Fixed braces are brackets bonded to the teeth and joined by a wire that moves them. At Smile Makers in Jeddah the dentist considers them when a tooth is rotated or the movement is larger than clear aligners are used for. Photos and a bite check come first, and the result differs from person to person.
What are fixed braces?
Fixed braces (the Arabic name on this site is التقويم الثابت) are brackets bonded to the teeth. A wire runs through them and is adjusted at later visits. The tooth moves slowly in the bone. The bracket stays until the plan ends.
A clear aligner comes out for meals. A bracket stays on the tooth.
At Smile Makers in Jeddah we start with photos and a look at the bite. We may take an x-ray when we need to see the roots. A phone picture explains the complaint. The chair still matters, because the lip changes how much tooth shows when you talk.
People come for crowding, a tooth outside the arch, or a space after an old extraction. The reason changes the order of the plan. If a tooth sits back or tilts, moving it before any shell can spare enamel that would otherwise be shaped to cover a wide gap.
When are they clearer than clear aligners?
Brackets are clearer when a tooth is rotated on its axis. Rotation needs the wire to control direction. They are also clearer when the distance is large. Closing a wide space, or moving a tooth that sticks out of the arch, sits in that group.
Clear aligners have their own page. The choice is made from photos, not from a name in an ad. Fixed braces can suit a teenager or an adult when the gums are calm and decay is away from the bonding surface.
If the patient is a child, ask reception which ages the clinic sees. That number is not on this page.
Swollen gums that have not been cleaned are a poor start. Brackets collect food, and bleeding makes bonding harder. We clean first, or we delay braces until the gums settle. A finish within a few weeks is also a poor expectation.
Bone needs time.
The duration the clinic states is not a number in this text.
Which brackets are used?
Some brackets are metal. Some are closer to tooth color. Metal reads more clearly in a photo. A tooth-colored bracket is quieter in a close shot.
Size and the feel against the lip differ. We choose after the bite, and after what shows when you talk.
We do not name a company. We do not assign one type to every mouth.
Elastic bands between the jaws are added when the bite needs them. If the dentist does not mention them, they are not in your plan. Do not buy bands and place them on your own. The wrong band changes the direction.
What should you eat, and how do you clean?
Hard and sticky foods knock brackets off. Skip gum and ice. Cut an apple instead of biting it on a bracket. A dry date bitten on a bracket can pop it off.
Whole nuts belong on the back teeth, not on the face of a bracket.
If a bracket comes off, keep it and call us. A tooth without a bracket falls behind while the neighbors keep moving. Do not glue it with household adhesive. Household glue contaminates the enamel and makes the next bond harder.
A soft brush reaches around the base. Give it more time than a bare tooth needs. Floss passes carefully so it does not drag the bracket downward. Tartar around the base can leave a pale spot after removal.
The spot comes from plaque that stayed. Clean more carefully, and see us if the spot spreads.
Orthodontic wax covers a bracket that rubs the cheek. The cheek gets used to it within days for most people. If a wire pokes the tongue, come in. Do not wait for weeks while it keeps poking.
What happens when the brackets come off?
Brackets come off when the teeth reach the agreed position. A tooth can drift part of the way back if nothing holds it. We discuss a retainer before removal. We do not leave that as a surprise at the last visit.
Results differ from person to person. Missed adjustment visits lengthen the plan. Gum that recedes during movement is checked. We do not promise matching gum lines on both sides.
Faces are not molds, and bone differs.
What changes the cost?
The price of fixed braces is not on this page. An offer, if there is one, lives on the offers page only. The fee changes with the number of arches, the bracket type, and any extraction or cleaning before the start.
In the chair, ask what the figure includes. Ask whether the retainer is inside it. Two photos on a phone are not a quote. The bite and the roots are not readable from an ad.
Can I pay with Tabby?
You can ask to split the plan with Tabby. Approval is not the clinic's decision. Tabby reviews the application. It may approve it, approve part of it, or decline it.
Instalments do not change the bracket type, or the number of adjustment visits.
If the application is declined, you and reception agree how to pay. Starting can wait when nothing painful has to come before braces. Decay or bleeding gums are not delayed because instalments were declined.
Book with your name, mobile number, and fixed braces. You do not pick a clock time on the site. Reception calls during opening hours. The clinic WhatsApp is 055 117 0327.
Write a question if you like: whether your rotation is clearer with brackets, and what remains after removal.
A dentist at the clinic reviewed this page. Last updated: October 22, 2026.
It may suit
- A tooth is rotated and you want control of the direction it moves
- A wide space or a tooth that sticks out, beyond a clear-aligner plan
- Gums are calm and you can clean carefully around brackets
- You may want movement before a shell on a tilted or inward tooth
It may not suit
- Gums that are swollen or bleeding and not treated yet
- You expect the teeth to finish moving in a few weeks
- Obvious decay on the teeth that would hold brackets
- A brand name chosen before anyone has checked the bite
Aftercare
You can ask Tabby about instalments. Approval comes from Tabby.
Questions
A shell can last for years if the edge stays sealed and the gums stay calm. There is no single lifespan for every mouth. Ice, grinding, and using teeth as tools can shorten it. Come back if a corner chips.
Sometimes a thin layer of enamel is removed so the shell does not stick out. Some teeth need little or none. The dentist decides tooth by tooth after seeing the enamel and the bite. A no-prep line is not a promise for every mouth.
A veneer is a shell on one tooth or a few. A Hollywood smile usually means the front teeth that show together, so one tooth does not turn lighter than its neighbors. The exam sets the number, not the service name.
The shade is compared with your skin under clinic light, then checked in daylight when that is possible. A very white shade can look harsh when you talk. You see the shells at the try-in before permanent bonding.
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