Modern orthodontists can offer many types and varieties of braces:

• Traditional braces are stainless steel, sometimes in combination with nickel titanium, and are the most widely used. They offer many types of brackets, including coventional ones requiring ties and newer self-tying  brackets, like SPEED and Damon brackets. These types of braces are often referred to as 'train-tracks'.
• Ceramic braces offer a less visible alternative. They blend in more with the natural color of the tooth and are arguably more visually appealing. Some ceramic brackets are not as strong as metal and may require longer treatment time. Some ceramic brackets are also slightly larger than metal ones and may be more difficult to adapt to.
• Gold-plated stainless steel braces are for people allergic to nickel (a component of steel), but may be chosen because they blend better with teeth, and some people simply prefer the look of gold over the traditional silver-colored braces.
• Lingual braces are fitted behind the teeth, and are not visible with casual interaction. Lingual braces can be more difficult to adjust to, since they can hinder tongue movement.
• A novel concept under development are braces using so-called smart brackets. The smart bracket concept consists of a bracket containing microchip capable of measuring the forces applied to the bracket/tooth interface. The goal of this successfully demonstrated concept is to significantly reduce the duration of orthodontic therapy and to set the applied forces in non-harmful, optimal ranges.