There are two different types of white/clear braces. There are white ceramic braces which are a little bit like train track braces that are traditionally applied to the front of the teeth for the duration of the orthodontic treatment. There are also clear removable braces which are removable and are a little bit like the retainer that is worn at the end of your braces to keep the teeth in place.
Due to the fact that clear removable braces can be taken out to eat and drink, these certainly don’t turn yellow. If they become dirty for any reason they can be rinsed/washed quite easily.
The white braces that are attached to the front of your teeth are made up of ceramic or porcelain base and then we use white wires and clear elastics to attach the brace to the teeth and this is how the teeth move. Clear removable braces can be removed to clean your teeth as there are no parts that are glued on to the front of the teeth.
The white ceramic braces themselves do not stain but the elastics that hold the wire to the teeth could potentially stain if a very rich and colourful diet is followed. This can be easily avoided by not consuming high levels of food/drink that are rich in colours and flavours such as turmeric or red wine. These can certainly stain the clear elastics to a yellow or orange colour. The elastics do pick up stain of really bright colours such as red wine or certain rich spices.
These elastics however are normally changed by your dentist or your orthodontist at your brace adjustment appointments every 4-8 weeks depending on your treatment plan. We always advise our patients to avoid certain bright and rich colours in their diet, but because we always change the elastics at the brace adjustment appointments, the best time to have anything brightly coloured would be the day before this appointment so that if they were to change the elastic colour they can be easily changed the next day back to a clear or white elastic.
With regards to braces and oral hygiene it’s always important to brush your teeth and gums three times a day using an electric or manual toothbrush to maintain a high level or oral hygiene. Simple things such as rinsing your mouth with water or brushing your teeth straight after eating can help remove any potential staining. It is important to be aware of certain foods that can occasionally catch you out with their subtle rich colours. Some soups are brightly coloured, apart from the obvious such as tomato, butternut squash soup has also been known to change elastic colours! But as previously mentioned the elastics can be easily made back clear again by visiting your dentist or orthodontist.
Another option which we make available to patients is to have off-white or smoky grey coloured elastics instead of clear/white. The wires and ceramic braces would still be white. We have found that our patients can eat and drink what they want without the worry of these elastics changing colour because they are already ever so slightly darker in colour. Believe it or not this doesn’t tend to affect the appearance greatly and still allows your white braces to remain discreet.
At Birchgrove Dental Practice in Cardiff we provide a complimentary consultation where the dentist will discuss all options available to the patient and will assess what would best suit the need of each patient. Patient satisfaction is our up most priority at the practice and we pride ourselves on a comfortable friendly environment. Please contact us on 02920693858 or at info@birchgrovedental.co.uk if you would like to book in.
