Metal Mouth Message Board

Thank you everyone for describing your experiences. My question is, I read on one site that you should not have upper and lowers done in ceramics because the upper ceramics will damage the lower teeth. Has anyone heard this from their orthodontist?

That's pretty generous him giving you 6 ceramics free of charge.
I have ceramic on my uppers also but had to pay $500 extra for it.
If I had my time again i'd go all metal though - after the initial shyness they really aren't a big deal at all!

I tend to think along the same lines as you. I trust what my ortho recommends 100%
I had the option of either... metal on the uppers weren't a consideration for me tho to be honest cos whilst I desperately wanted the braces I was pretty shy about them for a little while!

I have ceramics on uppers and lowers. I got ceramics mainly because I knew I would be job interviewing in them, and I needed the most professional look I could achieve. Around here, most people my age (mid 30's) already have straight teeth, so I knew having braces would be unusual. Therefore I wanted my teeth to look as discreet and "classy" as possible. Many here will disagree that ceramics are "classier", but when you are in your mid thirties and have never landed a good, well-paying job (and never had any decent medical benefits your whole adult life!), you give youself whatever advantage you can!

I am very glad I went with all ceramics, though I suspect my lower teeth are slower to move because of it. I have two lower teeth than just will not straighten out perfectly, but I can live with it. I did interview in braces and get the job, so I was pleased! Though that job ended, so looks like I am back to job interviewing in braces again!

a lot of the choice is personal preference and what the orthodontist feels comfortable. most orthos have a fair amount of experience with both types these days i think.
i am hoping to do ceramics at least up top because i like the way they look, not so much that they are less noticable and because i had full metal braces the first time around when i was a teen. nice to get a little variety.

like has been said above, i understand that the larger size of the ceramics can creat clearence problems when on the bottom fronts, and since the ceramic brackets like the metals are harder than enamel they can cause wear.
i have my final consult on thursday so we will se e what the final word is;-)
chris

I got my lowers on yesterday, they were supposed to be metal. I have ceramic uppers. Had them for almost a year. Anyway, when I was getting all the appointments for the banding and spacers..etc, the woman in the finace office told me the dentist said he didn't want ceramics on my lower teeth. I didn't really mind, I was going to go for metals anyway. There was no point in paying extra for something you wouldn't really see. I was supposed to get bands yesterday and next week the brackets and wire. Well the banding went fast so they had time to do the lowers. It wasn't noted in my chart to not have ceramics so the girl seeing I had upper ceramics put them on. The dentist said he would try it and as long as everything went ok I could keep them. So I am being careful. Since it was their mistake I don't have to pay extra for them. I was all excited to do colors with my metals so I choose turquoise and it looks neat with the clear brackets.
PS-my ortho loved it too. I am glad he didn't get mad and make them take them off and put new ones on. The girl said when things like that happen he usually likes to see how things work out before taking drastic measures.

i have ceramics on both and i am so glad i got them people barly ever ask do you have braces you cant really see them

n216 wrote:i have ceramics on both and i am so glad i got them people barly ever ask do you have braces you cant really see them

Ditto - me too.

Nothing bumps against anything in my mouth. It is different for some people, so check with your ortho if you are at risk of this.

tgsuleiman wrote:I read on one site that you should not have upper and lowers done in ceramics because the upper ceramics will damage the lower teeth. Has anyone heard this from their orthodontist?

I am going to have ceramics on the upper and metal on the lower. That is the reason my orthodontist gave to me for doing it that way. I was thinking I would choose metal on the bottom anyway so I was fine with his explanation.