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You and/or your child has likely seen other people wearing dental braces. If someone’s braces are fairly grey in color, then chances are they're wearing metal dental braces–the most common method of correcting a malocclusion. If you see someone who appears to be wearing braces that are off-white in color and blend into the teeth very well, then they are usually wearing ceramic Houston braces. They both achieve the same goal: healthy, perfectly straight teeth, but, what’s the difference between them? Which is better? In this article, our Houston dentists–who treat families in Houston and South Houston–will answer these commonly asked questions.

Metal Houston Braces

Metal dental braces have been around for hundreds of years, though today they are much more subtle and lightweight than they used to be, which makes them much more comfortable and effective. However, because they’re metal, their natural dark grey color is quite obvious on teeth.

Metal dental braces are made up of three components:

• Metal square-shaped brackets, fixed to the front of your teeth
• Metal dark gray archwire, placed across the brackets
• O-rings, which are placed around the bracket and can be of different colors

When Our Houston Family Dentists Recommend Metal Braces

Metal dental braces work on just about any malocclusion, mild or severe. This means they have superior strength in order to reduce how long treatment would last, compared to other alternatives.

Ceramic Houston Braces

Though less common than metal braces, ceramic dental braces have risen in popularity over the years due to the fact that they are a good compromise between Invisalign and metal Houston braces, as well as for their increased subtlety over metal braces.

Ceramic braces consist of the following components:

• Ceramic brackets fixed to the front of your teeth, which blend into your natural tooth color
• Light-colored archwire placed across the brackets (silver or frosted in color)

When Our South Houston Family Dentists Recommend Ceramic Braces 

Though still strong enough to move your teeth to the proper alignment, ceramic isn’t as strong as metal, so we don’t typically recommend ceramic Houston braces for severe malocclusions. They do, however, work wonders for mild to moderate malocclusions on patients of all ages. 

Affordable Dental Braces At Our Houston Family Dentist Offices

Whether you are considering Houston braces for yourself or for your child, Centra Dental in Houston and South Houston is proud to be a top-rated office for braces as low as $99 per month. If you plan on getting Houston braces soon, please book an appointment with us so we can conduct an evaluation and determine which method of correction is best for you. In this case, neither ceramic braces nor metal braces are considered a generally "better option". It really comes down to what each individual patient needs and what their priorities are.

Approximately 4 million Americans wear braces at any given time in order to fix what is classified as a malocclusion. A malocclusion is what we call a “bad bite”, such as crowded teeth, underbites, and overbites. Metal dental braces are an effective and affordable method our dentists in Houston and South Houston use to correct a malocclusion, especially for younger children who prefer to take advantage of early Houston braces treatment. In this article, we will discuss how metal dental braces work so you and your child know what to expect.

What Are Metal Braces Made Of?

Our metal Houston braces feature 3 key components:

• Metal brackets, which are glued to the front of the teeth with a semipermanent dental cement
• Archwire, which is placed across the brackets
• O-rings, which keep the archwire attached to the metal brackets

How Houston Braces Straighten Your Child’s Teeth

Our Houston and South Houston family dentists offer metal braces that are thinner (and therefore far lighter in weight) than most other metal braces available. 

All types of Houston braces that we offer do the same job in principle: they apply pressure to the teeth, which gradually moves them to their desired position. When it comes to metal dental braces, our South Houston braces dentist will tighten the archwire on a regular basis. Tightening the archwire in a certain way helps push the teeth in the direction we intend for them to go, thanks to the help of our state-of-the-art 3D modeling software.

In some cases, especially if you have an overbite or an underbite, we will incorporate rubber bands into your Houston braces treatment.

Is Your Child Ready For Houston Braces? Centra Dental Is Your Go-To Braces Expert!

Whether you are in Houston or South Houston, our family dentists are here for your dental braces needs. We offer affordable dental braces for as low as $99/month and our caring staff and advanced technology ensure that you have the best possible experience every time you visit us. If you think your child might benefit from metal dental braces, then please book an appointment with us at one of our offices so we can begin with a braces consultation. We look forward to embracing your smile!

As a family dentist in Houston and South Houston specializing in dental braces, patients often ask us what they can do in order to get the most out of their Houston braces treatment. In this article, our dentists will offer advice on how to best take care of your teeth while undergoing treatment so you can be proud of your beautiful smile for years to come.

Keep Up With Proper Oral Hygiene

When wearing dental braces, you might become more prone to cavities due to the fact that the braces may be “in the way” when you’re trying to keep your teeth clean. In order to minimize your risk of tooth decay, we encourage our Houston braces patients to follow a stricter braces hygiene routine. 

A stricter hygiene routine entails the following:

• Swishing water in your mouth after every snack and meal
• Thoroughly brushing your teeth after eating each of your snacks and meals
• Using an interdental brush to remove any food from between your teeth and wires until you floss that night. Please remember that an interdental brush is not a substitute for flossing. 
• Flossing nightly

By following these steps down to a T, your smile will be healthy while you wear braces and shine brighter when the metal braces come off.

Get Regular Teeth Cleanings

It’s no secret that teeth cleanings are critical to your dental health as a whole, but this is especially true when you wear metal dental braces so that our team can give you a deeper clean than you would get at home. Additionally, a cleaning enables us to check on your oral health beyond how your teeth are shifting. 

We accept several dental insurances, but know that your dental benefits (coverage for certain treatments) will expire at the end of the month. Now is your last chance to book a dental cleaning while your insurance still covers it.

Avoid Certain Textured And Sticky Foods

Your Houston braces, though very tough when it comes to straightening your teeth, are sensitive to damage. Sticky foods, such as bubble gum, or crunchy foods, such as popcorn or chips, must be avoided when you wear your braces, or else your archwire could pop out of place and cause you a great deal of discomfort while also hindering the treatment process.

Our Family Dentists In Houston And South Houston Want to Ensure Effective Treatment

If you are planning to undergo metal Houston braces treatment, or have recently started treatment, then this blog should be helpful in making certain that you have impressive results following the end of your treatment. Please also make sure to book an appointment with us so we can clean your teeth, answer any questions you may have about your treatment, and examine the health of your teeth and mouth before your dental benefits expire.

You may have seen ceramic and metal dental braces patients wearing rubber bands at some point during the course of their treatment. If you or your child is about to undergo Houston braces treatment at one of our family dentist offices in Houston and South Houston, then you might be wondering if you (or your child) will also have to wear rubber bands. In this article, we will answer this question while also explaining the importance of rubber bands. 

What Are Rubber Bands Used For

Rubber bands are primarily used as a way to correct your bite, specifically if you have an overbite or an underbite. These rubber bands apply additional pressure to your jaw in order to guide it to the right placement in a more accelerated manner than your braces would without rubber bands.  

Wearing Rubber Bands With Your Dental Braces

Because rubber bands accelerate the correction of your malocclusion, getting to this phase in your Houston braces treatment is a pretty big, exciting deal! They are a major milestone in your overall treatment, but not everyone has to wear rubber bands. Typically, if our Houston braces patients don’t have an overbite or underbite, but do experience crowding in their teeth, then they may not need rubber bands. However, they are still an option that we will recommend based on each individual patient case. 

Similar to wearing retainers after braces, it is critical to the success of your treatment that you wear your rubber bands as directed if you want to complete your braces treatment on time (or, in some cases, earlier!). Most of the time, our South Houston family dentists recommend you wear your rubber bands at least 10-12 hours a day, but in some cases, we recommend wearing them for 24 hours except for when you’re eating, brushing your teeth, and flossing. It isn’t rare for patients to begin wearing bands 24/7 and then switch to just a few hours a day.

Our Houston Family Dentists Will Recommend Rubber Bands If Your Treatment Requires It

If you’re about to undergo braces treatment, or if you are curious about if/when you might need rubber bands, then please book an appointment with us so we can perform a teeth cleaning before your dental benefits expire and evaluate your bite before making a recommendation. We can’t wait to embrace your smile!