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.

• 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.

These are still metal braces, but with a revolutionary ligating system, excellent results and in many cases no need for extractions. The system was created by the orthodontist Dwight Damon.

In many cases for the adults who cannot wear palatal expanders (it’s useless since they are no more kids so their bone structure now is final) extractions are needed. When the teeth are too big for the small mouth, the only way to make them “fit” is to extract some (usually the first pre-molars are extracted thus leaving enough space that will not show. The Damon System doesn’t require extractions all the time since it can solve the problems without any teeth being pulled.

In my case for instance extractions were needed since my teeth were way too large for them to fit. In this case the Damon braces needed these extractions too so that they can arrange the teeth properly. It all depends on your personal case and the way your orthodontist sees your treatment.

The good thing about the Damon braces is they no longer need those colourful ligatures. Sure, they can be cute, but why use them if we can do without? This is what Damon thought when he implemented the “sliding-doors” system on the brackets that close and open with no external help from ligatures.

The Damon braces have their brackets smaller (there are already some partially ceramic ones) and they look pretty good. I haven’t worn braces on all teeth, but I saw many patients who were fully braced and their braces really looked nice. The small stainless steel brackets looked like small silver jewels on their teeth.

And, if you want a funny aspect: they do attract the magnet. Yeah, I tried it too

Here are some of the advantages of the Damon braces:

• the brackets are smaller and look pretty nice
• no ligatures mean less chances to catch all that food in there
• they work faster and the results are sometimes astounding (in my case I had an incisor move 7 mm in just 4 months)
• it’s a new system and it’s getting improved constantly.

The disadvantages now, sure we have them too:

• they are still metal braces and offer you that “metal mouth” look
• the treatment is more costly than in the “classical” braces case
• the orthodontists need to be accredited to use the system. For a list of them, please consult the official DAMON site.
• the treatment can be painful in the first days, you’ll also have mouth sores (treatable with dental wax).

Still the Damon System is a great idea if you want to have a good metal braces orthodontic treatment. I used them for just 7 months in preparation for the Invisalign treatment, but the results were just amazing.

In this article we’ll discuss about the “old style” braces, that have no self-ligating system, but are still widely used with great results. Even if they are not as “modern” as other orthodontic braces, their efficiency is good and many patients have got excellent results and straight teeth now. This type will also help us understand how the braces work in the end to make us have that wonderful smile.

The “nerd” or “geek” who has eyeglasses and those braces that make talking and smiling so difficult. What most movies fail to show us is how that “geek” will look in just months after the treatment is over. Metal braces and any kind of orthodontic devices in the end do look funny and might be uncomfortable, but the results are always stunning. In 1-2 years (maybe a little more for some very complex orthodontic cases) that metal mouth will sport an amazing smile, just great to use to advertise a new brand of toot-paste or any other product that requires a lot of smiling.

Even if most orthodontic patients fear braces, we do advise you to use them and do the treatment. After some months you won’t recognize your teeth, you’ll have a perfect smile and a new face to show.

We used that “time machine” analogy since today things are different in orthodontics. Now we have more than just metal braces. We can use ceramics, lingual braces, even invisible plastic ones that really don’t show. Did you think that you don’t have what to chose from? Think again.

And now, to the goal of our article: HOW DO I CHOSE THE ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT?

• the severity of your orthodontic case. If your teeth are too crooked you might not qualify for the Invisible braces (Invisalign). In this case your orthodontist can advise you to use another system: Damon or Lingual (Incognito)
• the need for extractions (or not). Some braces types (Damon comes to mind) might not require extractions, others might do
• what your orthodontist can provide. Not can provide you with Incognito, Invisalign or Damon. Most of them have just “regular” metal braces (with ligatures), while others are licensed to use all systems.
• price. Some orthodotic treatments are more expensive while others cost less. Not to mention some are not covered by your health insurance.
• the need to wear other devices: headgear for example.
• treatment time: some systems work faster, some slower
• diction: in some cases the lisp the patient faces (at least in the first days) is more noticeable. For a radio DJ for instance or a public speaker, this can become a problem
• looks. Some might not love the “metal mouth” look (for a 30-40 year old this might be harder), while others don’t care about aspect too much and can settle for anything.
• allergies. Some people might develop allergic reactions to Nickel.

So, here you have some things to consider when chosing an orthodontic treatment. It’s not that simple anymore and thank God we have some excellent systems to chose from. There are good solutions or even combinations so that we can straighten our teeth the way we want.