Did you know that the first aesthetic brackets in the 80s were sculpted with Sapphire crystals ? A real jewel for the lucky wearer and a challenge for the dental professional who designed and carved them.
But how has aesthetic orthodontics evolved to the present day to offer crystalline brackets available to the general public with various treatment needs and the need to maintain a balance between aesthetics and professional effectiveness?
Evolution of Aesthetic Brackets
In the 70s the first transparent brackets appeared as an alternative to the classic metallic brackets. These systems were manufactured in polycarbonate , a plastic injected into a mould to obtain the desired shape thanks to its thermoplastic capacity.
Polycarbonate is a durable and transparent material, at first seemed a good idea but the reality was different. Shortly after its intra-oral disposition it was observed how spots and colorations appeared due to external stains coming from the tannins present in coffee, tea, tobacco and other food.
In addition, polycarbonate eventually suffered plastic deformation when it came into contact with the forces of the steel arches, and the idea was abandoned.
In the 80's the first ceramic brackets were developed , a true revolution for the orthodontist in search of an aesthetic alternative with minimal problems.
These brackets as well as a jewelry work were sculpted directly from a single sapphire crystal using diamond milling machines. Due to their structure and chemical composition they are able to solve the disadvantages of plastic brackets, they are resistant to staining and do not deform .
Shortly thereafter and as a viable solution, the synthetic sapphire brackets were developed from a thermal agglutinated alumina . That is, the union of monocrystalline alumina and polycrystalline also known as aluminum oxide .
Most aesthetic brackets have a metal groove to avoid friction problems with the arc and the results are currently negligible compared to conventional metal brackets.
At present, all aesthetic ceramic and sapphire brackets are available on the market thanks to the latest technology and dental materials as safe as conventional ones.
Composition of Sapphire brackets
The sapphire is formed by a chemical structure of aluminum oxide , or alumina powder extracted from the mines of bauxite .While the precious stone in nature presents blue and yellow tones because it contains impurities from other metals, the synthetic sapphire is totally transparent because of its pure composition, it is ideal for orthodontics.
These crystals are as resistant as the natural ones and to cut them it is necessary the use of the only mineral harder than the sapphire; the diamond . Artificial sapphire is used in dentistry and other specialized fields such as lasers, luxury watch dials, sensors and military technology..
Aesthetic Brackets at Dentaltix
In Dentaltix we have a wide assortment of orthodontics, we want to highlight the range of KDM brand Brackets which covers all treatment needs for both professionals with various sizes and modalities MBT and Roth and for patients with ceramic aesthetic brackets and sapphire .
Sapphire Brackets Kit
The solution for a complete case for upper and lower arcade, provides an excellent transparency , perfect aesthetics with less friction. Easy application and removal with polished and rounded edges for maximum patient comfort.
- Completely manufactured in Monocrystalline Sapphire
- The kit contains 20 units
- Available in 0.18 and 0.22 inch sizes
- Formats MBT and ROTH
Ceramic Brackets Kit
Manufactured with CIM technology to achieve maximum performance and resistance, these kits allow you to work safely and achieve predictable results.
- Polycrystalline ceramic , with slot highly polished.
- Available with metal groove or all-ceramics.
- Soft, reordered edges.
- Available in 0.18 and 0.22 inch sizes
- Formats MBT and ROTH .
