In terms of the damage that can happen with braces, there’s a pretty wide field of potential incidents! These can be extremely subtle and unexpected, or sudden and severe—but either way, Mack Orthodontics has your back. Let’s look at what to do when braces break.
Bracing Yourself
When your braces break, you are rarely expecting it to happen. Sometimes it genuinely is a freak accident, but other times, there are risk factors involved. Understanding these situations can help you prevent them from happening—maybe.
- Grinding or Clenching Teeth: Grinding or clenching your teeth is more of a passive cause of damage, since it can happen when you’re sleeping or otherwise unaware of it during the day. This type of pressure can be a problem, especially if you have braces and bite issues that are still in the early stages of being fixed.
- Miscalculated Meals: Snacks like chips, bagels, or chewy candies can place a lot of stress on your braces. The crunchiness or chewiness of these items often weakens or snaps the wires, resulting in a need for repairs.
- Failing to Report Minor Issues: Ignoring small problems, like a loose bracket or a slightly bent wire, can lead to more extensive damage over time if it isn’t addressed right away.
- Sports Incidents: Participating in physical activities without wearing an orthodontic mouthguard can result in direct impact to braces, causing brackets to break off or wires to warp. Sports like hockey or martial arts can also put your actual teeth at risk.
- Accidents or Falls: These can be the most alarming of scenarios. When you experience unexpected trauma to your teeth or mouth, it usually results in the most acute damage to your braces.
What Went Wrong?
When damage does happen (and it might), you need to carefully assess it and pass on that information to us as soon as possible over a phone call. We can determine if and when you need a repair appointment with Dr. Mack.
Immediately after your braces break, there may be some steps you can take in the meantime based on what has transpired:
- Loose Bracket: A bracket may detach from the tooth if the adhesive has been compromised, causing it to move along the wire.
- Temporary Solution: Again, orthodontic wax is the best short-term solution. Use a small ball of wax to hold the bracket in place until you can come in to see us for a repair.
- Broken or Protruding Wire: The archwire is what connects the brackets across your teeth. If it has broken or is sticking out, it can irritate your cheek or gums.
- Temporary Solution: Apply orthodontic wax to cover the sharp end to prevent further irritation or injury. Do not attempt to clip the wire on your own.
- Loose Band: The metal band around your back molars may sometimes come loose and need reattachment.
- Temporary Solution: Keep the loose band safely stored and bring it with you to our office.
Evaluating an Emergency
You might be curious what kind of damage is considered an orthodontic emergency. Most of the time, damage is minor enough that while it needs to be addressed, it doesn’t necessarily constitute immediate attention. We can give you guidance as mentioned above to hold you over before an appointment.
However, there are some cases that are an exception to this, and would be classified as an emergency situation:
- Inhaled or Swallowed Braces Component: If you accidentally inhale or swallow a piece of your braces, stay calm and seek medical attention at once from Dr. Mack as directed by our team. This can be a serious issue that warrants urgent care.
- Persistent Bleeding: If an injury from your braces has caused bleeding that does not stop after applying pressure, contact our office right away for emergency assistance.
- Severe Wire Damage: If a wire has deeply penetrated your cheek, gums, or tongue and is causing intense pain, it’s important to get it fixed as soon as possible. This situation may require an emergency visit to prevent further complications.
On the Mend
Dr. Mack and our team have years of experience helping patients deal with damage to braces—we handle it all the time! You can put your trust in us to fix any issues promptly and get your braces treatment back on track in no time.
Always be sure to contact us as soon as you can if a problem occurs for you or your child, and try to avoid any uneeded delays! We’ll arrange for a visit to our Burlington or Hillsborough office!