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Cathy, your radiance brackets look WONDERFUL! I'm not sure how I missed that post with the picture!! I guess you really are happy about changing from metal to ceramics lol. I also had a laugh about the 'lego' thing, seriously I think they can add hooks and other buttons and connections to anything you already have in your mouth, or they'll tie it or bond it in somehow if it's not there already. Very versatile things, braces parts are.
I think I'd stick with clear ligs too if I had clear brackets, those ones are REALLY clear too. I'm thinking maybe I've seen too many tooth colored ones and not clear, the clears are better if that's the look you want. Either way, I am betting we'll still see hot pink for a few weeks in there... maybe?
Cathy, your radiance brackets look WONDERFUL! I'm not sure how I missed that post with the picture!! I guess you really are happy about changing from metal to ceramics lol. I also had a laugh about the 'lego' thing, seriously I think they can add hooks and other buttons and connections to anything you already have in your mouth, or they'll tie it or bond it in somehow if it's not there already. Very versatile things, braces parts are.
I think I'd stick with clear ligs too if I had clear brackets, those ones are REALLY clear too. I'm thinking maybe I've seen too many tooth colored ones and not clear, the clears are better if that's the look you want. Either way, I am betting we'll still see hot pink for a few weeks in there... maybe?
Cathy I have really enjoyed your story - very funny!
Tiffsmile - I had Innovation C braces. They are not as discreet as Radiance brackets - because they are self-ligating there is a metal section on them. However - and this is the good news - you can eat and drink whatever you want with no risk of staining. I drank about 5 cups of coffee a day and it made no difference whatsover to the brackets.
As regards my teeth, they, miraculously, were not stained when the braces came off.
Tiff - sisi is exactly right about the lack of staining with the SL brackets. That is a HUGE advantage to having them. If I could manage to eat and drink the bad stuff with my bottom teeth ONLY, I'd have it made!
USUALLY I make fun of people that choose ceramic over metal. Because usually it's still totally obvious you have braces, AND they don't work as well as metal.
HOWEVER
THOSE BRACKETS ARE AWESOME! They're almost *invisible*! From 2 feet away, I bet it looks just like a Hawley, not like braces! AMAZING!
Congratulations on the switch! Your teeth are looking great!
LOL! Thank you. I used to make fun of those people, too. However, since I've changed over, I've had at least 2 responses per day asking if I'd either removed them, or switched to Invisalign. When I move closer... they ask me if it's a retainer. Good thing I brush and use mouthwash every day now, because I go right up in their face to show them the brackets.
I had to sit at a help desk at a training we had yesterday, and I had teachers coming up to me all morning asking for help. I found myself smiling even more than usual. I think even I, myself, forget that I have these clear uppers.
I dunno - as far as them "not working as well as metal", I've heard from other orthodontists that these brackets do work just as well as metal. We shall see. But even if they do add a little bit of time to my treatment, it's well worth it to me.
I started with Innovation C's and had a mixed experience. I found it distracting that people would stare and try to figure out if or if not I had braces. The real concern for me was I kept on knocking the things off. I loose one about every six weeks. My ortho told me that she had had a few people that had difficulty keeping them on. Her estimate was about one in a thousand has the problem. It was something about the tooth's enamel which varies from person to person and the type of glue.
I switched to metal and was thrilled with that choice.
I hope you continue having good luck with your ceramics.
Mike
I wore braces (this time) for 1294 days or 3 years, 6 months and 17 days.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
I think, for me, it's a bit different because I started out with metal, and then all of a sudden, you can't see anything on my teeth except the wire. ("What happened? I thought you were going to have them for 2 years.") Before, when I would smile big (as I'm apt to do) I could see people notice the metal braces, and then purposely look away, like they didn't want to offend me by saying anything. (I wouldn't have been offended, by the way.) That actually made me more uncomfortable than someone actually asking about them. I frequently want to ask people about their braces, but it's usually salespeople, and I don't want them to be offended or feel awkward; especially if they aren't very happy having them in the first place.
I guess we'll test their strength out when I start wearing powerchains and elastics.
Where I had problems is I'd hit the brackets when I brushed my teeth. It wasn't the bristles but the plastic of the head. I think I was using a Sonicare.
Mike
I wore braces (this time) for 1294 days or 3 years, 6 months and 17 days.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
Thank you for the heads-up re Sonicare. I use one, too, and have been known to hit my brackets with the plastic part. Not a good feeling, especially after an adjustment. haha
Thought I'd post a "real" pic - not on macro setting, and not one that showed all the leftover colored dots. Barely visible - luv it!
They do require a bit more maintenance (e.g., if you have a bit of spaghetti sauce stuck behind a metal bracket, it's hidden; not so with clear ones. haha)
Thanks you all for giving me some insight to the Innovation C brackets. I guess part of the reason I wanted to change to clear was because many people (specifically men) look away as soon as they see the metal in my mouth. I also noticed, however, the more people are around you, the more commonplace the metal braces become - so no biggie. I'm probably just going to suck it up and keep the metal SL brackets. At the very least, I know they'll be coming off sooner than later.
LOL! Thank you. I used to make fun of those people, too. However, since I've changed over, I've had at least 2 responses per day asking if I'd either removed them, or switched to Invisalign. When I move closer... they ask me if it's a retainer. Good thing I brush and use mouthwash every day now, because I go right up in their face to show them the brackets.
I had to sit at a help desk at a training we had yesterday, and I had teachers coming up to me all morning asking for help. I found myself smiling even more than usual. I think even I, myself, forget that I have these clear uppers.
I dunno - as far as them "not working as well as metal", I've heard from other orthodontists that these brackets do work just as well as metal. We shall see. But even if they do add a little bit of time to my treatment, it's well worth it to me.
-Cathy
I LOVE them. They are AWESOME. I wouldn't be surprised if they worked just as well as metal. They seem so high-tech. If I had had the option and the funds- I totally would have gotten those. They look great on you!
