metal. I'm recently debraced and the first two months did smoke ligatures on the upper ceramic. Didn't look bad, especially for an adult (in my opinion) I didn't want to do a bright color. The last couple of months I did the pearl white ligs. They were not that bad! I didn't eat any curry or mustard and only drink a cup of coffee in the morning. Though I did try to limit my afternoon iced tea. They would start off whiter than my tooth enamel then by the next visit would be the color of my teeth. My teeth aren't super bright white. Good luck! It's a matter of personal choice. My experience with upper ceramics was just fine, nothing broke, not anymore uncomfortable than the full metal I had as a teen.

[Ruthio]

I have quite an overbite & overjet. I've opted for ceramic braces, but the Ortho has decided it's best to put Metal on the bottom because of risk of chipping top teeth on the bottom brackets due to my overbite.
Thanks in part to this thread I am planning on getting silver or pearl ligatures on top, & dark blue on the bottom (metal brackets) when I get them on on Thursday.

[22at26]

Ceramics are more likely to break with tension or contact with other teeth. If your teeth are rotated or significantly horizontal, I wouldn't bother with ceramic.

I have a huge overjet and overbite, large horse teeth. I went full metal for top and bottom and I don't regret it.

[jem]

Hi natalaiikor,

I don't think there is any real risk of breakage with clear brackets irrespective of how irregular your teeth are ( except when brackets are being removed). Clear and metal brackets perform pretty much the same. Staining will not be a problem if you have self-ligating brackets such as damon, but rubber ligatures can stain whether you have metal or clear brackets. The only real issues are cost and visibility. Most but not all orthos charge more for clear. Clear are more discreet but not invisible. I found clear to be pretty much unnoticeable in photos unless close ups.

As others have said, very much a personal choice. Good luck with whichever you choose- you will soon get used to either.

Jem