Hi everyone, this is Dr. Virginia Ellis at Virginia H. Ellis, DDS Dental Corp. Braces, braces, braces. We are going to talk about braces. What kind of braces are there? I myself had braces. I will admit to you, I had them when I was in my 30s, and I don't regret it. It was one of the best things I could have done. It was great. I can firsthand tell you what it's like to have braces and I'm going to answer some questions that people have had about braces. By the way, braces are not just for children. As an adult, yes, you can have braces.
What are traditional braces and how do they work to straighten your teeth?
Here we go. Here's one of my favorite models. Traditional braces are what I call train tracks. See, train tracks. They have the metal ones and they also have the ceramic ones that are transparent, but you cannot always use the transparent ones in all cases. It just depends on the complexity of your case. Just remember, if you think you want white, it's not always possible. It depends on your situation. These are traditional braces. The aligners, the Invisalign kind of aligners, are the clear ones you can take on and off. How do they work to straighten teeth? They work by adjusting these metal parts called brackets and the wires, pulling on them, and adjusting them to create force and tension to move or shift the teeth to areas where you want them to be properly aligned.
What is the difference between traditional braces and other types of braces?
Basically, you have the fixed braces, which are these. You also have the ones you can remove. Here's my take: if you know you're not going to be good about keeping trays all day long and they're going to bother you if you're on the phone all day, don't get the Invisalign or removable aligners. Those may not be for you. This type of stuff would be better for me. I knew I was not going to be able to keep the aligners, so I was like, there's no way. I went ahead and got this, and in about a year, I was done. It was great. They are harder to clean. Way harder. If you're really fast, it'll take you about 20 minutes to clean your teeth. That's the hardest thing about braces—cleaning your teeth. The aligners can be removed, and cleaning your teeth is easier. So, that's something to remember. By the way, whenever you have braces, you need to have your teeth cleaned at the dentist every 3 months. Not every four, not every six, every three months, just because it's so much harder to keep your teeth clean.
How much do traditional braces cost and what factors influence the price?
It really depends on what part of the country you are in and what packages the dentist offers. Sometimes they'll throw in the braces for free if you do a huge case. It also depends if you live in a cheaper part of the country; it'll be a lot cheaper than, say, the price people charge in New York or California. I would say anywhere between $3,000 to $7,000, but I don't set their prices. Some cases are $10,000. It depends on the complexity of your case. That does not include surgeries for the jaw because a lot of times people need to have jaw surgery. The prices of the braces are one price, and the prices of the surgery are set by the medical doctors, the oral surgeons. That's what influences the price: the complexity, where you live, and the length of your treatment.
What is the difference between diamond braces and traditional braces?
Diamond braces. I had diamond braces. All it is, is diamond braces are braces like this that are straight and don't have the rubber bands. Traditional braces like this one will have rubber bands. Usually, the diamond braces, the ones where you just have the window where this slides through without the rubber bands, are generally for simpler cases and usually for shorter cases. The ones with rubber bands are usually for longer, more complex cases. You can't always have the fastest braces. It depends on your type of situation, and the orthodontist can let you know more about that.
How do self-ligating braces compare to traditional braces?
The self-ligating braces are the traditional braces. The diamond braces are the non-ligating braces. They're for simpler cases. These guys here are faster. These ones here are ceramic brackets and they're not for every case, by the way, but this is just for example. They have metal and then the rubber band. Those are more for complex cases that take longer to finish.
What are the pros and cons of lingual braces versus traditional braces?
I've only had one patient who actually did have lingual braces. What that means is, let's say you're an actor or actress and you can't be showing your teeth like that. Sometimes they'll do either Invisalign, the aligners, but if your case is complex, they'll put these inside. The problem with that is it really shreds your tongue. This one patient that had them, I said, "How was that?" She goes, "I'll never do it again. It was so painful." It's already hard when you have these things in here. It rubs against your tongue, and even just chewing, the cheeks get scraped. You have to use wax. I can imagine that on the tongue it's really hard. You can ask for something less obvious, like these ceramic ones. The only problem with ceramics is you can't have tea or coffee because the ceramic bracket stains pretty easily. You can't eat curry or drink Coca-Cola, that kind of stuff, because it stains the brackets. But you have to decide if you'd rather have the white brackets and give that stuff up. So, you just decide what you want to choose.
Are traditional braces faster than Invisalign for straightening teeth?
In simpler cases, Invisalign, the trays you take on and off, the clear trays, can move your teeth faster, but those are generally used for simpler cases. The way you use them is not always predictable. The brackets, these kinds of braces, generally take a little longer to straighten your teeth, but they take longer. So, that's the difference.
How do fast braces compare to traditional braces in terms of treatment time?
Fast braces are sometimes something like this, and they can straighten your teeth between 3 to 6 months. The traditional braces will take anywhere between 18 and 24 months, but it depends on your situation. The thing about fast braces is you have to really be careful. You don't want to be moving teeth too fast because sometimes you can damage your roots or the bone socket.
What should patients expect when getting traditional metal braces?
Initial discomfort after adjustments, your teeth get sore, your cheeks can get sore. The cleaning is the biggest issue. The biggest challenge is cleaning your teeth. It takes a long time. You go through a lot of toothbrushes. Flossing your teeth will take you half an hour. If you're super fast, it'll be about 20 minutes brushing and flossing every day. That's the hardest part: cleaning your teeth.
Are traditional braces still the best option for certain types of orthodontic case?
Absolutely. Traditional braces are the most reliable, predictable way of doing braces. The aligners can be used for simpler cases and they still work. I think I mentioned the case where if you know you're going to be good about wearing your trays and you have a simpler case, the aligners, the invisible trays, can be good. If you're not good with keeping trays in your mouth or you have a more complex case, then the brackets, the train tracks, will be your best bet.
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