Metal Mouth Message Board

I am getting metal braces in 2 days, and I remember noticing that kids get them in different colors. Don't even know if that is an option for me, but if it is, what color should I get? I was thinking green for st. patty's day? or is that childish?

No it's not, do what makes you feel good and don't think any more of it.

It depends if you are getting self ligating brackets or not. It is the ligatures that come in colours so if you are getting damon brackets or similar you won't need ligatures.

The colors you speak of are due to the ligatures (little rubber O's that go around the bracket and attach the wire to the bracket.) And unless you have self-ligating brackets, you will have ligatures. Ligatures come in a wide variety of colors and the selection of colors will depend on what your ortho stocks. Ligs are changed out at every adjustment, so you have many opportunities to be creative. Check out the lig colors thread viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7057&hilit=Lig+colors for 77 pages of inspiration.
And no, I don't think green for St. Patty's Day is childish. More power to you for embracing your braces!

I think I knew someone with red brackets, but I suppose they could have been ligatures and I just didn't look close enough. At least with coloured ligatures you can have them changed every few months. My braces are self-ligating but I have tooth-coloured ligatures on a few brackets from where the "doors" have got stuck open; strangely, one has stained a sort of greenish colour (it's not in a visible position so it doesn't really matter) and the others have stayed tooth-coloured. Something to bare in mind!

On a similar note I was given a sparkly retainer box at the end of my first lot of orthodontic treatment, although I didn't choose it personally, I don't know why they thought I was "orthodontic patient Barbie" . Perhaps that's what all girls were given.

wow, I have no idea what I'm getting, because I'm so new! I didn't know the colors were due to tiny rubber bands that people call ligs. I don't know what damons are or self ligating and all the other terms you guys used, I didn't know it would be so complicated. Thanks for the posts, I will find out more tomorrow when I get my braces!!

I got green! Thanks for all of your encouragement!