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I think they're worth it. Depending on how fast your teeth move, you will only have the gaps for a few months, and after that your teeth will start to look better and better. Ceramics become less obvious after your teeth align.
Honestly I would recommend metal. Its people are used to seeing and your not fooling anyone with ceramic however some people may stare as it sometimes like theres some on your teeth while the metal people immediately know what it is. The ceramic alos have staining problems that are more obvious than metal.
Its not about fooling people, its about whatever you like the look of better. I have clear brackets on the upper fronts, i am not sure what kind they are but i like them. People still notice them but they are a lot nicer looking than a full metal mouth imo. Most people think its just a retainer actually, and i don't have any staining because the ortho doesn't use ligatures on them.
UGHBRACES wrote: Most people think its just a retainer actually[/img]
Yeh, I'd agree - a few kids at my school (I'm a teacher) have asked me if I am getting a fixed brace, thinking that my ceramic fixed brace is a retainer. They are fascinated when I show them it is stuck to my teeth!
Dblaney, I dissagree with you.
Ceramic braces are way less obvious than metal. My upper ceramics are less obvious than my lower metal. And staining is not a problem eighter, because these days you can have many different selfligating (they don't need ligatures) type of braces (I have Clarity SL).
UGHBRACES wrote:Its not about fooling people, its about whatever you like the look of better. I have clear brackets on the upper fronts, i am not sure what kind they are but i like them. People still notice them but they are a lot nicer looking than a full metal mouth imo. Most people think its just a retainer actually, and i don't have any staining because the ortho doesn't use ligatures on them.
I agree with everything you said! I am so tired of reading on this site that by choosing ceramic brackets you are trying to fool people. Well, I am not trying to fool anyone. I prefer the look of ceramic over metal and your photo, UGHBRACES shows exactly why!
I have ceramic braces and love them! It took my co-workers a month to notice them. One thing to note is that the brackets themselves do not stain, it is the ligatures that do. Staining of the ligatures is the same with either metal or ceramic. I am very happy with my decision to get them. You cannot even see them in photos.
I, too, am not trying to fool anyone. Yes, I am 35 in braces, but I don not care who notices. I did not have a choice. My ortho does not put metal on his patients over the age of 25
I started with Innovation C ceramic self-ligating brackets on top and mental Damons on bottom.
In my opinion ceramics are noticeable. Recently my ortho changed some of the upper ceramics to metals to do some finishing touches. I see very little difference to be honest.
That said, maybe the ceramics look slightly nicer and I would probably choose them if I was doing it all over again. The cost was the same for me whether I chose ceramics or metals.
I have to agree with the previous posters. I love my ceramics! I'm also not trying to fool anyone, I just happen to prefer how they look. I think dblaney has some kind of beef with the ceramics for some reason or another. Maybe they weren't an option for that person or maybe they just really (really) hate the look, who knows. If you do a search for the comments that author has made it's all pretty much the same - that ceramic people are trying to fool people, that ceramic brackets are gross, that food gets stuck in ceramic brackets (as if it doesn't in metal???), that ceramic brackets make your teeth look weird, etc.
What's important is that you go for what you like and what fits your lifestyle the best. I suggest doing a search for the "lig color" thread. Tons of pics of all types of braces and all colors of ligs. I only wore clear when I got braced and now only do colors. It's pretty fun
Going back a few years I have had both - metallic on the NHS as a kid and now ceramic as an adult. I definitely prefer my ceramic braces. I have not had much problem with staining (I use a straw for coffee and I'm careful with what I eat, but no more so than metallic), and tbh from what I remember of the metal braces, the ceramic ones have not broken nearly as easily.
I want people to notice them tbh (I am paying £3k for them so I like talking about them!) but I like that they look different from the NHS 'kid' braces in the UK. It might be different outside of the UK, but they definitely feel more 'grown up' to me as you generally only see ceramic braces on adults.
I have ceramics on top and metal on the bottom, and the ceramics are definitely less noticeable. It's not about fooling anybody, it's about the look you're comfortable with. I prefer them to be less obvious than a mouth full of metal. I'm 24 and look young for my age, so I don't want people to mistake me for an 18 year old! The cost was the same for me. I don't mind my metal on the bottom, and can do colors on the power chain there (I suppose I could on the ceramic, but it would defeat the purpose), but I am glad I went for the ceramics on the top even though several people told me to just get metal.
