What Are Self Ligating Braces?

These are braces that do not need ligatures to hold the wire in place. They have a trap door that holds the arch wire in place. They are some times known as speed braces after Speed brand of braces. Damon and In-Ovation are two more popular brands in the self ligating braces market. As the wire is held with outside support there is less friction between the arch wire and the metal bracket. Damon has come up with clear metal braces combo using the Damon system of self ligatures. These are smaller and better looking than the all metal versions. SmartClips has come up with a ceramic version.

Other systems that have found favor include TenBrook Axis Self-Ligating System, Clarity, Carriere LX, and SmartClips apart from In-Ovation and Damon.

How Are They Different From Regular Braces?

These braces are generally more bulky than regular braces as they need a trap door to hold the arch wire. There are no invisible or clear options except for SmartClip, which is hybrid version with ceramic. These braces exert less pressure on the teeth as the archwire is away and held in place by slide mechanism. Most important is there is elastic ligature. But more recent self ligating braces are much more sleeker and move the teeth quicker too.

How Are They Similar To Regular Braces?

The fitting of these braces is similar to the metal braces. They are glued on to the teeth and fixed braces and can’t be removed until the end of the treatment. They require regular cleanings and need regular visits to the dentists to adjust the pressure on the teeth. Brush and clean your teeth regularly. Brushing twice a day is mandatory. If you have any food particles stuck in the braces and can’t get it out go to the dentist. If you compare prices these braces cost about the same as metal braces. Again this varies from place to place. For example in New York City orthodontics and other dentistry procedures costs higher than other cities in the country. You can get it done cheap in Thailand or Mexico.

Advantages of Self Ligating Braces

There is less friction between arch wire and brackets so it makes it more comfortable to wear. They are much easier to clean than regular braces. As there are no bands to change there are few visits to the dentist. And each visit can also be much shorter.

Metal self ligating braces are not the best looking but some of newer models are comparable to ceramic invisible braces. They do an effective job and you can get your treatment done a lot quicker too unlike ceramic braces, which take longer. The price you pay for metal brackets is much lesser than other braces. As technology has improved the metallic braces have become a lot more comfortable and easier to wear. There is also lingual braces version for self ligating braces from 3M called the Incognito.