Having a pearly white smile you can be proud of is a major goal of anyone who gets braces. Though you’re looking forward to taking them off at the end of your treatment, you may also want your teeth to look as good as possible while you wear them. Color braces are a way to trick onlookers into thinking your teeth look whiter, giving you a clean and shiny smile even with the braces still on.
Continue reading to learn about color braces, why you might want to get them, and what color braces make your teeth look white.
Want to find out if you or your child needs braces? Visit Reese Orthodontics in Charleston, SC for leading orthodontic care.
What are Color Braces?
Color braces are braces with little rubber bands around each bracket. These bands can be customized to different colors (most orthodontists offer dozens). The bands serve a functional purpose by increasing the pressure on your teeth and motivating them even more in the desired configuration. With the right color, they can also look cool.
What Color Braces Make Your Teeth Look White?
Some color braces make your teeth look whiter. Others can even make them look dirtier. The reason concerns contrasting colors and how the human eye perceives them.
On the color wheel, colors are arranged according to the visual spectrum as humans see them. The colors next to each other are similar and the colors across from each other are complimentary. This means that they look good together because of how opposite they are.
Red and green are common pairings for this reason. Our eyes accentuate the contrast to make the “greenness” and “redness” stand out even more than the colors by themselves. If you’ve ever been to Disney, you may have noticed that the sidewalks are all pink or reddish. The reason? To make the grass look greener!
Choosing Colors for Your Braces
The same principle can be applied to braces. The main rule is that you want to find a color that contrasts with the white of your teeth and compliments your skin tone. There are wrong choices. For example, white bands will make your teeth look yellow by being whiter than your teeth.
Darker colors work better to create the contrast you want. Purple, blue, and dark green are great choices. But you can go even further. In the same way that certain colors just “look good on you,” certain color braces will match your eye, skin, and hair tone better.
How to Match Braces to Your Body
Most people just pick a favorite color for their color braces, sometimes switching them out for a season or holiday. So long as the color is dark, it will make your teeth look whiter in comparison.
To pick the best color for your body, though, you need to know a little more about your hair, eye, and skin tone. You can test for your skin tone by looking at your veins. If they look blue, you have cool-toned skin. If they look green, you have warm-toned skin.
Warm tones tend towards the yellow end of the spectrum and blue veins seen through a yellow tint look green. Don’t worry – everyone’s veins are the same color!
But if you do the test and you notice that you’re warm or cool, you can look at a color wheel to match your braces with something that matches your skin undertone, just as you would with new clothes without even realizing it.
Final Tips
Finally, a little common sense goes a long way when choosing color braces. Colors that look like common food can make you look like you have stuff stuck in your teeth.
But maybe the most important advice we can give you is to have fun with it. Choosing color braces should make you happy, so a favorite color or a team’s color is likely a great pick, so long as it makes you feel good. Just follow the restrictions mentioned above, and your choice should be fine.
Choose Reese Orthodontics
If you’re an adult who is considering braces, you need professional advice on your treatment and payment options. For orthodontic treatments in Charleston, SC, Reese Orthodontics offers the latest technology and treatment plans. Our advanced and comfortable orthodontic treatments can be customized to suit your needs. A consultation with Reese Orthodontics includes scans, a comprehensive exam, and a conversation with the orthodontist to discover which treatment options are right for you.
Schedule an appointment with us today to stay ahead of your oral health and receive the best possible treatment in your area.