Ceramic braces (including "clear braces") are a treatment option that helps to create a more pleasing, less conspicuous appearance for orthodontic patients.

The primary difference between ceramic and traditional braces has to do with the type of orthodontic brackets that are bonded to the patient's teeth.

With ceramic braces, the brackets are clear or tooth-colored, not metal. (With both methods, there's still a metal wire that runs across the patient's teeth that's held in place using elastic bands.)

This difference in the color of the brackets really does help to make it less obvious to others that a person is wearing braces, especially at a distance. And that's why ceramic braces are a very popular treatment option.

Lingual braces work in much the same way as their traditional counterparts. However there's one important cosmetic difference; the lack of the usual metal supports on the front of your teeth. In the past braces could only be fit in a certain position; right on the front of your teeth but due to developments in dental technology this is no longer the case.

The key difference with Lingual Braces is that they can be placed on the rear of your teeth, hiding the majority of the metal parts. This means that they can realign your teeth just as effectively as a traditional brace but without the aesthetic worries.

Aligners are an alternative to traditional braces and are designed to help guide teeth into their proper position. Similar to braces, aligners use a graudual force to control tooth movement, but without metal wires or brackets. The aligners are made of a strong plastic material and are fabricated to fit each person's mouth. If a series of aligners are made, each aligner moves the teeth a little bit more into place until the desired movement is completed.

Aligners are worn for at least 20 hours a day to reach the desired maximum effectiveness. Each aligner is worn for three weeks before changing to the next one. The length of treatment with aligners depends upon the severity of each case. Typically, aligner treatment can be as short as three weeks or as long as six months. Still, a much shorter treatment than traditional braces.

These are the most common type of braces and are more comfortable today than ever before. Made of high-grade stainless steel, these braces straighten your teeth using metal brackets and archwires. With metal braces, you have the option of adding elastic ligatures ("donuts") in single or multi colour.

Metal braces continue to be the most popular form of braces. This is because metal braces can treat almost all kinds of orthodontic problems. Fully-programmed Metal Braces are now much smaller than they used to be.

For those that actually want to be noticed, braces now come in a variety of fun options such as Gold Plated Braces, Colored Braces, if you want to make a style statement; or with accessories in every imaginable color, to suit your mood.

Gold-plated braces/ Colored braces that also come with gold archwires. They are mostly chosen for their aesthetic appeal.

Very unfortunately few childrens suffer from an orofacial anomalies of incidence 1 in 1000 births. Most individuals with cleft lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), or cleft lip and palate (CLP), as well as many individuals with other craniofacil anomalies, require the coordinated care of providers in many fields of medicine (includingotolaryngology) and dentistry , alongwith that of providers in speech pathology, audiology, genetics, nursing, mental health and social medicine.

A typical care plan timetable summary is -

• Birth to six weeks – feeding assistance, support for parents, hearing tests and paediatric assessment
• 3-6 months – Surgery to repair cleft lip
• 6-12 months – Surgery to repair cleft palate
• 18 months; 3yrs; 5yrs – Speech assessment
• 8- 12yrs – Bone graft to a cleft in the gum area
• 10-15yrs – Orthodontic treatment and monitoring Jaw growth upto the age of 21yrs