A ceramic coated aesthetic orthodontic appliance is described as well as methods for making one. The appliance can be an archwire or a bracket. The ceramic coated aesthetic appliance can include an orthodontic archwire having a surface, an aesthetic coating covering at least a portion of the surface, and a ceramic coating layer covering at least a portion of the aesthetic coating. The aesthetic coating can be an aesthetic polymer coating and the ceramic coating layer can be deposited using a low temperature process such as ion beam assisted deposition. An ion beam surface cleaning step may also be added to enhance the adhesion of the ceramic coating layer.
