After writing so many “serious” articles in a row, it is time to lighten things up a bit. Let’s talk about the color choices for your braces! Once your braces are placed, kids and adults are usually very extremely excited to make their first color selection. After all, it is an extremely important decision- this is what the world is going to first notice when they see you in braces! Colors can also be switched at every appointment with us, so if you are ready for a change, it won’t be long before you create a new look. Dr. Dan is a kid at heart, and he usually get just as excited about patients’ color selections as they do.

The colored part of braces are actually called elastomeric ligatures, and these “ties” are what attaches the removable wire to the metal or clear ceramic brackets that are bonded to your teeth. At Meadows Orthodontics we have over 30 different colors to choose from. From the basic ROYGBIV, black and white, to everything in between, there are literally thousands of color combinations that you can create. We even offer neon colors, and ties that glow in the dark!

Here are some fun and interesting ideas and observations about this all important decision. The colors that we order the most due to their popularity include hot pink, black, lime green and navy blue. Popular color combinations are very dependent on the season. In the fall, Broncos blue, orange and white is very popular. Others seasonal combinations include black and orange at Halloween, green and red for Christmas in December, a mix of greens for St Patrick’s Day in March, and Red White and Blue for the 4th of July.

Clear ties are the most popular for patients who have clear ceramic braces, although they also look great and unique with colors on them also. If you want a bolder look we can use many bright colors to create a “rainbow” appearance, or choose all five neon colors for what we call “Neon Deon”. If you want to earn some brownie points with Dr. Dan, choose maize (yellow) and blue for my team, the Michigan Wolverines, and yell GO BLUE! All year long kids wear the colors for their school or club sports teams, in addition to their favorite college and professional sports teams. CV, DC, Dolphins, Warriors, CRMS, Aspen View, American Academy, Air Force, CU, CSU, Nebraska, Oregon, the Avs., Rockies and Nuggets colors are all choices that we send kids happily away with. Dr Dan and his staff love to help getting your selection just right. The only exception? Absolutely no Scarlet (red) and gray allowed!

Dr. Dan’s favorite? Simple sky/baby blue looks great on metal or clear ceramic braces. Whatever your tastes are with color, let your imagination run wild and have some fun with your time in braces!

Dr Dan Rejman is the owner of Meadows Orthodontics in Castle Rock, CO. A resident of Castle Rock, he loves art, design, and making things (especially teeth) look amazing! He has been selected by his peers a 5280 Top Orthodontist in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

One of the most common things that I hear from my adult patients who come in for an exam is, “I had braces as a teen and my teeth were straight. But then my wisdom teeth came in and caused my front teeth to become crowded.” This belief that wisdom teeth “push” the others forward has existed with patients as long as I have been involved with dentistry, and many patients are encouraged by their dental professionals to have their wisdom teeth (third molars) extracted to prevent future crowding. Is there any validity to this theory?

In short, current research does not support the belief that wisdom teeth cause crowding of the teeth in front of them, or “push” on them enough to cause movement. The vast majority of peer reviewed research shows that even if people have their wisdom teeth removed, teeth (especially the lower anteriors or front teeth) continue to crowd as we age. This is the case whether a person has had braces or not. Research has shown that teeth tend to drift forward throughout life, even in the absence of posterior teeth or molars.

If the wisdom teeth are not major contributors to increased dental crowding as we age, where does it come from? Current theories include late mandibular growth, or continued forward growth of the lower jaw as we grow older, and changing pressures from the tongue, lips and cheeks. Also commonly overlooked is the age that people stop wearing their retainers. Many adults remember being told by their orthodontist to wear their retainers for only several years after they had their braces removed.  By the late teen years a large percentage of orthodontic patients are no longer in retention, and this is the age that the wisdom teeth first start to erupt, or become impacted (stuck below the gums). We have learned that without retention, teeth that were previously crowded will start to revert back towards their previous position (see an earlier blog about why teeth do this). Often wisdom tooth issues that arise at this age are mistakenly blamed, or correlated with the crowding that occurs during these years after retention is stopped.

The take home message, and current standard of care, is that wisdom teeth should not be extracted to decrease the chances of future crowding. There are a number of other reasons that may indicate the need for extracting these teeth, including the inability to properly clean these teeth, tooth decay, pericoronitis (inflammation of the gingiva around partially erupted third molars), and impacted positions that may cause damage to the surrounding jaw structures. Each person is an individual, and the decision to extract the third molars should be discussed with your dentist, orthodontist, or oral surgeon.

Dr. Dan Rejman is the owner of Meadows Orthodontics in Castle Rock, Colorado. He is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, and is a Councilman on the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Orthodontics, representing the Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions.