.png)
Once you’ve invested time and money into orthodontic treatment to correct misaligned teeth or bites, the last thing you want is for them to come loose. If you’ve noticed that your braces have become loose or detached from your teeth, you should know what to do.
Read on in this blog from Salt & Light Orthodontics in Irvine to find out why this could happen, how it can be avoided, and what you should do in response.
Causes of Loose Braces
Because the brackets of your braces are bonded to the teeth, many different things can knock them loose as a result of wear and tear. This includes dental trauma, eating hard or sticky foods you aren’t supposed to, brushing your teeth too hard, chewing on objects with your teeth, and grinding your teeth.
Sometimes, bonds become loose because they were not securely attached to the teeth. In other cases, a change to your bite may cause a bracket to pop out of place. A bracket can also become loose if you bite down hard on a particular part of your braces as your bite changes.
It can be hard to figure out what in particular caused a bracket to become loose, but you can usually tell according to when it happened. If the braces become loose within 2 days of placement, this was probably a faulty bond. However, if they become loose after this point, it is more likely that some form of wear and tear dislodged or loosened a bracket.
How to Avoid Loosening Your Braces
You should wear a mouthguard to sleep if you grind your teeth or while playing contact sports to prevent accidental injury. Gently brush your teeth in the morning and at night with a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. Floss once daily, preferably with a water flosser.
Avoid prohibited hard and sticky foods like nuts, caramel, and popcorn. Don’t unnecessarily strain your braces by using your teeth to open packages or chewing on your nails or anything else that isn’t food. Try to evenly disperse the pressure on your braces when eating. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll greatly reduce your risk of running into loose braces.
Correcting Loose Braces in Irvine
Do you have loosened brackets? The best thing to do is to contact us right away so we can schedule an appointment with Dr. Stephan Yoon or Dr. Stephanie Purnomo to recement your braces. If you already have an adjustment scheduled within a few days, you may be able to wait.
Otherwise, we’ll fit you in as soon as possible. If the loose braces have irritated your mouth’s soft tissue, rinse with a saltwater solution. You can also use orthodontic wax to prevent loose brackets from pressing up against your gums. Contact us at Salt & Light Orthodontics to schedule an appointment in Irvine.
