Clear ligatures - staining

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#1 Post by **totalwise** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:15 am

Can someone tell me what are the actual ingredients that cause staining with clear ligatures.

I know curry turns the ligatures into a very horrible yellow colour. But there must be a specific ingredient which causes the colour change. Knowing this will allow me to enjoy my curry and not worry about looking like I have complete disregard for personal hygiene.

I'm going to Tunisia on holiday shortly and I'd really like to be able to have all the dishes over there, and I can imagine that a lot of the food will have spices and colourants, which may stain the ligs.

Thank you

#2 Post by **Chr1ssy711** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:31 am

im not sure of an exact ingridents, but here is a list that has stained mine in the past:

-pasta sauce (tomato)
-coffe/dark tea
-dark sodas (espcially red and purple)

and i dont like curry but like you said it stains also

#3 Post by **snazzynazzy** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:26 pm

Turmeric (or tumeric) is the main staining ingredient in curries, but there are others. Indian curry powder has haldi in it ... similar to turmeric ... and it stains. Many of the curry mixes have ingredients that stain ... but lets be honest ... nearly all food stains, it's just the speed with which they stain that varies.

When I eat a good rogan josh ... by good I mean one my hubby has made by hand, and has a lot of chili in it ... my ligs change colour almost from the first smell. My lovely bright blue ligs turned sea green! The main ingredients are turmeric and tomatoes ... along with many other spices.

Mustard is another food that colours ligs quickly ... plus all foods with colour in them eventually will affect the ligs, some ligs shades get affected more quickly than others.

totalwise I recommend you ask your ortho to put wire ties on instead of ligs, so you don't have to concern yourself about staining. Also I think the silver ligs don't stain so much and are reasonably discreet. I love coloured ligs, and have found the purple don't change colour much, but the blues do.

I've also found that brushing the ligs with a whitening toothpaste does help, but it never gets them totally back to their original colour.

Good luck!

Well, you would be right about the tumeric- actually the haldi in indian food IS tumeric, not just similar to it. Also, mustard has tumeric which gives it that yellow color. I agree that wire ligs are the way to go; I think they are also better because I heard that they trap food less easily than the colored, but i've never tried them. I wonder if they make braces seem rougher because they dont have that stretchy cover?

#4 Post by **KriegeR** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:56 pm

I once found the true nature of curry staining the hard way!

Went out for a good night out with a group of my friends, went to the curry house and enjoyed onion bahji, followed by chicken bhuna, pilau rice, and chipatis. The meal was delicious, but my brace suffered for it afterwards. My ligs had turned a strange metallic brown colour, and my powerchain was discoloured.

Strangely though, has anyone found their stained ligs or powerchains change back to normal after a few weeks. I had that curry mid-adjustment and by the time I went back for the next adjustment, the discoloration had faded away!

#5 Post by **rsprouse** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:24 pm

You can use a simple rule for staining, works just like for whitening. Stay away from things that would stain a white shirt. So coffee, tea, dark soda, pasta sauce, red wine, etc. There is good news, a slurry of baking soda and water or a toothpaste with baking soda should help keep them looking good. Tom's of Maine works really well in my experience. You don't have to brush with it for every brushing, just once every day or so will show a good result.

Enjoy the trip.

Best,
Rory

#6 Post by **nvcarissa** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:25 pm

Another thing that I have discovered that stains ligs (even silver ones...turns them gold) are Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks. Fortunately, this is a seasonal item, so I won't have stained ligs from those until October. I am NOT giving them up!! I don't know if it's the pumpkin or the spices that change ligs...they just do.

#7 Post by **totalwise** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:55 pm

I will try and stick to non-staining foods the best I can, however IMHO all foods will stain a white shirt, unles it is very dry and cannot stick properly like biscuits.

I will talk to my orth the next time about tie wires, but I have spoken to a few people on here and it seems that tire wires are not very common any more because they are difficult for the doctor to put on and they cause irritation as the ends of the wires poke out a bit. But neevrtheless I will ask the next time I go in.

I've alse bought some ligatures off the net and put them on myself, they are very difficult to put on, but once you master it it's not too bad. I find that stretching them out first is helpful.

My god they are expensive, so I don't blame the ortho for sanitising them and reusing them instead of chucking them out.

I will try the baking soda toothpastes and see what happens. If anything at least I have my spare ligatures that I can put on before any dates, interviews, parties etc.

I am trying to go all healthy and refrain from foods that colour too much, but it is very difficult at the moment. If I do slip up at least I know that I have a plan B where I can spend 10-15 minutes and have new ligs in my mouth again.

#8 Post by **bbsadmin** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 6:56 pm

I once found the true nature of curry staining the hard way!

Went out for a good night out with a group of my friends, went to the curry house and enjoyed onion bahji, followed by chicken bhuna, pilau rice, and chipatis. The meal was delicious, but my brace suffered for it afterwards. My ligs had turned a strange metallic brown colour, and my powerchain was discoloured.

Strangely though, has anyone found their stained ligs or powerchains change back to normal after a few weeks. I had that curry mid-adjustment and by the time I went back for the next adjustment, the discoloration had faded away!

The day-glo color of the curry stain usually does fade, leaving your ligs rather dingy. But dingy is certainly better than day-glo! You should have seen the bright green color my light blue ligs turned after eating curry!

There is a new article I just posted on ArchWired about changing your own ligs:

Can I Change My Own Ligatures (O-Rings)?

#9 Post by **brandee987** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:26 am

My ortho gave me a RX for a prescription strength toothpaste called Colgate Prevident. I am supposed to use it once a day and it really helps to lighten any staining. Also it keeps my teeth looking white..

#10 Post by **mad_scientist** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 3:26 pm

I have clear ligs on the top around my 6 ceramic brackets. Here's what works for me to prevent staining:

When I eat or drink something I know will stain, I try to use my upper lip to cover up the brackets. If the food doesn't get there in the first place, it won't stain. This method won't work for everything, but at least it slows the staining process.

Also, I mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste, then use it to brush the ligs. I do this every couple of days, and also as soon as possible after eating something that really stains.

I've found that doing both of these can keep my ligs relatively stain-free in the month between ortho visits. During my last visit, my ortho was amazed to find out that I still drink coffee when she saw how clean my ligs looked!

#11 Post by **lionfish** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 4:29 pm

There might be something in what you say about contact with food, mad_scientist. I notice that the part of my powerchain that is attached to my molars (the only area in which I have any tooth contact at the present) is a dingy colour (after less than a week...) while the rest of it is reasonably clear still.

#12 Post by **weird_wired** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:51 am

The receptionist at the dental clinic recommends swilling with water immediately after drinking tea, to prevent teeth staining. It probably helps ligs as well.

#13 Post by **LondonLingual** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 3:29 pm

I don't want to come across as rude, and I have read the new article about DIY ligature changing, BUT I really cannot live with day-glo ligs long term (for work-related reasons)... so I have to take the risk and ask:

Does anyone know where you can buy clear ligs from in the UK??

Lucyloop I noticed you mentioned changing your own ligs in another post, do you know?

Thanks.

#14 Post by **jetxness** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:47 pm

i just wanted to add that if you are making your own, you can make for example, curried lentils without the tumeric. i think it tastes just as good and it doesn't stain

#15 Post by **LondonLingual** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 9:20 am

Hey again everyone!

Thanks for your sympathy and sensible advice. I will certainly ask my ortho when I see her next about the replacement ligs, wire ties and neon clips (I did another thread about these titled 'neo-clips' to see if anyone has had any positive experience with them).

Lucy your idea of using a cktail stick is very good. In fact I have already been involved in a bit of Orthodontic DIY when two of my lingual brackets' ligs popped off. I couldn't get them back on at all myself but a friend managed to do it with my plaque remover in one hand and a very thin knitting needle in the other. I SERIOUSLY wouldn't recommend anyone try this lol just telling you cause it was quite a funny scene!

Right, well I'll have to wait as my Ortho has gone on her annual leave but I'll let you know what she says.