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Laser treatment in dentistry
April 30, 2019
Is the orthodontic treatment painful?
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Metallic or ceramic brackets?

Braces are medical devices with the aid of which crooked, overlapped teeth can be straightened and correctly aligned. These devices can be used both in children and adults.

Braces consist of brackets, rings, arches, wires, buttons and metal or elastic ligatures

 

Depending on the material, brackets can be metallic, made of special metal alloys, or ceramic brackets, with polycrystalline structure, white, or monocrystalline, transparent, Safire.

When the teeth move, the brackets glide along the arch wire. This gliding movement causes a friction between the arch wire and the bracket. Steel arch wires glide more easily on the surface of metal brackets, the friction force is lower and the movement of the tooth is easier and quicker. Ceramic brackets have a coarse surface and when gliding on the steel arch wire a higher friction occurs. The movement of the teeth is slowed down, the treatment requires more time and there’s a higher risk of unwanted movement for certain teeth (for instance, molars move forward and occupy the space required for the alignment of front teeth).

Advantages of ceramic brackets:

  • pleasing aesthetic look, being less visible,
  • an alternative for patients with allergies to metal.
 

Disadvantages of ceramic brackets:

  • the treatment is longer,
  • lower resistance, may crack during the consumption of hard foods,
  • they adhere very tightly to the surface of the teeth and they are harder to detach at the end of the treatment,
  • may stain due to the consumption of coffee or tobacco,
  • high price.

Advantages of metal brackets:

  • can be used in all types of orthodontic anomalies,
  • the orthodontic treatment is usually shorter,
  • high resistance, they do not break,
  • detached brackets can be easily reattached,
  • smaller than ceramic ones,
  • low price.
 

Disadvantages of metal brackets:

  • less aesthetically pleasing, but colored modules, very popular among children, can be added,
  • cannot be applied in patients with allergies.