The entire repair process usually takes just 5-10 minutes.
In most cases, you can safely postpone having it repaired for several days or weeks without experiencing any adverse effects. You need to get in touch with the orthodontic clinic if the bracket is giving you any discomfort or if you are worried about it.
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.
If you are not experiencing discomfort from your broken or loose bracket, then you can usually wait several days to a couple of weeks before it begins to interfere with your treatment.
If the bracket is attached to the wire, and there isn't discomfort or damage, you can wait a few days to replace it.
We recommend having a loose or broken bracket fixed as soon as possible. If you have to wait before having your bracket fixed, you can still eat but try to avoid hard or crunchy foods that could make the problem worse. Stick to softer foods such as yogurt, smoothies, or pasta.
Once the bracket has become loose, it poses a choking hazard, particularly while you are sleeping or if you play sports.
Bring the bracket to your next dentist appointment if it falls off completely. Sugarless gum can provide temporary protection against a bare wire if necessary.
It's not unusual to sometimes break a wire or bracket when you have braces. There's nothing to panic about, but you should take action to get your broken braces fixed. Damaged braces can cause discomfort, cuts and abrasions inside the mouth and, if left unfixed, make your treatment less effective.
While your orthodontist will generally allow for the repair of breakages free of charge, there could be fees for broken brackets, wires, plates or lost aligners if damage or loss occurs frequently.
Here are the price ranges of some common orthodontic emergencies: Broken Bracket: $25-$50. Lost bracket replacement: $50-$75. Broken archwire: $25-$100.
Well a broken bracket on every visit is too often for me. Most of my patients knock off brackets twice or thrice in the whole of treatment. There are multiple reasons, mostly it's the patients fault of he/she doesn't avoid hard and sticky food.
Besides your food choices, you may also have bad habits, such as chewing on your fingernails or any hard objects, such as pen caps. If you bite too hard, the brackets can become dislodged. Most chewing habits are tough to avoid, especially if you have been doing them for as long as you can remember.
Having a broken bracket isn't an emergency and it doesn't have to be fixed that exact same day. Using wax or sugar-free gum can eliminate discomfort until you are able to get an appointment.
So, the answer to: “what happens if you swallow a small piece of metal like a bracket” is probably (and fortunately) nothing! Many people have swallowed braces brackets, and most of those people didn't even feel the bracket pass. Your stomach acids will break down a good portion (if not all) of anything you swallow.
Unfortunately, you can't glue a bracket back on yourself.
Common Ways Your Brackets Can Come Loose
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.
But sometimes, the wire or bracket of your braces can break. While broken braces are nothing to worry about, they can cause discomfort and make your treatment less effective and take longer if left unchecked.
Most regular potato chips, like Lays or Pringles, are actually just fine. However, some chips are made with extra crunch, such as Kettle Chips or Ruffles. You'll want to avoid these chips while you have braces since they will be too hard on the brackets and wires.
Generally, a broken bracket doesn't hurt. However, it can be annoying if you're experiencing a loose bracket that's not broken altogether. This is because it constantly lingers inside your mouth. The loose wires from the braces may poke your gums and cause irritation.
Braces feeling loose:
You should not worry; this means that the braces are doing their job correctly! Since the ultimate goal of the braces is to reposition the teeth, the “loose” feeling is the effect of the loosening of the periodontal ligament so that the teeth can adjust to the desired location.
Despite the benefits, many orthodontists will still ask their patients to avoid chewing gum altogether while they're in treatment. It has a high tendency to stick inside of the metal hardware and can damage brackets or pull wires out of place. This delays your treatment and causes you to go in for extra repairs.
Brackets are the metal parts that are bonded securely to your teeth using a very strong dental adhesive, but sometimes they can break. Most bracket damage occurs after eating foods that are hard, sticky, or chewy, or when biting on non-food objects, like using your teeth to open a package (never a good idea).
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.