Types of Braces
Traditional Metal Braces
Traditional metal braces are the most common type of braces and are more comfortable today than ever before. Made of high-grade stainless steel, metal braces straighten your teeth using metal brackets and archwires. With metal braces, you have the option of adding colored elastics (rubber bands) for a more unique and colorful smile.
Self-Ligating Braces Like Damon and Pitts
Self-ligating braces are made from the same materials as traditional braces. However, self-ligating braces do not require the use of alastics, meaning fewer appointments and less friction being placed on the tooth. Self-ligating braces come in traditional meta, or clear. They are a bit smaller than metal braces and use a specialized door in place of alastics to help the wire guide teeth into place. The door helps reduce the amount of pressure being placed on the tooth, and requires fewer adjustments because there are no alastics to replace. Also, Dr. Grob has found the ability to create BIG BROAD SMILES is more predictable with self-ligating braces such as those by PITTS and DAMON.
Clear (Ceramic) Braces
Ceramic braces are made of clear materials and are therefore less visible on your teeth than metal braces. For this reason, ceramic braces are used mainly on older teenagers and adult patients who have cosmetic concerns. While they are visually less prominent, they do require more attention to oral hygiene as ceramic braces are larger and are more brittle than their metal counterparts. For these reasons, ceramic braces tend to be used more on upper front teeth than on lower teeth.
Clear Aligners
Clear aligners are a series of invisible, removable, and comfortable acrylic trays that straighten your teeth like braces. Not only are the aligners invisible, they are removable, so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment, plus brushing and flossing are less of a hassle. The aligners are comfortable and have no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment.
