If you have been looking for a dental alignment option that is not easily noticed on your teeth, you may be considering clear braces. Here are a few advantages of this teeth-straightening option:

Tooth-colored Brackets

The brackets of clear braces are made from dental ceramics. The material can be matched to the color of your teeth. As a result, when clear braces have been applied, they do not stand out the way that traditional metal braces do against the teeth.

Same Aligning Ability

The ceramic brackets of clear braces do not interfere with the teeth-aligning abilities of the orthodontic appliance. Ceramic brackets are just as effective as metal brackets at straightening the teeth.

Self-ligating Options

The brackets of clear braces can be fashioned in the same manner as conventional metal brackets, or they can be made self-ligating.

Conventional braces usually require the arch wire that forces the teeth into alignment to be connected to the brackets with elastic ligatures. However, this way of attaching the archwire to the brackets is not efficient. Before the force applied by the archwire can help shift the teeth into position, it must first overcome the friction that is created as the elastic bands are pressed against the brackets and the archwire.

Braces with self-ligating brackets have brackets that include a small hole through which the arch wire is inserted. Since the tunnel-like holes in the brackets contain the archwire, no elastic bands are needed to keep the wire in place. Consequently, there is no additional frictional force generated. Due to the lack of friction, clear self-ligating braces can help straighten the teeth faster and with less discomfort.

Mixing and Matching

Some discrete alignment options, such as Invisalign, are not generally mixed with other teeth straightening options. However, clear braces can be mixed with metal braces to help keep the price as affordable as possible.

Braces with clear brackets are slightly more expensive than those with metal brackets. However, some dentists offer the option of applying the clear brackets to the teeth that are easily observed in the mouth and using metal brackets on those that are not easily seen or are located in the rear of the mouth.

To learn more about the benefits of clear braces, schedule a consultation with a comprehensive dentistry professional. After an assessment of your alignment needs, the dental provider can determine whether or not clear braces are suitable for you.