What color braces did you/your child choose?

[meliss8599]

There's four options now I guess: tooth colored, silver, clear, or white. My concern with the clear is that they seem to yellow over time. What color did you or your tween choose and why? Are you happy with the color? Are certain colors more expensive than others?

 

[PollyannaMom]

Most of the kids around here actually have bright colors.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

She has green. The actual braces part are metal which are silver.

 

[Magic Mom]

DD picks a different color every time she has them adjusted. This month she is sporting pink and green in honor of spring.

 

[meliss8599]

So the WIRES are what are silver, white, natural, or clear colored? The brackets? that go on the actual teeth can be other fun colors? DD had the impressions taken today and she's getting the wires put on in 6 weeks. Luckily I never had to have braces so, other than being expensive, I don't know much about them other than what was in the informational booklet. The information in the booklet was more about what to expect movement and pain wise and how to take care of the braces. DD was more interested and curious as to the more fun parts, like colors!

 

[Magic Mom]

OK, I have to correct my previous post. DD said her brackets are silver, and her bands are colored.

 

[eduk8r26]

The part glued to your teeth is generally silver. The bands can be different colors. This was told to me by my godson who has had braces.

 

[golfgal]

Our kids had silver brackets too. They also picked different colored bands each time-red and green at Christmas, etc. DD's retainer has a zebra print, both boys have a royal blue retainer.

 

[SaraJayne]

Silver hardware, with different colored bands.

 

[Poohforyou]

My DD plans on getting blue ones. Our ortho has a ton of color options for the kids and most kids I've seen around here have some kind of colored ones.

As for the choices you do list, I agree about the clear ones. I had them and they looked horrible towards the end. Of the choices you listed I'd go with silver.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

DD gets hers changed every time she goes in - currently, they are pink and turquoise

 

[Mom of 3 Princesses]

My children always changed them when they went in for a "tightening" Right now DD 12 just got Pink and Red. DD 15 got hers off a few months ago.

 

[goofy!]

Ds's are plain old boring silver. I paid for upgraded brackets that have levers on them to hold the wires in place. No colored bands required. Supposedly, the brackets hold the wires better than the bands which loosen, thus shortening the time needed in braces. Or, I fell for a marketing ploy and got ripped off

Anyway, the only thing that ever gets changed/adjusted are the wires.

 

[turkeymama]

DD has plain silver brackets and wires. She gets different color bands every time she goes in, but the orthodontist told us the bands are just for fun. In DD's case, they serve no functional purpose.

 

[Lehuaann]

Clear...back in the 80's when they first came out. They were such high maintenance to keep the bands from turning yellow, never again. As I'm approaching 40, I've noticed that my teeth have not only started shifting, but hurting. I've also talked to others my age who have gotten braces put back on for this same reasoning. Strange. Anyways, I'm planning to get braces AGAIN in the near future...this time silver.

 

[golfgal]

DD has plain silver brackets and wires. She gets different color bands every time she goes in, but the orthodontist told us the bands are just for fun. In DD's case, they serve no functional purpose.

The bands hold the wire in place.

 

[Princess_Meghan <3]

I had silver brackets, and I changed the color of the bands everytime I went in. The only recommendations I had were to not get white bands- they make your teeth look yellow.

I actually loved my braces, and they really weren't painful at all. My sister, on the other hand, always said her teeth hurt after a tightening. It was odd, because she's the one with the higher pain tolerance!

 

[minkydog]

DD had different colors every time her braces were tightened. I think the worst color combo was her Halloween orange & black--lookd like she had seaweed stuck in her teeth.

 

[dislaney]

My one dd had clear. She had no issues with yellowing, but I have seen some kids that have yellowed.

 

[goofy!]

The bands hold the wire in place.

Self ligating brackets, also known as speed brackets, do not use bands. My son has these.

Self Ligating Braces

Self Ligating Braces are braces with brackets that do not need ligatures (the small bands that hold the wire in place). You may also hear them referred to as "speed braces". Rather than using ligatures or metal ties, the brackets themselves have a sort of trap door that holds the arch wire in place. According to manufacturers this creates less friction between the wire and the bracket.

Self-ligating brackets have many benefits. A common claim made by the manufacturers of these types of brackets is that they require less frequent office visits. They are also said to be easier to clean and somewhat more comfortable, as there is less resistance between the brackets and the arch wire.