Invisible Braces: A Clear Way to a Winning Smile

Straighter teeth and a beautiful smile may no longer need to come from a mouth full of unattractive wire and bracket braces. Increasing self-esteem and physical confidence, invisible braces offer an esthetic and hardly visible alternative to conventional wire/bracket braces. While invisible braces may not be suitable for certain misalignment cases or the complex bite problems that are better addressed by best orthodontist near me, invisible braces can be used to treat the following conditions:

• Overbite or overjet
• Crowded or widely spaced teeth
• Crooked teeth

Types

Popular types of invisible braces include ceramic brackets, inside braces and clear aligners. Ceramic braces are just like metal braces, except that they use tooth-colored brackets (and sometimes tooth-colored wires) rather than metal to straighten teeth. Generally non-staining, the tooth-colored ceramic “blends” with your teeth, making them less noticeable than metal, but not as “invisible” as inside braces or clear aligners. Inside braces — also called inside invisible braces, lingual braces or “iBraces” — and clear aligners go one step further, making treatment virtually invisible. Each alternative has its advantages and disadvantages. “Ceramic, or “clear,” braces are made of composite materials that are weaker and more brittle than their metal counterpart. Ceramic brackets are larger than metal brackets and require small rubber bands, or ligatures, (or built in spring clips on “self ligating” brackets) to hold them to the arch wire. Because the ligatures are white or clear, they can stain. However, staining is not a big problem because ligatures are changed every time you get an adjustment (generally monthly). The “self ligating” clips do not require retying with wires or elastics.