You have several choices when it comes to your braces, but there are some factors that can determine which treatment can be applied to your particular case:
- The severity of your bite or tooth crookedness problems
- If extractions are needed
- If jaw surgery is needed
- If head gear or other special appliances are necessary
- The amount of time you will need to wear braces
- How much you are willing to pay
- How long you will have braces to correct your problems
- The preferences of your orthodontist
For your convenience we have complied a list of pros and cons for clear and metal braces to help educate you:
| METAL BRACES: | |
| Metal brackets tend to be the least expensive of all the types of braces. | They are more visible than ceramic clear braces |
| They tend to take the least amount of time among all the types of braces. | They tend to be a bit less comfortable at first, (but that feeling wears off after a couple of weeks). |
| They are strong and rarely break. | When you have a canker sore, they tend to irritate your gums more than ceramic brackets. |
| Shorter treatment time with less pain. | |
| Self-ligating brackets do not contain rubber ligatures (bands), so staining will never be a problem. | |
| You can choose a darker ligature, which will not show smoking or black coffee stains.
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| CLEAR BRACES: | |
| They blend nicely in with most teeth, especially if they are not perfectly white. They are not very noticeable at a distance or in photographs. | The clear or white ligatures or “bands” can stain, cause your braces to look shades or yellow or pink. The good new is that the bands are replaced which each visit so you don’t live with the problem long. |
| Some people feel that they are more comfortable than metal braces and irritate your gums less. | Ceramic brackets are usually more expensive than traditional metal brackets. |
| Ceramic brackets do not usually break or come off your teeth. They are strong and stay on like metal braces. | Treatment can take a several months longer. |
| They are a bit larger than metal braces. | |
| Under severe cases, your orthodontist cannot use ceramic brackets because they may not be strong enough to withstand the forces of some types of treatments. |
