Little worried On choosing the type of Braces

[bobo]

Hi, it's my first post, pretty exited. Wanted to get braces on for long time.. but just got into action recently. I went to few orthos and asking all of my friends who already got their braces... Still dont know which kind of braces is the best...the Metal one seems to obvious and the ceramic one people are saying that the ugliness is nothing compare to the pain that when take them off and the arc wire is still visible. Can anyone give me some suggestion?

Also all of the orthos are suggesting that I have to get rid of four of my teeth. Is it normal to do that?

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome bobo!

The best braces are the type your ortho recommends for you. Most ortho's have two or three types that they prefer to use, and these are the ones they use most often, so they're the ones they're most comfortable with.

Most of the ceramic brackets used today, have the same bonding as for metal brackets and therefore come away from your teeth in the same way. There is also equipment available to help removed some of the older ceramic brackets, that allows them to come away from the tooth in the same way as metal brackets. I recommend you don't dwell on this, but ask the ortho's you consult with, about the ceramic brackets they use.

The arch wired come in silver, copper, white, clear and there are some available in funcky colours now, although I don't think they're widely used yet. I work with people who can have six ceramic brackets free of charge on their upper arch, and most take this option. It's incredible how hard it is too see these brackets and archwire, even if it's a silver or copper archwire. You really need to be looking at their mouth, quite closely to notice it, and most people won't be that close ... and honestly most people don't care enough to look at our teeth. We probably look at other people's teeth, coz we're so focused on our own, but for most people, this is not something to show interest in.

About having teeth extracted ... it's not a common practice anymore, but sometimes it's still necessary. Since you've had more than one ortho recommend you have these teeth removed, suggests that in your case it is something that needs to be done.

Good luck with your research and finding the right orthodontist for you!

[bobo]

Thank you very much for your reply and that was very helpful.

[Denise]

I have ceramics on the front and the sides are metal. The ceramic brackets are much less noticeable, even though the metal wire is connected through them. I also had two teeth pulled to make room for the rest of them to move and line up to the appropriate lower teeth. You're going to have pain no matter what you have put on, so really I think it's more personal preference. See what your orthodontist recommends, and ask him/her what the benefits of having all metal or metal/ceramic brackets. Congrats on the start of your journey!

[bobo]

Thank you for your reply, did you just start your treatment ?how long does it take from starting wearing your braces to the date you need to pull out your teeth? Because my orthos told me that he will put on brace before my teeth need to be pull out.

[Sunny]

Bobo some people have their teeth removed before ortho treatment is started, some have them removed soon after it's started and some may not have them removed for several weeks/months into treatment. This will depend on the plan your orthodontist has for your teeth.

Denise, I'm grateful to say I've never had pain. For the first year or two, I didn't have any real discomfort, but more recently with have noticable bends put in the archwire, I've experienced some discomfort. I'm also aware of many of our patients, who tell us they've not experienced any pain. Modern orthodontics is much easier on the person. This means that for many there is no pain, for some there's some discomfort and for a smaller number there could be some pain.