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Huntington Office
If you are about to get braces or have already had them, you have probably considered a few potential challenges. A few examples might be: How do I keep my braces clean? How do I eat with braces? How do I manage pain with braces?
These are all excellent questions that our team at Shiney Smiles Orthodontics will be thrilled to answer along the way. But there’s one more big question that you should be considering, too. What will you do if your braces break? While we hope that no one has to deal with broken braces, the reality is that things happen and braces aren’t permanent devices. They can sometimes be knocked loose, and in those cases, we need to have a plan to take care of them!
Let’s spend a few moments talking through the reasons that braces might break and then a step-by-step plan of action for how to care for them if they do break!
How Your Braces Might Break
While Dr. Sheinis has seen all kinds of reasons that braces have been broken, there are a few common ones.
- Eating foods that you shouldn’t be eating with braces
- An injury to the mouth, for example, while playing contact sports
- Improper technique at brushing, flossing, and caring for your braces overall
The good news with these possible reasons is that they are things you can often manage through correct training and preparation. The bad news is that it’s up to you to follow through and keep your braces safe! We believe in you and are cheering you on, and will always be here if you need us.
Speaking about needing us, let’s talk through Dr. Sheinis’s recommendations for what to do if your braces break.
Your Plan of Action
1. Assess the Break
The first thing you should do after you notice a break with your braces is take a quick inventory. What part of the braces are broken? Is it a wire? A bracket? Two brackets? Are they loose? Are they coming off completely? Are there pieces poking into my mouth?
Once you see exactly what is going on, you will be able to describe the problem to our team, and you can also manage your own discomfort more easily. If any pieces have come off, save them and bring them into your appointment, There’s a chance if they aren’t too bent that Dr. Sheinis may be able to use them again.
2. Make Yourself Comfortable
Now that you understand what’s going on in your mouth, deal with any urgent pain or discomfort. Especially if you have something protruding in your mouth and poking you or hurting you in any way, deal with that quickly. Dental wax is often a helpful quick fix, and it might also help you secure wires into place temporarily.
3. Make an Appointment With Dr. Sheinis
Now that you aren’t in pain you can give our office a call as soon as it’s open! Our office staff is ready to handle this kind of emergency appointment, and they will schedule you to come into one of our offices as quickly as possible! Tell them the whole story and explain in detail the state of your braces now. This will help them prepare the doctor and hygienists for how best to treat you once you come in.
4. Manage the Break Until Your Appointment
Now all you have to do is make it to your appointment! Managing that break until then might be a little tedious, but we promise that it will be worth it once things are repaired and ready to go. You can likely get instructions over the phone on how best to manage the break until you are back in the office.
How To Prevent More Breaks in the Future!
The truth is that mistakes and accidents happen and we can’t always prevent problems. But we can learn from our mistakes and do our best to avoid more complications in the future! If your braces break came from a small mistake, then here are our best tips on how to avoid these same issues again in the future!
First, be sure to follow the braces diet and avoid crunchy, hard, chewy, and sticky foods. It can be hard to follow through on this one, but it really is the best way to keep yourself and your smile safe during treatment! Another good idea is to wear mouthguards during contact sports and other potential injury places like ice skating, etc. And finally, follow our team’s advice on how to properly clean your braces and do so thoroughly but gently. No need to be prying!
Get All the Support You Need at Shiney Smiles Orthodontics!
At our practice, we have seen it all when it comes to braces and breaks. We are here to support our patients and help them have the most successful and efficient treatment possible, so simply give us a call and we will be happy to help you resolve any problems!
If you are new to orthodontics and are still considering your options, give one of our offices a call to set up a free consultation appointment! This is the best way to learn about which treatments might be right for you and to get started! We hope to see you in our office very soon!