Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi all!
I'm 36 years old and soon I'm going to get braces for the first time. I'm going to get the self-ligating ones (Inovation).
As many of you, I'm not sure if I should go with ceramic or metal brackets. Ceramic was my first choice because I didn't want them to be so noticeable. However, they are not transparent (they come in a shade of white) and my orthodontist said some patients complain their teeth stain with time (mostly due to the primer used to attach the bracket) and they feel that discoloration looks even worse with ceramic brackets. Has that happened to anybody here?

Also, I drink tea often, so I would worry if the discoloration looked worse because of the brackets or if the brackets themselves stained. I know that self-ligating braces are less prone to staining because they don't have the rubber ligatures, but can I be sure they won't stain at all?

I want braces to be less noticeable and that's why I thought of ceramic. However, I prefer people noticing I have braces than focusing on my mouth wondering if I have plaque, or being distracted by my discolored teeth. I think it would make me feel very uncomfortable if that happened. What is your opinion? Should I just go with metal?

Thanks in advance!!

I would check to make sure what kind of ceramic brackets they are too. The brackets themselves don’t unusually stain. It’s the ligatures that do. With that being said, my other half got ceramic self lighting brackets so they were less noticeable only to find out the day of that the brackets had metal doors which made them quite obvious

I don't know about others, but I noticed some slight discoloration around my brackets (ceramic). I guess your ortho confirmed my assumption that the culprit was the primer they apply first. I also assume the problem happens with both metal and ceramic since they're applied the same way.

Here's a suggestion that's worked for me: I've used those teeth whitening "pens" and they've worked pretty well. If you're not familiar, they're not really pens but instead have a little "paintbrush" applicator at the end, and you twist the pen part which pushes a bit of the whitening gel into the brush. The brush tip is great for getting the gel in between the brackets and under the wire and into the area around the base of the bracket. I always thought they were a dumb idea before, because unlike a tray or a whitening strip that has some way to keep the gel on the tooth for awhile without being immediately wiped away, these whitening pens do not. That is, unless you have the pleasure of having braces. As we're all painfully aware, the brackets stick out and push your lips away from your teeth. And while the wire is a demon at letting food get behind, it's also pretty good at keeping your tongue and lips from getting in between the brackets and getting the food out. While that sucks when it comes to food, it's pretty useful if you're trying to keep your lips away from the whitening gel immediately around the brackets and allow it to stay put for a little while to do it's job. So, these whitening pens actually do a pretty good job of getting — and keeping — the gel where you need it. It's worked for me.

Also, Smileop's comment is a good point, and the Innovation bracket that you're considering (same as mine) does have a metal gate; however, it's coated with something (rhodium) that lightens its appearance and makes it less shiny and metal-looking, imo. I'd say it's between ceramic and metal in terms of aesthetics, and looks better that I thought a metal part would. Just my opinion.

Good luck with whichever direction you decide to go on the bracket decision! You'll be fine either way.

I went with ceramics, but if I had to do it over again (God forbid) I'd go with all metal for the reasons you mentioned: the ceramics really aren't invisible, they are bulkier, and they get more attention from passersby then I would have preferred. Plus, in photos they made my teeth look a hideous shade of gray. All metals in retrospect provide a cleaner appearance -- and everyone instantly recognizes that you have braces, and not hoof and mouth disease. And of course, they basically could care less that you have braces. Best of luck to you.

I have metal braces but they are the rhodium plated ones. I have not seen any other posts with someone who has them, but they are smaller and much less shiny than the traditional metal braces. I have a small mouth and small teeth so they are much more comfortable than traditional would be. The other thing about them is that the ligatures don't have to stretch so far and are far less noticeable if I stick with silver or dark purple. I got pink this time and if they hadn't done the figure 8 wrap on them, they probably would have been less visible. As it is I will go back to purple next time.

If your office offers rhodium, I would check them out. They were the same cost as the regular metal.

This post is helpful bc I have my 2nd ortho consult in 2 weeks and am going to have to go with metal, not invisalign, because I fell on my face and broke my jaw, nose, bone above upper teeth, and my front teeth needed to be pushed back into place except for one of them which had to be pulled and I am 2 months into my implant integration. After all that..... My teeth and jaw are out of alignment and my ortho says only metal can effectively move the back teeth. I am worried about yellowing teeth with braces, especially ceramics turning funky yellow also. I am leaning towards full metal and did I mention that I am in my 50's? What a joy to have a full metal mouth in my 50's.

I've had ceramic for a month now. I don't think the brackets stain, but the bands sure do. They put white ones on without asking me, but next time I will go for a grey color. I do find the ceramics feel bulky, but have not had metal so I can't compare. In certain lighting I look like I have rotten teeth as they brackets are opaque and make my teeth look rather dark behind (and they're not!). I would probably go with ceramic again, though. Overall they look o.k.

This is very helpful. My job involves a lot of talking in public and I felt for sure I would go with ceramic for the appearance but would rather not look like I have fungus teeth. Does anyone have thoughts on what it’s like to wear a bite plate plus a full set of braces, both appearance-wise and comfort-wise?

[quote=JaniT post_id=509461 time=1624324448 user_id=33498]
This is very helpful. My job involves a lot of talking in public and I felt for sure I would go with ceramic for the appearance but would rather not look like I have fungus teeth. Does anyone have thoughts on what it’s like to wear a bite plate plus a full set of braces, both appearance-wise and comfort-wise?
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Hi, I used to have full set of braces and bite plate on both of my jaws (a nightmare). Honestly, people won't notice that you have bite plate (choose transparent color if you can) because it's already something going on in your mouth and they would think it's just your regular braces. If you can, avoid wearing it on your job because you really can't talk properly with that thing on and the weird talk is very noticeable unfortunately, and it's different than just having a lisp from wearing regular braces.

Good evening,
How's it going with your appliance?
In the end, what choice did you make in metal or aesthetic?