Colorful Braces Make More Than A Fashion Statement

For orthodontic patients who choose to make fashion statements with their mouths, colors are really heating up. From soft pastels that coordinate with a wardrobe to bright hues for celebrating holidays or expressing school spirit, the colors appear mainly on the elastic ties that bind the wires to the brackets. These ties can be changed when the wires are changed.

COLORFUL BRACES MAY CONTRIBUTE TO TREATMENT SUCCESS

While colors for braces are fun, the fun serves a serious purpose. Enthusiastic patients are more cooperative. And better cooperation can yield results that meet everyone’s expectations.

When patients decide to become involved in their treatment, they usually take better care of their braces. The bottom line is, when patients follow our instructions, they can end up with better results.

Patients have a splashy array of hues from which to choose for much of their orthodontic hardware. Even the replaceable rubber bands that many patients put in and take out daily come in about as many colors as you’d see at a fabric store. Patients won’t take the time to choose special colors unless they intend to use them.

Colors have gone over big with countless braces-wearers.

BRACES ADD SPLASH OF COLOR TO ALL OCCASIONS

St. Patrick’s Day is only one of the many holidays that orthodontic patients can brace themselves for. They can celebrate every time they smile, year-round: Orange and black for Halloween. Red and white for Valentine’s Day, and on July 4, just add blue. Green and red for Christmas, or blue and white for Chanukah, or black, red, and green for Kwanzaa.

Many adults also choose different colors whenever they need to have their braces adjusted. For a sports fanatic, it’s a unique way to express loyalty to college or pro teams. Arch wires are also available in many striking colors from metallic red and green to gold.

RETAINERS CAN BE FUN, TOO

Once the braces are off, retainers are another means of personal expression. They aren’t all roof-of-the-mouth pink nowadays. Some glow in the dark, and some are personalized with a photo of Fido or Cindy Crawford, or even the logo of a favorite sports team. Choices are limited only by the imagination. Young male patients, of whom many are into anything gross, may choose spiders, snakes or other creepy crawlers for their retainers.

The AAO notes that more people than ever are bracing themselves. Colorful retainers and other orthodontic trappings, of course, are only part of the reason for this trend. Patients are finding that today’s high-tech materials are more comfortable. The sophisticated engineering of the tooth-moving wires developed through NASA and activated by body heat has increased their tensile strength and flexibility, which makes orthodontic treatment more comfortable. (Some patients want braces that are nearly invisible so they choose clear brackets through which their teeth can be seen, or lingual braces, which are applied to the backs of the teeth to move them from behind the scenes.)

Information, courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontists