Clear Ceramic Braces
Clear Ceramic Braces
Ceramic braces can be used with normal orthodontic wire (grey) or tooth coloured wire
Clear Ceramic Braces
Clear Ceramic Braces in Crouch End & Finchley
Ceramic braces are translucent giving you an aesthetically pleasing appearance, as the color can be matched to your natural teeth. Ceramic brackets are tooth coloured or translucent. They are less conspicuous than metal brackets and therefore often favoured by adults.
Who Can Wear Ceramic Braces
Although wearing metal orthodontic appliances is quite common among youngsters, you or your young teenagers may chose to have ceramic braces if you feel embarrassed to wear metal braces for their visibility and appearance. We often recommend clear braces for adults, as they are much more sensitive to how they look with braces, specially if their work involves much face-to-face communication with other people.
However, it should be noted that ceramic braces are not invisible and the archwire connecting the ceramic brackets together will maintain the silver, metallic color. Since ceramic is abrasive to tooth enamel, if you have a deep bite (tight bite), you might not be able to use clear braces on your lower teeth.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Aesthetic pleasing look, thanks to the high invisibility
Low degree of discomfort in the mouth cavity, as the oral mucosa is less irritated during wearing, and articulation is affected to a lesser degree;
No metallic look and hypersensitivity reaction to the ceramics
Lower price compared to lingual braces.
Cons
The brace tends to become slightly discoloured over the course of time by contact with foods and may become less pleasing in appearance. if you are a coffee or tea addict, over time your ceramic braces mayf change color, which negates their main advantage – invisibility.
The brackets are more prone to breakage than metal brackets
The wires slide through the slots less freely so treatment may take longer
The brackets tend to be abrasive and may cause wear to teeth in the opposite jaw if they should make contact when biting.
The brackets can sometimes be difficult to remove with a slightly higher risk of damage to the tooth surface.
The brackets are also more costly than metal brackets.
Having said all this, if appearance is at a premium, ceramic brackets may still be the first choice for many patients. Ceramic braces are preferred by young adults as they provide a more natural tooth color that isn’t so noticeable.
Caring for Ceramic Braces
If you want ceramic braces to stay almost invisible on your teeth for a long time, you should avoid foods and drinks that can make the ceramics look darker or discoulor it. In particular, you should avoid or limit eating berries and drinking juice, wine, coffee and tea and, obviously, clean your mouth cavity and orthodontic appliance immediately after consumption. You should also avoid sticky foods like chewing gum, toffee as they are difficult to clean off the enamel. Hard foods are also undesirable, as they can damage the surface of your ceramic braces.
It is recommended to use dental floss or water jet/flosser after each meal and to rinse your oral cavity with a flurodated mouthwash. You may need to clean your teeth and braces with special orthodontic brushes for an improved effect and surface protection.
