Ceramic braces

Ceramic brackets are made of tooth-colored composite materials. Adults like to choose ceramic because they “blend in” with the teeth and cannot be seen from a mere metre away. These are the type of braces actor Tom Cruise had.

Everyone knows that ceramic is used in dinnerware and resemble glass in both hardness and brittleness. Hence, they are less resilient or absorbent to shock abuse or force than metal braces. Ceramic braces are more brittle and sensitive to shock so that they can break, chip or fracture easily. When they break, the sharp edges may even cut your lip.

Ceramic brackets are less strong and more fragile than metal brackets; their design is bigger and bulkier in order to tolerate the forces better. Furthermore, ceramic brackets are sharper and rougher than metal ones, but you gradually get used to it during a few days.

Ceramic brackets show more friction when sliding the wire which accounts from more effort and time in the process. Hence, a longer period is needed for the treatment. However, the latest generation of ceramic brackets with metal slots has solved this problem.
Also, in order to lower the risk of breaking the ceramic brackets, the orthodontist might tend to use less force in the treatment stages. Therefore, teeth will move more slowly so that the treatment may be longer.

As the ceramic is harder than enamel, teeth that bite or contact against these brackets can easily wear. Hence, after examining a patient’s bite and evaluating the way their teeth overlap when they close, an orthodontist may decide that they should not offer to place ceramic braces on the patient’s lower teeth for fear of creating a situation where excessive wear will happen.

The elastics used for fixing the arch wire on ceramic brackets are usually white or transparent in order to make it more beautiful. These colors might change through time. If you are not consuming tea or coffee a lot, this will not be a problem for you. Also, elastics are changed monthly. The point is that the color of rubber bands are to change, not the ceramic brackets.

Ceramic brackets still need metal arch wire and they are visible. In order to minimize the outlook of metal braces, the orthodontist might use composite coated wires. But the point is that these wires have limitations and cause a lot of friction so that are not much popular.

As the ceramic brackets are close to the enamel texture, the attachment is stronger than metal brackets. Therefore, removing the ceramic brackets is more problematic. In some cases, it might be painful for the patient as well and sometimes a part of bracket might stay on enamel and it should be removed by scratching the enamel.

Orthodontists charge about $1,000 higher for ceramic braces than metal braces. Ceramic braces cost more for the orthodontist to purchase and often take more appointments and more time to place than metal braces. Due to their price, ceramic braces aren’t usually installed on all of a patient’s teeth.

One way of improving the beauty and decreasing the discoloration effect is using the self-ligating ceramic brackets. The transparent ceramic brackets are one of the newest models of Damon system which is stronger and more beautiful simultaneously.