Ceramic Braces Question

[GiovanntiLawing]

Hi All

For starters, I would like to apologize if this question has been asked already, but I am a newbie and I am still trying to figure this website out.

My questions are as follows:

I have ceramic braces and I notice how the brackets and ligature bands are not as clear/clean as they were when I got them applied a month ago. What can I do to get them to look like new?

I was reading on the website that chances are, its the ligature bands (o-rings) thats changing in color versus the brackets itself.

Would I be crazy to stop by my ortho to have them changed the o-rings, because I feel sorta insecure walking around town and being at work since they are not as clean/clear as I think they should be. Or should I just wait until my Aug 5th adjustment?

Also, I was reading on wikihow.com and it was saying to keep ceramic braces white, its best to use whitening toothpaste, BUT, according to this website it says stray far away from whiteners and whitening toothpaste because it will cause you to have yellow spots upon removal of my braces.

Can someone please help me with a little bit of advice for my questions.

When I had braces as a teenager almost (15 years ago), I had metal, so I didnt really have to deal with such issues.

Thank you in advance!

Gio

[Faerydust]

I use a whitening toothpaste and it doesn't keep the ligs clear unfortunately. I think it's best to wait until your adjustment and perhaps get light blue or gray ligs which don't stain easily and are still pretty unnoticeable.

It's a good thing my adjustment is this Monday because I've been eating tons of curry and drinking coffee and my ligs have a very noticeable yellow tinge.

[uga09]

Yeah ceramic brackets don't stain. There isn't really anything you can do to return them to clear. I have noticed that when my clear ligatures get a little stained that Sprite helps lighten the harshness of the staining.

If the staining gets too bad, you could just call your ortho's office and ask if you can come in to have the ligatures changed. It would only take a minute or two. Since your adjustment is less than two weeks away, I wouldn't worry about having them changed unless they are REALLY stained.

I have no clue about whitening toothpastes causing yellow spots. Has anybody else heard this? I know if you use whitening trays/gels while in braces that the tooth will be a darker shade where the bracket was.

[GiovanntiLawing]

Thank you for the insight, UGA09!

[uga09]

Thank you for the insight, UGA09!

You're welcome. I've also read from some posters that they get gray or smoke color ligatures with clear brackets. They are practically unnoticeable and they don't stain as bad. You could also ask your ortho assistant which lighter colors (for clear brackets) are more stain resistant.

[blindboarder2008]

do you use a water pik at all? it was suggested by my dentist that i use a water pik, thisl would help with the staining and such, worth a try, i have to still go shopping for one, but have been to busy to go as of yet

[landela]

do you use a water pik at all? it was suggested by my dentist that i use a water pik, thisl would help with the staining and such, worth a try, i have to still go shopping for one, but have been to busy to go as of yet

I don't have clear ligs, but I do have a clear zing string (similar to a powerchain, I guess) around my front 4 teeth, and its turned yellow-ish even with using a waterpik. I don't know...I'm ready to go and have them change it out as well as clip my wires.

When I was thinking about getting ceramic braces the ortho assistant suggested I go with tooth colored ligs to avoid staining.

[rolo]

Hi

Lots of people go in for ligature changes because they like them to look fresh, the assistants at my orthos office told me it happens all the time. I told them I was missing curry and they suggested I booked a curry night and ligature change the next morning. If you feel self concious then give them a ring - it only takes a few minutes. That said I'm sure it's more noticible to you than anyone else, but it's your mouth and if you would feel happier with fresh ligatures go for it.

I have to say I have found white (my ortho calls them tooth coloured but they look white or maybe just off white) much better at resisting staining than clear power chains I had a month ago.

[angel0505]

I've had braces on for 4 weeks now. I also have ceramic, with white lig bands. I'm going out of town this week for a wedding, and noticed my lig bands were kind of tinted (iced coffees are awesome!).

I called my ortho yesterday to have a wire cut, and when I arrived, I randomly asked for my lig bands to be changed. It wasn't a problem, and took 2-3 minutes.

I'm loving the fact that my lig bands aren't tainted anymore! Def get yours changed!!

~

[debonairdenise]

Never hesitate to call your ortho. I know I have a fantastic one and I call all the time to have my ligs changed. I know alot of people say that no one else notices, but that's not true people notice when you have a yellow band across your teeth. I go in about every 3 weeks to have mine changed. The assistants usually squeeze me in and it only takes a minute or two. I have developed a great bond with the staff at Dr. Burch's office and I will miss them as my deband date is next Wed. Yippee!! By the way see if your ortho has iridescent ligs. They are a cool rainbow silvery color(hard to explain)but they blend well with ceramics. Also I was encouraged not to use whitening toothpaste because it could whiten the teeth and once your brackets are removed you would have the old stains that were covered by the braces. My dentist does allow me to use a toothpaste called Topol it is a whitening toothpaste, but I only use it once a week to fight staining.

~Denise (Sorry for the long reply)

[dagwoman]

Nobody you encounter in day to day life cares about or even notices your stained ligs except you.

They may not care, but I have certainly had people notice them.

That said, I've never changed or added appointments to change stained ligatures. I've accepted that it's a reality of the process and that (for me) it's better than having metal braces. And I'm certainly not interested in anyone who would actually CARE that my ligs were yellow.

[GiovanntiLawing]

Thanks to all!

I actually went to have my ligature bands changed about a week ago and they told me that I could have them changed whenever I like.

If I have something to do..come change them

If I feel they are dirty...come get them changed.

I think I just didnt want to annoy them by calling to have them change them every two weeks, but they said if I want them changed, for 6000.00 for my treatment, I could have them changed whenever I felt the need to.

My first adjustment is this Tuesday, so Im going to have them re-changed and whatever else will happen that day!

Wish me luck!

[venusasaboy]

I know it's bad, but I bought clear ligs online and changed my own ones every week! You're not supposed to change your own because it's too much pressure on your teeth or something, but i started doing it toward the end of my progress when I wasn't really doing anything but waiting for my teeth to settle.

Also, I smoke and drink coffee so I know what you mean about them getting REALLY stained, and they start looking like old cooking oil haha. If you don't feel comfortable changing your own ligs and your ortho don't do it for you every week, you could try going with grey or another color (light pink maybe?) but I never liked how the colors looked on mine. I debated switching to metal braces but it turns out everyone really liked my clear braces and honestly, it's hard for other to tell they are stained and whatnot.

It's definitly just the ligs, the brackets are made to not stain!

[dagwoman]

I know it's bad, but I bought clear ligs online and changed my own ones every week! You're not supposed to change your own because it's too much pressure on your teeth or something, but i started doing it toward the end of my progress when I wasn't really doing anything but waiting for my teeth to settle.

How did you manage to remove and replace the ligs?! Didn't you need a special tool?

[GiovanntiLawing]

Thats what Im wondering. One day I almost removed a lig trying to clean under it with a dental hook. It hurt like hell; I got kind of scared and didn't do that again!

Is that safe?