Metal Mouth Message Board

I have given up both...

I have porcelain uppers, metal lowers, no elastics (yet?)

What is the deal with coffee and red wine, I am getting opposing views of these two...I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee RIGHT NOW, but do not want to ruin my 4 thousand dollar braces, or the teeth that hold them....

I am crazy meticulous about cleaning my teeth, so what is the verdict???

Theresa48 wrote:I have given up both...

I have porcelain uppers, metal lowers, no elastics (yet?)

What is the deal with coffee and red wine, I am getting opposing views of these two...I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee RIGHT NOW, but do not want to ruin my 4 thousand dollar braces, or the teeth that hold them....

I am crazy meticulous about cleaning my teeth, so what is the verdict???

Hi Theresa48!

These will stain your ligatures if you get light colors. Keep in mind, if your teeth stain from these things, they cannot be whitened until your braces come off. If that does not bother you, just be sure to stay away from the clear or white ligatures.

Beware of mustard to!

I have ceramics too. The brackets themselves do not stain. Just the ligs!

Best of luck to you!

I drink coffee daily, and there is no staining of the brackets--the all ligs will stain eventually--I keep my clear ligs on for 3-4 weeks with no difficulty.

I am still experimenting with red wine--I have 1-2 glasses right before I got to the OD--and so far no significant staining has occurred........

on another note--I am staying away from tumeric, curry, mustard--as these will stain really bad as soon as you eat them

good luck, and don't give up coffee

Coffee stains your teeth and logic tells me that when a bracket covers an area of your tooth that is not exposed to the staining coffee it will result in 2 shades (stained/unstained). I have been a coffee drinker for 20 years but gave it up the day I was braced. Its been difficult but I can't help but think of when I moved my refridgerator and that area of the floor was so different from the rest of the floor that had contant exposure to staining. I remember thinking that I wished my entire floor could look like that spot under the fridge that had no exposure. I do like to drink wine but fortunately for me I usually drink white wine. I think that if you don't want to give them up then you really need to be on top of your brushing and flosssing.

oooooh, thanks everybody...it looks like once again moderation is key!!!

I have been drinking green tea, but I guess tea can stain too, but not as much as coffee. I will have my soy latte tomorrow!!!! So excited!

I have embraced white wine...just in time for warm weather!

(oh, and the visual of moving the fridge really got me!!!!!)

I have clear brackets too and have given up curry, mustard and red wine. No big deal for me on those, but coffee....no way, so I drink it with a straw. Doing this keeps both the front teeth free from coffee stains and my ligs clean too. It is a bit weird at first drinking coffee with a straw, but honestly I'm totally used to it now. My dental hygienist has tried to convince me to continue using a straw even after my braces are removed.

I have given up red wine and other foods that might discolor my teeth but coffee, no way...I drink coffee (and all beverages for that matter) thru a straw. With coffee it helps w/ staining but with other drinks I figure the less sugar, etc. directly on my teeth the better. Also, I don't have to worry about banging my front teeth w/ a glass by accident. I think I might continue to drink beverages thru a straw even after my braces are removed. One more note, after I drink coffee, I rinse my mouth out well w/ water (3 times) and brush when I can. I should add, I'm writing this while I'm drinking my morning coffee.....

Hmm this worries me a little, I have Damon braces so no issue with ligs staining but I drink a coffee every morning and only drink red wine (I have been drinking this pretty much every week since I was braced)
I will find out next Wednesday how bad the staining is when my braces come off and post an update. My ortho didn't advise me to avoid these things at all but perhaps he thought it was obvious?

Well, I'm not a big red wine drinker so I don't know about that. I do however HAVE to have my cup of coffee in the morning. I drink it through a straw most time tho. I haven't noticed a ton of staining. I mean there is some but it's not just from coffee... anything you eat that's not clear will stain. Just go with the flow. I think I notice the stains more than anyone.
www.allbraced.blogspot.com

I also have clear on top and will be getting metal on bottom in a month. I have white Teflon wire ties rather than ligatures. I also have a tooth colored arch wire. I've have about everything you can imagine and have no staining of the arch wire nor the wire ties. This may be an option for you..