Damon braces review. (last revision 3/8/13),

revised version of damon braces review (last revision 3/8/13), i do have an old unrevised entry in my old blog.
I'm a damon braces user and i've been wearing my braces for 1 year and 8 months. (last update was on 29/4/12)
i'll do some introductions about orthodontic treatment. (just in case you're new to orthodontics treatment)

Introduction to orthodontic treatment.
there are 3 types of orthodontic treatments which are commonly used, namely Traditional Braces, Damon Braces and Aligners. Of course there're other types of orthodontic treatment such as gold braces, lingual braces which is built in the inner lining of the teeth and etc.


Simple ways to differentiate Traditional braces, Damon braces and Aligners

Traditional Braces

photo credit: some website 

colour

traditional braces has wide range of colour due to its elastic tie. The colour of the elastic ties does not last. Food pigment/colourings will manipulate the colour of the elastic ties.

if you're having blue braces and you consumed turmeric which is yellow in colour, your braces will become green. most of my friends are having this problems and they always complain about it.

For pink braces, 
my friend had light pink braces last time but the colour changes rapidly. i sat beside her in class everyday and i didn't know it was pink until she told me. so if you wanna choose pink braces, i think neon pink braces would be great. (but i'm not sure weather they have neon pink braces)

headgear and teeth extraction.
In most cases of traditional braces, the treatment requires the patient to wear headgear and extract 4 teeth.

traditional braces uses elastic tie to close the bracket.
photo credit: some website

Damon Braces

Colour
In most cases, damon braces doesn't have any colour. of course you will see tiny colour at the bracket but it will go off after a day or two.

 Headgear and extract teeth
damon braces doesn't require patient to wear headgear and extract teeth. (i'm refering to most cases, if your teeth are overcrowded and it's very severe , your orthodontist might ask you to extract some teeth. But for damon braces treatment, most orthodontics will try not to extract your teeth) .

Damon braces doesn't require any elastic ties to close the bracket. you just close it like a door ._. , i guess that's why they call it door?

Aligners/Invisalign 

Colour
Aligners are transparent plastic mold. it can be removed and patients are required to wear minimum 20-22 hours a day.

 Headgear and teeth extraction.
there's no headgear for aligners treatment. i'm not pretty sure about the teeth extraction. But what i knew was, aligners treatment only applicable for certain cases.

Aligners .

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Damon Braces Review

Quick result: 3-fast 
rating scale: 1-slow, 2-moderate, 3-fast, 4-extremely fast

-Damon system quickly moves and adjusts teeth. you can actually see the result in the first month of the treatment. in my case, there's an obvious adjustment to my Dracula teeth/canine teeth. my teeth were lowered and moved inward, basically nobody could notice my Dracula teeth/canine teeth history after a month. by the way, the teeth were not perfectly corrected in the first month, there's gaps in between.

 headgear and teeth extractions: none

-It depends on individual, in damon braces treatment,  the orthodontist will try their best to adjust ur teeth without teeth extractions. if your teeth are too crowded like a friend of mine, your orthodontist might extract one or two tooth/teeth. you could always discuss with your dentist if you don't want to remove any teeth.

Change in face and profile 3-obvious change
rating scale: 1-none, 2-slightly, 3-obvious change

- i notice that there's a change in my cheeks. my cheeks look bigger and it makes my face looks fatter ): ..i think the damon braces pushed my teeth forward. Anyway, many patients noticed that there's a change in their entire face profile, they called this effect as Damon System Bracelift. anyway, there's once my dentist told me that my cheeks will be sunken if i extract my teeth. i think this theory is applicable for traditional braces. i guess is possible to achieve V shap face by extracting your teeth (consult the dentist before doing it. i'm not a dentist. this is just my presumption)

Broader smile: 3-obvious effect
rating scale: 1-none, 2-slightly, 3-obvious effect 

- damon braces actually enhances your smile and widen your smile. 

Obvious gums 3-obvious effect
rating scale: 1-none, 2-slightly, 3-obvious effect 

- i noticed that my gums are very obvious after the treatment, i've this hidious gummy smile now ): . my dentist told me nothing could be done to the gums unless i go for gum laser treatment which means, they will use laser to cut off a bit of my gums and my teeth will look bigger and nicer. 

Comfort wise 2-moderate
rating scale: 1-comfortable, 2-moderate, 3-not comfortable 

-according to clinical studies, damon braces is more comfortable than traditional braces. But for me, damon braces's not pretty comfortable. i could always feel the tightening pressure in my mouth and the damon bracket makes me feel like there's something stuck in my mouth. don't worry you will get use to it. 

Pain   3-extremely painful
rating scale: 1-comfortable, 2-moderate, 3-extremely painful

-you will experience huge amount of pain when you're having ulcers and tooth decay. and also, right after the orthodontist changes your braces wire (i can barely bite anything for a day or two). i guess damon users will feel the torture when they've 3-5 ulcers at the same time and the brackets are poking them.

Prone to ulcers 3-extremely prone to ulcers
rating scale: 1-none, 2-moderate, 3-extreme

- braces users are very prone to ulcers. the sharp edge of the bracket and the end of the wire will cut ur mouth easily. if the end of the braces wire is poking your cheeks, you can actually inform your orthodontist and she/he will trim the wire for you. for traditional braces user, when you're having ulcers, you can actually request for a rubber from your orthodontist to enclose the bracket. i'm not pretty sure is it applicable for damon braces because my dentist didn't give it to me.  i've had 5 cavernous ulcers in mouth and it took 1 or 2 weeks for my mouth to recover.

ulcer prevention: drink lots of water.
ulcer treatment: there's no immediate treatment. i've tried 3 kinds of ulcer gel/adhesive namely Bonjela, Medijel, Solcoseryl. they only help to reduce the pain for 20mins.

Prone to tooth decay/cavities 3-extreme
rating scale: 1-none, 2-moderate, 3-extreme

-since you're brushing your teeth one by one, it's very hard to clean your teeth properly.
-the orthodontist will check your teeth and do fillings for your cavities before braces treatment. always go to the professional dentist to do the fillings. i did two of my fillings at other dentist last time, it seemed that the previous dentist didn't do a great job, there's tiny gaps between the filling and my decayed tooth, so the tooth continued to decay until it reached the nerves ending. i couldn't extract any teeth during my braces treatment so i had root canal to remove the nerves in my tooth.

Speech difficulty  2-moderate
rating scale: 1-none, 2-moderate, 3- difficult

- according to the orthodontist, braces doesn't affect my speech. But for my experience, i couldn't pronounce certain words properly and sometimes i just feel like the braces is blocking the movement of my lips. maybe my mouth just couldn't adapt to it. Not to mention, my friends actually notice my speech difficulty and they said i spoke like another senior who has traditional braces. i've asked my cousin and my senior, they're facing this problems too.

Fast treatment time  1-slow (in my case) , 3-fast (if there's no mistakes)
rating scale: 1-slow, 2-moderate, 3- fast

-studies has shown that damon system is up to six months faster than with traditional braces. of course, treatment time may varies, there's no promising that your teeth will be corrected within 1year and 6 months. In my case, i was being told that i could remove my braces after 1year6months. Unfortunately,  i was overwhelmed unsatisfied the moment my orthodontist asked me to remove my braces because she didn't notice that i still have gaps on the canine teeth area and my bite was not corrected. So i started to discuss with her, it seems that different people has different shape of teeth, damon system could only push the teeth to the right position. theoretically, my teeth were actually corrected in the right position but it fails to aligned side by side without visible gaps because my teeth shape doesn't allow it to align together. the only way to correct my teeth gaps is to trim my teeth and start all over again from the basic wire. so i've to extend my treatment time. so, the verdic for perfect teeth is,  tell your dentist what kind of perfect teeth you're looking for, for every appointment. do not wait until last minute.

this patient took 16months to correct her teeth.

Prone to sensitive teeth 3-extreme
rating scale: 1-none, 2-moderate, 3- extreme

- you're very prone to have sensitive teeth after trimming your teeth. if you're having sensitive teeth, cold drinks and sweet food may cause some pain. even flossing could cause some pain. 

Price: RM 5000-6000 (included the retainer and teeth whitening.) 
if you're having cavities and it has reached the nerve endings of the tooth, you have to under go root canal or simply means nerve endings removal. root canal costs you extra RM600/tooth.

here's the comparison table between traditional braces, damon braces and aligners.

-the information provided is based on personal experiences, advises from my dentist and some reading materials which i've come across during my treatment. i do not guarantee 100% accuracy on the informations provided because i've no qualification as orthodontist. it was just my personal experiences. the effect of damon braces might varies on different user. consult your dentist before making any decisions. 

Leave a msg below or e-mail me if there's any questions. 

e-mail: jane.jiaen@hotmail.com