Dental braces (also known as metal braces ) are devices used in orthodontics that align and straighten teeth and help position them with regard to a person's bite, while also aiming to improve dental health. Braces also fix gaps. They are often used to correct underbites, as well as malocclusions, overbites, open bites, deep bites, cross bites, crooked teeth, and various other flaws of the teeth and jaw. Braces can be either cosmetic or structural. Dental braces are often used in conjunction with other orthodontic appliances to help widen the palate or jaws and to otherwise assist in shaping the teeth and jaws. Ceramic dental braces (also sometimes called white, esthetic or clear braces) are a form of conventional orthodontic appliance made up of brackets bonded to your individual teeth and an archwire that runs across them. Their fundamental difference simply lies in the fact that the bracket used is made out of a ceramic compound instead of metal, which means that they can be clear or tooth-colored (white) instead of shiny metal. This difference helps to make the patient's braces less obvious to others and generally more esthetic in nature.