Self Ligating Braces
 

Self ligating braces as a new technology have previously been reviewed under our “ New Technologies “ category. In the May 2009 American Journal of Orthodontics, authors Fleming, DiBase, Sarri and Lee compared the efficiency of aligning crowded lower front teeth on 66 consecutive patients using either conventional or self ligating braces from the same manufacturer. Results indicated that the efficiency of tooth movement was independent of bracket type. In other words, neither bracket demonstrated a superior ability to speed up treatment in these cases. It should be noted that per bracket cost of self ligating braces are 5-9 times that of conventional braces.

My own experience with self ligating brackets was somewhat frustrating in that over time, the engagement mechanism becomes looser and / or sticky with plaque, calculus and food debris making the insertion of the largest archwires needed to finalize the case problematic. In some cases, selected brackets required replacement near the end of treatment which is exactly what one does NOT want to be doing when attempting to finish up a case and is definitely not a timesaver.