What are Damon Braces?

Damon brackets are self-ligating appliances that are fitted in the same way as "Traditional" metal brackets, but instead of having brackets that tighten and adjust the braces regularly, Damon braces use a slide mechanism that attaches wires to brackets to move naturally with the teeth as they realign. This makes the Damon System more comfortable, better looking, and able to provide strong results in a shorter time.

The brackets in the Damon System use a different method for moving teeth into the right position. The brackets are attached with a memory wire that connects each bracket without the pressure that traditional elastics often produce. They are then set to move your teeth gradually, using light forces and tightening over time. This process in turn uses less force than traditional braces, and can eliminate other supplemental treatment that commonly include tooth extractions, palatal expanders, surgery, etc.

Advantages

Damon braces have a number of benefits over other systems; these include:

1. Appearance - The Damon Clear brackets make them more aesthetically pleasing because they are virtually invisible.

2. Faster treatment time - A comparative study showed patients finished their treatment 7.2 months earlier than those with traditional braces.

3. Less in-office maintenance - The study showed patients needed nearly half as many appointments to have the appliances adjusted manually.

4. Less pressure on the teeth, Resulting in less pain. Patients reported 60 percent less discomfort with Damon braces.

5. Fewer places for plaque and bacteria to accumulate on the braces.

6. Clinical studies have found that Damon braces are more effective at correcting severe crowding, are more comfortable and have a lower relapse rate.

7. Self-ligating brackets were found to provide greater patient comfort, shorter treatment time, reduced chair time and more precise control of tooth translation.

8. Self-ligating brackets demonstrate dramatically less friction. Such reduction in friction can help shorten overall treatment time, especially in extraction cases. The authors of several studies reported an average of four months reduction in treatment time and a significant savings of chair time in changing archwires. Less friction also avoids erosion and deterioration of the teeth.

9. Self-ligation reduces the risks of percutaneous injury. It also protects the patient from soft-tissue lacerations and possible infections from the cut ends of steel ligatures.

10. Elastomeric ligatures not only show a rapid rate of decay and deformation, but they are often associated with poor oral hygiene. With the elimination of ligatures, self-ligating appliances can significantly improve the hygiene of all patients.