Breaking brackets are relatively common with braces. In fact, broken brackets are more or less part of orthodontic treatment. Sometimes patients get injured in the mouth due to carelessness. Avoiding the food on the list you received will help keep your braces safe.
On average, a patient breaks at least one bracket during treatment. The bracket can come off anytime, even when the patient is sleeping. This may happen because it had already been somewhat loosened but had not completely detached from the tooth.
What Causes Breaking Brackets?
Brackets for braces are difficult to break as they are extremely strong. The archwire is tough, but it can be broken even though it is made of a very strong alloy. However, you risk damaging the adhesive bond between the bracket and the tooth.
The brackets are usually glued to the enamel of the teeth’ outer surface with special glue. The bond is made to be slightly weak for safety reasons. The glue’s characteristics will securely hold the bracket while also being removable.
Brackets can accidentally break off for a number of reasons, including:
- The patient eats hard food, such as nuts or crackers: There is an excessive mechanical impact on the system when eating nuts, dried fruits, smoked meat, or tough to chew products. The bracket is subjected to great pressure while eating hard food.
- The patient brushes his teeth too aggressively with an ultrasonic toothbrush: Unlike an electric brush, which uses mechanical movements, an ultrasonic brush uses vibration to remove plaque.
- Physical impact: a blow to the jaw, careless use of a spoon, fork, toothbrush, and so on.
- Crowding of teeth, as a result of which the system’s pressure is distributed unevenly on the braces.
- The use of devices for performing hygienic oral care that is not intended to clean braces.
- As defective bite normalizes, the teeth begin to make contact with the structure’s details.
- Poor-quality glue was used, or the brace-gluing technology was violated.
Can You Break a Bracket by Getting Hit in the Face?
Yes, you can break your brackets if you get hit in the face with substantial force. For this reason, mouthguards should be worn by people exposed to a lot of physical contact, for example, athletes. Your orthodontist would normally advise that you avoid activities that risk you getting hit at all.
What To Do When Your Braces Come Off
If your braces come off, the simplest thing to do is visit your doctor that same day. You should not put off the appointment because the system’s state directly affects the condition of the teeth. The pressure in the system decreases where the lock has been removed, while it increases in others. This alters the process of tooth displacement and hurts the overall treatment plans.
If the broken bracket dangles from the archwire, it should be removed immediately. The bracket can be removed in self-ligating systems by opening the bracket clip that holds the force bow.
If the broken bracket is in front, you can do it all on your own. If the broken bracket is at any other part, and you can’t detach it remove the lock, glue it in place with a small ball of dental wax.
Detached brackets have to be replaced, even if they appear in perfect condition and have no external flaws. If you delay going to the clinic to change the bracket, your treatment plans might be dealt a serious blow.
A broken archwire causes no particular annoyance other than being pointy and sharp. However, it would be best not to wait to replace it later.
A breakdown of the archwire leads to the following negative consequences:
- Violation of the process of orthodontic treatment.
- Damage to the mucous membranes with sharp ends of the wire.
- Risk of swallowing a piece of the archwire with sharp ends.
What Happens if You Swallow Parts of Your Braces
Broken braces can cause mucosal damage but it is not difficult to avoid. The same dental wax will come in handy here. You can get a whole “bunch” of problems when you swallow individual archwire fragments. The sharp ends of the archwire can cause damage to the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract.
In most cases, the fragment passes naturally through the intestines during transit. However, cases have been described in the medical literature in which wire fragments lingered in the esophagus, puncturing its wall with one end. To avoid complications, it is suggested that:
- To avoid excessive wire movement and damage to the mucous membrane, refrain from eating before arriving at a medical facility and conducting examinations.
- Make no active, sudden movements.
At the clinic, doctors will take an X-ray. There is no need to be concerned if a piece of wire moves slowly through the digestive tract. If the wire is still in the esophagus during an examination, the doctor may remove it without surgery.
Unlike archwire fragments, you shouldn’t be concerned about swallowed brackets. They have no sharp edges and thus cannot cause harm.
Northeastern Braces Does Braces Right
At Northeastern Braces, staff works to repair smiles, maintain, and improve the overall oral health of patients. For further questions, you may call our Newburgh office at (845) 863 0500 or reach our Bronx office at (917) 801 3600. For online communication, please use our Contact Form.
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