Metal Braces and Ceramic Braces in Los Angeles

Braces are appropriate for adults and teens with crowding, spacing, crossbite, overbite, underbite, or other forms of malocclusion. The motivation is not always cosmetic. Crooked teeth are harder to clean, misaligned teeth wear unevenly over time, and bite issues can affect jaw function in ways that worsen without treatment. Most of the patients we see at McComb Orthodontics are seeking straighter teeth and a more confident smile, but the bite correction that comes with that process is just as important to long-term oral health.

Getting braces does not require a severe or complex case. Patients with minor spacing or mild crowding are candidates, and so are patients with more involved bite issues that have gone unaddressed for years. Adults who were told as teenagers that they were not severe enough to treat are a significant part of our patient base. A complimentary consultation at our Culver City, West Hollywood, or Santa Monica office tells you whether braces, and which type, are the right fit for your specific case.

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first orthodontic evaluation by age 7, before all the adult teeth are in. At that age, Dr. McComb can see developing crowding, crossbite, underbite, and spacing issues on a panoramic X-ray that are not visible in the mouth. A crossbite, where the upper jaw is narrower than the lower, is one of the conditions that causes the most long-term harm when left untreated through the growth years, because the jaw develops unevenly as a result. An underbite, severe crowding, or signs of an impacted tooth are also reasons to evaluate early.

If your child comes in and nothing requires immediate treatment, McComb places them in a complimentary observation program: brief checkups every eight to twelve months until the adult teeth are in. That program exists so we catch the cases where a small intervention at the right growth window avoids a much larger one later. Not every child who comes in at age 7 needs treatment. But the ones who do and are caught early consistently have simpler, shorter treatment than children who wait until their teens. Signs that are worth getting evaluated include crowded or overlapping front teeth, a lower jaw that sits forward of the upper, difficulty biting or chewing, and early or late loss of baby teeth.

Traditional metal braces move teeth by applying continuous, light pressure through a system of brackets and wires. A bracket is bonded to each tooth, and a metal archwire threads through every bracket in the row.

As the wire tries to return to its original shape, it transfers force to each bracket and guides each tooth in the direction the treatment plan requires. The wire does the work. The brackets are the anchor points.

At McComb Orthodontics, Dr. McComb uses self-ligating brackets, which hold the archwire without the elastic ties used in older bracket systems. This reduces friction at each bracket and gives more precise control over how each tooth moves at every stage of treatment.

Wires are changed at each adjustment appointment in a planned sequence, from lighter and more flexible in the early stages of alignment to stiffer finishing wires that lock in final positions.

When the treatment plan involves correcting the relationship between the upper and lower jaws, elastics, which most patients call rubber bands, are added to connect specific brackets across the two arches and apply the bite correction force.

The whole system works together to straighten teeth and correct the bite simultaneously.

The clinical performance is identical. Ceramic braces and metal braces move teeth through the same bracket-and-archwire system, on the same timeline, to the same result. The difference is appearance. McComb uses 3M Clarity ceramic brackets, which are tooth-colored and significantly less visible than metal. Dr. McComb does not recommend ceramic over metal on clinical grounds — it is always a patient choice, not a doctor prescription.

The distinction that matters clinically is enamel contact. Ceramic is harder than tooth enamel. If ceramic brackets on the lower arch make repeated contact with the upper teeth, they can gradually wear enamel on the opposing teeth. For that reason, McComb places ceramic brackets on the upper arch only for teen patients. Adults who choose ceramic on both arches are monitored for that contact throughout treatment. Patients with a deep overbite, where the upper front teeth heavily cover the lower front teeth, are steered away from ceramic on the lower arch entirely.

On staining: the ceramic bracket itself does not stain. The small elastic tie that holds the archwire to the bracket, called an O-tie, can pick up color from curry, turmeric, and highly pigmented foods if the patient selects a fully clear tie. McComb uses a clear-blue O-tie that resists staining while still reading as nearly invisible on the bracket. Coffee and wine are not a significant staining concern.

Ceramic braces carry a $500 upcharge over metal. Insurance benefits apply equally to both — the benefit amount does not change based on bracket type. The in-network contracted rate applies to metal only; ceramic is priced at the standard fee plus the upcharge.

Orthodontic braces correct malocclusion, the clinical term for misaligned teeth and bite problems, by applying continuous, calibrated pressure to each tooth through a system of brackets and an archwire. A bracket is bonded directly to each tooth, and a flexible metal wire threads through every bracket in the row. As that wire tries to return to its original shape, it transfers force to each bracket and moves the tooth in the direction the treatment plan specifies.

Traditional metal braces at McComb use self-ligating brackets, which hold the archwire without the elastic ties found in older bracket systems. This reduces friction at each bracket and gives Dr. McComb more precise control over tooth movement at every stage. The wires are changed at each adjustment appointment in a deliberate sequence, from lighter and more flexible wires that begin to straighten crooked teeth and close crowding and spacing, to stiffer finishing wires that refine final positions. Most patients come in for adjustments every six to eight weeks across the length of their dental braces treatment.

Elastics, which most patients call rubber bands, enter the plan when the treatment requires the upper and lower arches to work together. They connect specific brackets on the upper teeth to specific brackets on the lower teeth and produce the force needed to correct the bite relationship between the jaws. That rubber-band protocol is how getting braces addresses overbite, underbite, and crossbite alongside the archwire managing crowding, spacing, and alignment issues. Every treatment plan is personalized to the bite conditions in each patient's case, which is why treatment times vary. No two malocclusion cases are identical.

Braces at McComb Orthodontics range from $4,000 to $7,000, depending on the complexity of your case. The variable is how long treatment will take and how many tooth movements your personalized treatment plan requires. A straightforward crowding case costs less than a complex bite correction case that runs two to three years.

Patients with PPO dental insurance should think of their coverage as a discount, not full payment. Insurance plans carry a lifetime maximum, typically $1,500 to $2,000, and that number is what you subtract from your treatment cost.

McComb is in-network with all PPO providers. Delta Dental sets a contracted rate of $4,500 for metal braces, which is the ceiling we can charge any Delta Dental patient. Your benefit then reduces that amount further.

For patients financing treatment, we offer in-house financing at 0% interest with no outside financing company involved. Monthly payments start at $168, the minimum down payment is $500, and we can extend the financing window to twice the length of your treatment.

A twelve-month treatment plan can be financed over twenty-four months. Patients who pay the full balance upfront receive an 8% discount.

A complimentary consultation at any of our three locations, in Culver City, West Hollywood, or Santa Monica, gives you the exact number for your case before any commitment is made.

Crossbite and underbite respond well to dental braces treatment in most cases, though the approach depends on the patient's age.

A crossbite, where the upper jaw sits narrower than the lower jaw, is most efficiently corrected during growth years. Left untreated, it can cause the jaw to develop unevenly, an outcome that becomes significantly harder to address in adulthood.

Metal braces, sometimes paired with an expander in younger patients, correct crossbite by widening the upper arch and repositioning misaligned teeth.

For adults with crossbite, the same bite correction mechanics apply, though treatment times are typically longer because the jaw is no longer growing. Crossbite is one of the more common complex cases we treat across our Culver City, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica offices.

Underbite treatment depends on age. In younger children, a reverse pull headgear promotes growth modification by encouraging the upper jaw to catch up with the lower.

Metal braces then fine-tune the bite relationship as the permanent teeth come in. In adults with a skeletal underbite, the jaw has set, and jaw surgery alongside orthodontic treatment is often the more predictable path to full correction.

Open bite is the exception. Braces are not the preferred treatment for open bite, and in some cases they can worsen the bite issues rather than resolve them. Open bite correction requires a downward force on the back molars, called posterior intrusion, to allow the front teeth to close.

Braces exert force in a direction that works against that outcome. No other orthodontist FAQ in Los Angeles will tell you that, but it is the clinical reality and it affects your treatment plan. If your consultation reveals an open bite, we will walk through the appropriate path for your specific malocclusion before any treatment begins.

No, and the confusion is extremely common. "Clear braces" refers to ceramic brackets — tooth-colored brackets bonded directly to your teeth that move them through the same archwire system as metal braces.

Clear aligners are a separate treatment that use a series of removable clear plastic trays to move teeth incrementally. The names are sometimes confused but the approaches work entirely differently. Clear braces (aka ceramic braces) are fixed while clear aligner trays are removable.

IN our experience, many patients searching for clear braces are actually looking for Invisalign. At McComb Orthodontics, roughly 80% of patients choose Invisalign over braces.

If what you have in mind is a treatment that does not involve anything bonded to your teeth and can be removed to eat and brush normally, that is Invisalign. If you want a fixed option that is more discreet than metal brackets, that is ceramic braces.

For everything you need to know about Invisalign at McComb Orthodontics, including how it compares to braces for specific bite conditions, visit our Invisalign page.

Braces work around the clock without any variable on the patient's end. They are bonded to the teeth and cannot be removed, which means the pressure on each tooth is continuous and uninterrupted throughout treatment.

Clear aligners require 20 to 22 hours of daily wear to work as planned. When a patient wears them 12 or 15 hours instead, the elastic fibers around the teeth pull them back toward their original position during the hours the trays are out. The movement forward and the movement back effectively cancel each other, and treatment stalls.

Dr. McComb monitors compliance at every visit. When a tray is not being worn as required, it stops seating flush against the teeth — the tray expects the teeth to be in a position they have not reached. That misfit is visible in the chair, and Ryan can show the patient exactly what is happening in a mirror.

His clinical observation is that behavior patterns established in the first few months of aligner treatment rarely change on their own. When a patient's compliance signals early that aligners are not the right fit, the clinical answer is braces.

For parents of teens, McComb has a specific policy around this: if a teen starts with clear aligners and proves non-compliant, McComb switches them to braces at no additional cost. The decision to start with aligners carries no financial risk at this practice. If the compliance is not there, the appliance changes. Braces remove the variable entirely.

No. If a patient starts with clear aligners and compliance becomes a clinical problem, McComb switches them to braces at no additional charge.

The fee paid for aligner treatment covers the transition. This applies to teens and adults