Orthodontics Guide: Do you really know about braces?

Metal non-self-locking brackets

The common metal brackets we see are non-self-locking brackets. Its biggest advantage is that it is economical and can meet the treatment needs. However, its shortcomings are also very prominent, requiring ligation wire to fix the appliance and the arch wire. Food residues are easy to be found around the ligation wire, which increases the patient’s requirements for oral hygiene.

There is inherent friction between the appliance and the arch wire, and the worse the appliance craftsmanship, the greater the friction, that is, the slower the teeth move.

The price of metal bracket appliance: 2,000 to 4,000 USD (including self-locking).
Advantages and disadvantages of metal bracket appliances:

advantage:
(1) Metal bracket correction is a conventional correction with a long history, mature technology and stable curative effect. It is the most widely used correction technology at present.

(2) The cost of metal bracket correction is the most economical.

(3) The correction effect is guaranteed and the effect can be basically maintained for a long time.

shortcoming:
(1) The aesthetics of the metal brackets are not good.

(2) Individual patients are allergic to metals.

(3) Orthodontic patients will have varying degrees of discomfort.

Ceramic non-self-locking brackets
There is no structural difference between ceramic non-self-locking brackets and metal non-self-locking brackets, but they have the following advantages:

aesthetics
The material of ceramic brackets has the same color and aesthetics as real teeth, the arch wire can also be close to the color of the teeth, and has good anti-pollution and anti-discoloration capabilities. Ceramic brackets made with high-quality ceramic powder have the same mechanical strength and functionality as metal brackets.

stability
Ceramic brackets made with high-quality ceramic powder have the same mechanical strength and functionality as metal brackets. And the hardness is extremely high, so it will not deform and has good dimensional stability.

Not easy to fall off
The ceramic bracket base and the adhesive are chemically bonded, and the force is uniform, and it is not easy to fall off, which significantly reduces the number of visits.

Among the orthodontic materials, the biggest attraction of ceramic brackets is its “beauty”. The ligation wire can be replaced by a transparent apron. When speaking, the other party can only see a thin arch wire. It is called a “semi-invisible appliance”.

Common ceramic brackets are single crystal (transparent) and ceramic (tooth color).

The price of ceramic bracket appliance: 4,000 yuan to 7,000 USD (including self-locking).
Advantages and disadvantages of ceramic brackets: (The same applies to self-locking ceramic brackets)

advantage:
(1) The appearance is beautiful, the transparency is higher, and the brackets are more invisible.

(2) It is lined with metal grooves to strengthen the brackets and help the steel wire to slide freely to improve the treatment effect.

(3) The specially designed edge slope and wingspan make it more comfortable to wear and more convenient to pull.

(4) Ceramic brackets can prevent oral ulcers during orthodontic treatment.

shortcoming:
(1) Too high hardness will cause rapid wear of tooth enamel.

(2) The ceramic bracket lacks grain boundaries. When subjected to external force, it cannot inhibit the development of cracks, so it has greater brittleness and lower fracture toughness, and is easy to break when used.

(3) The frictional resistance of ceramic brackets to the arch wire is significantly higher than that of metal brackets, which will undoubtedly prolong the treatment time. In order to reduce the frictional resistance of the arch wire, ceramic brackets with metal or plastic groove surfaces have been developed.

(4) The cost is more expensive than traditional metal brackets.