A smiling teenage boy with curly red hair leaning forward against a light blue background, proudly showing off his orthodontic braces.
A smiling teenage boy with curly red hair leaning forward against a light blue background, proudly showing off his orthodontic braces.

Types of Braces

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Duane S. Shank, DDS, Board-Certified Orthodontist

There are three practical choices for most patients: metal braces, ceramic (clear) braces, and clear aligners such as Invisalign. All three move teeth. They differ in how visible they are, how much they depend on you, and which cases they handle well. Dr. Duane Shank will tell you which fits your case at a free consultation.

Choosing an appliance is the part patients feel most equipped to have an opinion about, which is fair, because it is the part they live with. It is also where the answer depends on the diagnosis.

Metal Braces

Stainless steel brackets bonded to each tooth, connected by an archwire that applies steady, gentle pressure. They're the most common and capable appliance in orthodontics, with modern brackets smaller and more comfortable than what adults remember, and made from alloys that don't stain. Because they're fixed, they work whether or not the patient is diligent, which for some teenagers is the deciding factor. Colored elastic ties come with them, changed at every appointment, and many younger patients look forward to picking them. Metal braces suit any case, and are the usual choice for complex ones, extractions, and uncertain compliance.

Ceramic Braces

Same mechanics, different brackets. Ceramic brackets are translucent and tooth-colored, so they blend into the teeth and are far less noticeable at conversational distance than people expect. They come with two honest trade-offs: they're slightly larger and more brittle than metal, so they need a bit more care with hard food, and the clear elastic ties can pick up staining between appointments from coffee, tea, red wine, curry, and smoking. The brackets themselves don't stain; the ties do, and those are replaced at every visit. Ceramic mostly appeals to adults and older teenagers who want fixed braces without the metal look, and who are willing to trade a little durability and upkeep for a more discreet appearance.

Invisalign Clear Aligners

A series of custom, removable trays, each worn about two weeks, with no brackets, no wires, and nothing visible at normal distance. You take them out to eat and to brush, so there are no food restrictions and hygiene is much easier. The trade is that they only work while they're in, with a target of 20 to 22 hours a day. They handle crowding, spacing, and rotation extremely well, and are less predictable for significant bite correction, large vertical movements, and closing extraction space. Full detail is on the Invisalign and clear aligners page, and pricing on the cost of Invisalign page. They suit adults, disciplined teenagers, and cases inside the aligner range.
About Invisalign Aligners

What about self-ligating and lingual braces?

You will see both on other websites, so it is worth knowing what they are.

Self-ligating braces use a built-in clip instead of an elastic tie to hold the archwire. Lingual braces are bonded to the inside surfaces of the teeth so nothing shows at all, and they are the most specialized and most expensive option in orthodontics.

Neither is inherently better than a well-planned conventional appliance, and the treatment plan matters far more than the bracket system. Ask about them at your consultation if you are curious.

How the choice actually gets made

In practice the conversation runs in this order.

First, what does the case need? Some cases can be finished with any of the three; some genuinely cannot be finished with aligners. That is a clinical answer and it comes first.

Second, what can you live with? If the appearance of metal would stop an adult starting treatment at all, ceramic or aligners are the better appliance even if metal would be marginally more efficient.

Third, what will actually get worn? An aligner in a drawer treats nothing.

Dr. Shank is a board-certified orthodontist and treats with all of these. He has no reason to steer you toward one, and at the consultation he will tell you plainly which he would choose for your case and why.

Ask at a free consultation

Bring your questions and get an answer specific to your teeth rather than to teeth in general.

Call (631) 265-3666 or request an appointment online.

Smithtown Orthodontics 200 E Main St. Smithtown, NY 11787 (631) 265-3666

Frequently Asked Questions

Choosing the right orthodontic treatment can feel overwhelming at first. Here are some of the most common questions patients in Smithtown, NY ask about braces and treatment options.

The one that fits your case, your appearance concerns, and your habits, in that order. Metal braces are the most capable and the most visible. Ceramic braces do the same work far less noticeably. Clear aligners are the least visible and depend entirely on being worn 20 to 22 hours a day. There is no single best appliance, and any office that tells you there is has one to sell.

None of them hurt going on. All of them cause mild soreness for three to five days afterwards and briefly after adjustments, and the difference between appliance types is small. Aligners tend to feel tight for a day when you change trays rather than sore for several. Whatever you normally take for a headache handles all of it.

The ceramic brackets themselves do not stain. The clear elastic ties that hold the archwire can pick up color from coffee, tea, red wine, curry, and smoking, and that is what people see. The ties are replaced at every appointment, so any discoloration lasts weeks at most, not the whole treatment.

Most lists give metal, ceramic, lingual, and clear aligners, with self-ligating braces sometimes counted as a fifth. In practice, metal, ceramic, and clear aligners cover almost all treatment. Lingual braces sit behind the teeth and are the most specialized of the group.

Usually a little, because the brackets themselves cost more. Published Long Island ranges put metal braces at roughly $3,000 to $7,000 and ceramic at roughly $4,000 to $8,000, with the difference driven mostly by case difficulty rather than by bracket type. You get your own fee in writing at a free consultation, and the financing page sets out the payment plans.