What are Ceramic Braces?
These are braces that are made of ceramic or porcelain that are used to align and straighten teeth and help position them then with respect to the patient’s bite, thus leading to an improved dental health of the patient. The ceramic braces also blend in with the teeth making them less conspicuous.
The Ceramic braces after being placed on the teeth, applies steady pressure on the teeth and the force of this pressure helps in aligning the teeth into their proper places. The constant pressure is maintained by periodical tightening of the archwires by the orthodontist.
The standard braces usually consist of three main components:
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Brackets:
These are made of ceramic or porcelain making them clearer or whiter than the metal ones. Each bracket is attached to the surface of the each tooth with an adhesive that will hold them in place.
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Archwires:
These are thin metal wires that are used to connecting each bracket together. Archwires also help to put pressure on the teeth in order to stay in place. The Archwires are usually silver and in some
cases they frosted to white colour. The ceramic braces do not use ligatures and are usually self-ligating, that means the wires clip onto the brackets getting rid of the ligatures.
Ceramic Braces Advantages
Ceramic Braces provide lots of advantages when compared to traditional metal braces:
- They blend in with the teeth making it less conspicuous. The different types of braces and brackets available for the ceramic braces make it suitable to be used to help the patient match the braces with the colour of their teeth.
- Ceramic Braces do not cause staining when compared to traditional metal braces.
- They are more comfortable for the patient to use when compared to the metal ones since they cause less irritations doe the gums due to the constant contact with metal.
- They are as durable and tough as the metal braces. Their appearances are deceiving but they can withstand breaking and chipping even if they are used daily.
- They tend to be aesthetically compared to metal braces.
Ceramic Braces Treatment
The orthodontist usually conducts treatments for their patients in a phased manner.
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Phase I Treatment:
The orthodontist usually suggests early intervention treatment for their patients, usually for children before they get their permanent teeth. This is aimed at getting the issues corrected at an early stage. The skeletal structure will be corrected initially to make the next phase of treatment more effective.
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Phase II Treatment:
This is the active phase of the treatment where the actual braces are used to align and straighten the teeth.
Caring of Ceramic Braces
The ceramic braces have to be taken care of properly for making it comfortable to use.
- Stay Away from foods that is not favorable to braces like caramel, soft candy, crunchy foods. These can damage the braces.
- Brush your teeth and floss regularly to avoid staining your teeth. The dentists usually recommend a special brush for brushing since it is designed to cover the different areas of the braces too.
- Always visit your dentist regularly. The dentist will do the necessary adjustments like tightening the archwires etc. and for other clarifications.
Authored By Dr Sanjay N - Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Bangalore
