Braces tend to be very durable. After all, they are designed to remain secure on your teeth for several months or longer! However, they are far from invincible. If you bite down on the wrong food or are involved in an accident, you could easily end up with a damaged wire or bracket. What steps should you take to deal with broken braces? This blog post provides helpful information.
Call Your Care Provider
The dental practice that is providing your orthodontic treatment wants your experience to be as low-stress as possible. Therefore, you should not hesitate to call them if you encounter any problems with your braces. Describe the problem in as much detail as you can. Based on what you tell them, they will provide personalized guidance.
Depending on the details of the situation, you might need to see them for an emergency appointment. Otherwise, they will simply give you advice to help you deal with the issue until it is more convenient for you to visit.
Care for Your Mouth
It would not be wise to attempt to repair your braces on your own. Without professional training, you might end up worsening the damage or even harming your own teeth or soft oral tissues. Instead, do what you can to make yourself comfortable until you can visit your orthodontist or dentist. Here are some tips that might be helpful:
- Carefully bend protruding wires so they are flat against your teeth. A pencil eraser or cotton swab can help you do this.
- Use orthodontic wax to put a barrier between your soft oral tissues and any portion of your braces that is bothering you. Just roll the wax into a small ball before you gently press it against the troublesome part of your braces.
- Swish warm salt water around your mouth. This can fight bacteria and reduce oral inflammation.
- Eat soft foods, such as eggs, yogurt, and smoothies. Eating hard or tough foods might worsen the damage to your braces.
- Take painkillers if necessary. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen may reduce your discomfort
- Do not neglect your regular oral hygiene routine, but be gentle when you are brushing and flossing so you do not cause additional damage to your braces.
Avoid Future Damage
Broken braces are no fun! To help you avoid a similar situation in the future, your care team might give you some tips on how you can improve the way you care for your orthodontic gear. For example, they might advise you to purchase a custom mouthguard for sports or provide pointers on how to eat safely with braces. Hopefully, the remainder of your braces treatment will be without any more unwanted incidents!
Meet the Practice
The professionals at All Dental are proud to provide both traditional metal braces and Invisalign clear aligners. If you are interested in straightening your teeth, or you have questions about how to deal with broken braces, we are ready and eager to speak with you. We can often welcome emergency patients on a same-day basis. Get in touch with our friendly and knowledgeable Westborough team at 508-217-7265.