What Colors Do Braces Come In?

Deciding to fix your smile through braces is a major decision. An equally important decision is what color your braces are going to be. While braces can correct dental problems and give you an amazing smile, the wrong color choice can mar your entire experience. Colors like black and brown, for example, can make your teeth appear stained and discolored. This is why choosing a good – and even fun – braces color is crucial. But before you decide what you want, you should know your options. What colors do braces come in? How unlimited are your options? Let’s take a closer look.

What Causes the Coloring On Braces?
The coloring on braces does not come from the metal brackets themselves but from the elastomeric ligature ties. These are the elastic bands that are wrapped around the outside of the metal brackets. In clear aligners such as Invisalign, the brackets are not held by elastic bands, which is why they are invisible.

Popular Color Combinations for Braces
When it comes to color options, braces come in so many shades and hues they cannot all be listed. You can find braces in over 80 colors, including standard colors like purple, black, green, white, blue, red, yellow, and white, and more exotic choices like magenta, tooth-colored, and gold. You can even mix and match these colors to create your own patterns.
When you visit an orthodontist for braces fitting, they will usually give you a color wheel with the complete spectrum of color options for your braces. You can choose a color according:

Your eye and hair color
Your skin tone
Your favorite color
Your wardrobe. What do you wear mostly?
Events and holidays
Your favorite sports team

While matte is the typical choice for braces hue, you can also go beyond the norm and pick glittery gold, silver, and metallic colors that both accessorize your smile and make it pop.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Color of Your Braces
Braces need to be adjusted regularly, with the frequency depending on how fast your teeth shift. Most people need an adjustment every 6 to 8 weeks. Since this is the only time your orthodontist can change the color of your braces, it means that you have to live with any decision you make for close to two months. Here are some factors you should consider when picking the color of your braces:

1. Skin Tone
Your skin tone determines many of your fashion choices, including the colors you wear, your makeup, and what color you dye your hair, among other things. When it comes to braces, you can choose to either compliment your skin tone by matching it or contrasting it to make it pop. Here are some tips:
· Dark Skin Tone: Go for bold jewel tones like dark blue, magenta, green, turquoise, and gold. To make your skin pop, choose lighter colors like orange and violet.
· Olive Skin Tone: For this skin tone, wine and berry colors will bring out the gold undertones in your skin. You will also look great in purples.
· Medium Skin Tone: This skin tone is characterized by gold or yellow undertones. Warm hues of pinks, blues, and greens can make you glow.
· Fair Skin Tone: Opt for colors like dark purple, bronze, and cooler shades of reds, pinks, and light blues. Whites and creams may wash you out.

2. Teeth Color
Some braces colors make your teeth appear brighter, while others, like white, can bring out the yellow in them. If you want your teeth to look brighter and whiter, opt for the following colors:

Burgundy
Deep orange
Dark purple
Dark green

Richer or deeper hues contrast against your teeth, making them look whiter. Avoid bright colors, which can have the opposite effect.

3. Eye and Hair Color
Like your skin tone, you can choose to contrast or compliment your eye color with your braces. Some pointers to help you pick a braces color depending on the color of your eyes include:

Brown Eyes: Varying shades of green will make brown eyes pop.
Green Eyes: Purple, orange, and deep emeralds will make green eyes stand out.
Blue Eyes: You can match the shade of blue in your eyes or contrast it with light purple or hot pink.

Unlike eye color, you want to contrast your hair color with your braces – not match it. This will make your smile and face pop out more.

4. Season
If you are more playful in your fashion choices, you can choose your braces color depending on the season, event, or holiday. You can even mix and match different colors for a more festive look. While the palette you choose will come down to your preferences, popular options include:
· Summer: Neon or sand and ocean color combinations.
· Spring: Robin’s egg blue, petal pink, and mint green
· Autumn: School colors
· Hanukkah: Blue and gold
· Christmas: Red and green
· St. Patrick’s Day: Green and white
Some people get braces in the color of their favorite sports team or a special event like prom or Halloween. It is important, however, to consider the timing of your adjustments when picking such an elaborate color, so you don’t get stuck with football colors way past the end of the season.

Braces Colors to Avoid
Just because braces are available in a wide range of colors does not mean all of them will look good on you. Some brace colors make your teeth appear stained or as if they have food stuck in them. When picking your preferred shade, avoid the following:

Brown – It might look like your teeth are stained or have food stuck in them.
Black – May make your teeth appear rotten.
Yellow – Makes the yellow undertones in your teeth pop.
White or clear – This may make your teeth appear less bright or yellow in comparison.
Vibrant or light greens – May resemble food particles.

White and clear braces can also pick up the color from dark foods and beverages and get stained over time. This is especially true if you drink coffee, wine, or soft drinks and eat lots of spicy foods.

Conclusion
What colors do braces come in? The best answer to this question is “unlimited.” Braces are available in so many color options you can spend days going through all the hues and shades. When choosing the best color braces for you, consider important factors like your skin tone, eye and hair color, wardrobe, hobbies, job, personal style, and any upcoming events. Remember, you can always change the color of your braces during visits, either because you don’t like it or just to mix things up.