How to Remove Braces Stains from Teeth: Your Complete Guide to Prevention and Treatment

If you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment, you may be worried about developing braces stains on your teeth. Here’s some reassuring news: the braces themselves don’t actually cause stains on teeth. The real culprit is plaque buildup around the brackets and wires.

This guide will help you understand, prevent and treat teeth stained by braces. With proper care during your treatment, tooth discolouration can be minimised.

Understanding Why Braces Cause Stains on Teeth

Plaque and Tartar: The Main Culprits

Plaque is the primary cause of stains developing, even without braces. But when you’re wearing braces, the wires and brackets can easily trap food particles, creating perfect conditions for plaque to build up and cause staining around your teeth.

If this plaque isn’t regularly removed through proper brushing and flossing, it hardens into tartar, which is a yellow or brownish substance that only professional dental cleaning can remove. Making matters worse, the acids released by plaque bacteria can actually eat away at the enamel of your teeth, leading to those dreaded white spots on the teeth and general discolouration.

Dietary Habits and Staining Agents

Certain foods and beverages are notorious for causing stains on teeth and braces, such as:

• Coffee and tea: Rich in tannins that discolour enamel and brackets.
• Red wine: Contains strong pigments that stick to tooth surfaces.
• Tomato-based sauces: Curry and pasta sauces. Turmeric, with its yellow hue, is particularly problematic for ceramic braces.
• Berries: Dark fruits like blueberries can leave prominent stains.
• Sugary drinks: Fizzy drinks and sports drinks encourage stains and tartar buildup.
• Sticky foods: Get lodged around braces and promote bacterial growth.

Lifestyle Factors and Oral Hygiene Problems

Poor oral hygiene is a major factor as inadequate brushing and flossing allows plaque to accumulate, accelerating staining around brackets.

Smoking is another culprit as tobacco products cause significant brown stains on both teeth and braces.

Are Stains from Braces Permanent?

This is a common question. The good news? Stains from braces are generally not permanent and can often be removed or significantly reduced with proper dental care and professional intervention. Most discolouration you’ll see is merely surface-level staining caused by food and drinks, which is typically treatable.

But there’s an important distinction to make. Those white spots on your teeth (known as decalcification or demineralisation) are areas where the enamel has been permanently damaged due to severe plaque buildup around the brackets. If these are severe or left unaddressed, they can be permanent.

Untreated cavities can also result in permanent staining, which is why prevention is absolutely key to avoiding these permanent white spots and significant tooth staining during your treatment.

Comprehensive Prevention Strategies During Orthodontic Treatment

Prevention really is the best way to clean teeth stained by braces. Good oral hygiene becomes even more crucial when you’re wearing braces. Here’s what you need to do…

Master Your Oral Hygiene Routine

Follow the Right Brushing Technique

Brushing with braces comes with its own challenges. Brush your teeth at least twice daily, ideally after every meal. Start by rinsing with water to loosen debris.

Use a fluoride toothpaste at a 45-degree angle towards the gum line, brushing the top and bottom of brackets, then the wire. Don’t forget the inside surfaces.

Consider an electric toothbrush like the Oral-B iO Series 9 with ‘Whiten’ mode to help remove surface stains. One of the factors of living with braces is that you’ll have to replace toothbrushes more frequently due to wear from braces.

Don’t forget to Floss and Do Interdental Cleaning

Use a floss designed for braces, such as Oral-B Super Floss, daily. If you haven’t already, add interdental brushes to your oral-care routine for those tight spaces your toothbrush can’t reach.

Use Mouthwash and Carry a Mobile Kit

Use fluoride mouthwash, like Oral-B Gum & Enamel Care, daily (but wait for 30 minutes after brushing). When you head out, carry a travel kit with toothbrush, toothpaste and interdental brushes for cleaning on-the-go.

Make Smart Dietary Choices

• Limit staining foods: Minimise your consumption of coffee, tea, red wine, curry, tomato-based sauces and dark berries.
• Rinse after eating: If you do consume staining foods or drinks, rinse your mouth immediately with water to prevent staining.
• Use a straw: When drinking staining beverages, use a straw to minimise contact with your teeth and braces.
• Reduce sugar intake: Sugary foods and drinks encourage plaque buildup and can cause white spots and decay.
• Avoid sticky and hard foods: These can get stuck and potentially cause damage to the braces while increasing your stain risk.

Make Some Key Lifestyle Adjustments

If you smoke, quit: Tobacco products significantly stain teeth and braces. Quitting helps protect your teeth and enhances your overall oral health. Kick the habit for good. 

Change coloured brace elastics: If you have coloured elastics on your braces, consider changing them more frequently or timing your consumption of staining foods around your adjustment appointments.

Get Regular Professional Support

Maintain regular dental check-ups and professional cleanings every six months. These appointments are essential for removing hardened plaque and identifying any early spots on the teeth or staining issues before they become serious problems.

Regular visits to a dental hygienist are especially important for people with braces to ensure optimal cleanliness and to reduce the risk of stains developing during your treatment.

Effective Treatment Options for Stains After Braces

Once your braces are removed, stains can often be addressed effectively, revealing that ideal smile you’ve been working towards. Here are your main options:

Professional Treatments

Professional cleaning (scale and polish): A dental hygienist or dentist can perform a thorough professional cleaning to effectively remove most surface stains and tartar buildup.

Microabrasion: For more stubborn stains or white spots on teeth after braces removal, your dentist can perform microabrasion. This technique uses mild abrasive pastes to scrub away surface stains without damaging the underlying enamel.

Remineralising treatments: Specific treatments are available for enamel defects or white spots caused by demineralisation. These pastes or resin applications help remineralise tooth enamel or mask the discolouration effectively.

At-Home Solutions

Whitening toothpaste: Brushing with a whitening toothpaste like Oral-B 3D White Whitening Therapy Toothpaste (Enamel Care) or Oral-B 3D White Luxe Perfection can help remove light surface stains. But don’t expect dramatic changes to your overall tooth colour from toothpaste alone.

Sodium bicarbonate: While some sources suggest using baking soda on a toothbrush to get rid of braces stains, use caution. The granules can help remove stains, but scrubbing too hard can harm your enamel.

Advanced Options

Composite restoration: This involves applying a tooth-coloured resin to areas with significant discolouration, making your teeth white and healthy-looking again.

Veneers: For severe or resistant post-braces stains, veneers offer a cosmetic solution involving thin, tooth-coloured shells bonded over the front of discoloured teeth.

Important Warnings

Avoid acids: Never use citric acid, lemon juice, or any other acids to remove stains. They’ll eat away at your tooth enamel, causing irreversible damage.

If you still wear braces and notice staining, your orthodontist can replace stained elastic ligatures during your adjustment appointments. Orthodontic wax can temporarily mask discoloured ligatures, but it’s not a long-term solution.

Can You Whiten Teeth While Wearing Braces?

This is a common question we get asked. The answer is generally 'no' for fixed braces. Here’s why you should wait:

Reasons to Wait

Uneven whitening: Whitening agents can’t reach the enamel under your brackets, leading to a patchy, uneven result after braces removal. This is definitely not the look you’re going for…

Increased sensitivity: Your teeth may be more sensitive after orthodontic treatment, and whitening can make this sensitivity worse.

Enamel concerns: Braces can sometimes affect enamel, so whitening too soon could worsen any existing enamel damage.

Natural remineralisation: It’s important to allow your saliva to naturally remineralise the enamel for a few weeks after braces removal, giving your teeth and braces time to stabilise.

When It’s Safe to Whiten

Most orthodontists recommend waiting a few weeks, or even a few months, after your braces are removed before starting whitening treatments. This allows your teeth to stabilise and any sensitivity to subside.

Types of Whitening Treatments

Professional whitening: This is typically the most effective and safest option once your braces are off. Your dentist can offer in-office bleaching or custom-fitted trays for at-home use.

At-home products: Things like tooth whitening strips or gels can be used, but it’s essential to consult with your dentist about which products are appropriate for your specific situation.

Always seek advice from your dentist or orthodontist before starting any teeth whitening treatment, especially after having braces. Avoid over-the-counter DIY whitening kits, which can potentially be damaging to your newly exposed enamel.

How We Can Help

While braces offer an excellent path to straightening misaligned teeth and achieving a confident smile, concerns about staining are completely understandable. The key is vigilant oral hygiene, careful dietary choices and regular professional check-ups. If stains or white spots do occur despite your best efforts, there’s a whole range of effective treatments available to get rid of braces marks and ensure your braces stay clean, and your teeth remain white and healthy.

At Hampstead Orthodontic Practice, we’ll create a comprehensive treatment plan that addresses both straightening misaligned teeth and maintaining the overall health of your teeth throughout the process, referring you to specialist dental hygienists when necessary.

Ready to discuss your concerns about braces stains? Book your free consultation with our orthodontic team today and let’s create a personalised plan to keep your smile bright throughout your treatment.