Self-ligating Braces or Speed Braces

The self-ligating braces are metal braces that do not need ligatures or elastic rubber bands to support the arch wire onto the brackets. Self-ligating braces are sometimes called Speed braces or Damon Brackets. These special metal braces can shorten orthodontic treatment time nearly in half compared to traditional metal braces.

Speed braces are known to respond more quickly and efficiently because they are designed to accumulate energy in a refined, miniaturized spring loaded brace that controls orthodontic brace wire in three planes of space. The force is activated only when the tooth is not in its desired position. This system allows the use of much lighter, less painful pressure to the patient.

Speed braces is integrated the combination of passive self-ligating brackets, hi-tech arch wires, and nominal invasive and greatly simplified treatment procedure. Working in concert, these three elements present the means to low-force orthodontic system that has been clinically proven to provide significant advantages over traditional orthodontic methods.

Several companies like the makers of Damon Brackets have come up with various techniques for holding the arch wire in place without ligatures. They use a trap door to secure the arch wire to the bracket and by incorporating self-ligating technology through this technique; the brackets can tolerate the wire to slide back and forth.

In-Ovation is a new type of self-ligating brackets produced by the GAC. It is a twin bracket made entirely of metal, and makes use of a special built-in clip. The pressure from specific types of arch wires triggers the clip and gives specific torque to each tooth, resulting in fast and directed results.

The 3M Company also came out with another self-ligating passive bracket called SmartClips. Not like other self-ligating systems, SmartClips brackets do not have a separate clip. The arch wire is held in place with a specifically designed clip assembled into the bracket.

The Ultradent Company has likewise developed a tooth-colored self-ligating bracket which is made of a polycrystalline with a high glass fiber portion. This bracket has a built-in hinged door which fits over the arch wire.

In general, like other new innovative products, self-ligating or speed braces are not yet available everywhere. It will take a while for dentists to learn about these metal braces advancement and to get trained on using them effectively as these systems need special training from the developers.

Self-ligating braces are smaller than traditional metal braces and are said to be more comfortable for the patient because lip and cheek irritation are generally minimized. They are sturdy and durable but are cosmetically appealing because they do not have the railroad track or metal mouth look of traditional braces. Self-ligating brackets do not contain rubber ligatures so staining will never be a problem and less food gets trapped around these braces when patients eat. These types of braces are also much easier to keep clean. This advancement in metal braces allows for fewer adjustments and less dentist appointments. However, self-ligating brackets are only used in certain circumstances and can not correct severe orthodontic problems.