[The development and clinical applications of aesthetic brackets]

Due to the significantly increasing demand of aesthetics during orthodontic treatments, aesthetic brackets have gained popularity in clinic. In general, the current aesthetic brackets are either ceramic brackets or plastic brackets. This article provided a review of the latest information about the aesthetic brackets' materials, designs, and their clinical applications. Although significant improvements have been made in recent years on aesthetic brackets, more laboratory studies and clinical trials are needed to further demonstrate the critical issues of bonding, debonding and recycling to meet their optimal uses in orthodontics.