We are talking here about the elastic ligatures that are worn on the regular metal braces and some ceramics. The self-ligating braces don’t have these anymore.

The colours may vary: some use bright colours to make their metal-mouth look a bit funnier, while others try to use a colour that would make them “blend” better. I have saw examples of people who have more colours on the ligatures and they alternate them. It’s an excellent way to take the treatment in a more relaxed manner while also having a cute look. And no, not only teen-agers do this.

For the people considering very light colours, please note that sometimes the ligatures will stain. The brackets are OK, but the nasty look you see on the braces comes from the stains on the ligatures: smoking, curry, coke and other “ingredients” can ruin the look.

The positive aspect is the the ligatures get changed from time to time (4-6 weeks), but still they don’t look good when the change time comes. You can avoid the stains by:

1. avoiding the things that would stain them (kinda hard sometimes)

2. chosing a light blue or a smoke shade, even if you don’t like the idea. They stain less than others.

3. use bright colour (the stains are not that visible and the colours make the braces look cute)

You can chose your colours and even create “themes”. Just see what your orthodontist can offer and go wild with the ligature colours.