Everyone is familiar with traditional braces — those fixed dark metal brackets with the elastic bands — and by know everyone has heard of Invisalign too — the nearly-invisible trays you can put in or take out with ease. But those are far from the only two types of braces on the market. A significant demographic need enough of a correction that Invisalign won’t work for them, but still want their orthodontic treatment as subtle and discreet as possible. For this group, there is a host of options available.
Ceramic Braces
Ceramic braces are simply traditional braces that utilize a ceramic bracket to blend perfectly into the enamel of your teeth. The wire can even be lighter-colored, providing all the effectiveness of traditional metal braces in a nearly invisible package.
Damon Braces
These braces use brackets similar to traditional braces, but Damon braces are “self-ligating,” meaning the adjusting (or “arch”) wire is held in place by the bracket itself, rather than with elastic bands or more wires. Standard Damon braces use smaller brackets than traditional braces, so they’re inherently less visible, especially with fewer attachments. These braces also reduce the number of nooks and crannies for food to become trapped.
Lingual Braces
Lingual braces are by far the most discreet style available. They are essentially a traditional metal system, but instead of being attached to the front of the teeth, they’re attached to the tongue side of the teeth (called the “lingual” side). These braces are, for all intents and purposes, completely invisible unless you open your mouth as wide as possible and point them out to someone.
There’s no single, perfect solution for orthodontic correction, and even the above systems have their drawbacks (cost, limitations of corrections, etc.), but that’s why there are so many options available — to provide anyone with the proper correction regardless of their situation. Ask your orthodontist which system would be best for you, and start smiling again. Good refereneces.