Metal Mouth Message Board

I've had invisalign for 1 year. My ortho just told me I need fixed braces on the bottom arch cause invisalign cant do what we need. I hope he lets me choose which brackets I want because I am leaning toward the damon3 brackets, but I have questions. I got invisalign because they were invisable (I'm 25), so I'm thinking the damon would be less noticeable on my bottom arch than regular fixed. also, are they thinner than regular braces (do they protrude from the tooth and make your lips/mouth protrude out)? They look smaller so I am thinking they may not stick out as much. Also, I paid for my treatment in advance...so do you think he'll let me choose my brackets? or will he make me go with the cheapest they have? Thanks in advance for any responses!

Pearlie,

The answer to most of your questions is, "it depends."

Some orthodontists offer multiple bracket systems, and some only offer one. You're better off going with what your ortho recommends for your specific case.

Your bottom arches really aren't as noticeable as your upper arches, so I wouldn't let aesthetics determine the bracket system. It's like my ortho's assistant told me when I was picking out brackets, "your close friends and family are going to know you're wearing braces regardless of the ones you choose." This went for clear brackets or traditional brackets. Also, you may not be a good candidate for ceramic braces on the lower arch as these can cause your upper teeth to chip if they hit the brackets the wrong way - just something to consider.

Damon brackets are fine, but be sure you choose them because they're going to be better for you, not because you've been seduced by the marketing.

Also, I've seen samples of both the Damons and the traditional braces and I think the difference in size is negligible. You'll have to adjust to either one, and I don't think the adjustment time for one is significantly longer than the other.

Most of the questions you've asked such as type of bracket to use and the ability to choose brackets are specific to your orthodontist so you should ask him/her specifically. There may even be an assistant you can talk to if your ortho isn't available.

Not to contradict lilblackdress but people say your lowers don't show as much as the uppers all the time. How do they know? Are they looking at you? Probably not. In my case my lowers show, not my uppers. So do yourself a favor and look at yourself in the mirror and do some talking and see which ones show. Make your decision accordingly. Had I realized such a simple thing I might have gone to an ortho that would do ceramics on the lowers. Though I hear that they hurt more. So maybe it's for the best.

DD13 got her upper braces last month. She has standard stainless brackets on most of her teeth, but has Damon brackets on a couple of molars that need to be tweeked more than the rest of her teeth. I got my ceramic uppers and lowers debanded in May. The regular stainless and the Damon brackets are smaller than the ceramic brackets and appear to be flatter than the ceramics so not as much lip protrusion as with ceramics. My ortho said the Damons typically work quicker than standard stainless since there is less friction with the Damons. DD has had almost no mouth sores from her brackets. If I had to do it over again, I would skip the extra expense of the ceramics and go with Damons.

Keep in mind that whatever bracket you chose, you'll probably still see the archwire, but it's hardly noticeable.

I chose Damon brackets both because of the potential treatment benefits (as explained by my ortho) and because on the models they showed me and pictures I looked at the brackets did appear slightly smaller.

But even so, I will have all-metal Damon 3MXs on my lowers; I'm only getting the clear 3s on my upper front six. My ortho prefers the metal for lowers because they (usually) don't show as much, and because they feel the metal is more reliable. I had to talk them into using the clear 3s at all, and then they would only do the top.

I see or hear of a lot of people with the ceramic/clear brackets on top and full metal on the bottom.

Dunno about the cost, a lot depends on if your ortho even offers Damons. I know the fact that I was getting Damons was established before my total cost was determined (and my ortho was nice and didn't charge extra for the clear brackets, since I'm only getting 6 of them).

Time and time again we see people using the power of advertising and marketing to make us want something. Essentially, all brackets do the same thing, even with the whole ceramics and metal debate, my ortho told me there was not a significant difference in treatment length regardless if I had all ceramics or ceramic uppers and metal lowers, or all metal. He just told me to pick what I wanted.

Not to confuse things even more, but it really depends on what brackets your orthodontist is using. In my case, if I were to use Damon brackets, they would be larger than either the regular stainless steel brackets I use or the ceramic brackets I use.

The Damon brackets are not much different from any ligature-free brackets. They are faster moving at first, or when you are closing space, but are a little slower when at the end when getting things exactly where you want them. That's what the research says. With traditional braces, you have the elastic ties holding the wire tight against the brackets, increasing the friction there. The ligature free braces like Damon don't hold the wire snug against the brackets like that. It really is less friction in the real world, too. I see it with ligature free braces as the wire sliding all over the place unless I put something on the wire to prevent them from sliding. If I don't, people come back with the wire shifted around, sticking way out of the back of the bracket.

speaking of ceramic braces, if you guys get a chance, take a look at this post from me:

viewtopic.php?p=230790#230790

eggraid, where have you been? We've been missing out on some professional advice!