According To "Dr. Wo" Wm. Randol Womack, DDS Editorial Director, Orthotown Magazine


Bracketville


Wm. Randol Womack, DDS
Editorial Director,
Orthotown Magazine
While walking through the exhibits at the recent Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO) meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, I started to take note of all the brackets that are currently offered. I had quite a startling revelation when I finished taking inventory! Almost every supplier of brackets has conventional twin brackets but it goes deeper than that. There are plastic brackets; composite brackets; ceramic brackets; polycrystalline brackets (currently available only in Germany but soon to be available in the USA); gold labial brackets; metal lingual brackets; gold lingual brackets; brackets that look like stars, diamonds, hearts or flowers; metal self-ligating brackets with doors that close up/down, doors that close round/round, doors that flip open and close, clips that close up/down and clips that clip in/out; and almost-clear self ligating brackets with all the various door configurations. I was listing so many different types of brackets I sounded like Dr. Seuss!

In addition to the various designs there are at least 22 manufacturers of stainless brackets, 21 manufacturers of ceramic brackets, 11 manufacturers of self-ligating brackets, nine manufacturers of composite brackets, eight manufacturers of gold labial brackets, five manufacturers of lingual brackets and two manufacturers of plastic brackets.

Not to complicate things more, but some brackets have mesh bases, some have geometric bases, some have adhesive pre-coated bases, and now there are “hygienic” brackets with adhesive that inhibits bacteria growth (in fact, check out the message board on hygienic brackets in this issue).

Phew!

I have been in practice longer than many readers of Orthotown Magazine, and I thought I had experienced all the variations of bracket designs, but now I think I am beginning to suffer from design overload. How does one make a decision when there are so many options? And how are the manufacturers able to develop and offer so many options so efficiently and effectively?

Personally, since I am an old-fashioned orthodontist, I am inclined to settle down with something that combines some of the newer hi-tech features but retains some of the old fashioned designs. The key words here are “settle down.” Every practice should strive to use a system that works consistently for its staff and patients. Easy to say but maybe, in today’s constantly evolving hi-tech environment, not so easy to decide on.

With so many options, how does a practicing orthodontist know which system is best for his or her practice? There’s not enough time in the day – or the year for that matter – to try out every single system. That’s where Orthotown.com comes in handy. We’ve pulled several message boards on brackets into this issue to show you what our Townie members think of certain aspects of bracket systems. And when you’re done reading this issue, I invite you to log on to Orthotown.com to read more about what your peers think about brackets and other orthodontic issues.

Every time I come back from a meeting like PCSO, my staff’s biggest fear is that I will announce another “band/bracket exchange.” Man, do they hate that. Perhaps I should stay away from meetings for a while and stick to the message boards…
Sponsors
Townie® Poll
When did you last increase your fees?
  
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Orthotown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450