From wikipedia:

Dental braces (also known as orthodontic braces, or simply braces) are devices used in the orthodontic industry that help align and straighten teeth and help to position them with regard to a person’s bite, while also working to improve dental health. They are often used to correct under bites, as well as malocclusions, overbites, cross bites, open bites, deep bites, crooked teeth, and various other flaws of the teeth and jaw. Braces can be either cosmetic or structural. Dental braces or orthodontic 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. While they are mainly used on children and teenagers, adults are also big contributors to this type of market including people seen on television, such as actors, Tom Cruise, Katherine Heigl, R&B singer Fantasia, and pop singer Gwen Stefani.

Different Types of Braces

1. 1. Traditional Braces come in metal or ceramic (tooth colored).  These brackets are bonded directly to the tooth.  They are attached to a wire via a colored elastik tie.  The elastik ties come in a variety of colors including clear and glow in the dark.  They are often referred to as metal braces and clear braces.
   

2. 2.Self ligating or Speed Braces are braces that have attached to the wire via a built in closure clip.  They also come in metal or clear.  The reason they are called self ligating or speed braces is because they attach to the wire without an elastic tie (thus the name self ligating) and they  allow the teeth to move along the wire with less friction (thus the name speed braces).   Now different companies have different names for their verison of the self ligating or speed bracket.  The company Ormco calls their bracket the Damon.  A bracket is a single unit and collectively on the teeth they are called braces. Another company 3M Unitek (yes it is a subsidiary of 3M that makes your post-it notes and tape) calls their bracket Smart Clip
   

3. 3.Lingual Braces - these are braces that go on the inside.  Obviously they are less visible because there is nothing on the outside surfaces of your teeth.  The picture blow is 3M’s version called Incognito
   

How do Traditional braces or Self Ligating / Speed Braces?

The thought is speed braces (the same thing as self ligating) are claimed to be faster because there is less friction.   If you use an elastic tie to attach the bracket to the wire the elastic loses its strength because the rubbery material gets stretched out and it gets caught onto the wire.  The self ligating bracket reduces the friction because it is metal and allows the tooth to slide along the wire better when a thin wire is used.

The way teeth straighten is the wire moves the teeth to the desired position.  Most orthodontist use Niti wires that have memory which means it wants to go back to its original shape.  Now if we start with a wire that has a perfect arched shape and then we tie attach it to crooked teeth via a bracket; the wire will go back to it’s original shape and moving whatever is attached to it. 

What is Better Traditional braces or Self Ligating / Speed Braces?

I believe speed braces are faster at the beginning of treatment when thin wires are used.  Eventually you have to progress to thicker wires in treatment.  Usually we finish with a stainless steel wire and not rely a niti memory wire to move the teeth.  This is when your orthodontist actually bends the wire to move the tooth the the desired final position.  We call this detailing or finishing.  This is when I fine tune the bite and smile and literally examine if a tooth needs to be angles a degree or moved 0.5mm ( that is the thickness of the finest lead in a mechanical lead pencil)  Speed braces are not so good in the latter part of treament because those metal clips can break, distort, or get plaque build up.  With a distorted clip and a thicker wire the self ligating bracket doesn’t move as well.  This is where the traditional bracket ends up being better.  I believe the treatment time is the same with both brackets.   This is why I use both brackets in my practice.  I believe the self ligating is better if you want to see leveling of your teeth and somewhat straight teeth faster.  Then if you want to get your teeth better and see a more idea result the traditional bracket is better.

What to Choose?

In my opinion I believe you are going to the orthodontist for a result.  Tell your orthodontist how close to perfection you want your teeth and tell them if there is anything in your profile or face you like corrected (for example gummy smile, lips too thin, wrinkle between the lower lip and chin).  The orthodontist will tell you what is possible and how long it takes to correct your teeth and face to your desired result.  There is no magical speed treatment.  We all know how to try to accelerate the process but simply put your teeth move through the bone and that is the process that we cannot control how fast it works.  We de not pull teeth out of the bone and place them in the desired position.  We are more than happy to go over the pros and cons of every treatment mode out there.  Let the orthodontist guide you to what type of treatment will work best for you.