Typically, no part of your braces will break. However, one way it can happen is from eating hard, crunchy foods. If you eat carrots or apples, for example, first chop them into bite-size pieces, or cook them to make them soft.
Eating such hard foods can bend or snap the arch wire or break brackets off the teeth. For the same reason, it is best not to chew on ice or hard candy. Sticky and chewy candy is also damaging. Gummy bears, caramels and taffy can damage the braces and also damage the teeth that have brackets attached to them.
When playing sports, it is important to use your mouthguard to protect the braces and teeth from injury.
Sometimes, brackets may come loose from the teeth because of cement weakening over the months, or because of the pressure being applied to move the teeth. Dr. Rudman can replace them.
Please Call Our Office
If the arch wire breaks, there may be sharp ends that cause pain and injury. Please call us at 303.331.0222, as we can often resolve that with you over the phone. If there is no pain, you could email our orthodontics office instead and we will respond promptly.
As the teeth move their positioning, the end of the arch wire can sometimes be displaced and poke into the cheek. You may be able to bend it away from any soft tissue, using a spoon or pair of tweezers, and this will relieve the pain or discomfort. Please contact us as soon as possible however, so that Dr. Rudman can clip that wire properly.
If the braces break repeatedly it will prolong the treatment period required to correctly re-align your teeth. Dr. Rudman gives written directions to every patient and they are designed to optimize your orthodontic work. Please read and follow them exactly. The safety and effectiveness of your braces depends largely on your diet being appropriate.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your braces, or your child’s braces. Our office serves Denver and Stapleton in Colorado.
