Transform Your Look with Langley's Coloured Braces Options
At Langley Orthodontics, we offer a range of coloured elastics that allow you to customize and personalize your braces at each adjustment appointment.
Once you've embraced the fact that you’re going to be living with braces for a while, have a little fun by adding colour!
Braces involve quite a few parts, including the metal brackets, archway, metal bands (o-rings for back teeth) and elastics or bands made of rubber that go around each bracket.
If you've chosen to go with an option like translucent cosmetic braces (and brackets) or Invisalign® to keep your orthodontic treatment as low profile as possible, you’re probably not looking to add colour.
However, if you’re getting traditional metal braces, your brackets and wires will be silver, which means they'll stand out a little more. So you might as well add your personal style!
FAQs About Coloured Braces
Here are some of the questions that our orthodontists are most often asked about coloured braces at our Langley office:
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What gives braces their colour?
The tiny elastics (or bands) that go around your brackets and hold the wire in place allow you to customize the colour of your braces! These elastics are changed during your adjustment appointments every 4 to 6 weeks, so you don’t have to settle for just one colour throughout your entire treatment. If you like, you can switch colours each visit!
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Can you have more than one colour?
Yes! While some patients like having all their elastics the same colour, others prefer mixing it up. The sky is the limit!
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How should you decide which colour to choose?
There are many different colours to choose from, and you may wonder which one to pick. As mentioned above, you may want to choose a colour that goes well with your skin tone or compliment the colour of clothing you usually wear.
Some patients also enjoy choosing colours based on the seasons or any upcoming holidays, like red and pink for Valentine's Day or orange for Halloween.
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How are the colours changed?
Once you've looked at the colour options and made your decision, it will be time for your elastics to be changed.
To do this, your orthodontist will use a small tool called a hemostat, which looks like a pair of small pliers, to pick up and grip the elastic. They will then pull the elastic over the four hooks on each of your brackets until they all have an elastic.
When it is time to change the elastics, your orthodontist will use the same tool to unhook each elastic before repeating the process.
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Are coloured braces more expensive?
There will be no impact on the cost of your treatment if you choose fun colours for the elastics on your braces. This means that you can change your aesthetic without any additional financial implications.
Choosing Braces Colours
The sky is the limit when it comes to choosing popular colours for your braces, so here are some tips to help you make up your mind:
- Gold, dark blue, turquoise, orange, green, violet or pink may look super if you have a darker skin tone
- Lighter blue, bronze, dark purples or blues and subdued tones of red or pink might complement a lighter skin tone
- Lighter colours can make your teeth look more yellow
- Darker colours may make your teeth appear whiter
- Choose colours that complement the colour of clothing you often wear
- Choose colours that match or complement your eyes
Braces Colours To Avoid
While some patients don't mind the following colour choices, here are some of the colours that are often avoided and why:
- White may make your teeth appear more yellowed and can stain more easily
- Black elastics may mimic rotting teeth or food in your teeth
- Green or brown elastics may be mistaken for food in your teeth