While some people only have braces for a few months, others end up having them for years. Either way, you want to choose a color that you’ll be happy with.
Some of the most common choices are red, pink, purple, blue, and green- or you can mix and match to create your own combination.
If you’re struggling with choosing the right color, keep these things in mind.
What Colors are Available?
In the early days of braces, there weren’t many color options.
However, today there are so many different ones. Looking at the color wheel, you’ll see that there are several different shades for every color under the rainbow.
From a deep maroon to candy apple red and from teal to royal blue, you have so many different options available.
How Often Can I Change Colors?
Your orthodontist will be tightening your wires at every visit. Therefore, you have the option to choose new colors every time.
Depending on how often you see your orthodontist, you could get new colors every 4 to 8 weeks.
This means you don’t get stuck with the color too long if you end up not liking it.
What is the Best Color for Braces?
This is a very common question that comes up when people get braces. There are lots of ways to decide what color is right for you.
Following are a few of the questions you might ask yourself:
- Should I choose my favorite color?
- Should I choose a color to match the theme of my wardrobe?
- Should I coordinate with a special event/holiday coming up?
Remember that, just like anything else you wear, your braces make a statement about you. Therefore, you want to carefully make your decision.
What Does Your Color Choice Say About You?
Some colors represent certain emotions and can say a lot about you as a person. It’s more than just your signature color, it’s the meaning behind the color.
Some of the common colors and their meanings are listed below:
- Red: often represents anger/passion- but can also represent power, courage, and strength
- Blue: often represents calmness, loyalty, and intelligence
- Green: often represents growth, harmony, and good fortune
- Orange: often represents enthusiasm and creativity
- Purple: often represents wealth, royalty, and mysticism
- Yellow: often represents cheer
- White: often represents purity, innocence, and hope
- Black: often represents elegance, strength, power, and mourning
Things to Think about When Choosing Your Colors
Since there are so many options, you might have a harder time choosing your colors than you might think.
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your colors, even if it might be a temporary color.
- Consider your diet. If you eat lots of berries and/or drink lots of coffee, they could stain your bands.
- Think about the shade of your teeth- a darker color will make teeth appear whiter (more on that later)
- Consider your complexion- if you don’t like the way a certain color looks on you in the clothes you wear, you probably won’t like it on your teeth either.
Color Ideas for Braces
If you’re trying to decide what color you want before your next appointment, here are a few tips to help you.
- Favorite color: obviously, you’ll want to choose a color that you like.
- Match your wardrobe: pick the most common color in your wardrobe and match that.
- Holidays/Special Events: many holidays have signature colors, and it can be fun to get into the holiday spirit by choosing those colors. Additionally, you might find it fun to coordinate your colors for a special event such as a wedding or graduation.
- Favorite sports team: choose colors that represent your favorite sports team to show your team spirit.
- Colors that complement eyes: if you have brown eyes, consider green bands. On the other hand, if you have green eyes, consider blue, lilac, or pink to complement them or purple, orange, red, and green to intensify them.
- Seasonal colors: choose pastels for spring, bright colors for summer, orange/red for fall, and blue/purple for winter
- Show support for a cause: choose appropriate colors for your cause of choice (pink for breast cancer, etc)
There’s no rule that says you can only choose one color. If you have a couple of colors you want, you do have that option.
Colors that Make Your Teeth Appear Whiter
If you want to make your teeth look whiter than they are, you’ll want to make sure to choose the right color for your bands.
The darker colors, such as navy blue, black, and dark purple will make your teeth appear whiter.
If you don’t like these colors, consider a light blue or red to make teeth appear brighter.
In some cases, it’s best to choose a neutral color, such as clear, gray, or silver.
While they won’t make your teeth appear whiter, they won’t draw any attention to discolorations on your teeth.
Of course, it’s best if you can avoid dark sodas, coffees, and teas to keep from staining your teeth and bands.
Colors to Avoid
Unfortunately, you’ll need to know that not every color will work for everyone. There are some colors that might look amazing on one person but end up looking terrible on someone else.
Following are some of the colors that don’t work well for everyone.
- While white braces seem like a good choice, they can end up turning off-white after eating/drinking certain things. Additionally, your teeth can look more yellow since your enamel is not likely to be as white as the bands.
- Dark colors will make teeth look whiter because of the contrast with your natural color. However, dark greens/browns can make it look like you’ve got food stuck in your teeth.
- Yellow/gold can accentuate the yellow of your teeth, making them look more yellow than they are.
- For those who have yellowing teeth, silver or clear is best. For those who have naturally white teeth, it’s best to choose black to make teeth appear whiter.
Conclusion
Typically, when you get braces, you’re going to have them for at least a few months. If you have a bad case, you may have them for years.
Therefore, it’s necessary that you be as happy as you can with them by choosing your band colors.
As you can see, there are lots of different options, and several different ways you can choose the right color for you.
