Having braces can be a little tricky at the beginning. Learning new skills can take some practice, like how to properly take care of your braces by brushing and flossing under your brackets and wires. You need to learn to cook and eat differently to keep your braces safe, and sometimes even when you do everything right, braces will break. While this all sounds like a challenge, the best thing you can do is have a team behind you to help you through every up and down of your treatment!
Petrunic Orthodontics is the place where you won’t only have your braces put on, but you will have our entire team of professionals in your corner throughout the process. Dr. Petrunic will be with you every step of the way, and help out if something goes wrong, like your braces breaking!
Let’s talk through some of the reasons why your braces might break and how to deal with them if they do!
How Your Braces Might Break
There are three common reasons why braces break. The first, and the most common, is from eating the wrong foods. If you are frequently eating really hard, chewy, or sticky foods, the chances are good that something could break. The second would be an injury to the face. Playing contact sports or other activities might put you more at risk for injury. And finally, improper cleaning care can sometimes cause braces to break, if you are brushing or flossing wrong.
The best way to manage these incidents is by opting out of the activities that might cause them. Avoiding those types of foods throughout your treatment is a good idea, and either skipping on sports or wearing a mouth guard when you play. At our office, we will teach you the correct way to take care of your braces!
Despite all these good habits, sometimes accidents still happen. Don’t worry, we have a plan to help you manage until you can get the help you need!
Your Plan of Action
1. Assess the Break
The first thing you will need to do is take a look at the break to see what is going on. Is a wire broken? Is a bracket broken? Has it completely separated from your tooth, or is it still partially attached? Is it comfortable, or is it poking your mouth? Is there something that needs to be secured in order to keep it safe?
2. Make Yourself Comfortable
Now that you know what’s happening with the brackets and wires, you need to secure them and make yourself comfortable. This is especially true if something is poking you in the mouth and causing discomfort or pain. This can often be done with a pinch of dental wax pressed over the broken wire. If a piece of the bracket has come off completely, then put it in a safe place and take it to your visit with Dr. Petrunic. If it hasn’t been severely damaged, he may be able to secure it back onto your tooth later.
3. Make an Appointment With Dr. Petrunic
Once steps one and two are complete (they should only take a few minutes!) then jump on the phone with our office to schedule an emergency appointment ASAP! Dr. Petrunic will want to see the extent of your break, and see what he can do to repair it quickly. Don’t wait around to schedule this appointment, because you may cause your teeth to regress some of their progress while the braces are broken.
4. Manage the Break Until Your Appointment
Now all that is left is waiting until your appointment. Despite the fact that our office team will have booked you in as quickly as possible, sometimes it can be a few days until your visit. In that case, just make sure that your teeth and braces are safe, and you are comfortable. Be extra careful with chewing and brushing in the meantime (but don’t skip brushing, it’s still important!)
Once you do finally get into our office to see Dr. Petrunic, you can count on him making the best and most efficient choice to get your braces fixed. Depending on the nature of your break, this might be more or less complicated, but he will get the job done! You will soon be heading back home with a normal set of braces that aren’t causing any issues.
And hopefully, you’ve learned a few lessons in how to avoid breaking your braces again and keep them safer in the future!
The Best Place for Orthodontics!
If you live in the Prattville area, then come on over to our office to experience what quality orthodontic care can be like. We offer support to all of our patients throughout their treatment, including fixing braces when they break. We are ready to help you get the smile you’ve been dreaming of, so go ahead and give us a call to schedule a free consultation appointment!