If you are going to be sporting dental braces, you should know there are many ways to make your look unique! You probably did not think wearing braces was going to be a chance to show off your individuality, but there are many ways to personalize your braces.
Personalizing your braces will make you feel more confident in your smile - you won’t be able to stop showing it off. There are a few different ways to make your braces unique:
You can change the color of your ligatures. Ligatures are the small elastic bands that go around the brackets and keep the archwire and bracket attached. These elastic ties come in every color of the rainbow - be sure to ask your orthodontic specialist to see all the possible colors. You can mix and match colors for a fun rainbow look or you can pick a special color scheme or pattern. For example, if your elastic bands are changed in the summer, you could pick red, white, and blue and show American spirit for the Fourth of July. Changing the colors of your elastic bands is a great way to show school or team spirit too. These elastics are changed at each appointment (which usually happens every 6-10 weeks) so feel free to experiment with color combinations or plan to match the season or holidays. Most orthodontic specialists also carry clear or white bands if you want a more subtle look. It is important to note that your treatment time will not be affected by the color of your elastic bands so do not hesitate to get creative!
You can choose a fun shape for you brackets. Braces do not just come with plain square brackets anymore - you can pick different shapes based on what your orthodontist has available. Some possibilities are: stars, hearts, footballs, diamonds, or flowers. Specialty brackets, as these shaped brackets are called, work in the exact same way as regular brackets, so your time in braces will not be extended if you choose this option. You can even combine specialty brackets with colored elastic bands and really have a unique look. Imagine wearing footballs with the colors of your favorite football team! It is also possible to mix and match shapes - you could alternate diamond shaped brackets and star shaped brackets for a look that sparkles. It is important to remember that specialty brackets will often cost more than regular brackets so make sure you discuss this with your orthodontic specialist before making any decisions. A smart way to wear these specialty brackets without adding a lot to your bill is to only specialize the brackets on your upper 6 front teeth. These are the only teeth that are easily visible to other people.
You can wear gold braces. You can wear a full mouth of gold or choose to have only gold brackets or gold wires. Gold braces are not truly made of solid gold – gold is too soft of a metal to be used for orthodontic work. But the gold plating used to make braces look gold is enough to make your mouth shine. This unique option does cost more than traditional braces, but there is no difference in treatment time or effectiveness between gold braces and regular braces.
Choosing one, or a combination, of these options is a great way to feel proud of your smile while wearing dental braces. Wearing braces can be fun if you look at it as an opportunity to exhibit your style to the world.
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