Comparison to Conventional Brackets
- Self-ligating braces are smaller and more aesthetic.
- They do not require elastic ligature (bands or ties).
- Self-ligating brackets tend to stand off the teeth further toward the lips and cheeks.
- Some studies suggest that self-ligating brackets do not outperform conventional brackets in terms of discomfort relief or promoting oral health.
- There is no evidence for a significant influence of bracket design on the formation and adhesion of Streptococcus mutans colonies.

Periodontal Status
- There is no significant difference in the periodontal status of patients using self-ligating brackets compared to conventional brackets.
- Differences in periodontal status between the two types of brackets were non-significant in a systematic review and meta-analysis study.
- Self-ligating brackets do not offer an advantage over conventional brackets for patients with periodontal problems.

Treatment Time
- Self-ligating systems have the advantage of shortened chair time, according to a systematic review.
- Slightly less incisor proclination is observed with self-ligating systems compared to conventional systems.
- However, another study found that treatment time was longer when using self-ligating brackets compared to conventional brackets.

Friction
- Self-ligating brackets produce lower friction when coupled with small round archwires in ideally aligned arches.
- Round wires generally produce less friction than rectangular wires.
- Friction of both self-ligating and conventional brackets increases as the archwire size increases.
- Some studies suggest that self-ligating brackets have lower friction than conventional brackets at all angulations.
- However, sufficient evidence is lacking to claim that self-ligating brackets produce lower friction in the presence of tipping and/or torque and in arches with considerable malocclusion.

Active vs. Passive Brackets
- Self-ligating brackets can be either active or passive.
- Active self-ligating brackets exert pressure on the archwire, while passive brackets do not.
- Examples of active self-ligating brackets include In-ovation, SPEED, and Timelock.
- Examples of passive self-ligating brackets include Damon, eLock, and SmartClip.
- Active self-ligating brackets generally exhibit higher friction than passive self-ligating brackets and conventional brackets when tested with rectangular wires.