Braces colors: how to pick your bands

What the colors actually are

Each bracket is held to the archwire by a small elastic ring called a ligature. Those rings are what you see when someone has colored braces, and they are replaced at every adjustment visit as a matter of routine.

That means the color is never a permanent decision. If you pick something and decide you are done with it, the next visit is a clean slate.

Picking a color you will still like

A few things that reliably work: school or team colors, something seasonal, or two shades alternated around the arch. Deeper colors like navy, emerald and deep purple create contrast against enamel, which tends to flatter the smile.

Think about the six weeks ahead too. Class photos, a recital, a wedding, a game. It is worth choosing with the calendar in mind.

The ones that stain

Clear and white ligatures look sharp on day one and pick up color fast from coffee, tea, curry, tomato sauce and berries. If you want something light that holds up, a pale silver or pearl is the safer pick.

Very dark brown and deep green can read as food caught in the braces from across a room, and yellow or gold sits close to natural tooth shade. None of these will hurt anything, they just photograph differently than people expect.