You Don’t Have to Be a Genius to Choose Braces Colors

If you have been asked by your dentist to go in for braces, you have the option of choosing between plain old traditional braces or the exciting modern braces with different braces colors. Today you will find a stunning range of orthodontic braces available on the market. Especially kids love choosing from the attractive braces colors in keeping with the color of their school or their favorite sports team.

Some adults prefer wearing the clear braces that are discreet. Here are a few tips on choosing the right braces colors that match your personality.

Braces Colors for Adults

Consider going in for different braces colors instead of the traditional ones. For kids and teens, there are different braces colors available. You can choose from a range of exciting colors including colors of the school you attend or of your favorite sports team. You can use braces colors to express your personality, point of view and your sense of style.

Of course, it is essential to first find out what braces colors are available. Each brand has its own color options. We have gathered the available colors for popular brands in the braces color wheel section below. 

You can compare different braces colors using the color selector. If you are adventurous enough, you can mix colors and try different color combinations instead of sticking to one color. A lot of kids today choose rainbow colors to brighten up their teeth.

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to naming certain parts of braces. There are two main types of elastics involved in teeth straightening process. 

The first one are rubber bands which you might be asked to wear in some state of the teeth straightening process. You will attach those to the hooks on your braces and those will then apply specific forces that help straighten your teeth. 

The second one are elastic ligatures that are sometimes also called elastic ties. Elastic ligatures are responsible for keeping the wires attached to the brackets. Those ligatures are the ones that people usually refer to when talking about braces colors. 

When choosing the color of your elastic ties, you may be concerned with the durability of that specific color.  Some colors are easier to stain than others. However, the color itself is not the only factor that affects its stability.

A study conducted on 5 brands of elastics concluded that elastics of different brands react differently to staining. It also showed that elastic ligatures made by 3M Unitek and American Orthodontics were harder to stain than the other 3 brands.

Although elastic ligatures are the most common way to influence the color of your braces some might want to go even farther. The wires and brackets usually come in silver metallic color however they don't have to.

If you are really into it, you can decide to have your wires and brackets in a golden color. You will then be wearing the same metallic parts as before just with a gold color coating on them. If you are interested, discuss this option with your orthodontist.

Different brands have different golden tints. Some might have a deep yellow tint while other might be very bright. Make sure you know what exact tint you are getting before actually getting it. Unlike the elastics, those can not be changed every visit so make sure you are really up to it.

The Pros and Cons of Wearing Golden Braces:

Choosing the right color for your braces can be really fun but can sometimes be challenging as well. You can decide to go with one color you like or select a mix of colors that will match a certain theme. Here are few examples:

A research that examined braces color preferences among kids, teenagers and adults concluded that girls are more likely to chose red and purple tints for their braces. Boys, on the other hand, are more fond of blues and blacks.  

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Braces Colors Not to Get

When choosing the right color for your braces, there is really no color that you should avoid at all cost. Each color has its own limitations and its own benefits. Just make sure you are aware of them before making your decision. 

White, Clear and Very Light Colors

Although light-colored rubber bands might be an obvious choice those might be difficult to maintain clean.

Light colored ligatures show up defects, stains and food colors. Strict oral hygiene and avoiding staining foods are required to keep them unstained. White elastics on teeth that are not perfectly white may highlight them, making the teeth look more yellowish.

Unless you are wearing ceramic braces and want them to be discrete, it is advisable to choose darker colors for your braces.  Darker colors like red or green look attractive and do not highlight the negative aspects. 

Yellow

Yellow brackets might enhance the yellowish tint of your teeth and make them look more yellow than they actually are. Since this is probably not the effect you are looking for try to avoid putting an excessive amount of yellow ligatures around your brackets.

Black

Although dark colors are advisable black is an exception. Black rubber bands around your brackets might make your teeth look rotten. 

Dark Green or Brown

If you chose to get dark green elastics for your braces you might be at risk of looking like food was stuck in your braces. Brown braces color might sometimes make teeth look less clean. 

What Color Braces Make Teeth Look Whiter

To make teeth look whiter prefer ligatures with darker and contrasting colors.  Blue, Purple and Green are great color examples that will enhance the whiteness of your teeth. 

Colors of your braces, just like colors of your clothes may compliment your eyes, hair and  skin tone.

Besides being a stylish factor color can also influence our emotions. Different cultures assign their own meanings to different colors. Here are some of the popular  color associations:

Having colorful bands on brackets is not the only trend associated with braces. Wildsmiles offer a new way  for kids who wear braces to express themselves by adding fun shapes to their brackets.  

Not all types of braces can have color incorporated in them. It is important you understand the aesthetic benefits and downsides of each braces system before committing to them. Here is a short summary of the color options available for each type of braces.

Traditional Metal Braces

The brackets and wires of metal braces usually come in their traditional silver looking color. But the color of the elastic ligatures that are placed over each bracket can be customized.

Ceramic Braces

One of the reasons for wearing ceramic braces instead of the traditional metal ones is them being much less noticeable. In most cases, both the brackets and the elastics on ceramic braces come in transparent or tooth colored colors.

Like with metal braces, one can choose to wear colorful elastic ties on the tooth colored brackets. But in that case, those braces will no longer be discrete. 

Invisalign

Invisalign is transparent aligners that are worn on top of your teeth and can be removed. No discrete are involved in the process. Those braces are created to be discrete and do not have color options.

Damon Braces

Damon Braces come in metal or ceramic colors. This is a self-ligating braces system which does not involve elastics. Since elastics are not part of this braces system you can not customize their colors.