Metal Mouth Message Board

So about a month ago, after talking to my dentist, I decided to give the Braces thing a try. I have read lots of stuff in this board and have done whatever I can to become better informed about braces.

I had 3 different ortho appointments.

1. I saw the ortho that my dentist recommended and he was nice, not very friendly, but straight fwd and to the point. He recommended that I have Damon 3's because treatment will be faster and less painfull. Cost here is 4,800 for a treatment that can take from 18-24 months.

2. I went to this very friendly ortho who was great, we talked for about an hour. At the end suggested that I go with ceramics and guaranteed me that the ones he uses don't stain or break and that treatment time will be the same as if I had Damon 3's. This guy did not offer Damon braces and said that he did not believe that Damon's were faster than ceramic braces. This guy has about 20 years of experience and really seems to know what he is talking about Cost here for regular braces is 4,000 and 4,500 for ceramics for a 2 year treatment.

3. The third guy I saw was great also and very friendly. They also recomended Damon 3s because of faster treatment. And he said that ceramics do stain and break often. That if I wanted the fastest and most efficient treatment, that I should go with Damon's. This guy is way too expensive though, so I am no longer considering him. Cost her is 6,800 for a 2 year treatment with Damon 3's.

Now, I have to decide between 1 and 2. I am not getting any more opinions cause I feel that the more opinions I get, the more confused I become.

My question to those of you who have had to make the same decision as I have, between Damon 3's or ceramics, why did you pick one over the other? Do Damon 3's really work faster than ceramics? If you were in my shoes, which doctor would you pick, 1 or 2?

I would go with #2, not because of the braces, but because of the friendly attitude. I personally think that you need all the positive reinforcement you can get while in braces. Good luck on your decision

I agree--a friendly ortho is important. If you feel comfortable with both though, hmm....Well, I had the same decision, except the damon ortho in my situation was significantly more expensive than the one prescribing (?) ceramics. So, ceramics are going on in about a week!

From what I've read on this board, people are comfortable with ceramics and damon 3's. Are there any other factors here? Office hours? Distance from home or work? Size of the staff? Facility? Maybe comparing some other factors can help you pick.

Good luck!!

I'd go with #2 because when you're talking about a relationship of somewhere in the ballpark of two years, you want an ortho who is friendly and easy to talk to. There's no doubt that at some point in your braces journey, you'll feel down, or have problems, and you want a doctor you're going to feel comfortable discussing your concerns with. Sometimes when doctors are too clinical and cold, it can be very frustrating.

For the record, from what I understand, ceramic brackets don't stain. The staining comes from choosing clear ligatures to hold the wire in place. If you're concerned with the stained look, you can just try another color like smoke so that the staining won't show. So in other words, staining shouldn't be a concern when you're deciding between the two types of braces.

Hmnmm, I'd agree that a friendly ortho/staff is deffinately important, but if you ask me that second one was trying to make a sale. Claiming that the ceramic braces he specifically offers never break or stain (not sure if ceramic braces stain either but still), you'd think if such ceramic brackets existed, everyone would be using them.

Taking ceramic brackets off is really painfull and difficult from what I've heard. Had the choice to go for ceramics or damon 3's (which are half metal and half clear ceramic) and went for the Damons.

Something else you might want to consider, time between adjustments with the Damon 3's is typically longer than other brackets, less trips to the Ortho's office is always nice, and most Orthodontists would probobly tell you that Damon 3's do tend to work faster than conventional types.

When it comes down to it, the quality of Orthodontist overseeing your treatment most likely makes the biggest difference, as opposed to the bracket type. Your treatment is only as good as your orthodontist.

I'm also voting for Friendly No 2

One thing to consider is how you will feel with having something visible in your mouth for two years. The benefit to ceramics is that (with fresh, clear ligs) braces really are very unnoticeable, even invisible, and won't show up in most photos.

I am so, so happy I had ceramics for this reason: at least I have the choice whether to look obviously braced or not. "Vanity" may sound like a crappy reason for a choice, but believe me, when you have things on your teeth month in, month out, it becomes a more serious priority.

Orthodontist #2 win.
For the same reason weird wired mention; even though the ceramics are a little sharper for my taste, ( I had metal ones 10 years ago), I keep trying to get used to them and no regrets at all...

Could you tell us a little more about what your problem is with your teeth (e.g., overbite, open bite, crowding, need extractions, need expander, etc)?

Ceramic brackets themselves do not stain. It is the elastic ligatures that stain. One advantage of a bracket like Damon is that there are no ligatures used, and therefore staining is never an issue.

Ceramic brackets don't usually break. But, they can be harder to remove at the end of treatment. Several of mine broke instead of popping off at the end and it wasn't pleasant -- but it wasn't the end of the world, either. My teeth are none the worse for it.

I'm hoping that a few Damon wearers will reply to your thread so you'll get opinions from both camps.

Best of luck with your decision!

I have had Damons for over a year now. I love them completely. My ortho uses only Damons on adults and nothing else. I have never had a bracket pop off (except when the assistant did it and it needed to be moved anyway) and I have never had a door get stuck. My teeth are moving very quickly and I am looking at getting them off four months earlier than first thought. I go in for an adjustment every 10 weeks. The brackets are very small and I almost forget about them sometimes. They are quite comfortable. Just wanted to put in my two since on Damons. Good luck with your decision.

Amy
Damons top and bottom
braced 12-16-04

Thanks for all of your responses, I hope to make a decision by this weekend.

bbsadmin,

The problems with my teeth according to one orthodontics is as follows:

Still have a baby tooth (a canine, called #C) and the canine came out, but it's far behind from where it should be. So all of 3 ortho's have suggested to have the baby tooth extracted and have the tooth behind the canine moved (tooth X) into the gap that the baby tooth will leave and bring my canine behind tooth X. I called it tooth X because I don't know the correct name for the tooth behind the canine.

At the end of the treatment, they re-shape the teeth to make them look normal. This clearly is the biggest problem. I hope that I explained it well enough to the point where it makes sense.

The other problems are minor..such as a 1mm cross bite, upper front teeth bite a bit infront of my lower teeth. And a minor -1mm crowding on my lower teeth.

At the end, my decision is coming down to the Damon 3...I mean, yes I would love to have less noticeable braces such as ceramics, but I will have a big gap on my canine, about 6mm, (left from the extraction of my baby tooth) that the gap will draw much attention to where it will defeat the purpose of having the clear braces on.

I still have a few days to make up my mind, so I'll continue thinking about it.

Once again, thanks for all of your input and I know that whatever I go with, as long as my ortho knows what he is doing, I'll be okay. They are both very well educated ortho's in Beverly Hills, CA with 3 different offices in so cal, so I am sure they both know what they are doing. But then again, you never know.

Hi 2longyears. I have been in Damon 3 braces for just over a year. I had to have the lowers changed to Smart Clips due to excessive Tartar formation (I am a good little tartar maker ) Anyway, I answered another post with and explanation of what has occured to me over the course of the year and thought you might get some info, so here is the link. My best wishes to you in what ever you decide.

viewtopic.php?t=7828&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

Attagirl2