Traditional Braces
Many adults chose to have more traditional braces to straighten their teeth. There are several different types including metal brackets and tooth coloured or clear brackets #adultbraces
Traditional Braces
Many adults still choose to have traditional braces and irrespective of whether the brackets are metal or clear, self ligating or not, they all perform a similar job in straightening your teeth. Traditional braces tend to be more cost effective than lingual braces or aligners and may offer the orthodontist the best option for undertaking complex tooth movments particularly when elastics are required as part of the treatment plan.
Braces are comprised of three main components, the brackets that are glued to your teeth, the arch wire that connects the brackets and elastics that are used to both hold the arch wire in the bracket and to move your teeth. Clear brackets are very discreet, particularly if you already have really white teeth, but the metal arch wires and elastics are more visible which will make them more noticable as treatment progresses.
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Traditional metal brackets offer many adult patients a great option as they are readily available, easy to apply and remove, cost effective and the preferred choice of many orthodontists. You can also have different coloured elastic modules to personalise your brace (my favourite was black) and can pick a different colour at each appointment. Please give these some serious consideration as many other adults comment on their blogs that they were delighted with their decision to have metal brackets.
Features
Visibility
Clear brackets are quite discreet but the arch wire and elastics will be noticable. You can’t hide your braces if you have metal brackets but in my experience, no one takes any interest in your treatment
Fixed
You can’t remove your braces so they continue working 24/7
Effective
Traditional braces are very effective in treating a wide range of issues and offer the orthodontist a great deal of flexibility and control
Comfortable
After initially adapting to wearing them, most people describe them as comfortable to wear
Availability
Metal and clear brackets are readily available from many practices
Elastics
Even if you have self ligating brackets, you are likely to have elastics at some point in your treatment.
Speech
Traditional braces are unlikely to cause you any difficulty with speech and you will adapt to wearing them really quickly
Range of options
There are a wide range of different bracket types, your orthodontist can guide you and discuss the merits of each
Oral health
There are a lot of places for plaque to hide around the brackets, the arch wires and elastics which will make teeth cleaning more challenging
Blog posts
Braces – the basics
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