Ceramic Braces

Why Choose Ceramic Braces?

Ceramic braces are among the top alternatives to traditional metal braces, the main reason being that its ceramic brackets are a lot less noticeable than metal brackets, giving its wearers more confidence while undergoing teeth alignment treatment since they don’t have highly visible “metal mouths”.

What Are Ceramic Braces Made Of?

Just like what its name advertises, ceramic braces are made of a certain type of ceramic, more specifically a composite ceramic material known as either monocrystalline or polycrystalline alumina. These alumina materials were chosen for this purpose since they are very resistant to breakage, staining, and odour absorption, thanks to their non-porous nature.

They also conveniently come in a translucent form, making them very ideal for those who want to use orthodontic braces but do not want the obvious look of metal braces. The difference between monocrystalline and polycrystalline alumina lies in their translucence, with monocrystalline having a very clear and almost transparent appearance, while polycrystalline alumina has a slightly more opaque and whitish appearance.

And contrary to what was previously known, ceramic orthodontic braces can now be made to be as tough as metal braces, allowing them to be used for more complex cases of teeth misalignment.

Maintaining Ceramic Braces

Just like all types of orthodontic braces, maintaining ceramic orthodontic braces requires ample and thorough oral hygiene. This is because a person with orthodontic braces is more prone to tooth and gum disease due to the fact that food fragments can easily deposit among the brace’s wires and brackets.

A person with this type of braces should also avoid foods and drinks that have the tendency to stain ceramic materials, especially the whitish polycrystalline types. Some of the foods and drinks to avoid are; coffee, coloured sodas and juices, dark coloured wines, and food with strong spices like curry and annatto.

And if one simply cannot avoid drinking some of these liquids, using a straw is a good way to prevent the coloured liquid from making contact with the ceramic brackets.