You have been wearing the fixed orthodontic appliance for several months now and you are very happy – your teeth are starting to align, your smile looks better and you know that the treatment works. Everything’s great, just … You start to worry – the teeth have changed their color, brown discoloration has appeared between them (or even on a larger surface). After the sandblasting procedure they are white again, but … for a short time! What food affects these discolorations? What drinks? Or maybe something else changes the color of your teeth?

What products cause the discoloration of your teeth?

• Tea
• Coffee (less than tea, wine and cola)
• Juices (in particular those containing red fruits)
• Red wine
• Colored tooth rinses (those containing zinc oxide discolor the teeth to the greatest extent – brushing the teeth does not help, a discoloration removal procedure is necessary: sandblasting)
• Nicotine

Do you like bright colors of ligatures? If you don’t want them to change their color right after visiting your orthodontist, avoid these products:

• Turmeric
• Curry
• Ground red pepper (watch out for chips!)
• Red wine
• Cola
• Juices (especially from red fruits)
• Acai
• strawberries
• Cherries
• Beetroot
• Pumpkin
• If you want to minimize the risk of discoloration – drink tea / coffee / wine through a straw;)

Which ligatures keep the color between the orthodontist visits?

• Black (my favorite 🙂 believe me, they look great on teeth)
• Grenade
• maroon
• Dark blue
• Dark green
• Dark violet
• dark pink
• silver
• Grey matt
• sea

Bright ligatures

Of the light ligatures, the tooth-colored (slightly beige) ligatures work quite well – they do not discolor to the same extent as transparent (which turn yellow quickly) or pearl (also turn yellow quickly). Light pink and light blue are lovely – unfortunately their color changes frequently, they turn white with time.

Mouthwash

If you like mouthwash, I recommend using these colorless during orthodontic treatment. I see a definite difference in the frequency of discoloration in patients who use colored mouthwash and in those who use colorless ones.

As I mentioned earlier, if the discoloration of your teeth appears, it can be removed during the sandblasting procedure. This procedure can be performed on patients who are undergoing orthodontic treatment with a fixed device. In the matter of discolored ligatures … If their color changes – it cannot be reversed. Unfortunately, you have to wait until the next visit for their replacement.

What are your experiences? Did I forget something? 🙂

Karadas, Muhammet, and Nilgun Seven. “The effect of different drinks on tooth color after home bleaching.” European journal of dentistry vol. 8,2 (2014): 249-253. doi:10.4103/1305-7456.130622

Baik, Un-Bong et al. “Teeth discoloration during orthodontic treatment.” Korean journal of orthodontics vol. 47,5 (2017): 334-339. doi:10.4041/kjod.2017.47.5.334

Eslami, Neda et al. “The staining effect of different mouthwashes containing nanoparticles on dental enamel.” Journal of clinical and experimental dentistry vol. 7,4 e457-61. 1 Oct. 2015, doi:10.4317/jced.52199

Rebelo de Sousa, Kathleen et al. “Extrinsic tooth enamel color changes and their relationship with the quality of water consumed.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 9,10 3530-9. 5 Oct. 2012, doi:10.3390/ijerph9103530