Braces, explained by the people who put them on

What braces still do better than anything else

Clear aligners have taken over a large share of orthodontic treatment, and for good reason. But fixed braces have not been replaced, and in a number of situations they remain the more predictable tool. A bracket is bonded to the tooth, so the force is delivered whether or not anyone remembers to wear anything. That single fact matters more than any marketing claim.

Braces tend to be the stronger option when teeth need to be moved bodily through bone rather than tipped, when a canine is impacted and has to be guided down over many months, when large rotations need to be held, when the roots themselves need repositioning before a finish will hold, and when the patient is a teenager whose compliance is realistically going to be uneven. None of that makes aligners inferior — it makes them a different instrument. If you are weighing the two, our sister site covers the aligner side in depth.

The types, in one place

Most people arrive knowing there is more than one kind of braces and not much beyond that. The differences are real but smaller than they are usually made to sound: the mechanics are similar, and the choice mostly comes down to visibility, comfort, cost and how your particular case needs to be finished.

• Metal braces

  Most common, most durable, lowest cost

  Stainless steel brackets and wires. Nothing else handles difficult mechanics as reliably, and nothing else survives a teenager as well.

• Ceramic braces

  Tooth-coloured, adult favourite

  The same system in a translucent material. Considerably less visible in person and in photographs, with trade-offs in cost and bracket strength.

• Self-ligating braces

  No elastic ligatures

  A built-in door holds the wire instead of a small elastic ring. The honest version of what that does and does not change.

• Lingual braces

  Behind the teeth, fully hidden

  Bonded to the tongue side. Genuinely invisible, and the most demanding option to wear and to deliver.

• Colours and personalisation

  Changed at every visit

  The part younger patients care about most. What the bands actually are, which colours flatter teeth, and which ones stain.

• Which type is right for you

  How the decision is actually made

  The questions an orthodontist works through before recommending one over another, so you can follow the reasoning rather than take it on faith.

What the process looks like

A first visit is an examination and a conversation, not a sales appointment. If braces are appropriate, records follow: photographs, a scan or impressions, and the radiographs needed to see roots and unerupted teeth. A plan comes back with a sequence, an estimated length and a fee. Bonding day takes about an hour and a half and is not uncomfortable. Adjustment visits run every six to ten weeks, and the last visit — debond — takes less time than most people expect.

Treatment length depends on what is being corrected. Mild crowding in a well-aligned bite may take twelve months. A case involving jaw relationship, impacted teeth or space closure through extraction sites can run twenty-four to thirty months. Anyone quoting a duration before seeing radiographs is guessing.

What it costs, without the runaround

Fees vary with complexity, and we will give you the number in writing before anything is bonded. What matters as much as the number is what sits inside it. At this practice the quoted fee includes your retainers and the first year of retainer checks after treatment finishes, and monthly payment plans are arranged interest-free directly through the clinic with no credit application and no third-party lender.

Children who are being monitored rather than treated are seen for free recall visits until the right moment arrives. There is no benefit to anyone in starting a seven-year-old who should be watched for another two years.