Damon Clear Braces Questions

[Mr.Cool]

Hello... I am getting braces in about 5 days and I am deciding which type to get (Damon Clears or traditional metal braces). . . I am beginning high school soon. I don't really care what they look like but I am leaning towards the Damon Clear. I have a few questions though.
1) I have heard that the Damon Clears tend to break easier, but I have also heard that they can chip teeth. Can somebody please clarify this?
2) Will the DCs make my teeth look a little bit yellow?
3) Is it true that DCs are more comfortable than traditional metal braces?
4) If you had to pick traditional braces or Damon Clear without a cosmetic or money issue, what would be your choice?

Thank you in advance for all responses!

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome to this forum Cool!

1) I have heard that the Damon Clears tend to break easier, but I have also heard that they can chip teeth. Can somebody please clarify this?

This brand of clear brackets are still quite new, so I doubt enough research could be completed yet for a statement like this. Some self ligating brackets break more easily that non ligating, but they can be easily replaced, so it's not really an issue.

2) Will the DCs make my teeth look a little bit yellow?

Only if your teeth look yellow with this shade of ceramic against them.

3) Is it true that DCs are more comfortable than traditional metal braces?

In general ceramic brackets are more comfortable due to their design. Self ligating brackets are slightly higher off the tooth than non-ligating, which means they take some people a little longer to adjust to, but they adjust ... and with a positive attitude, most adjust quickly.

4) If you had to pick traditional braces or Damon Clear without a cosmetic or money issue, what would be your choice?

The ceramic bracket we use where I work ... or if I wasn't an orthodontist, I'd choose whatever ceramic bracket my ortho was confident using. I had both ceramic brackets and stainless steel ones. The ceramic ones were the best by far.

Good luck getting your treatment underway and remember it's not about the brand, but about the skill of your ortho!

[swhynacht]

I would recommend Damon Clear by far, I had researched for MONTHS before deciding on Damon clear and I have not seen any issues with them. The way I see it, they are better looking and more expensive, but they work FASTER. I would have had to have traditional braces for about 3 years, but Damon Clear for only 21 months. Did your ortho tell you any difference between the time you would be wearing the braces? Go to Youtube and search for Damon Clear, there are quite a few people doing video blogs with their DC and have only good things to say. Good luck!

[Sunny]

swhynacht there is no evidence that they work faster and as the other types of brackets in the damon range don't work any faster, it is suspected that this is misleading advertising being used by people marketing the brackets.

If you need braces for 3 years or for 21 months ... it won't matter what brand, material or type you wear, it's going to take that time. Brackets don't move teeth, the archwires do and the archwires are the same for all these types.

Please don't be sucked in by the people marketing damon brackets, instead ask yourself why does one company feel the need to advertise so much and why do so few ortho's choose to use this brand?

I suspect they're ok brackets, but no better than any other. What's important is to use the bracket your ortho is comfortable using.

Most people with braces only get to try one type ... so their blogs will reflect what happening at that time.

[stevenson]

damon clear braces are resistant to staining and allow wires to move freely within the brackets themselves for better oral hygiene and aesthetics as well as fast, comfortable tooth movement.....

[swhynacht]

There is some evidence that they do work faster, there have been case studies done by third parties who have no stake in the damon system, they just wanted to get the facts. http://www.cnyortho.com/pdfs/dt0107.pdf The average was 6 months faster. As far as marketing goes, it would be silly to assume that just because they are heavily marketed that they are very good, but it's also just as silly to assume that they are NOT good because they are heavily marketed. Coca Cola is one of the most marketed brands in the world, I hardly think they are no good. I don't ask myself why they feel the need to market so much.

I agree that it is important to use the bracket that your ortho is comfortable using. I have seen many videos of people who had traditional braces too and I've heard more compmlaints in those, just for the record.

The point is MrCool asked a question about what we prefer and we are all entitled to our opinion. We just have a different opinion and I suspect that the only people who wouldn't be biased here are people who actually have had both types of braces.

[Sunny]

I love your example of coco cola ... one of the most dangerous drinks in the world. Yes they do market it well in some countries and I'm guessing that's why too many people are addicted to this drink and their health (and teeth) suffer as a result of them being 'sucked' in by the marketing ploys.

It is understandable that you would have heard more complaints for standard brackets, due to them being used in around 75% of cases. Self ligating is increasing, but it still has only a small slice of the market, and damon has only a tiny portion of that small market.

This article has been talked about before and the first issue is with the heading, as there is no such thing as a damon system ... it's a brand name that use archwires that can be used with all systems. The article just gets worse from the heading, for example why would a person need less appointments because of their brackets, when it's the archwires that move teeth? It's scary to think an ortho would take longer to treat some of his patients than others ... I'd be very upset if I was treated this way by an ortho. I beleive it's my duty to treat all my patients with skill and accuracy regardless of what type of bracket they're using, because I know that it's the archwire that will move their teeth.

You're definitely allowed to have your opinion ... and I respect that! What I don't respect is sweeping statements that sound factual and as if reputable comparisons have been made. For example 'how can you tell that a damon bracket has moved your teeth faster, especially when you must realise that if you just had a bracket on your teeth, the tooth wouldn't move? This statement isn't logic, but used often in marketing ploys. If you feel your tooth has moved faster, what other tooth are you comparing this too and what's the difference in how these teeth are moving. This would mean having different archwires moving too teeth that have the same environment. Studies show the effect in similar situations using a variety of archwires and then real patients, which of course brings in huge variations and considerable skill to collect, present and interpret the information.

I realise not everyone has had the opportunity I've had, due to studying this material at uni ... but that's why I respond to posts like your's.