What are clear braces?

Clear braces are appliances that are used to correct crooked or crowded teeth. You can get either ceramic or plastic brackets that are bonded to the front of your teeth for long-term, continuous wear. Unlike metal braces, clear braces blend with the color of your teeth and are less noticeable. However, they break more easily than metal braces.

If your have mild spacing problems in your teeth, you can get clear plastic aligners, which are like invisible trays that are worn daily and can be removed for a few hours each day.

The metal braces have been used for many years to give us those amazing smiles. And still more and more patients are looking to wearing some more discreet braces, far from those bulky ones with ligatures. Many don’t want or cannot afford Invisalign or Incognito (or Ibraces) so they need something that doesn’t look that “metal” and still works.

So .. the orthodontists came up with something: clear orthodontic braces.

These are not made from metal, so they don’t show like those. They are created from a ceramic material with a color close to our natural teeth color. The only thing easier to spot is the archwire, but it’s a small line and not an entire bracing system to be seen. Thus the more discreet look.

As you can see in the image, the teeth look more “natural” and the braces do work nicely to straighten the teeth.
The advantage over the metal braces:

• They don’t show that much and are thus more discreet

The disadvantages:

• they cost a bit more than the metal braces
• the ligatures can get stained and this would make the braces more visible
• the brackets a bit more “bulky” than Damon system braces for instance. But still with their “camouflage” color way harder to spot.

Ceramic braces are let’s say a “compromise” made for beauty. Even if the braces are close to the metallic ones as function, they don’t show that much and are perfect for people who want to have a nice smile while still being able to straighten their teeth. Other systems (Invisalign or Incognito Braces) are more discreet, but they cost way more and these ceramic braces can still do a great job with the looks too.