A broken bracket can cause severe discomfort and pain to the wearer. It's an experience you should never have to endure.
Generally speaking a broken bracket doesn't hurt. It might feel a bit annoying as it slides around on the wire, but usually there's not too much discomfort with it. If one of the brackets on the back teeth breaks, it may expose the end of the archwire.
All hard foods should be avoided until your braces have been fixed. If the broken brace causes any discomfort, you can use over-the-counter pain relievers to make you feel more comfortable.
How Long Can You Go with a Broken Bracket? If you have a broken bracket and it does not make you feel uncomfortable, there is no pressing need to get it mended immediately. In most cases, you can safely postpone having it repaired for several days or weeks without experiencing any adverse effects.
It's not an emergency and your doctor can easily get you back on track. Broken brackets can actually delay your treatment, but usually, a broken bracket is no big deal. We'll talk about how broken braces affect treatment time, what can cause a broken bracket, and what you should do when it happens.
If a bracket is correctly installed, and the wearer is taking due care, brackets shouldn't fall off. However, it's not uncommon for them to loosen, even if your orthodontist has fixed them properly. And particularly if you have a habit of eating some of the foods that you're told to avoid, like hard candy or nuts.
The short answer: Yes. One missing bracket doesn't mean your treatment isn't working any more! The long answer: When a bracket is broken, that means an individual tooth is no longer attached to the active wire. Which means that tooth can move in an unfavorable way.
As for the fees for broken brackets, wires, plates or lost aligners, most orthodontic practices won't charge you a fee for the first few broken brackets. However, some may start to charge after several breakages. It is important that you check with your orthodontist as to what is included in your treatment fees.
Every dental office has its own policies regarding braces repairs. Many orthodontists will waive their fee as a courtesy and fix the first 5 broken brackets for free. After this, fixing a broken bracket will invite a charge, which can be anything from $25 and up for metal braces and $50 and up for clear braces.
Just in case something happens, the glue has to be able to give a little. Unfortunately, that means that brackets can sometimes become loose or break during normal, day-to-day activities. Playing contact sports, eating chewy, hard, or sticky foods, and placing foreign items in your mouth (pencils, fingernails, etc.)
If your bracket becomes loose within 1-2 days of it being placed, then it is likely due to bond failure or an interference with the bite. If it has been more than 2 days since it was place, the cause is usually excessive force on the bracket from eating, bad habits, or the bite.
There are definitely healthy foods that can break brackets. Biting into an apple, granola bars, nuts, carrots, corn-on-the-cob, chunky peanut butter, well-cooked steak or beef jerky, and chewy and/or toasted bagels can break brackets.
Eating hard, sticky foods that may have the force to pull the bracket off of the tooth. Common examples of foods that cause this include nuts, popcorn kernels, caramel candies, etc. Sustaining a mouth injury. Brushing your teeth using too much force.
You can tell if a bracket is loose by gently pushing on it with your finger. If you notice that it moves but the tooth does not, it is probably no longer attached. If at any time you suspect a loose bracket, you should call us to schedule an appointment to have it repaired within one or two business days.
On average, however, putting braces on your child will run you somewhere between $3,000 and $7,000. Those figures reflect the time, materials, labor, and expertise involved in carrying out the necessary treatment and are subject to increase depending on the type of braces you or your child's orthodontist recommend.
Some clinics may steam sterilize discarded appliances, but since many dental appliances are not reusable or recyclable anyway, most dentists and orthodontists dispose of them with contaminated medical waste like used gloves and other items that contact body fluids.
First thing is first. Remain calm. Luckily, when a bracket comes off it is not a true dental emergency and can happen to anyone with braces from time to time. Make sure you do not swallow the bracket if it has come off of the wire, and if it has, put it in a small baggie to bring into the office.
Wearing orthodontic appliances requires lifestyle changes, particularly with what you eat and how you brush your teeth. Hard or sticky foods can knock a bracket loose. Improper flossing, using toothpicks, and even brushing your teeth a little too vigorously can cause a bracket to come loose.
Sometimes the tooth will not be as clean as it appears therefore allowing the bracket to eventually fall off. There are also some cements that might not be as strong and saliva and water can eventually loosen the bracket. Some Orthodontists will fiddle around with the bracket trying to get it in just the right place.
While dentists do not have the same training in orthodontia that orthodontists do, they can usually repair an orthodontic bracket or make a quick fix to help you get through to your appointment with your orthodontist.
Loose Bracket – Use orthodontic wax to hold a loose bracket in place, or if it can be easily removed, place it in a Ziploc bag or container and bring it with you to your appointment. Your orthodontist will then use an adhesive to bond it back into place.
However, braces are more delicate than you think, and a stiff-bristled brush can actually bend or break your braces. When you have braces, it's best to opt for a soft-bristled toothbrush, which will be more delicate on your braces. Also, soft bristles are easier on your gums.
Any type of hard and crunchy food is something you will want to avoid while wearing your braces. Chips like Fritos, Doritos, Tostitos, Cheetos, Takis, as well as pretzels and other hard breads are foods that can not only damage your wire, but also cause your brackets to break.