Revolutionising Orthodontics with Damon Braces
Revolutionizing Orthodontics with Damon Braces
Braces at Mars Orthodontics in South Brisbane are fitted and supervised by Dr Carmen Karadeniz, Specialist Orthodontist, using the Damon self-ligating system. A full course costs $8,000, or $10,000 for complex treatment, the same as Invisalign for the same problem, with a $2,500 deposit and the balance interest free over 18 months. Every scheduled visit and your retainers are included.
| Who it is for | Children, teenagers and adults, for crowding, spacing and bite correction: partial braces on the adult teeth that are through while a child still has baby teeth, full braces once all the adult teeth are through, usually from around 12. Braces handle the movements aligners find hardest, such as rotating round teeth and moving teeth bodily along the arch, and they do not depend on remembering to wear anything. |
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| Where | Shop 14 Southpoint, 275 Grey Street, South Brisbane. |
| The system | Damon self-ligating brackets: small, smooth brackets with a sliding door that holds the wire, so no elastic ties. Metal, or Damon Clear on the upper teeth or on both arches depending on the bite, at the same fee. |
| How long | Most courses run 18 to 24 months. Adjustment visits here roughly every six to eight weeks. |
| Bite correction first | Where the bite needs correcting before the teeth are straightened, a Carriere Motion II appliance is worn with elastics for a few months first. Carriere Motion then braces or Invisalign is $8,859 in total. |
| Fee | $8,000 for most cases, $10,000 for complex treatment, covering records and imaging, the braces, every visit until they come off, repairs, retainers, and a year of retainer reviews afterwards. There are no separate charges for imaging, including any CBCT needed during treatment. |
| Payment | $2,500 deposit ($3,000 for complex treatment), then the balance over 18 months (24 for complex) through DentiCare, interest free, no credit check: $300.61 a month on the $8,000 fee after your $89 assessment credit. Work out weekly or fortnightly payments. |
| First step | An $89 specialist assessment with a written summary of your options. The $89 comes off your fee if you go ahead. |
Braces are brackets bonded to the teeth with a wire running through them; the wire is shaped to where the teeth should be and the teeth follow it. Because the force is applied continuously and directly, braces manage the difficult movements well: rotating a round tooth, moving a tooth bodily along the arch, closing large spaces, and correcting bites that need elastics worn for months. They also do not depend on compliance in the way aligners do, which is why they remain the better recommendation for many teenagers and for some adults.
The Damon system uses self-ligating brackets: the wire is held by a small sliding door rather than by elastic ties, so the bracket is smaller and smoother and the wire can slide with less friction. We use it because it suits the light, continuous forces we work with, the brackets are kinder to lips and cheeks, and adjustment visits are quick. The result comes from the diagnosis, the plan and the supervision, and the bracket is the tool we have chosen to deliver them.
Braces suit almost every orthodontic problem in children, teenagers and adults, and they are the right answer where the movements are complex or where aligners are unlikely to be worn. They are less suited to adults who need treatment to be hard to notice, where Damon Clear brackets or Invisalign are the alternatives, and they demand good cleaning: teeth must be brushed after every meal and sugary drinks kept to a minimum, or white marks can form around the brackets. Where a narrow upper jaw is part of the problem, an expander in a child or MARPE in a teenager or adult may come first, and braces follow.
Where the upper teeth sit well forward of the lower ones, a Carriere Motion II appliance can correct the bite first. It is a slim bar bonded to the upper back teeth on each side, worn with elastics to the lower teeth for a few months, before the braces or aligners go on. Correcting the bite first often shortens and simplifies the second stage. The fee for Carriere Motion followed by braces or Invisalign is $8,859, whichever follows it.
Dr Karadeniz examines you, takes photographs, an iTero scan and a CBCT where clinically indicated, and gives you a written summary of the findings and the options, including Invisalign and no treatment, with the fee set out.
The brackets are bonded and the first wire placed in one appointment of about an hour. Teeth are tender for two or three days afterwards; ordinary pain relief and soft food cover it. Lips and cheeks take a week or so to get used to the brackets, and wax helps in the meantime.
You come in roughly every six to eight weeks for the wire to be changed or adjusted, and for elastics to be prescribed where the bite needs them. Each adjustment brings a day or two of tenderness.
The brackets come off, the teeth are polished, and retainers are fitted the same day. Retainers and a year of retainer reviews are included in the fee, and wearing them as instructed is what holds the result; teeth move for life unless they are held.
Braces are $8,000 for most cases and $10,000 for complex treatment, priced the same as Invisalign for the same complexity. The deposit is $2,500 ($3,000 for complex treatment). After the $89 assessment credit, the balance runs through DentiCare over 18 months (24 for complex) with no interest and no credit check: $300.61 a month on the $8,000 fee. DentiCare charges a one-off $59 set-up fee and $2.20 a month. Paying in full takes five per cent off. Every fee we charge is published on our fees page, with a calculator.
Not here. We price them the same for the same complexity, so the choice is made on what your teeth need and how you want to wear it.
Light, continuous forces from a self-ligating bracket, small smooth brackets that are kinder to lips and cheeks, and quick adjustment visits. Metal or Damon Clear, at the same fee.
Teeth are tender for two or three days after fitting and after each adjustment. Ordinary pain relief is enough for most people. Brackets can rub the lips and cheeks for the first week, and wax helps.
Yes. Damon Clear brackets are available on the upper teeth, or on the upper and lower teeth depending on the bite, and the fee is the same as for metal braces.
Avoid hard, chewy and sticky foods: hard lollies, nuts, toffee, chewing gum, crusty bread. Cut apples, carrots and other firm foods into bite-sized pieces, and never bite into a whole apple or corn on the cob with your front teeth. Sugary drinks should be rare, because they cause white marks around brackets. With Invisalign there are no food restrictions, because the aligners come out to eat.
Roughly every six to eight weeks for adjustments, plus any visit needed for a broken bracket or a poking wire, which is covered by the fee.
Most courses take 18 to 24 months. Your own estimate is given in writing at your assessment, and it depends on the complexity and on how well the teeth and the wearer cooperate.
Two stages. While a child still has some baby teeth, usually between about 7 and 11, problems that are better dealt with early are treated with an expander and partial braces on the adult teeth that are through. Full braces go on once all the adult teeth are through, usually from around 12. Our children's page explains which problems are worth treating early.
Yes, everyone does. They are included in the fee, fitted the day the braces come off, and worn as instructed for life.
Your records and imaging, the braces, every visit and adjustment, repairs during treatment, removal, your retainers, and a year of retainer reviews after the braces come off. There are no separate charges for imaging, including any CBCT needed during treatment. What is not included is replacing retainers lost or broken outside normal wear.
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