What are clear braces?
Clear braces are fixed braces with brackets made from ceramic rather than stainless steel. The ceramic is matched to tooth colour, so at conversational distance the brackets largely disappear and what anyone notices, if anything, is the thin wire running across them.
They are a real alternative for anyone who wants the control of a fixed brace without the appearance of metal. Because they are fixed, they handle cases that removable aligners struggle with: severe rotations, teeth that need moving bodily through bone, and bites that need substantial correction.
Two honest caveats. Ceramic brackets are more brittle than metal and occasionally fracture, which means an extra visit to replace one. They are also slightly bulkier, so they take a little longer to get used to against the lip.
The staining question comes up at nearly every consultation. The ceramic itself does not stain. The small clear elastic rings holding the wire can pick up colour from coffee, tea, red wine and curry, and those are replaced at every appointment, so any discolouration lasts weeks rather than the whole treatment.
Book a consultation at our Ballinteer Road clinic.
Who are clear braces for?
Mostly adults, and teenagers who feel strongly about how a metal brace would look. The mechanics are identical to metal fixed braces, so anything metal braces can correct, ceramic braces can correct, and treatment times are broadly the same.
They suit you if you want a fixed brace but work somewhere that appearance matters to you, or you have something coming up that you would rather not spend in metal. They suit you less well if you play contact sport regularly, where the brittleness becomes a nuisance, or if you are looking for the lowest-cost route to a corrected bite.
We will sometimes suggest a compromise: ceramic brackets on the upper teeth, which are the ones that show, and metal on the lower, which are barely visible when you speak. It comes in below full ceramic and looks much the same.
Expect adjustment visits every six to eight weeks, and treatment of roughly eighteen months to two years depending on your case.
Book a consultation to find out whether ceramic braces suit your teeth.
What do clear braces cost?
Ceramic braces sit a little above metal braces, because the brackets cost more to make and occasionally need replacing during treatment. The difference is not large.
Beyond that, the fee depends on your case: how much movement is needed, whether one arch or both are being treated, and how long treatment will run. We give you a written plan and a firm figure at your consultation, with nothing added afterwards.
Payment can be spread monthly, interest free, over the course of treatment, or settled in full at the start for a 5% discount. Orthodontic treatment is tax deductible at 20% and we will complete your MED 2 form. The fee includes the appliance, all routine and emergency appointments, your first retainers, and retainer checks for a year afterwards.
Book a consultation at our Dundrum clinic.
The Process
A proper look at your teeth, bite and jaws, and a conversation about what is actually bothering you. We take your dental and medical history, examine you, and take whatever records are needed, which may include X-rays, photographs and a digital scan with our iTero.
You leave knowing what we have found and what the realistic options are, including leaving things alone where that is the right answer.
We review the X-rays, photographs and scan alongside the examination findings and put together a plan specific to you. It sets out the appliance we recommend, how long treatment should take, the fee, and any preparatory work needed first.
This is a two-way appointment. We go through the alternatives, including doing nothing, and answer whatever you want to ask before you decide anything.
Anything that needs sorting before treatment starts. Usually that means a dental cleaning and dealing with existing decay or gum disease with your own dentist, since moving teeth in an unhealthy mouth makes matters worse.
In some cases it also means creating space, either by reducing the width of teeth very slightly or, where crowding is severe, by removing a tooth.
The brackets are bonded to your teeth and the wire is fitted. Nothing is drilled and no anaesthetic is needed, so the appointment is only uncomfortable in the sense of keeping your mouth open for about an hour.
Expect the teeth to feel tender for three or four days afterwards. You go home with wax for any bracket that rubs, and we go through cleaning before you leave.
You come in every six to eight weeks, usually for about twenty minutes. We change the wire, replace the elastics, check the teeth are tracking to plan and adjust where they are not.
These visits are also where we check your cleaning. Plaque left sitting around a bracket marks the enamel permanently, so it is the part worth staying on top of.
The brackets and wire are taken off and the adhesive is cleaned from the tooth surface. It is quick, painless, and usually the appointment people look forward to most.
We scan your teeth the same day, so your retainers fit the position they are in right now rather than where they were a fortnight ago.
Teeth drift back towards where they started if nothing holds them, so retainers are the final stage of treatment rather than an optional extra. Most patients wear a clear retainer at night long term, often alongside a fine wire bonded behind the front teeth.
Retainer checks are included for a year after the braces come off. There is more on our retainers page.
Book a Consultation
Discuss your goals with one of our specialist orthodontists to find out what treatment option suits you best.
FAQs
Yes, and that is the main reason to consider them. Ceramic braces work identically to metal ones. Same mechanics, same wire doing the work, same range of cases.
Anything metal braces can correct, ceramic braces can correct, including severe rotations, heavy crowding and substantial bite correction. More on our clear braces page.
Far less noticeable than metal, though not invisible. The brackets are ceramic, matched to tooth colour, so at conversational distance they largely disappear.
What does show is the wire running across them, which is still metal. People looking closely will see you are wearing braces. People across a table generally will not.
Broadly the same as metal braces, typically eighteen months to two years depending on the case.
The one thing that can add time is a fractured bracket. Ceramic is more brittle than steel, and a broken bracket means an extra visit to replace it. It is not common, but it happens more often than with metal.
No. The force moving your teeth is the same, so the tenderness for three or four days after fitting and after each adjustment is the same too.
Ceramic brackets are slightly bulkier than metal ones, so some people find they take a little longer to get used to against the lip and cheek. Orthodontic wax handles that in the first week.
The ceramic brackets do not. This is the question we get asked most about clear braces and the answer is reassuring.
What can discolour are the small clear elastic rings holding the wire into each bracket. Coffee, tea, red wine and curry are the usual culprits. Those rings are replaced at every appointment, so any staining lasts weeks rather than the whole treatment. If it bothers you, ask for a tinted ring instead of a clear one.
Yes, in the same way metal braces do. Small elastic rings hold the archwire into each bracket, and with ceramic braces those are usually clear or tooth-coloured so the whole appliance stays discreet.
Separately, some cases need elastics running between the upper and lower teeth to correct the bite. That applies whichever type of bracket you have.
Three, and we would rather set them out than have you find them later.
They are more brittle than metal, so brackets fracture occasionally and need replacing, which means an extra visit. They are slightly bulkier against the lip. And they cost a little more than metal.
If you play contact sport regularly, those first two are worth weighing carefully. For most adults the trade is worth making.
A little more than metal braces, because the brackets cost more to make and occasionally need replacing during treatment. The difference is not large.
There is a middle option worth knowing about: ceramic on the upper teeth, which are the ones people see, and metal on the lower, which barely show when you speak. That comes in below full ceramic and looks much the same.
You will get a written plan with a firm figure at your consultation.
It depends on your case and on what you want from treatment.
Clear braces are fixed, so they work around the clock with nothing to remember, and they handle difficult movements better. Invisalign is removable and more discreet, but only works while it is in your mouth, around twenty-two hours a day.
If your case is complex, ceramic braces are usually the safer choice. If it is straightforward and you want maximum discretion, aligners suit better. We will tell you at the consultation which we would recommend and why.
None of them is meaningfully faster than the others. Treatment time is set by how far your teeth have to move and by biology, not by the appliance. Bone remodels at the rate it remodels, and pushing harder does not speed it up.
Where real differences appear is in how predictably an appliance handles a particular movement. Fixed braces often finish complex cases sooner than aligners simply because they get there more directly.
The genuinely quick option is a short front-teeth course such as Braces Lite, and that is quick because it treats less, not because it works faster.
Usually because you are seeing them properly for the first time. Crowded or overlapping teeth hide part of each crown, and once they are aligned the full tooth shows.
Sometimes the gum line is uneven after treatment, which exaggerates the effect. That often settles over the following months as the gums adapt.
If it persists and bothers you, your dentist can reshape the gum line slightly. Mention it at your review rather than assuming nothing can be done.
Read what our patients say about us
"I went to so many dentists about my bite problem only to be dismissed. Dr Adriana and her team gave me a plan, I followed it, and two and a half years later I can smile, eat and bite properly."
"Two of my daughters had braces fitted by the lovely Dr. Katherine Condren. I would highly recommend her services, she was so good with my daughters, we are extremely happy with the service received and they both have beautiful smiles now."
"My bonded retainer came loose and several other practices turned me away. Dundrum Orthodontics saw me straight away and had it fixed within minutes."
"Dr Joseph O’Connor is such a skilled orthodontist. His kindness and attention to detail is outstanding. He takes the time to explain everything and makes you feel very comfortable. Could not recommend him more."
"I got Invisalign here in my forties and could not be happier. My daughter had braces with them a few years ago, and my sister brought her daughter on my recommendation. Exceptional service and amazing results."
"Joseph is a kind, compassionate and skilled orthodontist. He has a beautiful patient manner and his attention to detail is second to none. Highly recommend."
"Coming to the end of my braces and I couldn't be happier. The whole team are friendly and professional, and they take their time to make sure the end result is exactly what you want."
"I had a great experience with Dr O’Connor and his team. Booking was simple and they were very friendly & efficient throughout. Would highly recommended."
"My son got his braces off this morning and I am delighted with the result. Over two years, any worries we had were sorted and every question answered, always with a friendly and professional approach."
"Amazing service, highly professional. Dr O'Connor was really kind and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend!"
"Dr O'Connor is a brilliant orthodontist, the consultation was thorough and he's easy to talk to."
"Extremely happy with the outcome after braces, great attention to detail! Highly recommend."
"A long and difficult process was made easy by their care and attention. The attention to detail and professionalism was second to none."
"The staff are extremely skilled as well as friendly and easy to talk to. I am very happy with my results and with how the whole process was handled."
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