Re: Types of braces

[Guest guest]

Hi Diane, me again:-)

I have clear ceramic brackets on my top and bottom teeth. The whole

teeth that I have metallic brackets on are the back teeth which you

can't really see. Ceramic brackets cost more than metallic brackets so

that's a con, I guess. For me having the ceramic brackets was really

important. I wore braces already three time prior to this time and I

was really upset about having to put them on again, especially at 27

when from the time I was 7 to 17 people kept on telling me, just think,

in your 20s you'll have a beautiful smile. Well that didn't work out

too well because not only did my overbite get worse but also TMJ pain.

Anyway, getting back to the topic. So metallic braces are cheaper but

with ceramic braces some people (such as myself) feel that the braces

are less obvious and therefore are less conscious about them. Another

potential downer about ceramics is that you get transparent elastics or

o-rings wrapped around each bracket. These can stain very easily so you

have to watch what you eat. On the other hand, if your ortho is located

conveniently to you, you can pop over to his/her office when ever you

like and get the o-rings changed which is what I do and I know a couple

of other people do as well. You can also get white metal wrapped around

each bracket instead of the o-rings and these don't stain.

Now as for using ceramic brackets for orthognathic surgery. There seems

to be no consensus on this from doctor to doctor. My surgeon was

absolutely fine with using them but other people here on the site have

had doctors that preferred to use metallic for surgery because of

concerns that the ceramic brackets could come off during surgery and

end up in your lungs. I personally don't see how this could happen

since they put the brackets on with a super strong glue. Bottom line, I

would check with your oral surgeon before making a final decision. One

of the members on this site first had ceramic braces and then was told

right before surgery that she would need to change to metallic despite

having paid the extra for the ceramics.

Wow, that was a rather long winded explanation. Hope that helped! Let

us know what you decide.

Sara

> Hello, I will be getting braces within the next few months (hopefully

> by mid-July) and my Ortho Consult appointment is next Tuesday. I'm

> wondering if most of you have or have had the clear porcelain ones,

and

> what the pro's and con's of them might be. Do you have to ask for

them

> or are they the preferred type used by OD's for adults? Do they use

> them on people planning on having Orthognathic Surgery? I'd like to

> have some info before my appointment. Thank you for your replies./

Diane

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Sara, for your quick and informative response. When I

called the OD's office to make the appointment for the consult, I

asked the receptionist if there was a price difference between the

metal and the ceramic, and she said that they are the same price. I

will definitely ask my surgeon if he has a preference, but I would

luv to have " invisible " (ceramic) ones, even if they end up costing

more. My insurance only pays for $1000(lifetime), but I think that

total is down some, as I had an ortho work-up in 1997 (the last time

I had considered doing all this). So, for me, it's essentially an out-

of-pocket purchase. I'm a 47 year-old who is definitely self-

conscious to begin with, never mind wearing braces. Thank you so much

for your reply. I'm going to my OMS tomorrow to get my stitches

removed from my extraction site, and I'll ask him then. / Diane

> > Hello, I will be getting braces within the next few months

(hopefully

> > by mid-July) and my Ortho Consult appointment is next Tuesday.

I'm

> > wondering if most of you have or have had the clear porcelain

ones,

> and

> > what the pro's and con's of them might be. Do you have to ask for

> them

> > or are they the preferred type used by OD's for adults? Do they

use

> > them on people planning on having Orthognathic Surgery? I'd like

to

> > have some info before my appointment. Thank you for your

replies./

> Diane

[Guest guest]

I have the metal ones (gold color) and haven't found them a problem at

my age. I even had a young girl (about 10-11) get on the elevator with

me at the doctors office and tell me " your braces are cool " . The type

of braces may be determined by the type of problem they are trying to

correct. In my case, I had to have the metal ones as the " Invisalign "

ones would not accomplish the task. It really hasn't been that bad, but

I miss eating raw carrots - have to cut them up now. And with surgery

next month I guess it'll be blenderized carrots for a while!

Shirley

[Guest guest]

Diane

I have ceramic brackets, and I asked for them. I have them on the top

and bottom both. Some people just have them on the top. I am 15 days

post op, and I had no problems with my surgery. The ceramic brackets

have proven to be very sturdy. My OS never even mentioned that they

might cuase a problem with the surgery, so it was never a concern for

me.

I feel better having the ceramic brackets on. With my job, I am always

presenting, or facilitating a workshop, or working doing something

where I am up in front of a group. I just felt more comfortable with

the ceramics. You couldn't even really notice that I had them on until

I started getting into the thicker wires (surgical wires), and that is

near the end, so it wasn't the entire time I had braces on.

> Hello, I will be getting braces within the next few months

(hopefully

> by mid-July) and my Ortho Consult appointment is next Tuesday. I'm

> wondering if most of you have or have had the clear porcelain ones,

and

> what the pro's and con's of them might be. Do you have to ask for

them

> or are they the preferred type used by OD's for adults? Do they use

> them on people planning on having Orthognathic Surgery? I'd like to

> have some info before my appointment. Thank you for your replies./

Diane