Damon Braces

[softpink86]

I did alot of reading before deciding that Damon brackets were what I wanted for treatment. It was a toss up between Damon Clears and Invisilign, but after my consult I decided on Damon braces. My ortho said there is one tooth that would probably take alot longer to move with Invisilign, so I opted for braces as the treatment time was shorter.

I researched orthodontist in my area who provided Damon braces and finally settled on a Dr. who has been in practice for 30 years and has stellar reviews.

Here's my question...I noticed, when my braces were put on that no where, on anything, said Damon...Instead, everything said 3M Unitek. So, Ive got Clarity SL on top and the Smartclip on bottom. Im only slightly upset since I specifically asked for Damon, but Im thinking I can probably expect the same results? Im just curious as to why they would use Clarity, when they advertize Damon...are they the same thing? Should I expect to pay the same for Clarity? Or is the amount Im paying more for the service and treatment and not so much for the hardware?

Thanks for any input!

Edited to add: I have had the top braces on since June 2nd and havent noticed any movement. When did you have your self ligating braces applied and when did you start to see results?

[Sunny]

If you have a skilled ortho it won't matter what type of brackets you have, as brackets all do the same job, the brand is connected to the maker and no more. Teeth move from pressure put on them by the archwire and the ortho makes choices around how the archwires are used.

Why they advertise that way I've no idea. We don't advertise the brand of the brackets we use, because we all understand that they, the brackets, have no affectg on our treatment.

The worst the aligment and as long as there's space, the more movement you'll see in the early months.

Good luck with your treatment and you seeing (or feeling) movement soon.

[ports]

I had a similar situation with my braces. I was told about Damon, and my ortho installed Lotus SL brackets. At the beginning, I was pissed because I was shown a Damon sales kit.. So I called around to other orthos in town, and they all do passive ligating/rubber bands. And the closest places that do Damon charge $4000-6000. I paid $3500 for mine. So I figure, cheaper bracket brand, cheaper price... fine.

The brackets are SL, and that's the important part. They'll all work the same. It's just a fancy hook to hold onto the archwire.. and the archwire is what will drag your teeth into a new position.

Sunny, as far as advertising.. I completely disagree. Go back to your office and check the sample teeth/braces that you show patients... or the brochures that you hand out. I bet they don't say "Self ligating brackets" .. it probably says "3M Unitek" or "Damon" etc.. you may not mention the name, but you are still advertising by showing the sales kits.. its the same way the federal government in the US doesn't allow cigarette companies to advertise overtly in movies... but you sometimes see an actor pull a cigarette out of a pack of Marlboro's or Camel's.. it's still an advertisement.

[stevenson]

Damon is more than just a kind of brace. It is essentially a philosophy of orthodontic treatment and a system to accomplish this with the braces playing one part of the system. A Damon brace is a self ligating bracket which means that the wire moving the tooth is held in place by a gate on the brace making the brace a tunnel which the wire passes through. In traditional braces an elastics tie is used to hold the wire in the brace.

[Sunny]

Sunny, as far as advertising.. I completely disagree. Go back to your office and check the sample teeth/braces that you show patients... or the brochures that you hand out. I bet they don't say "Self ligating brackets" .. it probably says "3M Unitek" or "Damon" etc.. you may not mention the name, but you are still advertising by showing the sales kits.. its the same way the federal government in the US doesn't allow cigarette companies to advertise overtly in movies... but you sometimes see an actor pull a cigarette out of a pack of Marlboro's or Camel's.. it's still an advertisement.

I might not have worded that properly. I meant we don't give brand names and try to keep all information as simple as possible. We have fake impressions with samples of the brackets we offer and our brochure is about names of parts and their care routine. Using everyday language!

We do not include any packaging with brand names and our walls do not have any posters that include brand names. It was a decision made before I joined the practice and I like it, especially with all the confusing information about what brackets do, when we know that it's the archwire that does 'it'.

We do have elastics, mouthwash samples and toothpaste samples that have brand names on them ... and that was a challenge, but we decided we could live with that.

[softpink86]

Thank ya'll for the input! Im paying $6500 for the treatment. The ortho Im seeing said it didnt matter if I chose Invisilign, Damon, whatever...that $6500 is the fee for Adult care. I expected to pay around $4500, but considering his experience and location Im not suprised at the cost.

Im just excited about having a beautiful smile !

[ports]

Crap that's expensive. Where are you located?

[softpink86]

Houston Texas...and it just so happens the office is in a wealthy part of town. Ive got high expectations, so hopefully it all works out!

[ports]

Good luck. In many cases, you get what you pay for.. so it helps to not go cheap, especially when it's your smile.