By Larry A. Rose, DDS, MS
Orthodontic patients sometimes ask Dr. Larry Rose and Dr. Mohni Malik why they discourage the placement of ceramic braces on the lower teeth. Ceramic braces are made of material that in some instances is harder than the patient’s tooth enamel. If the patient’s bite is deep, meaning most of the lower front teeth are covered by the upper front teeth, it is possible the tongue side of the upper front teeth could experience excessive wear from contact with the ceramic braces on the lower teeth. Ceramic braces obtain their strength from their bulk. The ceramic braces cover almost the entire front surface of the patient’s lower teeth, and it has been reported in the dental literature that some patients have sustained breakage of the lower front teeth when the ceramic braces have been removed. That has not happened at Houston Area Orthodontics, the orthodontic office of Dr. Rose and Dr. Malik. The removal of ceramic braces on the lower teeth could present an unacceptable risk of tooth breakage during the braces removal process, so Dr. Rose and Dr. Malik do not place ceramic braces on the lower teeth.
