When I was growing up braces were so new that most of my friends did not have them. The few kids that had them were dreadfully embarrassed of the giant silver tracks protruding through their painfully chapped lips. It was definitely not cool to have braces 25 years ago. Well times have changed thanks to colored braces.
I took my son to the orthodontist because the dentist kept insisting. Heaven forbid my son goes through his teen years scarred by teeth not aligned into perfectly symmetric rows. So off we went. The orthodontist had several models of teeth sitting on his desk, all adorned with brightly colored braces in different patterns. Cool music blared overhead. There was a monthly drawing for an iPod if you demonstrated really good dental hygiene between visits. Everyone in the office focused completely on my son and made him feel very important. As we left they told my son to think about what color he would want on his braces. This color is something they can change at their visit every month. An ingenious marketing move to allow teen’s to assert their own style or flair with colored bands on their braces. What teen could resist braces these days?
As my son had his braces attached I asked the technician how most of the kids picked their colors and what were the most popular choices. The most popular color schemes and how they are chosen follow:
School colors: The most popular choice
Upcoming holidays are a big.
Halloween: Orange and black mixed
Christmas: Red and Green mixed or just one of these colors
Valentines: Red or pink (just the girls usually pick this)
St. Patrick’s Day: Green
4th of July: Red, White and Blue
Boys Favorite: Blue, green, silver or black either solid color or a variation of these colors.
Girls Favorite: Pink, red, yellow, blue, or any bright pastels. Solid or a mix of these colors.
My son has his cool braces and is currently sporting the holiday red and green. What colors are you sporting on your braces?
Click on this site to choose your own color scheme and see what it looks like.
Source: Interview with our orthodontist and staff. Photo credit:R.L.Bird