[Ceramic brackets]

Because of the many drawbacks of the hard and brittle material, ceramic brackets should not be used uncritically for orthodontic treatments. If ceramic brackets are used, the following guidelines should be observed: 1. If large and complicated tooth movements are involved, conventional bracket systems should be considered. 2. Occlusion on ceramic brackets is to be avoided. 3. Sharp instruments should be used with extreme care to avoid scratching the ceramic surface. Metal ligatures must not be used. 4. The length of the treatment is extended, probably because of the increased friction. 5. The problems connected with removing the brackets have not yet been solved. Be particularly careful of weakened teeth. 6. Esthetically, ceramic brackets function satisfactorily, but transparent elastic ligatures do not. They rapidly become discoloured and need frequent replacement. Nor are there as yet any "invisible arch wires", apart from some few, extremely flexible "white" arch wires. The ceramic bracket has no doubt come to stay, but there have been many difficulties in the "running-in" period, and the problems are far from solved yet. New ceramic brackets are coming onto the market all the time, and only future clinical studies can show whether they will become a genuine alternative to the conventional bracket.