Stained clear ligs

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#1 Post by **QKate** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 3:37 pm

I am in my 1st month of treatment, no adjustments yet. I got saphirre brackets with clear ligs. they looked great at first, barely visable. Now, 3 weeks in the ligs look stained a greenish-yellowish-brown. I think it is the ligs not the brackets. I have my first dental cleaning w-braces in a week and my adjustment in a couple. I hope they'll change the ligs! Is this just something I have to live with each time if I want clear ligs? I do drink coffee and have a few other things that may stain, which I am not interested in giving up yet.
Any suggestions on keeping the ligs clean?1 Obviously I do good homecare daily, but it is still happening. Have other peoples' clear ligs stained?!

#2 Post by **lilblackdress** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 6:02 pm

Hi QKate

You may want to check out this thread. viewtopic.php?t=20746&highlight=tobacco

If it doesn't come up, do a search for "tobacco" in the Dental Do-dads forum. Someone recommended Topol Professional which is available in Wal Mart stores in the US. I'm not sure where you live or if this will be available for you.

I have traditional brackets, not ceramics, but from what I've read, ceramic brackets do not stain - only the ligs around the brackets. Also, some lig colors are more susceptible to staining than others. The next time you go for an adjustment, you may want to ask the ortho or the assistant if there are other discreet colors that won't show stains as much as the clear.

#3 Post by **platinum** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 10:59 am

I have found that grey ligs do not stain that easy. Clear, smoke and silver stain very fast.

#4 Post by **ilovemacs** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:29 am

They may let you change them, they may not.
The reason they may not let you is because when the ligatures are first placed they place more force on the archwire, after a while the ligatures dobn't place as much force on the archwire. This pressure or force creates pressure with the archwires, which moves teeth.
Thus the pressure must be maintained by not changing the ligatures because it would create more pressure before its needed.
Hope this makes sense.

#5 Post by **Drama Queen** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:04 pm

The best thing to do is to drink anything that may stain like coffee, tea, etc through a straw, that helps to keep the ligs stain free. I am never witout a straw these days!

#6 Post by **Lisa65** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 6:01 am

QKate, I seem to remember you mentioning being an occasional smoker in another post. Nicotine will stain clear ligs just as it stains your teeth. So will coffee, tea, tomato sauce, curry..........

Unless those people who want clear ligs are prepared to subsist on a diet of cauliflower, milk and rice pudding, they are going to stain

#7 Post by **KriegeR** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 7:03 am

I've found that curries and spicy foods tend to be one of the worst culprits for staining ligs. When I had my grey ligs on, just one curry could reduce the pleasant silver to a mucky looking metallic yellow. I don't smoke or drink coffee and tea, so the curry was the only possibility.

#8 Post by **KriegeR** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:38 am

I thought it would be something like that. It is definitely the pale, yellow curries like korma and tikka masala that do the worst damage. Some of the darker curries like bhuna, madrass, and vindaloo don't seem to have as much of an effect, despite being considerably hotter. Balti and tandoori dishes also seem to cause less staining but these contain little or no turmeric at all, so you're probably right.