Metal Mouth Message Board

My ortho quoted my price based on clear brackets in front and metal on the back teeth. After reading some of the posts, I'm worried about staining. I called the ortho's office today and talked to them about my concerns. I was told that since I am a BIG tea drinker, staining could be a problem. He has no problems with putting on all metal brackets....basically it's my decision. Even though I don't want this to be my deciding factor, I can save $300 by having all metal. I was also told that with clear brackets, colored o-rings look funny so they would use clear or white (which I guess is what stains). With metal brackets, I can have the funky colored o-rings.
I'd love to hear some of your opinions on this. Metal or clear ??
Thanks !!

This is going to vary so much from person to person and their individual needs and concerns, it's probably going to end up at 50/50 but I'll tell you right now either one is a good choice-they both have their pros and cons.

Personally I'm a metal person and I've been very pleased with them so far

i have ceramic ones on top and will be having metal ones on the bottom. i am a huge coffee drinker and my ortho said that the ceramics won't really stain...i have clear ligs right now and so far there are no signs of stain (i've only had braces since monday though) but whatever i drink or eat i rinse with water right after so that i don't leave stains...it seems to work...

I started with 3M Clarity ceramics upper and lower. I now have a mixture of ceramic and metal. If I had to do it over again, I would go with all metal. The clear brackets don't stain, but the clear ligs sure do. The ceramic brackets are also slightly larger than the metal ones. Also, I had to have two ceramic brackets removed for extractions and one of them shattered making removal much more uncomfortable.

Most people don't even notice you have braces, let alone whether they are clear or metal. The only time I've been glad I had clear is in photographs. You still see the archwire, but it's barely noticeable except in extreme closeup. Good luck with your decision.

Chris

I choose metal for a few reasons.

1: Tooth colored brackets are almost twice as thick. While they may not look that large on model teeth. They could feel quite large in your mouth. Imagine small kernels of corn on the front of every tooth. Now imagine talking and living with it.

2: Staining. I like all types of foods, especially the staining type. Choosing brace friendly foods will be enough of chore without having to worry about staining.

3: Price. I saved a couple of hundred bucks.

4: Colors. I know I want colors. I plan to try out many colors and color combinations. I know I'll be braces proud.

It's really personal choice.

- missing tooth -

I had metal braces for about 3-4 months and then changed to clear on top and metal on the bottom. I have to say that I really enjoyed the clear more. I think they look so much better. When I looked in the mirror with the metal ALL I saw was metal and I felt like they looked so dark on me. The ceramics don't actually stain but the ligs do. You can ask for metal tie wires and then you won't have an issue. If you have regular ligs you'll get them changed every couple of weeks and everything will look great again. My ceramics also popped right off for repositioning puposes. It never seemed like the ordeal that a lot of people talk about. If I had it to do over, I'd go clear!

I am a MAJOR tea drinker by the way and some worry that they take longer to work...my braces are coming off early so...I think they work just fine.

I started with ceramic uppers, but never got used to their size as I have a small mouth, and I didn't like dealing with the staining ligs. I am pretty anal about my teeth and even a little staining bugged me. So, three months into treatment I paid to have them replace the ceramics with metal and I love it.

But really, the decision is yours. I don't think ceramics are any less noticeable than metal, unless whoever is looking at you is far away, but up close? No. There is no "hiding" your braces. I prefer the comfort of the smaller metal brackets.

I love the clear BUT (big BUT) have been considering all metal.

1. These are so high maintenance (to keep the ligs clear, you want to swish with water, watch what you eat, etc)

2. They feel HUGE and I have metal when I was a teen so I know the difference. It has been a month and I am very aware of these every day. I hate it.

3. If the ligs DO get stained, it simply appears as if your TEETH are stained. Ew.

I am really struggling with this because I love how NO ONE even notices I have braces! In pictures you can't even see the wire!!

*decisions, decisions*

If only they didn't feel so big, I can deal with the ligs (my ortho lets me change my own when needed)

Ceramic brackets DO NOT STAIN it is the ligs that stain.

You can choose any colour ligs you want, change them frequently (if your ortho is nice, some people here even DIY it with kits bought over the internet).

The point is that with ceramic brackets and fresh clear ligs you can achieve a look that is nearly invisible and unnoticeable (especially useful for things like photos).

With metal, you cannot. They are always visible.

So if you are worried about "staining", consider your choice as between metal brackets with coloured ligs, or ceramic brackets with coloured ligs. I personally think ceramic with coloured looks nicer than metal, plus you have the option of putting clear ligs on for a special occasion.

Many users here have also got good, stain-free results with "smoke" and "pearl" coloured ligs.

I have had clear ceramic on both top and bottoms for almost seven weeks now. I have absolutely no complaints. It took me several days before I could get to the point where I would say that things were not bothering me in my mouth, but that is the same said with metal ones. Havning something strange in your mouth is going to take getting used to. My lips felt like they were always sticking far out in front, but everyone that I spoke to told me that they didn't notice that I had them. They kept asking me, I thought you were getting your braces today. I had to smile so they could see the wire. As far as staining, by brackets and ligs are just as clear today as the day when they were first put on. I'm not a tea or coffee drinker. I mostly drink water, and since I have an open bite, I've never been able to chew with my front teeth, so all of my food goes to my back molars. So for me the ceramic was not an issue. Also, if you want color ligs, I think the ceramic would make them stand out more which would be great.

KK wrote:

weird_wired wrote: I personally think ceramic with coloured looks nicer than metal, plus you have the option of putting clear ligs on for a special occasion.

I totally agree weird_wired ... the coloured ligs look awesome on ceramics ... I love the way I can see the colour through the end of the brackets ...

PS ... is this a case of small things amusing a small mind ... oh well, if it is, I'll cope!

And your purple ones are super - an ideal advertisment for anyone wavering over ceramics!

I agree with KK--I have ceramic uppers and metal lowers and I've only really had pain from the metal ones. I don't think that's because metal hurts more...I think it's likely that my bottom braces are just more irritating to my mouth. (And currently the molar band cleats are digging into my cheeks...boo) So, if you are concerned about pain, metal or ceramic, you may or may not have pain either way.

I have ceramic uppers because my ortho recommended them for adults and didn't charge me extra for them. I don't know what I would have done if cost had been an issue, but I'm really happy with the ceramics and my pearl-colored ligs haven't stained at all.

I was supposed to get clear but a mistake was made and I ended up with ceramic uppers and metal lowers. I don't have any staining at all, and I eat blueberries and tea every morning-just be sure to rinse or brush right after. I heard the clear ones don't stay on anyway. After almost reaching my five month milestone, I can tell you it won't matter at all by the fifth month!!! I wouldn't have cared for all metal at this point!! Congratulate yourself for this positive step towards self improvement and better health!!

I really like how the ceramics look on people when I see them, but for me personally, I am probably going to go all metal when the time comes - simply because the ceramics are slightly larger brackets and I have such a tiny mouth and tiny teeth! We'll see though, it'll be a decision I take my orthos advice on.

KK, as much as I appreciate (and envy) the time you took in dissecting my post peice by peice, I feel that writing me an epic novel challenging what is my personal experience is quite....um, odd? Forgive me if I am misinterpreting, but you seem irritated by what is genuinely my opinions. I simply stated mine and stand behind them 100%. If *you* feel dirty ligs look unnoticeable, well...... If you think the ceramics don't feel bigger than traditional metal, you're lucky. I just disagree. As for the high maintenance - again, that is personal opinion. I change my ligs and constantly do things to keep them as clear as I can for as long as possible.

Also, I *did* read about the choices and yes, my ortho *did* talk to me. Hearing/reading something is entirely different than literally experiencing it.