**1. Introduction**

It is interesting to note that ceramic braces entered orthodontics via an indirect route. Translucent polycrystalline alumina (TPA) was developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and Ceradyne, a leader in advanced ceramics for aerospace, defense, electronics, and industrial use. In 1986, a dental equipment and supply company contacted Ceradyne for an esthetic material to be used in orthodontics. Ceradyne recommended TPA. Shortly, after this contact, namely in 1987, ceramic brackets were introduced. In the same year, i.e., 1987, the production of ceramic brackets reached 300,000 pieces a month [1]. To clarify, 300,000 pieces would translate into 15,000 nonextraction patients per month! Ceramic brackets have progressed substantially since their first introduction over 30 years ago. This article aims to present an upto-date review of the physical and clinical characteristics, i.e., properties, of ceramic brackets.

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
