Q about InVu braces/ceramic with white wires

[AshJP]

Hi guys!!

Firstly a big hi, I'm new here and I hope to start my brace journey shortly!

I have been looking into 'InVu' braces which are ceramic, and also have a white wire as opposed to metal looking, so aesthetically it looks pretty good.

Has anyone had any experience with these braces? information on the internet is very limited, and the only pictures I can find sporting the braces are models with snow white teeth. (sighhhh)

Also, regarding the white wire, is this just metal but coated in a material or something? And is it equally as effective as say a metal wire?

Thanks for any help

x

[Zoso]

"Sunny" at one time had In-Vu (most of her ceramics have now been removed and replaced, or replaced because they came off) She always seems to have thought well of them. But, at the end of the day, all a bracket really is is a tool, and what matters is the skill of your orthodontist. So I always advise people to seek their orthodontist based on his or her skills, and how the prospective patient feels not only about the ortho, but also abut his/her staff, office location and hours, and particularly the proposed treatment plan and the expected results, and the orthodontist's communication around that. The bracket brands on offer should be but a secondary consideration behind all of the above.

Another thing I have noticed in the past is that the white wires do not always remain looking good. Usually (always?) these are just regular metal wires with some sort of coating (often teflon) and this coating can often become chipped. When this happens, they look (at least in my opinion) a lot worse than regular metal wires. Also, because of the coating, using coated wires limits the sizes of archwires that the orthodontist can use, since even that thin coating will mean that the larger wires will no longer be able to fit into the slot on the brackets.

[Zoso]

Oh, one other point I should add. In-Vu are a traditionally tied bracket - this means that your orthodontist would need to use either tiny rubber o-rings (commonly referred to as ligatures - ligs - or elastomeric ties) or wire ties. Now, wire ties are fine, though rather more time-consuming to place, but some orthodontists reserve their use for clinical need. But, when it comes to ligs, unless you choose deeper colours, these can (and do) get stained by many foods and drinks. Clear/colourless ligs are the very worst in this regard. There are some choices that are something of a compromise between being discreet in apearance and not staining too badly, but they are always going to be a bit more visible than unstained clear ties.

Having warned you not to choose an rothodontist by bracket brand, I will now go against the grain and mention that there are a few brands of clear, self-ligating brackets that do get around this issue. Clarity SL, In-Ovation C, and Opals come to mind.

[metalmonkey]

Zoso sounds like he knows his stuff and I am unable to comment on that aspect of invu but as a braces wearer I had mine fitted yesterday and I am happy to post pictures up for you to see. I haven't got snow white models teeth and I also have the white wire. You can judge for yourself what they may look like on you. Will post pictures tomorrow in my blog and link to it for you. HTH

[Sunny]

Ash I've had one In-Vu bracket fitted (and it's never been removed) ... kinda as a trial for my ortho (who is also one of my employers). It's a nice smooth bracket ... so although I like the feel and look of the bracket, if it wasn't for the skill of my ortho, it would be useless.

I have been looking into 'InVu' braces which are ceramic, and also have a white wire as opposed to metal looking,

. Some ortho's use 'white' archwires, while others don't. Also some archwires do not come with the 'white' coating. Also with some brands the white coating flakes off to expose the stainless underneath. Please don't choose an orthodontist due to having seen a photo advertising a type of bracket or archwire.

One of my co-workers has In-Vu brackets upper and lower with teflon coated archwires and they look amazing on her. She's being very disciplined and keeping her clear ligs clean ... something I could never be bothered with.

Today an Air Steward on my flight had what looked like diamonds on her teeth. I couldn't help but notice ... her teeth sparkled. When she asked me a question I realised she had metal brackets like my Nu-Edge ones, with silver ligs. I guess it all depends on things like the shade of your skin, lips, gums, teeth etc.

Great you're happy with your choice Metalmonkey!

[newsboysgrl777]

Originally Posted by metalmonkey

Zoso sounds like he knows his stuff and I am unable to comment on that aspect of invu but as a braces wearer I had mine fitted yesterday and I am happy to post pictures up for you to see. I haven't got snow white models teeth and I also have the white wire. You can judge for yourself what they may look like on you. Will post pictures tomorrow in my blog and link to it for you. HTH

Hey Metalmonkey - did you ever post that picture? I'm really curious to see what it looks like as I have InVu brackets on on top and I have a regular wire, but my ortho said they do have the white ones later on down the line when I get into the heavier guage wire (which I may already have, since she said this when they first put my braces on, but I never bothered to ask for the white wire).

[Sunny]

newsboysgrl if you click here, you'll see a picture of the InVu brackets with a white archwire. There's also a photo on page two of this brochure.

Ask your ortho to show you the 'white' coated archwires and make sure you ask about how well they keep their coating, as the ones where the 'white' chips off, often don't look so great.

Good luck!

[Sunny]

here's another brochure for you to check. Plus more websites, here and here. Check out the OPTIS performed archwires, as it's an interesting article about some new translucent archwires.

Enjoy!

[Zoso]

I think the OP was looking more for images of these brackets on a real patient as opposed to the typical catalogue images of them on models - of either the plastic, or the flesh and blood type How they look on a perfect row of pearly white teeth, photographed under optimal lighting conditions (and with the image potentially retouched to boot) and how they look on a real patient, with malposed, and possibly less than chicklet-white teeth may be different. Of course, that said, I always think the amount of angst that goes into how braces are going to look is something that is allowed to run far too rampant in most people's minds pre-treatment, and the reality of how our braces are preceived by others is seldom anywhere near as bad people tend to fear.

The Optis archwires are interesting. I only first came across them a few weeks ago myself. They certainly do seem to offer a superior aesthetic to the previous generation of aesthetic archwires (which relied on metal archwires with an aesthetic coating) but appear to be more limited in function even than the coated wires. Their claim is of function comparible to NiTi wires, but surely this means that they would be suitable only for the earlier part of treatment, since orthodontists rely on the greater stiffness, and smaller range of materials like beta-titanium or stainless steel later in treatment. (Indeed their web site speaks mostly to their use during the alignment phase of treatment.) It also states on their web site that these archwires are not suitable for bends, loops or crimps, again placing a practical limitiation on their utility. Though they say these wires have performed well in clinical trials, these trials only began in 2006, so I'd say it's early days yet.

[clearwire]

Hi All, I came across this discussion on the translucent wire and thought I would provide some information on the wire. Yes, the wire is currently available for the alignment phase. Wires for other phases of treatment will be available shortly. The wires have been in development since 2001 and have been clinically tested in over 200 cases before taking the wire to market. I will be happy to answer any questions that you might have on the wire, just send me an email or post a message here.