| Ceramic and “Tooth Colored” Braces |
| Ceramic brackets are made of composite materials. They are very strong and generally do not stain. Three popular brands are Clarity and Transcend, made by 3M Unitek; and Mystique, made by GAC. Adults like to choose ceramic because they “blend in” with the teeth and are less noticeable than metal. |
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| Pros |
Cons |
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They blend in with most teeth, particularly if they are not perfectly white. They are not very noticeable at a distance or in photos.
Some people feel that they are more comfortable than metal and irritate your gums less.
Contrary to what you may have heard, ceramic brackets do not usually break or come off your teeth. They are very strong, and if bound with a plasma light, stay on as well as metal brackets. |
The clear or white ligatures (little elastics that hold the arch wire to the brackets) can stain, which defeats esthetics of the ceramic braces. But those are changed at your monthly adjustment.
Ceramic brackets are are usually more expensive than traditional metal brackets.
Treatment can take a few months longer in ceramic braces.
From a purely esthetic point of view, they are a bit larger than metal brackets.
If you have severe problems, your orthodontist will not use ceramic brackets in many cases, because they may not be strong enough to withstand the forces of some types of treatment. |
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| Clear Sapphire Inspire! Brand Braces |
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Inspire brand brackets, manufactured by Ormco, are made of pure monocrystalline sapphire and are very translucent. They are very strong and do not stain. If your teeth are already very white, then Inspire braces will look best on you and seem to “disappear” on your teeth. If your teeth are less than white, they may tend to stand out (in this case, the Ceramic brackets would be a better choice). The pros and cons for Sapphire brackets are the same as those for Ceramic brackets.
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| Invisalign Braces |
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Invisalign braces are great for people who do not have severe problems. The “braces” consist of strong plastic trays that are fabricated especially for you. They are indeed invisible. If your bite is not severely off and your teeth are not severely crooked, then Invisalign would be a good choice. You would be able to get your teeth straightened without anyone seeing that you are wearing “braces”! This appeals to many adults, especially people who wore traditional braces as children and then need more treatment later in life. However, if your bite is very bad, if you need extractions or require headgear or other appliances, then Invisalign will not work for you; you will need to wear traditional braces. |
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| Pros |
Cons |
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They are virtually invisible, and nobody knows you’re wearing them but you.
They are easier to clean than traditional braces.
They don’t irritate your gums as much as traditional braces, so there is little (if any) need for dental wax.
They do not stain at all.
The aligners are numbered and worn for two weeks each, so your time in treatment is well established.
You’ll get a computer simulation showing how your teeth will move during treatment, and see the projected final outcome.
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They cost as much as traditional braces, and sometimes even more.
Treatment can take as long as traditional braces.
In some cases, you may still need traditional braces for a few months after your Invisalign treatment, to correct certain problems.
You will still have tooth pain, because your teeth will be moved by the Invisalign trays. Invisalign is not a pain-free treatment.
The plastic trays are computer-fabricated by Align Technologies. Your orthodontist only hassome control over your treatment.
It takes 6 weeks for the aligners to arrive from the factory — a long time to wait. You may need more aligners (i.e., enhancements) after the original set of aligners.
If you have severe problems, your orthodontist will tell you that you are not a candidate for Invisalign.
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| Lingual Braces |
| Lingual braces are placed behind your teeth, and are therefore virtually invisible to other people. Usually, lingual brackets are made of metal.Orthodontists need special training to be able to treat patients with lingual braces. Therefore, not every orthodontist provides them.
Dr Anirudh Mathur is Extensively trained for lingual Orthodontics. Here at AV’s Happydent Lingual Orthodontics Treatment is Provided.
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The obvious benefit of this type of treatment is that no one will know that you are wearing lingual braces unless they look inside your mouth! For more information about lingual braces, visit AV’s Happydent Dental Hospital.
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| Pros |
Cons |
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Other people can’t see the brackets unless they look inside your mouth.
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They tend to hurt your tongue and make it difficult to speak at first.
They tend to be more expensive than traditional metal, because treatment is specialized.
Treatment can take a few months longer than traditional braces.
Your orthodontist must be specially trained in lingual treatment. Not every orthodontist does lingual treatment.
If you have severe problems, or need certain types of appliances, lingual treatment may not be applicable. |
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| Metal Braces, Viazis Braces, and Self-Ligating Braces |
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Metal brackets can be silver or golden. The golden brackets look a bit more “jewelry-like” and are often a popular choice with young women.
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Metal brackets are very strong and can withstand most types of treatment. At first they may irritate your gums, but after a few weeks, when your cheeks get “toughened up” they are not a problem anymore. Most traditional metal braces require an elastic o-shaped rubber band, called a ligature to hold the arch wire onto the bracket. Sometimes orthodontists use metal tie wires (little wires which are twisted around the bracket) in place of elastic ligatures.
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In the “old days”, metal braces were not just brackets, but bands that wrapped around the entire tooth. Nowadays, people wear small metal brackets that are glued to the front of each tooth (a big improvement!) Those old-fashioned bands are usually reserved for molars or teeth with fillings that spill to the outside surface of a tooth. Metal brackets tend to be less expensive than other types of brackets. In addition, you can make them colorful with ligatures that come on a rainbow of colors.
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A different type of metal bracket is called the Viazi (orViazis) bracket, sometimes called “FastBraces.” Viazis brackets are triangular and utilize a low-force square wire. The Viazis technique is reported to result in less pain and sensitivity, and complete treatment faster than traditional brackets |
| The patented braces system moves the crown and the root of the teeth at the same time, from the beginning of treatment, in one stage, with typically one square wire. Conventional braces systems typically move the crown of the tooth with round wires during the first year and the root of the tooth with square or rectangular wires during the second year
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| Pros |
| Metal brackets tend to be the least expensive of all the types of braces. |
| They tend to take the least amount of time among all the types of braces. |
| You can choose a darker ligature, which will not show curry, smoking, or black coffee stains. |
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Self-ligating brackets do not contain rubber ligatures, so staining will never be a problem.
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They are strong and rarely break.
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The golden brackets are different, novel, and generally look nice.
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| Viazis Brackets and self-ligating brackets can complete treatment in a shorter time with less pain; however orthodontists need special training in these systems, and they not available everywhere. |
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| What are Retainers? |
| Orthodontic treatment changes the shape of the jaws and position of the teeth. As these changes are not natural there are chances that the teeth can go back to their original position. To prevent this change and to retain the teeth in their corrected position, retainers are given to the patients. The older removable retainers are usually cumbersome and non aesthetic. Patients do not wear the removable retainers and thus it causes recurrence of the patient’s initial problem. We prefer fixed lingual (not visible from outside) retainers which are neat, reliable and patients friendly. |
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| They do not cause any discomfort or any interference during speech/eating /brushing or in any day to day activities. According to current concepts permanent retention is necessary so as o prevent recurrence (relapse) of the patient’s previous problems.
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| Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs) |
| 1. Who is an Orthodontist? |
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An Orthodontist is a specialist, who is trained exclusively for three years,
After completing his B.D.S degree to treat individuals with crooked, bucked out
Teeth and jaw deformities, which include cleft lip and cleft palate patients.
The specialist has to be an M.D.S (Master of Dental Surgery) in the specialty of
Orthodontics from a University recognized by Dental Council of India.
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| 2. Who requires orthodontic treatment? |
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An individual will require Orthodontic treatment if he has the following conditions.
- Crowded irregularly Placed front teeth or spacing between teeth
- Severe jaw deformities like protruded lower or upper-jaw or defects of the kind involving cleft of lip and palate etc.
- Improperly placed back teeth (molars) causing difficulty in eating or pain in the jaw joint or any other functional problem.
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| 3. What s the right age for orthodontic treatment? |
One can undergo orthodontic treatment at any age provided the bone support to the teeth and the gum health is fairly good. Children with jaw problems, especially girls should be treated at an early age (i.e.10 years) and boys at the age of 11-12 years.
After the individual crosses a certain age, surgical option may be required to correct certain jaw deformities. Adults at the age of 50 years or more also can take this treatment provided their gum health is good. |
| 4. What are the causes of this problem? |
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The reasons or the irregularly placed teeth, jaw deformities are as follows
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a) Thumb sucking/Digit sucking/Muscular deformities of the face.
b) Nail biting/Chronic history of cold and nasal congestion.
c) Mouth breathing /Lip sucking
d) In adults because of improper brushing habits and due to age or hormonal imbalance, gums can become weak causing dental spacing.
e) Genetics also play a key role in causing these malocclusions. Premature loss of milk tooth, multiple decay problems during early childhood etc. are some of the other causes of irregular teeth/jaw deformities.
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