Orthodontics Today - all about braces and orthodontic devices

Another searched phrase that got you into our site: “elastic ligatures colours”

We are talking here about the elastic ligatures that are worn on the regular metal braces and some ceramics. The self-ligating braces don’t have these anymore.

The colours may vary: some use bright colours to make their metal-mouth look a bit funnier, while others try to use a colour that would make them “blend” better. I have saw examples of people who have more colours on the ligatures and they alternate them. It’s an excellent way to take the treatment in a more relaxed manner while also having a cute look. And no, not only teen-agers do this.

For the people considering very light colours, please note that sometimes the ligatures will stain. The brackets are OK, but the nasty look you see on the braces comes from the stains on the ligatures: smoking, curry, coke and other “ingredients” can ruin the look.

The positive aspect is the the ligatures get changed from time to time (4-6 weeks), but still they don’t look good when the change time comes. You can avoid the stains by:

1. avoiding the things that would stain them (kinda hard sometimes)

2. chosing a light blue or a smoke shade, even if you don’t like the idea. They stain less than others.

3. use bright colour (the stains are not that visible and the colours make the braces look cute)

You can chose your colours and even create “themes”. Just see what your orthodontist can offer and go wild with the ligature colours.

The searched phrase: “i am 30 years old can i have invisible aligners“.

Dear visitor. I assume you are talking about: Invisalign - the invisible braces.

The fast answer is: YES. You can have Invisalign just like anyone else if you qualify for the treatment. I am almost 30 myself so it’s not such a huge deal. As I have explained some days ago, you can have excellent results with the orthodontic treatment as an adult too. Am I too old for braces? is one of the most searched for phrase on the web and the good thing is that the answer (as you can read in the article too) is NO. You are not too old for braces

Let’s get back to Invisalign and your age. As I already mentioned, the age is not the problem in here. First you have to “qualify”. Don’t think about winning a contest or anything like this. In some cases, Invisalign, even if it would eventually work, it does require such long time, that it’s better to use another system (for fast results in complex cases Damon is one of the best choices).

I used Damon at first since my personal case didn’t make me a good candidate for Invisalign. I had a canine “sticking out” almost over the near incisor, the 2 upper left bicuspids one in front of the other (don’t ask me how this was possible, I seem to be a “miracle”), missing molars and other “nice” problems. Damon worked for 7 months on the lateral teeth to reduce the gap created by the missing molars, to bring the incisor back to its place and pull it back on the arch, rotate the bicuspids etc.

Invisalign was my final choice for the treatment (with the front teeth too) since I am 30 too and can’t sport a metal mouth look especially with my web design clients. I would ruin my business, since some people are still reluctant to see people in braces.

I didn’t stand a chance to correct those huge problems directly with Invisalign, so we needed the metal braces and now we can fix the rest of the teeth. This is what “to qualify” for Invisalign means.

Only you and your orthodontist can see if Invisalign is a good idea. If you are 30 (or even over) and would like to have Invisalign please don’t forget:

• get an orthodontist who is accredited in Invisalign. Not all of them can use the system, make sure your doctor has the certification
• prepare with money. Invisalign is one of the most expensive treatments. The cost varies (depending on the number of trays, complexity of the case etc.), but it’s not cheap at all.
• your orthodontist will be able to tell you for sure if you can use the Invisalign system. If your case is way too tricky, you’ll be presented with another option that would work better.

This was another phrase searched for by one of our visitors. For the Invisalign users brushing those teeth all the time they eat can sometimes be a pain. Invisalign requires DISCIPLINE more than anything else from a patient. As you could already read in the previous articles (First 2 days with INVISALIGN, Straight talk - an article about Invisalign and Invisalign - the invisible braces) the Invisalign system bring something totally new to the orthodontics world: an easier treatment and some less pain. And still Invisalign does come with a price: we need to be careful with our teeth and brush often.

When starting an orthodontic treatment, one has to understand that the time of careless oral hygiene is over. In order for the teeth to not start new cavities, the brushing/flossing/mouthwash ritual has to be taken care of.

In my previous treatment (Damon braces), I didn’t have to watch my brushing that closely since I could wait for some minutes to brush after a meal. In the end the braces were on. When it comes to Invisalign the most important aspect is WEARING THE ALIGNERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Some say over 22 hours a day, others claim than 20 are Ok too. The advice would be to have the trays in your mouth for as  much as humanly possible. Again, from my experience: I eat something and then I go straight to the bathroom to brush. I have several “sets” of tooth brushes and paste: in my laptop’s case (for when I take it to the radio station), in my bag, in my smaller purse .. and I am considering having this in my car too so that the set is complete. I know it sounds crazy, but I do want to eat between my home meals too.

In some cases I have to be away almost all day long. This would mean eating in the morning and in the evening. So I snack at work too. If I want to eat anything, I have to take my aligners off, eat, brush teeth, clean aligners and place them back. So that I can still wear them as much as possible.

This is pretty hard since most of the time I just feel like tasting something. I stopped driking coke or I drink it only in my small “lunch breaks”. I don’t eat anything with my aligners on, I don’t drink anything but mineral water with the “braces” on my teeth. Some say mineral water is not that good either, but at least it doesn’t stain them (as soda would or anything else) and it doesn’t leave my mouth filled with all kinds of sugar and other “goddies’ that would “rot” till I brush again.

Getting back to the question at hand: If you dont brush your teeth and wear your Invisalign … I think it would be “yuky”. Think about this: you ate something and you have some hours till you get back home to brush. You can’t leave your trays off for that long (remember you do have to wear the aligners as much as you can) so you’d have to put the plastic on the dirty teeth. Personally I would either not eat or go fast and get myself the toothbrush and toothpaste (most cases this happened to me too, this led to me having 4-5 sets in all possible locations).

When you go from home, just check again if you have these too. You do change an aligner after 2 weeks, so it’s not the end of the world, but still it would be a good idea to not get to placing Invisalign aligners over not brushed teeth. Have you ever done this? How was it?

invisalign first 2 days

This was the phrase one of our visitors searched and got to our site. Since I also have Invisalign I can at least offer some information about how the first days in the system are. If you are not yet accustomed with the name and the type of orthodontic treatment Invisalign is, here is the article that will explain everything: Invisalign - the invisible braces

Now, since we’ve done all the reading, let’s discuss about how Invisalign FEELS for new patient. In my case the treatment came after 7 months of metal braces (Damon) so I can also make a personal comparison. I say personal since in the end we all react differently to the treatment.

After I got the aligners at the clinic, I had to adjust to this and the attachments too. I had 3 attachments placed on 1 upper bicuspid and the 2 canines. They are not too big, but for a brand new set of aligners it does make taking them out more tricky. I was “fortunate” enough to wear a retainer at night that looked like the Invisalign aligners. I wore it for 2 months (the time between Damon and the arrival of the Invisalign trays). So .. I was already pretty skilled.

I showed my doctors right there and then I can manage this and got home.

With a nice lisp.

I started trying to talk and adjust my diction to the plastic in my mouth (took few days though). In my case a perfect diction is mandatory since I am a radio DJ. Still, as I mentioned before in one of these articles, I was able to do my show with the Invisalign in with no big problems. So that lisp is not too serious either.

It was Sunday and I waited for the pain to kick in. When I had Damon braces, the first 3 days were a nightmare. I couldn’t close my mouth (touching the teeth was painful) and couldn’t eat anything but very soft foods. Sure, the metal braces are stronger and it showed. Invisalign proved more “nice” to me, so that pain didn’t appear. I had a toothache though: one of the incisors hurt, but not that much. I was able to eat normally and without pain..

The only thing that wasn’t too pleasing was the salivation. God, I was just like my dogs .. drooling all over the place (well, I am kidding, but still my mouth wasn’t used to having those foreign objects in, so my reflex was to salivate a lot). This made my mouth dry and I had to drink plenty of water and still I couldn’t escape that “sand in my mouth” feeling. Again, it wasn’t too serious, and a good reason for some nasty jokes from my boy friend who was pretty amused with this all.

Another thing I could mention was the fact I had slight problems with removing the aligners. Well, SLIGHT. I was able in few minutes to come up with a strategy that would allow me to take them out faster. I always start from the lateral teeth (molars) and in the side I don’t have attachments on the last tooth.

This way I can “shift” the tray just a little, so that it doesn’t stay on the teeth in that part. I then slightly lift the aligner with my nails (memo to self: NEVER cut them too short, it’s a pain using them as a tool) on the teeth that also have attachments. When I start with the last teeth I start with my mouth open and my fingers “working” from the inside (lingual side). Then, the small lifting is done from the vestibular area (front side of the teeth) and I also close the mouth a bit (since I don’t have to put my fingers in it). I then go to the front teeth while still shifting the tray and finish with the other side.

In my case the starting side is the left one (I have less attachments there) and then I proceed to the right one. I know this might sound “yucky”, but most people have big problems with taking out the aligners and maybe these ideas might help you too.

So, to cut the huge story short, here is some “fast info” about my first 2 days with Invisalign:

• small issues with taking out the aligners. Solved after 2-3 tries. Then it was VERY easy. Same with fitting them back into the mouth
• slight pressure on the teeth and one tooth that was aching. Nothing too serious though, nothing compared to the pain I had with Damon
• I talked funny. A slight lisp that still made it possible for me to do my radio show.
• increased salivation. I drank some more water and it solved.
• a tad unpleasant to have to take the aligners out, brush and put them back. I had to start being even more careful with my oral hygiene, but again, it solved. I got used to it.
• no serious discomfort or pain. I adjusted easily to the treatment and had no issues. It very easy as compared to others.

“is damon braces really better than regular braces” this was the actual phrase in one of our visitor’s search. The fast answer: YES they are better. Before I list again the benefits of having Damon braces, please read the 2 articles that detail how the 2 orthondontic systems work:

• Metal braces - with ligatures
• Damon braces - metal self-ligating brackets

And now let’s see why I was so fast with telling you Damon is better. The Damon braces do cost more than the regular braces and in some cases the dental insurance might not cover this difference. Still you are lucky .. in my country no orthodontic treatment is covered by the insurance, but this is something different, so I need not digress.

In order for a doctor to be able to work with Damon, he/she needs to be accredited. This would be another small set-back since some orthodontists are not licensed to use this. Most top doctors do have the certification so it’s not such a huge deal in the end.

And now back to the subject at hand: why the Damon braces are better than the regular ones.

1. No ligatures, smaller brackets - the self-ligating system on the brackets make Damon better. You don’t need ligatures on your brackets and the brackets themselves are smaller. Some are already partially “clear” so it makes them even harder to see. More discreet braces help with the aesthetics too.
2. Some patients don’t need extractions - there are cases when the the Damon system can solve the problem without extractions. Sure, even if they do advertise this, it does depend on the patient. The thing is that when regular braces required extractions, Damon might solve this without them. Still there are patients with problems that can’t be solved other than having extractions. I was such a case. Damon was able to solve my huge problems (rotating teeth, teeth that were mispositioned not only misaligned), but still needed the space to work (since I do have big teeth).
3. Faster treatment - some claim Damon works in half the time. I read about patients with regular braces and they needed over 20 months in treatment for complex cases. Even 3 years. If I wanted Damon only, my problems would have gotten solved in 14 months. I saw HUGE progress in just weeks. After 3 times in the treatment my teeth looked amazing already. Damon is a very serious system and the braces “don’t play”, they work.
4. Overall Damon is not as hard to wear. After solving some sores in my mouth and getting pass the first painful days (all braces do this, the pain means the treatment is working), I really liked it. I know it might sound like I am a “masochist”, but it’s not that hard. The braces weren’t too big and I was able to have almost a normal life. And the Damon braces do look nice. I was scared at first for having a metal mouth (the reason I chose to wear Invisalign for my front teeth, after the lateral ones were getting straightened with Damon) and I regretted this decision after seeing some patients who wore full Damon. They looked pretty nice, as if they had some silver jewels on their teeth.

Damon braces are considered to be the “new generation” braces. My orthodontist doesn’t use the regular ones for some years already. He’s using Damon, ceramics, Incognito and Invisalign. I wore Damon 3 braces and so did many of his patients. The Damon braces use the ideas that made the regular ones work nice for years, but offer faster results, with less “equipment” needed (not ligatures on the brackets), with a better aspect and more discreet brackets.

If you can afford Damon, I do advise you to go on this route. Regular braces do work nicely, but Damon does work BETTER.

One or two years in braces. You change your life for ever, you are either that “metal mouth” person, or the guy/gal with the metal near the tongue or a “plastic mouth” as I am (since I wear Invisalign). You learn how to take care of your teeth, you meet with your orthodontist almost each month or after 6 weeks, you are sick of arc-wires, brackets, aligners, mouth wash, have changed already many tooth brushes, you are the “freak” who’s spending way too much in front of the dental care section in any super or hyper-market. Your friends are already convinced something is amiss up there while others are shocked to see you have “ruined” your mouth like this.

Does this sound familiar? I am sure it does for any patient who’s into orthodontic treatment. For 1 year already I am the “freak” and to be honest I don’t care since I know what I am doing and love the changes I see in my teeth alignment.

After we go through all these the only thing that makes it bearable is the thought we’d once smile like the most successful star in Hollywood, we’ll no longer have bite problems, we’ll have perfect teeth. And still there are people who don’t have that wonderful result. They are few indeed, but still this happens. Let’s see how we can be successful. How can we make the treatment WORK!

1. CHOOSE THE BEST ORTHODONTIST YOU CAN

Don’t be cheap, don’t go for less money. Less money might mean crooked teeth forever, even after the treatment. Do your best to find out about the best orthodontist in your area and go there. Don’t let money decide your treatment. An excellent orthodontist doesn’t work for pennies and at the same time you can’t afford letting a beginner test his skills on you. My doctor has over 1000 cases in treatment or finished. He’s the best I could get in my city and I got him. He’s got the experience needed to really make it worth it.

2. DON’T MESS AROUND.

If you have to wear elastics or headgear or aligners or anything. Don’t take it easy. Don’t “fool” the treatment, don’t do anything but obey your doctor. If he/she is certain you need to wear that thing, then he/she might know better. In the end these guys treat you and have some more schooling into orthodontics than us. Don’t sabotage your treatment.

3. GO TO ANY APPOINTMENTS AND LET THEM KNOW IF SOMETHING BREAKS.

Yeah, brackets can fall, arch-wires poke your cheeks, aligners might get lost (do take care though) retainers might break too. Don’t just sit there telling yourself it doesn’t matter. ANYTHING matters. From such a “small” incident you’ll just make your treatment longer or even put it on hold. These guys are there to help you. Don’t go nuts if such incident happens (let’s not get mental), but do solve the issues as soon as possible. Or discuss with your doctor to have the best solution available. Don’t miss appointments and try to do your part of the job the best you can.

4. YOUR TEETH ARE SENSITIVE. DON’T MAKE IT EVEN HARDER FOR THEM.

You have to understand that your teeth are under a lot of “stress”. It’s not easy being a tooth, having those metal things on you, being pushed and pulled around. Your denture needs care and protection. Even if you can eat hard foods, don’t do it. I love nuts too, but this doesn’t mean I’d eat them with the braces on, or now when I have Invisalign. Even if my teeth don’t hurt me now and they seem to be pretty strong, I do realize they are moving to their decided position and can’t chew hard things. I don’t eat soft food only, but I don’t push my teeth too much. In the end I’d love having them still after the treatment is ending.

5. BRUSH, BRUSH AND THEN BRUSH SOME MORE.

People think we are weirdos carrying tooth paste and brushes all day long with us and brushing a lot. Since I started the treatment, I also started caring more for my oral hygiene. I wore braces and they’d catch anything possible. It was normal to brush and floss. I don’t like having all kinds of “stuff” on my teeth. Now I wear Invisalign and brush after each meal. I don’t eat anything with the aligners on, I take them out, eat and then brush again. Yes, 5-6 times a day. So that I don’t have tarter on my teeth and not develop cavities. This would be bad since it would might put your treatment on hold for few days till you have the cavities filled. Not to mention your teeth are again VULNERABLE and it would get complicated. Why make it harder?

6. READ ABOUT THIS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND ASK AROUND.

I can’t understand how some people can be so careless. I read hundreds of articles before getting braces, most people confuse me with the doctor since I can give them so many answers. It’s something that changed my life, it’s something I have to adjust to, so many things are happening to me. How not know about them? I asked my orthodontist all kinds of questions and he was more than happy to clue me in.

7. IMAGINE YOUR SMILE AFTERWARDS.

The easiest way for me to go through 2-3 years of treatment (as I have been predicted) was to see my smile after the treatment. I watch TV commercials with those perfect smiles and tell my folks “this is how my teeth will look like”. I never see myself as I am now, still with crooked teeth (better than before, but still not perfect), I see myself as I WILL BE. This gave me strength to go through the metal braces months and now I am prepared for 13/18 months in Invisalign. And I’ll make it, because I decided I need to succeed.

8. WEAR THAT RETAINER

Many people who had their teeth get crooked again didn’t wear the retainer properly. It’s unpleasant to have to care for this too after so many months being braced. But this retainer is the secret to KEEP your smile. Some wear it for few months, some for some years or even a lifetime.

Well, I am ready. I want to wear it the time I have to and even some weeks more. So that I know my pain wasn’t in vain. So that I know I made it. After months of treatment, after tens of meetings with my orthodontist, after having arch-wires in my mouth, power chains, brackets, mini-molds, trays, retainer, way too many cleanings, pain sometimes, a lot of brushing, lots of money paid and gasoline for my car on my way to the doctor and back. After all these I will have a perfect smile. And I will keep it.

My treatment will succeed because I KNOW how to make it succeed. I have a good doctor and the determination to make all this work!

I think I’ll step on your toes again and tell you: it depends.

The answer depends on your situation (the complexity of the orthodontic problems), age and treatment. For the youngest patients (kids and teens) extractions might not be needed (many claim they are not even recommended since the bone structure is not yet final and changes can occur). Even if a kid has crowded teeth his jaws are still growing. Helped by an expander for instance the mouth can develop some more to accomodate all the teeth. This is why for kids the extractions occur scarcely and if nothing else can solve this.

Things are different for the older patients, the adults. In our case the jaws won’t expand anymore and if we have big teeth (my case too), they just can’t be straightened without extractions. My huge teeth got crooked because they couldn’t fit normally, the only way to solve my issues was to have extractions.

The most common case is to have the 4 second bicuspids taken out. These are small teeth so the gaps they leave are enough to be filled with the moving teeth and not too big to remain as gaps forever. So many patients are scared since in the end these 4 teeth are good teeth we just throw away. In my case I had 2 molars taken from the lower jaw (actually it was 1 since the other one I lost years ago due to cavity problems) and the 2 bicuspids from the upper jaw. One of the teeth was the ONLY one I had with absolutely no problems all these years. I had small cavities in all teeth, except for that one. You can imagine how “happy” I was when I needed to get it out.

The extractions can be done at the same time or in few days. I chose to have 3 extractions in 8 days so that I can also have them heal and be able to eat on one side, while the other one was affected by the extractions. The doctors used a good anesthetic so there were no problems. I did have a slight headache and I just took Kethonal. I was advise to use something to fight the possible inflamation, antibiotics, but then I realized this might interfere with my contraceptive pills. I didn’t need any more medication, other than 1 painkiller after each extraction.

In few days the extraction gaps healed enough to be able to put the braces on.

Even if these extractions seem too “drastic” for you, if they are needed, then it’s a good idea to just do it. My teeth already closed most of the gaps and it doesn’t show I don’t have 4 of them. By removing 4 teeth I am able to make room for the others. Now they can be arranged in a healthier and why not, better looking way.

I have found an excellent article about Invisalign and I wanted to share it with you. Since I am also in treatment and used Damon braces too, I consider myself experienced enough to chat some more about this topic. Even if the article does seem very well written I kinda sense it might discourage you and in the end this is not the idea. I’ll try to get some of the most important aspects and discuss them from my own point of view. Maybe the author might also share more insight so that we all benefit from this.

While the company says its surveys show that 87 percent of respondents are extremely or very satisfied with their treatment, it also does not collect information about bad outcomes or failed cases.

This is an aspect we are invited to think about. The author also has had experience in the system, so this makes it all even better. I do agree that the percentage does look pretty nice, but just as we read there, there is still a 13% of people who are not pleased with this. Sure, these might be people who weren’t able to adjust to the treatment and the results are not as good as predicted. In general there are people who FAIL in their treatment.

Because of the orthodontist who is not able to provide them with the best care (not all are good doctors and sometimes they do go wrong), maybe they didn’t take too much care of their teeth during the treatment or they simply lacked the luck. I also know people with bad results from the orthodontic treatment as I see people with fantastic teeth. “S..t happens”. It happens in metal braces case, it happens with ceramics sometimes, why shouldn’t it happen with Invisalign?

They may not be so ‘invisible’

I agree with this partially. As mentioned in the article the attachments placed on the teeth might make the system slightly more visible. Still, it’s hard to track. After I got my Invisalign trays placed on my teeth, I got back home. My folks asked me: “ah, he (the orthodontist) wasn’t there?” since they didn’t see my “braces”. After 1 day, at work, I told my boss: “what do you think about my orthodontic braces?”. He had to go to more light and also put his eyeglasses on.

The Invisalign trays are invisible especially when brand new. They are worn for 2 weeks and might get colorations if you drink coffee or anything that can stain them. I have 8 days from starting to wear the aligners. They are still looking like new and they are clear as before. All I drank with them was mineral water. For anything I get them out and then brush my teeth. I haven’t eaten ANYTHING with them on.

If you really like them to remain visible, do they best you can to not stain them. In their “normal” status they are VERY discreet. Since I wore Damon before, there is no comparison. Or, as some say, if we talk about the 2 systems it’s “no contest”. Invisalign is very discreet. In my case it’s invisible, but maybe others had other experience.

Those who have had braces say the discomfort pales in comparison, but newbies may not be prepared. Some take a pain reliever before putting in a new pair of aligners.

I think it depends. In my case the Damon system was pretty painful, but I managed with no painkillers. Invisalign DOESN’T HURT at all, I almost came to think something is wrong. Compared to the metal braces, Invisalign seems to be less “intrusive” and the pain is small or even not there. For the people who experience serious sores and tooth aches, a good painkiller solves this. The first days are indeed the hard ones, afterwards it’s all way easier.

Wearing the aligners requires a serious commitment. They won’t work and may end up worsening a situation unless they are worn constantly. If a tray gets lost or broken, doctors recommend wearing the previous set until a replacement is sent.

ANY treatment requires discipline and commitment from the patients. I can’t understand how people can misplace the aligners. They cost a lot and are HUGELY important for the treatment. And you’re not supposed to place them too far: I just take them out and leave them in the small box I have for them. In my bathroom (so that I can get back to brush) or in my bag if I am not at home. I eat in few minutes and then put them back (after brushing my teeth and cleaning the aligners). We have to wear them at least 21-22 hours a day, this doesn’t leave us with too much time to misplace them.

So, my advice would be to really open those eyes when the trays get out of your mouth. It would be a costly mistake indeed and it would really be your fault. The orthodontic treatment is not something to make fun of or take too relaxed. Otherwise, we’d get into that 13% of people with bad results in orthodontic treatment.

Becoming an oral hygiene freak

Couldn’t agree more. Since I started the treatment (first with Damon, now Invisalign), I went nuts with cleaning my teeth. I take great care and I SHOULD. Braces can “help” with the tarter deposits and the treatment should be made with no new cavities. Our teeth are already going through a lot, the least we can do is to keep them clean.

With Invisalign it’s even more serious. I have a tooth-brush and a tooth-paste in my laptob bag, in my normal bag. I think I’ll put a “set” in my car too and I’ll be the freak indeed

I brush my teeth 5-7 times a day: as soon as I eat something. It’s hard indeed, but I have to take care of them and of those expensive trays.

A lifelong commitment

Oh yeah, it doesn’t end when the treatment ends. To prevent teeth from moving back, doctors say patients must wear retainers at night for life and that some of them need to be replaced annually.

This happens to ALL systems, not just Invisalign. The teeth have the tendency of getting back to their “form” once the treatment is over so we “fool” them with a retainer. In my case this might be something for a lifetime, in other people’s case we talk months or few years. Depends on the complexity of your case.

I really wanted to point these things out. The article did provide us with a lot of information, but the situation is still not that serious. There are many people who use Invisalign and are very pleased with it. In my case it’s a almost 2 year treatment. Compared to the Damon braces, these aligners are way easier to wear. My lisp was gone in few days, I had a very small mouth sore in the first 2-3 days and almost no pain. Compared to those poking archwires and mouth sores, plus the pain I had in the first days of each adjustment, this is a walk in the park. And the “braces” don’t show at all, another plus. Costly, but very nice.

The metal braces have been used for many years to give us those amazing smiles. And still more and more patients are looking to wearing some more discreet braces, far from those bulky ones with ligatures. Many don’t want or cannot afford Invisalign or Incognito (or Ibraces) so they need something that doesn’t look that “metal” and still works.

So .. the orthodontists came up with something: cereamic braces.

These are not made from metal, so they don’t show like those. They are created from a ceramic material with a color close to our natural teeth colour. The only thing easier to spot is the archwire, but it’s a small line and not an entire bracing system to be seen. Thus the more discreet look.

As you can see in the image, the teeth look more “natural” and the braces do work nicely to straighten the teeth. And if you want another reason to think about this: even Tom Cruise wore ceramics to fix his slightly imperfect teeth

The advantage over the metal braces: they don’t show that much and are thus more discreet

The disadvantages:

• they cost a bit more than the metal braces
• the ligatures can get stained and this would make the braces more visible
• the brackets a bit more “bulky” than Damon for instance. But still with their “camouflage” colour way harder to spot.

Ceramic braces are let’s say a “compromise” made for beauty. Even if the braces are close to the metallic ones as function, they don’t show that much and are perfect for people who want to have a nice smile while still being able to straighten their teeth. Other systems (Invisalign or Incognito) are more discreet, but they cost way more and these ceramic braces can still do a great job with the looks too.

Most patients dislike the idea of the “metal mouth” look they have while in the orthodontic treatment so they try to find alternatives to the classic bracing system. In this case a good idea for many of them is to use the LINGUAL braces.

As their names said it, these braces are not placed on the visible side of the teeth, but “behind” them, in the tongue side. The fact they reside on the lingual side of the mouth gives them this name. We have 2 main providers: IBraces and Inconito (created by Dirk Wiechmann).

The lingual braces are an excellent solution for people who work in the business or PR system and can’t appear in front of their clients with metal braces or anything visible. In some cases the braces could ruin the career or at least a deal (since people are still not that at ease with seeing others braced, especially mature business partners). For them the 2 systems provide a working brace system that doesn’t show.

The advantages are mainly about aspect: the teeth show nothing on the front so it’s hard, virtually impossible, to spot them (unless the patient opens his/her mouth too much to make them visible. I assume no business person would do this though

The disadvantages are small:

• they cost more than the “normal” metal braces. The brackets are made for each patient (they are not “default” for all of them), it’s an individualized treatment (like Invisalign).
• not all orthodontists can work with them (as in other cases: Damon, Invisalign etc.) these braces require accreditation;
• the sores are a problem for the first days. The tongue is also there and for few days it’s hard to eat and speak. Some patients claim the time to recovery was very short, while others adjusted almost instantly. Do expect some sores as in the case of any braces system. In the end it’s a foreign object in your mouth, but you will adjust and have no more problems.
• the talking is affected for few days. Some patients require few days to be able to get rid of the lisp, others have a better time.

All bracing systems in the end have similar issues: small sores, lisp etc. This would be the toll we have to pay for having nice teeth. Together with the tooth ache once they start moving. Sure, nothing impossible to solve though. Lingual orthodontics is another excellent way to straighten your teeth and have them move to the right position. And your braces, even if there and working full force, are hard to spot.

For the people who need a good aspect and nothing to show their treatment, Lingual braces are a great idea.