Why would you ever want colored braces? Listen to what these snowboarders had to say!
Huddled around the fire at the Base of the Winter Park Ski Resort, this fifteen-year old boy from Longmont smiled wide to reveal the red bands on his braces. When asked why he chose red, he answered with, “For Christmas, of course!” He didn't need to say "Duh" to me; it was implied.
Most adults cringe at the thought of putting colored bands on their braces, for fear of calling attention to them. Not so for teens! Turns out that most teenagers see their braces as an accessory. “I change out my bands once a month,” said another thirteen-year old boy from Winter Park. “And if I'm going to a Broncos game soon, I ask for orange and blue. Depending on the holiday, I even had pink last year for Valentine's Day.” His braces were decorated with red and green bands on this late December day, but this time I didn't ask the obvious.
“Hands down, about 99% of teens opt to coordinate the colored elastics to whatever's going on in their lives,” said Paula, a dental assistant for an orthodontist practice in Westminster, Colorado. “Boys tend to be more sports orientated when choosing colors, and girls follow the holidays-even green for St. Patrick's Day.” This adds an element of fun to what might otherwise be considered an annoying chore.
Braces are a necessary inconvenience to correct alignment, pull down adult teeth, and in general, provide for a perfect, healthy smile. Enduring this seemingly medieval regimen has become a rite of passage for many, so it's refreshing that most young adults donning braces put a positive spin on this time-consuming, but oh-so-worth-it procedure to unveil those pearliest of whites.
