Think I made a Mistake...

This is the place to post general questions and comments about all areas of orthodontic treatment. Before you post a question, use the forum's SEARCH tool to see if your question has already been answered!

New Members: YOU MUST MAKE A POST WITHIN 24 HOURS OF REGISTERING OR YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED. In other words, don't sign up unless you plan to actively participate in the message board immediately. This is necessary to keep out spammers and lurkers with bad intentions. Of course, you can read most forums on the board without registering.

DO NOT POST FULL-FACE PHOTOS or personal contact information on this website. We have had problems with people re-posting members' photos on fetish websites. Please only post photos of your teeth, not your whole face. Keep your email and your personal information private. Thank you.

Moderator: bbsadmin

Message
Author
hithere
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:40 pm

Think I made a Mistake...

#1 Post by hithere »

Hey guys, I'm very confused.

I have my spaces in to get my metal braces tomorrow but I panicked last minute and canceled, deciding clear were better.

Problem is, clear cost 2000 more. I can afford it for now, but I am fearing if the treatment exceeds planned time, how will I afford it afterwards?

I was told the Inovation-C or whatever doesn't stain.

The other place that mostly specializes in regular traditional braces was a lot cheaper, but I'm worried about aesthetics. But now after doing more research on clear, I'm wondering if it's even worth it. I have an impacted canine and will have to walk around with a missing tooth for a few months waiting for the bigger one to 'come down'.

The place that was cheaper, when doing the x-ray, you know how you are supposed to bite on some thing? They had no plastic over it and that bothered me.

The service there also sucks. And even if my ortho had assessed my x-ray, he made no mention of my impacted canine! I had to tell him about it! I said 'i have an impacted tooth' and he said 'what are you talking about?" and i showed him the tooth then he said "let me check". That really bothered me.

In the other place that offered clear, the doctor allowed me to ask as many questions as I wanted. Although I couldnt tell by him saying the In-Ovation doesnt stain was just a way of selling the product. He told me I would get clear upper and metal lower.

I'm so confused over this. I feel dumb for canceling my metal braces appointment but at the same time I kept thinking, what if I regret it once they are on? But with clear braces, you can still see them, so I'm just not sure about anything. I've prolonged my treatment because of going back and forth and hoping from one ortho to the next. I want clear but I dont know if it is worth it and while I want metal I just don't know if I want the look.

Can anyone help me?

catgyrl
Posts: 1239
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:59 pm
Location: Hawaii 5-0!!
Contact:

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#2 Post by catgyrl »

You will hear varying opinions on the metal vs. clear debate, so I can only let you know my story and my opinion.

I got my braces almost a year ago, and decided that I was too cheap to spend the extra $300 for the clear/ceramic braces, so I got all metal. After about 3 months and one extraction gap later, vanity reared it's ugly head and I decided to strike a deal with the ortho: i offered to pay off my braces in full, which would allow me a 15% discount off of the now $700 they were going to charge me (for removing the old brackets, chair time, etc.), and I ended up changing my top brackets to clear Radiance ones, and I kept the metal on the bottom because they're barely noticeable, anyway. I love them to death!

Now, my clear brackets are not self-ligating, so I do need to use the little o-rings to hold the wires in place. Clear brackets, themselves, do not stain... It's the o-rings that stain. So, if the Innovation-C brackets ate self-ligating, then you won't have to worry about anything staining.

Now, I'm curious as to why the clear ones cost $2,000 more? That sure is a lot! But that cost should be factored into your total cost when you get braced, and your monthly payments determined from that. I'm not sure where you live, but in the U.S., if your treatment runs over the estimated time, you won't be charged anything extra. You would just continue with your appointments until you're done. Of course, if you go over because of your own actions (non-compliance with instructions, cancelling appointments, etc.), that may be a different story.

Good luck on your decision. I say go with what you want. Had I taken my own advice, I would've saved a bit of money.

Cathy

35ksmile
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:06 am

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#3 Post by 35ksmile »

well i had braces as a kid (i'm 22 now, was 14 when i got them off) so the "vanity" aspect of braces has never really bothered me. in fact, i had "old school" braces when i was a kid and now i have self-ligating ones... and i think the self-lig metal ones actually look kind of awesome.

i personally don't think braces negatively impact someone's appearance at all. in fact, even before my adult braces treatment, i found braces to be attractive in a strange way - they give someone character. it's almost like a status symbol - beautiful smiles are attractive, if you have braces you essentially already have a beautiful smile (i mean, it's definitely coming, so) and you obviously have the combination of expense, vanity (isn't always a bad thing) and still an element of humility (you're willing to put up with train tracks in your mouth to achieve what you want - good on you!).

i actually have way more respect for people with metal braces than either clear or invisalign for the reasons listed above - plus i've been there before, and i'm there again, so there's that! the fact is, anybody who's actually had braces before will not care (and probably be supportive) no matter what you choose. it's been my experience that people with less-than-perfect teeth and/or those who have never had braces that tend to be the most judgmental, who can blame them? :)

belenov
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:47 pm
Location: ireland

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#4 Post by belenov »

well i felt self concious at first but when the braces started to hurt and my cheeks became a little swollen i became more occupied with pain relief than what others thought. the pain has nearly stopped after two weeks and people have been great, its funny how many people consider getting braces but have not got the courage. go for it. the first ten days are a bit of an ordeal as you mentally get used to them but personally i was rather proud to have started and can see a huge difference already

sauerkraut
Posts: 573
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:57 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#5 Post by sauerkraut »

Hi there, hithere!

Forgive me if I’m misreading you, but it sounds to me like your dilemma is more between the different orthos than the type of bracket.

The one offering metal is cheaper but you’re bothered by the level of service and don’t sound too confident in the ortho’s expertise.

The one offering clear is much more expensive and although you sound a bit happier with that ortho you still have a few doubts (wondering if his non-staining claim was sales talk).

Have I got that right?

How about you write down a list of the pros and cons of each place? It might help you get a better picture. And if you’re still not sure, you could even get a consultation with a third ortho. It’s a big commitment so it’s understandable you want to get it right from the start. And definitely ask them to explain how the pricing works. I’m not from the US so can’t comment on that.

As for the metal vs. clear debate, there are plenty of threads about that on this board so have a read through all of them. You’ll find me a few times – with my view that there’s no difference in function (at least with the type I had) so you might as well choose what you prefer the look of (or what you can afford, if price is a big deal).

I had InOvations, incidentally, (Cs on social 6, metal Rs everywhere else) and I can confirm that in nearly 3 years of wear the brackets never stained. If you need any ligs, elastics, power chains, etc then they’ll stain, but that’s the case whatever brackets you have.

ETA: In case I didn't make it clear, in my view it's better to base your decision on the ortho and his practice (confidence in expertise,treatment plan and costs, level of service, etc etc) rather than on the type of bracket.
SARPE: Sept 2007
Braced: May 2008
BSSO: Nov 2010
Debraced: March 2011

thmmom
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2010 2:16 pm

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#6 Post by thmmom »

I would definitely go with the ortho that you are more comfortable with and have more confidence in. You will be going to that office for awhile, so you want to have faith in their service. There are many times when your teeth look worse before they look better, so you need to have faith that your ortho knows what he/she is doing. The type of brackets that you get are completely a matter of personal taste. My ortho charges the same for metal or clear. Good luck to you.
Ceramic braces top & bottom on 6/24/10

threescompany
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:38 pm

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#7 Post by threescompany »

I'm curious, is the $2000 difference because of the clear braces, or because the total cost of treatment at the place you would get them is more?

The ortho I'm going to said that he often has patients come in to have work "fixed" that was started at other practices. So, going with the cheapest option may not be the best idea. Can you get references from both practices to check out? You can also search for complaints about each practice online, I think even using google.

I'm going for ceramic, personally, but I wouldn't have hesitated to choose metal if that's what was recommended in my case. But yes, figure out the "hidden" costs from both places (are x-rays included?) so you can be confident in your decision.

hithere
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:40 pm

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#8 Post by hithere »

well, the review that i have is my sister. she had the ortho that does metal. he has more experience than the one that does clear (been doing it since the late 80s). the ortho who does clear looks really young.

the ortho who does metal also does ceramic but they didnt recommend it. in this economy you'd think an office will charge you whatever it is they need to charge to get more money, but they said my best option would be metal. i went to antoher place before that, and they also said metal over ceramics because of staining reasons etc, but it was a thousand more. this office was nice too and the ortho seemed really young.

the people who are the cheapest seem to have A LOT of customers tho. They are ALWAYS booked. their office doesnt look as nice as the other two more expensive ones I went to and the lady who does the booking in the cheap one was saying that it's because they need to pay for all the 'amenities' in their office.

I'm only able to get these braces cause my mother has insurance, but I always want to be prepared for the worst and be able to pay for these braces if my mom were to lose her job or if I were to go out of the country (i am thinking of moving out of America soon to a country in Africa and I am not sure if they do the clear In-Ovation C braces there).

I keep thinking, well, you can still see the clear braces, so why not just make it obvious that you are wearing braces? Is it worth it to try and 'hide' it and pay 2000 more for braces just because you are so self-cautious it hurts? I'm also thinking about stupid things like I've never had a boyfriend and I have to wear braces for two years blah blah blah but I know that's not an important reason.

threescompany, I think the 2000 difference stems from the place, and mostly the records. The records at the cheap place cost as much as the monthly bill I'd pay (before insurance). But in the other two expensive places, the place where the metal braces cost 4,700+, the records cost 700+. The clear braces place it costs 5,800+ for the braces and 600+ for records. The cheapest place braces cost 3,800+ and records only cost 100+ BUT you had to pay 40 dollars for first consultation whereas the other two places you didn't have to pay for consultation.

THEN to top it off, I have an impacted canine. I will have to pay for that surgery which may cost 1000+. If the canine does not get exposed, they say I will have to have a tooth implant, which is all making me wonder if getting braces is worth it if i have to walk around with a missing tooth.

sorry for bogging you guys down with this. i also have this problem of flip flopping and regretting my decisions but i know i need to make a decision and stick to it...

hithere
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:40 pm

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#9 Post by hithere »

i forgot to mention, my sister who was with the cheapest guy did ceramics and she says if she had to do it all over again, she'd get metal because her ceramics stain.

the ortho who does clear, says the In-Ovation C braces wont stain at all at all. i dont drink coffee and have been advised by my physician to stop drinking green tea, but i love pasta and stuff like that.

my eldest sister thinks that i should just get metal, but she is not as self-cautious as i am. i keep thiking that at least when i smile with the clear braces i'll be able to 'envision' what i will look like as my teeth get straightened (minus the huge gap i'll have from the extracted canine).

BUT i also want to be practical and save money. if i get the clear ones i'll most likely have to get help but i dont want to rely on anyone else. gosh idk why i'm making this so hard...

BracedGeek
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:31 am
Location: Tampa, FL

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#10 Post by BracedGeek »

I went with metal because of the staining issue. I like curry and tomatoes too much too give them up.

I was also told the treatment time will be faster with the metal brackets. Maybe, maybe not, right? But it is nice to think about. :)

Finally, I have so many rotations that one of the orthos I saw said that the metal brackets would be less likely to come loose. It isn't the end of the world if a bracket comes loose, I know. But it would slow things down, and if the process is already taking a while....

bbsadmin
Posts: 3469
Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2004 7:03 pm
Location: Northern California
Contact:

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#11 Post by bbsadmin »

If your clear brackets will have elastic ligatures (o-rings), then you WILL have to deal with staining. The elastic ligatures always stain. They are changed at each adjustment. So you may wind up walking around with stained ligatures for several weeks. It totally defeats the purpose of getting clear braces, IMO.

Self-ligating brackets, which do not use elastic ligatures, will not stain very much.

Remember, it's not the brackets themselves that stain. It's the elastics.
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!

~KMG~
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:46 am
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#12 Post by ~KMG~ »

Sorry to hear about your dilemma. I have had my Innovation-C's for over two months now and have not experienced any staining, as they are self-ligating. That being said, my ortho has not been happy with how the arch wire is activating with the bracket, so she has been applying wire ties to all of my brackets, not to mention the springs that I have in place for my impacted canine and lower arch crowding. So, I have a lot more "metal" in my mouth than I ever anticipated I would!!!!

I too was very concerned with aesthetics before I started this whole journey.....I wanted to make this as inconspicuous as possible. Fast forward to today....I laugh at my former thoughts/ideations!!!!! Bottom line, braces are noticeable......clear just means that they are less noticeable from afar. I have embraced this process, left my vanity behind and look forward to the wonderful outcome my braces are going to provide me with.

The best advice I can give is, research your ortho, keep your finances in check and go with your gut. Braces are a long process, so you need to feel comfortable and confident with your doc.

Best of luck in your decision!!!
Image

34 year old first-timer- 24 month sentence
1/3/11- braced (Innovation-C's on uppers and lowers)
5/2/11- impacted canine exposed- 1st time
6/9/11- impacted canine re-exposed and chain re-attached
3/1/12- impacted canine re-exposed and chain re-attached- 3rd time's a charm!

bedazzlemouth
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:42 pm
Location: New York

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#13 Post by bedazzlemouth »

It's a huge deal getting the braces and there are always doubts in the beginning. I didn't necessarily have to go the cheapest route so I rationalized it this way: so I've decided I want braces for me...if I get metal braces people will say "oh look, she has braces" and if I get the clear braces people will say "oh look she has braces". My point is that regardless of which way you go, you still have... and people still see the braces. It's a temporary issue so don't sweat it...get whichever one kind you want(the hard part was making the decision to make the consult appointment). I chose metal top and bottom and saved some money...I couldn't be happier. Good luck!
Getting on with my life: Step 3. Complete Metal Mouth Top and Bottom


<a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/">
<img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/ ... t.png"></a>

kittykel29
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2011 3:49 pm

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#14 Post by kittykel29 »

I was given the option of clear or metal braces. I ended up choosing metal because I figured no matter what I chose, people would notice I had braces. It was a shock when I first saw them on my teeth, and it took a few weeks to get used to seeing them, but now I hardly notice them. Good luck with your decision!

BracedGeek
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:31 am
Location: Tampa, FL

Re: Think I made a Mistake...

#15 Post by BracedGeek »

[quote="kittykel29"]I was given the option of clear or metal braces. I ended up choosing metal because I figured no matter what I chose, people would notice I had braces. It was a shock when I first saw them on my teeth, and it took a few weeks to get used to seeing them, but now I hardly notice them. Good luck with your decision![/quote]

That is what I thought. I really wanted invisalign, but beyond that, there was going to be something on my teeth. That plus my concerns about the ligs staining made me decide for metal.

Post Reply