The fun part about braces is that you get to personalise them by selecting your colours.
Colours come in the form of the bands placed around the brackets of your braces. Braces consist of wires, brackets and bands. The brackets are the square silver pieces glued to your teeth and the bands are fitted around the bracket to keep the wires in place.
While kids may simply choose their favourite colours, for teenagers or adults wearing braces, the idea of neon pink may not seem so fitting. There are certain guidelines you can follow to ensure that your colour selection for your braces looks best.
What NOT to choose
Certain colours can be less than flattering when it comes to braces. Though you may think that neutral is the best option, sometimes these colours may work against you.
Black: Black coloured bands can mimic the appearance of tooth decay – not such a good look, to say the least.
Yellow: Yellow will enhance discolouration on your teeth and unless you have perfectly white teeth, yellow will only make your teeth appear more discoloured than they actually are.
White: Like yellow, white will enhance discolouration on your teeth. A brilliant white object on an off-white tooth will only make your tooth appear darker.
Brown: Brown can often appear as food particles stuck in your teeth, leaving this to be a less than desirable option.
Clear: You may think, “I’ll avoid any colour mishaps by simply opting for clear!” But the bad news is that this is not the solution to a colour dilemma. Unfortunately, clear bands can highlight food particles in your teeth and become discoloured over time.
Suitable options
Colours based on your features can look great and really work to compliment you.
You can choose a colour that matches your eye colour. If you have blue eyes, blue braces can really enhance the appearance of your eyes when you smile!
You can also choose a colour based on your hair or skin tone.
Darker skin and hair tones look good with jewel colours like turquoise, emerald, violet, navy, orange, or pink. Neon colours and pastels can both provide great contrast.
Lighter skin and hair tones look best with either bright colours or darker colours. Choose pink, light blue, navy, violet, dark red, bronze, or deep green.
For the style conscious, your wardrobe may dictate the colour choice of your braces.
You can choose your braces based on:
- The colours you wear most and in which you feel most confident.
- Your favourite pair of shoes.
- Your favourite accessories such as a pair of earrings or a hair accessory.
- If you enjoy wearing makeup, you can match your braces to your favourite colour of eyeshadow.
You can really get creative with it. You can even go for various colour combinations such as those of a favourite sports team. Remember, you can always change your colours at your next appointment so you can most certainly experiment with what works best for you. No matter what colour you select for your braces, keeping them clean will ensure that your colour selection looks its best. So make sure then you are brushing and flossing the way your orthodontist has instructed.
