Are self-ligating brackets worth it?

[claribeary]

Hi guys! I’m about to be braced next monday and the current plan is now ceramic on top (thinking of just doing them on the social 6) and traditional metal on the bottom. I’ve called my ortho to enquire about SL brackets and she told me that for the extra cost she doesn’t think it’s worth it. Crazily, it costs an extra $1000 to go self-ligating. I’m thinking if i just do it on the ceramic on top, it’d probably cost $500 extra.

So my question is, for those who have SL brackets, are they worth the extra cost? I am a big fan of the idea of not having to worry about staining, and of course things like shorter treatment time and less discomfort also sound terrific, but I wonder if these claims are really true?

Thanks in advance!

[SinkFullOfDinner]

I have self ligating brackets, but there's no way I would have paid $1k extra for them. It's nice to not worry about staining ligatures, but as soon as your ortho starts using power chains to close gaps or do certain movements, you'll have to concern yourself with those discoloring. So you'll probably need to be careful one way or the other. Pros and cons to every option, and none of them check all the boxes. I'd just go with the ceramic that your ortho works with and recommends, imo. Neither my ortho nor my son's (different places) charged extra for ceramic vs metal, so I still get surprised when I hear orthos charge extra for ceramic brackets. Good luck next week!

[kcjawjourney]

I have self-ligating brackets ("clear" on top, metal on bottom), but I agree with @sinkfullofdinner...I don't think I'd pay an extra $1,000 for them. This is my second time in braces, and I had traditional metal braces the first time around, and I don't feel as if adjustments are any less painful with self-ligating brackets versus regular ligatures. It was nice at first not to worry about staining, but I've been in upper and lower power chains for months now, and those stain easily anyways, so any advantage is lost.

At the end of the day, braces are braces...and most comes down to personal preference and the preference of your ortho.

The one investment I made that WAS worth the extra $$ was my Acceledent.

[Beckett]

While mine aren't self ligating, I have ceramic upper and lowers and have never had a single problem with any of my ligs or power chains (which I've had most of the time) staining. I've just stayed away from the clear ones, which I hear are the ones that stain the most. But I also don't drink coffee, tea or wine, and I don't eat curry. Pizza, red sauces...nothing has turned any of my ligs any weird colors. My favorite colors are the smoke, and silver. But I have also tried out red, lavender, and pink for certain holidays.

My ortho is another that does not charge extra for ceramic over metal, but I don't know how much he works with self ligating as I was never given the option. I vaguely remember asking about Damons years ago when my oldest was a young teen and getting ready for brackets but I don't remember exactly what he said. Something along the lines of he doesn't routinely use them, but if I insisted he could accommodate.

[claribeary]

Thanks for the replies guys! Yeah, I figured it doesn't make sense to pay 1k more, especially since i'm guessing powerchains will be in the picture from pretty early on for me. I've got huge gaps from the extractions and I feel like the only thing my top teeth need to be doing is to be moving in. They are pretty straight, save for the overbite.

Counting down the days till they go on! I'm super excited.

[MrPlenty]

Self ligating brackets are not worth it. You won't finish treatment any faster.
Ceramic braces are not worth it. They will still be visible as your tooth color and the ceramics will differ.
Ligatures discolor. Powerchains discolor.
Everything that you will try to avoid with conventional braces you will experience with self ligating brackets. The skill of the orthodontist makes the difference not the brackets.

I just removed my self ligating brackets today and now have conventional brackets. Switched orthodontists. Because the last one sucked. No big deal.