Choose What Color Braces Should You Get

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Many of us know that braces aren't the most fun things to have in your mouth. But, there is a way for your braces to look stylish...with colors! You can add colors to your braces if they are made of steel brackets. You can place bands in a variety colors on the brackets, customizing them based on your skin tone, your eye color, or your sense of style.

Steps

Selecting Colors Based on Your Skin Tone and Eye Color

  1. Go for jewel tones if you have a darker skin tone. If you have a darker skin tone, you may go for colors like gold, dark blue, turquoise, orange, green, violet, or pink. These colors will play off of your darker skin tone and highlight your teeth.[1]
    • Keep in mind darker colors can make your teeth appear whiter while lighter colors can make your teeth appear more yellow.
    • You may want to try to combine two colors, alternating between gold and dark blue or turquoise and pink. This can give your braces colors some personality and keep them looking fun and interesting.
  2. Select lighter tones if you have a light skin tone. If you have a lighter skin tone, you may go for light colors like light blue or light pink. You can also try darker tones to help your teeth stand out against your light skin tone, such as bronze, dark purple, dark blue, or red.[2]
    • Feel free to alternate between two different colors or do one color on your top braces and another color on your bottom braces. This will keep your braces looking fun and unique to your skin tone and your personality.
  3. Choose a color that matches your eye color. You can also select a braces color that matches your eye color. For example, if you have green eyes you may choose a similar shade of green or if you have blue eyes you may select a similar shade of blue.[3]
    • Keep in mind that colors like brown or black can look too dark on your teeth. If you have brown or black eyes you may want to select a color that complements, rather than matches, your eye color. For example, if you have brown eyes, you may choose a color like purple or blue to complement your eyes. If you have black eyes, you may choose a color like gold or pink to complement your eyes.
  4. Go for a bright color to brighten up your features. If you are looking for a way to bring more attention to your face and your features, you may opt for a brighter shade for your braces. Bright pink, bright blue, bright purple, or bright green are all fun options if you are trying to make your braces stand out.

Choosing Colors Based on Your Sense of Style

  1. Look at your wardrobe and note which colors you wear most often. Depending on your dental needs, you may be wearing your braces for years to come. Why not try to match your braces colors to the colors you wear most often in your wardrobe? Perhaps you love wearing darker colored clothing and go for braces in a darker color like purple or blue to complement your clothing. Or maybe you love pastel colored clothing and wear it often. You may then choose braces colors that complement your pastel colored wardrobe.[4]
    • You may also find that you wear clothing in a certain color because it is your favorite color. You may then select a braces color that is your favorite color to show your love for your color. For example, maybe your favorite color is forest green and you have lots of tops in this color. You may then go for colored bands for your braces in forest green.
  2. Use a color wheel to select colors that complement your overall look. The color wheel is a round list of colors and their complementary colors. You can find an image of the color wheel online.[5] Use the color wheel to find braces colors that complement your overall look. If you tend to wear clothing and accessories in primary colors and your hair color is a primary color, you may choose bands in complementary colors to complement your look.[6]
    • For example, maybe you tend to wear clothing in orange. You may then go for braces in a complementary color like blue or turquoise. If you have blonde hair, you may go for braces in a complementary color to yellow, such as purple or royal blue.[7]
  3. Go for colors that match your favorite holiday or sports team. Go for orange and black colors for Halloween or glow-in-the-dark bands for a spooky, fun look. You can also choose red and green for Christmas or pastel colors for Easter.[8]
    • You can also show off your allegiance to a sports team by choosing the team colors for your bands.
    • Another option is to choose colors that represent the colors of the flag of your homeland, such as red, white, and blue for the United States or white and red for Canada.
  4. Use an online color selector. If you need to visualize your color choices before you commit to them, you can use an online color selector.[9] The selector will show you what certain color combinations look like against white teeth so you can get a better sense of what they may look like on your braces.
    • Another option is to look at photographs of individuals wearing different colored braces. Search for someone who has a similar skin tone or style as you and note their color choices. You could reason that if a certain color looks good on this person, it may look good on you.[10]

Avoiding Certain Colors

  1. Avoid black as it may make your teeth appear dirty or stained. Though you may wear a lot of black clothing and dark tones, putting black elastics on your white teeth may make your teeth look dirty or stained. Black can also appear very harsh against the white of your teeth.[11]
  2. Do not get white elastics if you drink a lot of coffee or tea. If you are a big coffee and tea drinker, you may not want to opt for white elastics as they can stain easily and make your teeth appear more yellow.[12]
    • You should also avoid yellow bands if your teeth are already slightly yellowed as the elastics can make your teeth appear even more yellow.
  3. Swap out colors you do not like after a trial run of one to three weeks. Choosing colored bands for your braces can end up involving some trial and error. If you are unhappy with your color selection, visit your orthodontist and swap them for other colors until you are satisfied with them.
    • You may also want to ask your orthodontist for color recommendations as she can look at your natural enamel color and suggest certain colors or color combinations to complement your smile.[13]

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