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Just changed out my clear colored ligs (which, after 4 weeks, turned a lovely shade of amber...) for Pearl. I LOVE THEM!!!
From afar they have a nice pearlescent sheen to them; up close, they almost look like a very light blue. I think they make my teeth look whiter than they are (which... they AREN'T! haha)
Doc only had a sample in the office, and said he doesn't keep them in stock because nobody asks for them. I called and asked the receptionist to please let him know that I love them, and that I'd love for him to order some for me. I sure hope he can.
So I got my molds made today, spacers on the 29th and braces on Oct 6th. I would love some advice:
My bottom bracket will be non self ligating metal. Now I need to decide if I want clear Inspire Ice on the top (for $350 more a reasonable amount) or good old metal.
Since Ice brackets needs ligs and I'm not gonna give up my coffee in the morning, I can't decide if I should go for them. I'm basically wondering how "goofy" clear brackets look with colored ligs?
I'll be seeing the ortho every 6 wks and I haven't asked about new ligs between appointments.
I haven't found enough pics of people w/clear brakets that use ligs (except for Catgyrl whose blog has been a greatly inspiring.)
I do know that my ortho will be using the forsus spring which is a lot of metal, so I'm also wondering if I should also go for the clear to help counterbalance the look of forsus.
Can't wait for hot pink ligs on my lower brackets to begin with.
This is my 2nd post, I hope it's going to end up on the lig color discussion forum.
Thank you for reading my story. I'm very flattered when anyone stops in to read even a part of it. I've learned so much from the wonderful people here.
I have heard that colored ligs can actually look pretty cool on clear brackets because that kind of look like they're "glowing". As for the coffee issue, yes that will probably increase the chances of staining. I drink soda every day, so it's basically the same. I think if you're diligent about rinsing out and/or brushing after drinking or eating staining foods, you can stave it off for a while. Keep in mind that your ligs get changed out every month or so. I didn't notice the staining on my clear ligs until at least the third week...and that was only because I was bored and took a bunch of close up pics of my teeth and scrutinized them. Nobody else really noticed them.
When my teeth straighten out a bit more, I may try more colorful ones. I do think it's worth the extra money for the clear brackets. I've never regretted it for a second.
They look so COOL and fluorescent-looking!!! She said she got them because the clear and Pearl ones stained; she knows that it kind of defeats the purpose of having everything invisible, but she likes them because other than turning a bit lighter, they didn't stain. You can't even really tell they're green until she smiles REALLY big and gets close to the camera.
I finally got colored ligs! Well, I kept the top silver, and I got alternating dark and light blue on the bottom. I'm still trying to get the courage to get colors on the top. I'll have to post a pic sometime.
They look so COOL and fluorescent-looking!!! She said she got them because the clear and Pearl ones stained; she knows that it kind of defeats the purpose of having everything invisible, but she likes them because other than turning a bit lighter, they didn't stain. You can't even really tell they're green until she smiles REALLY big and gets close to the camera.
Tempting... try bright blue it will look the same but blue will make your teeth look whiter
-Cathy
lower metal brackets 12/3/2008, upper red,white and blue system12/29/08 , tx 12-16 months
You are so funny!!! You vote for ME to try it! I have 3 weeks off from work towards the end of December, so I may try it then... in case it looks too strange, I won't have to see too many people.
They looked so good on that girl in the video because her teeth were SO WHITE! Add that to her darker skin, and they just glowed. I'm pale as a ghost, and my teeth...uh... aren't white.
Trying to decide on my first color -- I want to have fun, but I know the wire's going to be awfully crooked at first and was wondering if it would be better to go with something that wouldn't draw as much attention at first. On the other hand, if I'm going to be hurting and such, I might as well enjoy what I can!
My favorite color is blue, so I was thinking about a teal or something. I'll guess I'll decide at the last minute -- any suggestions?
I've seen teal ligs, and they look gorgeous! I'm not a "blue" person, myself (I'm more of the lavendar, pink, purple variety), but I've seen the blue ones on others and they look great.
You have such a wonderful attitude! I wish I could just be more "out there" with my braces as far as the colored ligs goes. My wires aren't very crooked, but I do still have a huge extraction gap that they're trying to close, and I don't like to call attention to it.
Then again... I AM attending an Adam Lambert concert towards the end of October. I'm sure glowing ligs would fit right in there, wouldn't they?
I figure with my gorgeous gap (although it's much smaller nowadays, looks like a gap and not three missing teeth!), people have been staring at my wacky teeth for months anyway!
VancouverJude here and I am *still* undecided as to get metal or half ceramic on brace day, but frankly leaning towards metal.
Thanks for the link to the youtube video Cathy. I had seen it before (she's funny!) but I doubt very strongly I would wear colours if I had ceramic ligs. To me it defeats the purpose. I would LOVE to have such gleaming white teeth as the youtube gal.
NOTE: Take my comments w/a grain of salt, as with everything brackets I seem to change my mind with the wind.
It's not that I"m afraid of colour. It seems to me the coloured ligs can highlight -- in a good way -- the silver brackets, and I can't wait to get hot pink on my lower brackets. I would probably play it safe on top at the beginning.
Cat, how are your pearl ligs holding up in terms of staining or fading? How long have they been on?
Thumbs up for TanyaM's suggestion! Let's have Catgyrl be our resident tester <grin.>
My ortho's office tells me it's fine to come in for lig changes, but do I really want to trudge there every three weeks? Yes, probably.
VancouverJude wrote:
Cat, how are your pearl ligs holding up in terms of staining or fading? How long have they been on?
Thumbs up for TanyaM's suggestion! Let's have Catgyrl be our resident tester <grin.>
That is SO wrong - using me as the guinea pig! LOL! I'm the one who switched from metal to ceramic to be less conspicuous. I'm very shy and retiring, you know... Now I'm looking at colored ligs... My orthodontist is surely going to strangle me if I go in there asking for colors.
As for the pearl ligs: Two weeks in, and so far, so good. They're not quite AS pearlescent as they were in the beginning, but they sure look better than my clear ones did at this point. I'll take another pic when I get home and post it.
BracketRacket wrote:Trying to decide on my first color -- I want to have fun, but I know the wire's going to be awfully crooked at first and was wondering if it would be better to go with something that wouldn't draw as much attention at first. On the other hand, if I'm going to be hurting and such, I might as well enjoy what I can!
My favorite color is blue, so I was thinking about a teal or something. I'll guess I'll decide at the last minute -- any suggestions?
Hey BracketRacket,
Just read your story. Yowzer. Good for you.
You, my friend, sound like the perfect candidate for a metallic blue or green lig! I think most ortho's have them.
Send pix. I'm not a crazy voyeur (well...) just getting ideas.
Okay, here are the Pearl ligs after 2 weeks of daily soda drinks (used a straw about 50% of the time), and occasional ketchup on my fries:
Not too bad. I will admit I did up my brushing a bit. I used to go with just a rinse after lunch, but I've started brushing after lunch again. They're not quite as "pearly" as they were, but they're a lot better than the clear.
