Do ceramic braces/ligatures stain?

[MummaFish48]

I've opted for ceramic braces on my top teeth in 3 weeks time and metal on the bottom.
I never even considered the fact they might stain!
Has anyone any experience for this?
I have read that I can't eat a whole tonne of coloured food (Curry/Tomato based sauces/berries etc)...
Curious to know what others have found.
I prefer the slightly less obvious look of ceramics but are they just more hassle??

[billy1995]

i have gone for 6 month smile, fast brace. they are ceramin, with clear ligatures and tooth coloured wires. they do stain, the 'donuts' /ligtures do, and you cannot prevent it, i smoke, eat what i want and drink too much coffee and if im honest the only staining i have is to the donuts on the back molars., the ceramic brackets and tooth coloured wires have stayed white.

[angelina]

I have self litigating with 6 ceramics at the top. I love red wine, tea, curry, and everything staining. They're still white! I've had them on for 6 months. Maybe drink/swish extra water if you're worried, especially after eating something potentially staining.

[jaime]

The brackets do not stain but the ligatures do.

[Len]

I have a friend who had ceramic braces and she told me their braces were fine until the last few months of the treatment, then they started to look stained and she said it's because she started eating things she knew she shouldn't like some currys and sauces and then yeah she took them off some months after so she didn't care much. But they do stain. Some ligatures also stain, but the thing you can do is grab a food you think might stain and only try and eat it the day before the appointment so that you can replace the ligatures as soon as possible if they do stain.
So yeah hope I was helpful.

[MummaFish48]

Thank you everyone....I guess I just need to be careful...Think I will still opt for ceramic on the top teeth and bare that in mind when opting for curry!!!

[jaime]

Thank you everyone....I guess I just need to be careful...Think I will still opt for ceramic on the top teeth and bare that in mind when opting for curry!!!

I have ceramic on my top front 6 teeth. I've eaten basically everything under the sun that would stain the ligs and brackets and it's really nothing to worry about. I drink copious amounts of black coffee and tea, dyed foods (like cake frosting), tomato sauce, cola, etc. Sure my ligatures are stained by the time I get them changed, but my teeth aren't pearly white so the ligatures don't stand out, even up close. In my humble opinion, it's not worth avoiding food for.

[ljms]

I have ceramic on my top front 6 teeth. I've eaten basically everything under the sun that would stain the ligs and brackets and it's really nothing to worry about. I drink copious amounts of black coffee and tea, dyed foods (like cake frosting), tomato sauce, cola, etc. Sure my ligatures are stained by the time I get them changed, but my teeth aren't pearly white so the ligatures don't stand out, even up close. In my humble opinion, it's not worth avoiding food for.

I agree completely! Having braces is inconvenient at best, painful at worst, and everything in between. Don't make things more difficult by denying yourself the foods you love.

During my two years in braces, I drank coffee, red wine, and hot chocolate. I ate tomatoes in some form practically every day. And, as far as I'm concerned, life without curry isn't worth living. Yes, my power chain stained. In fact, under the right light, it practically glowed, but at least I was happy.

Be happy. Eat what you want.

[jaime]

I have ceramic on my top front 6 teeth. I've eaten basically everything under the sun that would stain the ligs and brackets and it's really nothing to worry about. I drink copious amounts of black coffee and tea, dyed foods (like cake frosting), tomato sauce, cola, etc. Sure my ligatures are stained by the time I get them changed, but my teeth aren't pearly white so the ligatures don't stand out, even up close. In my humble opinion, it's not worth avoiding food for.

I agree completely! Having braces is inconvenient at best, painful at worst, and everything in between. Don't make things more difficult by denying yourself the foods you love.

During my two years in braces, I drank coffee, red wine, and hot chocolate. I ate tomatoes in some form practically every day. And, as far as I'm concerned, life without curry isn't worth living. Yes, my power chain stained. In fact, under the right light, it practically glowed, but at least I was happy.

Be happy. Eat what you want.

I'm glad someone else agrees...the general opinion around here is to be super self-conscious of stained ligs. It's hardly noticeable at all and they stain no matter what you eat. Eat, drink, and be merry! Also, glad to see another Canadian!

[diamond63]

I've had mine for two years and the brackets themselves haven't stained. They're still whiter than my teeth which are not particularly yellow or anything either.

Ligatures, powerchains etc all stain. For that reason I don't go with the clear ones despite them being initially less noticeable. They aren't going to turn bright red or anything scary like that from eating tomato sauce etc, just will get dingy/yellowish. For that reason I prefer the silver or dark gray ones. Silver you can still see a little staining but not terrible and only if you look closely. They just take on a slightly dull dingy tone. Dark gray you can't see any staining at all but are a little more noticeable. Silver is probably your best choice.

[dharg99]

As long as you brush them, they won't stain... they shouldn't stain anyways, but its best to brush 'em. mine haven't stained and coffee is my best friend.

[angelina]

I have to update. My brackets are still perfect but I've had a powerchain put on and it's already staining after 4 days haha. Oops! I'm still happy with my choice to go with ceramic either way but the clear powerchains definitely stain

[littlething]

I asked my orthodontist about this when deciding if I should go for metal vs. ceramic. He said that the brackets themselves don't stain - he said it is like your kitchen sink, it doesn't stain easily. He did say that curry and mustard stain. Of course, the ligatures do stain.

I'm a week into ceramics braces, and I've had coffee every single day, and have had a TON of tomato soup (and pasta with tomato sauce the last 2 days), and found that they haven't stained. I noticed a tiny bit of staining after drinking red wine, which I've also had almost every day (to deal with the discomfort HAHAH), but found that it comes off really easily if I brush immediately after I drink it. Afraid to eat curry though, except for right before an adjustment - have seen several photos on here and YIKES!

[JCloNY]

I have had ceramics on the top and bottom for a few weeks now. So far no staining but I have refrained from food that may stain and now drink my tea through a straw. Staining aside I'm more paranoid about breaking something or the type of food as food stuck in braces is not a good look.

[AdelaidePsycho]

I've had ceramic uppers and lowers for about 2 years now and can confirm the brackets themselves do not stain. The ligatures ('o' rings, bands, whatever you want to call them), on the other hand, certainly DO STAIN. Staining has been my biggest annoyance during my braces journey, and I wish I could turn back time and get self-ligating braces to avoid all the staining anxiety. Most foods will stain if you're not careful. And even if you are careful, they will still start to look yellowish around the 1-month mark. It's not that bad, but I makes me self conscious.

To help with staining, I drink all beverages (apart from water) with a straw. I keep straws everywhere so that I'm never stuck without one (e.g., in my handbag, the car, my office, at home). I never bite into food - always cut things up and eat bite-sized pieces at the back of your mouth. If you're eating a particularly stainy food (like curry), have water on hand to do some swishing between mouthfuls.

The worst culprits for staining are:
- Turmeric (i.e., the devil, and to be avoided at all costs)
- Chocolate
- Curry
- Mustard
- Red wine

I find that pearl coloured ligatures resist staining SLIGHTLY better than clear, but in all honesty, they'll end up stained no matter what after a month. It's the price we pay for ceramic brackets (but I would still always choose this over metal).