Braces are a complicated and ongoing procedure, and that means there are plenty of small things that can go wrong. Don’t worry! Nothing that goes wrong is permanent and anything can be corrected. Here are several concerns we frequently address.
- Installing braces does not hurt. Many people fear that braces are painful to have installed. The first few days after installation, your teeth will probably be uncomfortable and maybe a little sore, but nothing a little pain reliever won’t solve.
- Brackets glued to your teeth might occasionally come loose. When this happens, it might cause an irritation in your mouth. If this happens, let us know! We can schedule you an appointment to have it glued back on. If it causes irritation, you can either remove it and save it for your appointment, or you can cover it with wax to smooth off the edges that cause the irritation.
- It is possible that excess wire sticks out of the rear fixture of your braces. If this causes irritation, you can either cover it with a small amount of wax or cut it shorter with nail clippers.
- The wire that applies tension to your braces may come loose if you eat hard or sticky foods. If this happens, it can be replaced with careful use of needle-nose pliers or tweezers. If you can’t replace it, feel free to schedule an appointment for us to fix it for you.
- Some braces include brackets that have small hooks for elastics. Just like the wires or loose brackets, occasionally these hooks will cause an irritation in the mouth, especially if they are bent. You can bend them back in with a pencil eraser, or you can apply a ball of wax to smooth out the area.
If you encounter a problem and you cannot solve it with wax or any of the other tricks above, feel free to give us a call. We are always available to fix these and any other issues to make your braces experience as pleasant as possible.
