Clear vs. Metal Braces

[madalama]

Does anyone have an opinion or experience with clear braces? I'm not talking about invisalign or whatever - the ones I'm talking about are similar to the metal braces except that the brackets are clear instead of metal.

Do they stain easily/turn color? If you're teeth aren't super white, will it look weird? What do you think? Any other comment about them?

I'm considering if I should get them because I'm 20 and the ortho brought up that most older people get clear braces so I just want to get more info and if they're actually beneficial.

[BrAcEfAcE4547]

Hi,
I got my braces on Thursday. I have clear on my uppers and metal on my lowers. The clear ones so far are very gentle on my mouth. The metal have rubbed a lot more. People don't seem to notice the clear ones until they start talking to me. As far as them looking weird... I don't think they look strange but I have noticed that people kind of look at me but then figure it out when they see the traditional metal on the bottom. I love my shiny metal bottoms to look at. Kind of like jewelry for my mouth lol.
I don't think that I would have liked clear on both bottom and top. I think metal on top and bottom would have looked fine though.
Hope this is helpful.

[TumbleDryLow]

This topic comes up a lot here so if you do a search for "clear vs metal" you will get tons of info/opinions.

I had clear (sapphire) on my upper 6. My teeth were not super white and they didn't look weird. The brackets don't stain--the ligatures can--but those are changed out at every adjustment. Severity of lig staining depends on what you eat and how much you care and what color ligs you choose. Clear ligs stain pretty easily so people tend to choose other discrete but less stainable colors like: pearl, smoke, light gray. If you are curry eater the turmeric will stain yellow just about any color lig except the darkest colors. Mustard can be a problem too. Some people find tomato and coffee to be problems as well. I drank coffee with a straw which kept it off my front brackets, I avoided eating the worst staining offenders, and stuck to smoke and light grey ligs and powerchains. Treatment time can also be a bit longer (3 months usually) if you go with clear.

I really liked my clear brackets and would choose them again. I found that from a distance they were very discrete. I had more than a few people tell me they had no idea I had braces.

[rahmama]

Not sure if you mean clear or white. I'm new to the brace world, but I chose porcelain or ceramic for both tops and bottoms because I thought they'd be less visible. I'm not thrilled with them because I think they look kind of weird and seem to be larger than the silver ones.

When I was given the option between the two, I saw a model with the silver kind and they just told me I could get them in white. I think the white ones are a different kind though and now I'm sorry I didn't request seeing them first.

Make sure you see the actual brackets before you decide. Good luck.

[secretsmile]

I have clear self-ligating brackets (in-ovation c i think). Because there's no ligatures i've had no staining and that's pretty impressive given I drink tea everyday!

My back brackets are metal on lower premolars back and upper molars. The great thing about clear is that they are not visible in most photos (only in head shots) nor from a distance which is good as I do presentations a lot for work and grad school. You can still see them of course but definitely way better than metal.

[Sallee]

Hi, I posted a very similar question not so long ago, then did a successful search using "metal vs ceramic" and found lots of heated discussion. It seems this decision is hard to make for everyone and there are a lot if practical and personal factors that go into it. Not to mention that everyone's orthodontist uses different brands of brackets!

I was going to have all metal, but I had a really hard time with the idea and it did my head in. The main negative for me is that ceramics have less strength when it comes to a twisting action, which my teeth need a lot of, so my treatment might take longer or I might need to switch to all metal if it's not working out. Also I grind my front teeth so my Ortho thinks I might be coming in for emergency bracket replacements if I shatter them.

Nonetheless I've decided to start out with ceramic up and metal below, with the understanding that we'll switch to all metal if the ceramics don't work out. This is all included in the cost that I've agreed anyway, so it's mostly my time and my Ortho's time at stake.

Btw the ceramic brackets I'm getting are the same size as the metals. the metals I'm getting are considered small, but not 'mini'- some people get 'mini' metal brackets but my ortho doesn't do them. Nevertheless I'm staying with her because she has a great reputation.

So you see, lots of very individual factors to consider. Ultimately go with your gut and work with an ortho you trust. Whatever decision you make will be the right one for you. And always try to remember (like I have to keep reminding myself) - it's only braces.

[belistic10]

i tossed up between this very recently!! i ended up going with my orthos reccommendation and have gone for Damon clear on the upper 6, and the rest i have a damon metal. The ones on top are definately more comfortable as they rub less and i havent had any gum irritation, whereas the metal ones (actually they are titanium as i am allergic to nickel so they got me different ones lol) tend to rub alot more at the moment as they are so new. I am very glad i trusted them and went with the clear on top, as its definately more inconspicuous especially when in photos. If you want to see a pic click on my link in my signature below (and please feel free to give me a vote while there) that pic shows you what the damons look like with clear uppers
I had been worried about them being a little bit bigger profile than the metal, but honestly i dont even notice the difference! i am getting used to the feel of them already goodluck with your decision and as far as staining goes these ones Do not stain! they are self-ligating so i have no ligs which is what normally stains not the actual bracket. I have been drinking coffee etc and have had no problems (and they promised me they wouldnt stain) so very happy with my choice

[conine]

I had this discussion with my ortho. When he asked me which was more important - efficiency or aesthetics, I said both. So, we agreed to start out with clear ones on the top six, and he would switch if he needed to. At my last appointment, he switched out the clear brackets on my canines to stainless steel, so that he could finish faster (estimated debrace in December or January). So, right now I only have clear ones on my top four, and they look fine. Maybe there's a compromise for you.

[Annieapple]

My ortho recommended that I get clear on top and metal on the bottom. I wasn't so sure about this as I felt that my mouth would look totally mismatched but she said to trust her I would be glad of it! She herself had not long had her braces off so when i heard that my own ortho had gone with clear uppers and metal lowers I thought it might be the best option!
I am very glad i did now...it took a while for people to notice that I even had braces! It must be the way i talk but you can hardly see my lower metal braces! Most people seem to think that I am just wearing a metal retainer on top as the clear brackets blend so well with my teeth! It is only on closer inspection that they see the brackets!!!
As for staining, clear defo stain!!!! Found this out the hard way when I had my first curry after getting them on! ha! But it is not the clear bracket that stains but the clear elastic so these are changed every 6 weeks for me..! So by the end of the 6 weeks I feel that they look dirty but will not be so obvious to everybody else!
Clear braces take a liiiiiiiiiiittle longer than metal but for me my bottom teeth were so bad and needed so much work my ortho said that it would take top and bottom the same length of time....
Hope this helps!!xx

[sophier]

I have the Damon clears on my top 6, innovation c's on the rest of my upper teeth, and Damon metal on the bottoms. Damon don't make the clears for the whole upper row as far as I know. So because I have a wide smile, my Ortho decided to put other clear self ligating brackets on the rest of my upper teeth too.

I have to say I love the Damon clears (as far as braces go lol!). I love the metal Damon's too, but the clears are definitely more comfortable.

Because they are self ligating (don't have ligatures), they don't have anything to stain. They don't have anything extra to get food stuck on either. I had Butter Chicken the other night, and there is no staining to speak of

I think they are the best looking clear SL brackets on the market. Most people don't know I have them on now that I'm used to braces and have stopped doing the zoolander face lol.

However, that being said, the BEST thing about them IMO is that they are SUPER comfortable. I have not experienced any ulcers or sores so far and I've had them on 5 weeks.

Good luck!

[Huggypillow]

I had a hard time deciding on which ones to get , my ortho offers clear at no extra charge but said that because i need a lot or tourquing for tad's the clear ones may fracture.

here are some of the pro's and con's i considered before the time came

1. Cost the same for either
2. With metal I can eat or drink what I like.
3. The clear ligs do stain
4. I can be bold for different colours if I want with metal.
5. I was going to have metal wire ties all over the brackets for the first few months so the clear brackets would have been seen anyway defeats the purpose somewhat.
6. I have to get tad's
7. The clear brackets are larger despite what they say and I was able to view them all before hand
8. I have mini metal brackets
9. I found the new mini metal brackets to be very comfortable and ive never had any canker sores ( the only sores ive had is from the wire getting long at the back.
10. There wont be any changing of brackets later if treatment is going slower because of clear brackets.

Its really a personal choice but for me it was both functional and personal, he says when all the hardest work is done he will change me to clear if i want, but to be honest it's not forever so i dont think i can be bothered.

It would be nice if they could make headgear clear for those who need it, Now i draw the line with devices such as those, not a chance would i wear that.

There is many a full metal mouth on this board and we are proud of our metal gates ( chuckle )

[harleydevidson]

Metal braces are regarded as the most dependable and “strongest” kind of braces in relation to “push/pull” impact, these are the kinds of braces that most dentists suggest. Contemporary orthodontics have a somewhat participating look and smaller brackets, when compared to the older versions that have brackets that covers the whole tooth. Current developments in this technology have elected these devices cheaper for the people, producing them a well known option on both grownups and teens who don’t wish to invest more money on Invisalign orthodontics.
Clear braces function exactly in the same way that the steel orthodontics do. They are in a position to align teeth effortlessly and in exactly the same period of time. The only real and huge difference can be the look. Clear orthodontics are not unseen, simply less apparent than conventional braces.
The distinction between metal orthodontics and clear orthodontics is completely aesthetic. For most of the people they are considered as the pleasant option to the metal braces since they will never stand near to them.