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I just had got my braces on monday ( the 30th )
What to say.. I have read that ceramic braces do not stain, only the ligatures. I am a smoker and have been extremely worried about staining.
So what I figure is that the brackets wont stain? and just the bands around them.. I really need help with this If you can help with some info I would love that. <3
Yes, the ceramic or clear brackets themselves do not stain; only the ligs or ties stain. But, if you're really worried about your ligs staining, you could just choose dark colored ligs even for your ceramics. Since I'm not a smoker myself, I don't know the severity of staining so hopefully someone here can give you some info about that. In the meantime, just avoid clear, white (my Ortho-assistant told me white stains even worse than the clear used on ceramics), and maybe glow-in-the-dark from what I've read here.
I'm not a smoker, but I can tell you that the clear ligs my ortho used with my ceramic (3M Clarity) brackets stained within about 5 weeks after each adjustment. I think the worst offenders for me were mustard, tea and tomato sauce. I've heard curry is a big no-no too. My adjustments were usually every 8 weeks so I just lived with it for 2 - 3 weeks until my next adjustment.
I agree with kk, wire ties are great - no staining. But my ortho only used them for certain movements on a couple of teeth.
Top Ceramics: 10/11/04; Bottom Ceramics: 02/16/05 DEBANDED: 05/03/07
Cajun spices are a no-no too! I was so lame, I had an adjustment and got clear ligs on top and went to have spicy scrawfish, sausages, and shrimp. Boy am I kicking myself in the behind for that.
Upper and lower 1st premolars extracted
Uppers braced 4/6/07 & Lowers braced 4/20/07
ceramic brackets and rectangular arch wires
Est. term: 30-36 months
De-banded: 3/04/09 w/ LBR and U&L Essix
I still like the analogy that rsprouse gave a while ago (I'm pretty sure that he was the one who said it first) - if it would stain your white shirt, then it will stain your ligs.
That's a pretty simple rule to remember, and it covers a lot of the rules that people think about.
If you can help with some info I would love that. <3
thanks =] my orhto put on 'tooth' colored so it still blends in well and said it was less stainable than white