Metal Mouth Message Board

I have a very simple question...are all clear braces ceramic? Or are they made of different "substances"?

As far as I understand it, there are really two major types of non-metal braces. The ceramics are the ones your ortho is more likely to refer to as "tooth-coloured" as they are actually not clear, but white. Those are what I have, and I think they are most common. (By the way, people don't notice them until they are right up close!)

There are also a couple of different kinds of braces that are actually clear (I think one type is called "Opal"). I recently saw a friend of mine who has these and noticed the difference between hers and mine.

Take a look at "Popular Braces Topics" on the main Archwired page. There is a whole section on the different kinds of braces out there, which I found very helpful.

Good luck!

p.s. have you gotten your braces already or are you getting ready to?

ichephren, I have CLEAR brackets that are not ceramic. They are some sort of composite material that are actually clear and not tooth colored. These brackets combined with wire ties instead of regular ligatures are much less noticable than metal brackets. I really don't know the diference between these and ceramics.
Go to www.ormco.com and they have a bunch of different bracets they manufacture. The ones that I have are the Spirit MB.
I am only in them for about six months with a bit of crowding so they work great for me. I would suggest however to get whatever YOUR ortho suggests and is used to working with to get the best results. Here is a picture of mine. I hope this helps.

There are also a couple of different kinds of braces that are actually clear (I think one type is called "Opal"). I recently saw a friend of mine who has these and noticed the difference between hers and mine.

Mine are Opals. See my avatar? Here's another closer picture.

They're not completely clear. They're slightly opaque.

My brother asked me the other day if I had gotten my braces off. This was after spending several hours with him! He's always been a little dense...

I am going to start treatment for my impacted canine sometime in January(i am switching insurance companies and my new plan starts in Jan). I called my ortho today and I found out that their clear brackets are ceramic, so I have my answer. However, I had no idea there were so many different types of clear braces! Thanks for sharing everyone