Traditional braces are the perfect solution to improve your teeth alignment. They can fix your crooked, tilted, spaced, or protruding teeth. However, one major problem patients encounter is their breakage.
A broken bracket can affect your treatment plan very badly and often results in anger and frustration. Let’s see what can cause your traditional braces to break and how you can prevent their damage effectively.
What You Must Know About Traditional Braces?
Traditional braces consist of metallic brackets that are placed over wires and bonded with an adhesive agent to your teeth. They work by imposing a strong force on your teeth, eventually leading them to displace and rearrange themselves correctly.
The metallic brackets in your braces are prone to breakage, and various reasons can cause them to fall off.
Why Do My Braces Break?
You are just too harsh on your braces, and this is why they keep breaking continuously. Some common things patients do that cause their brackets to break are:
Unhygienic Oral Environment
When you have your traditional braces on, it is essential to maintain good oral hygiene. Continuous plaque buildup can compromise the adhesiveness of the metal brackets, eventually leading them to fall off.
Chewing Non-Edible Items
Many patients have a habit of chewing on pencils or biting their nails. Little do they know that this habit is very detrimental to their brackets. They can cause a force on your brackets that they cannot bear and tend to break easily.
A Mouth Injury
While some of the habits are under your control, injury is not. A mouth injury breaks traditional braces quite easily. If you are into sports and constant falls and hits are not uncommon for you, then it is important to go to your orthodontist for an oral evaluation before your game. They will see the health of your braces and will suggest an appliance for safety to prevent damage to the brackets in case of an injury.
Vigorous Teeth Brushing
While all dentists recommend teeth brushing and stress more on oral hygiene when wearing traditional braces, vigorous teeth brushing is not encouraged.
Missing A Dental Appointment
One of the most important things that leads to your braces breaking is missing your dental appointment. During your dental visit, your specialist will evaluate your braces thoroughly. If they observe any bracket that is moving, they will fix it immediately. Missing your appointment will let the mobility of the brackets go unnoticed and eventually cause them to be damaged.
How Do Dentists Fix Traditional Braces?
The dentist fixes the braces by using a bonding agent on the bracket and placing it back on the tooth. In some cases, the entire bracket needs replacement if the damage is very severe.
How To Prevent Brackets From Breaking?
The best ways to take care of your brackets are:
- Be gentle when brushing and use interdental brushes as per the recommendation of your specialist
- Ask your dentist for mouth guards before sports
- Try to have control over your habits of involuntary chewing
- Never miss your appointment with the dentist, so that they can spot any loose brackets early
Final Thoughts
For the best outcomes of your traditional braces, you have to be very vigilant in their maintenance. It is quite hard to have control over your habits, and brackets fall off as a result of negligence. However, a dental specialist can help. At Celine Dental Cosmetic Dentistry & Orthodontics – Cypress, we offer complete dental care throughout your braces period. Just call us at (281) 262-2332 to book an appointment and learn more about our dental services.