How To Deal With Loose Braces

Anybody with braces knows the feeling when they're properly fitted to their teeth. It also makes it easy to tell when something is wrong and causes the braces to become loose. If you notice a loose bracket, here is what you should do before visiting your orthodontist.

Know Why Brackets Can Become Loose

It will help to understand what can cause a bracket to become loose in the first place. While there can be many reasons behind this problem, it may be due to some bad habits that you are doing.

For instance, if you tend to chew on pens or pencils during the day, or you still bite your nails, these habits can loosen a bracket. When drinking a cold beverage, you may chew on the ice cubes, which can put a lot of pressure on the brackets. You may also have suffered some sort of trauma, such as from playing an impact sport, that can cause a bracket to become loose.

Pull The Bracket Off

One option that you have to deal with a loose bracket is to pull it off the tooth. You may want to consider that the wire and elastic band have come off the bracket, which means the bracket is not doing anything.

If there are still wires attached to the bracket, then try leaving it alone for now. That's because there is a risk of the bracket coming off the tooth unexpectedly, and you can even choke on the bracket if this happens. Try gently pulling back the bracket with tweezers to detach it.

Use Dental Wax

You can also try a temporary fix that can buy you some time until you are able to visit your orthodontist, which involves using dental wax. It can be bought at your local drug store if you do not already have it at home.

All you need to do is place it over the bracket so that it helps the bracket stick to the tooth like a glue. The wax should be enough to hold it in place and prevent it from becoming loose and should by no means be considered a permanent solution to the problem. If you are out and about and in a pinch, you can also use sugar-free chewing gum to achieve a similar effect.

With these tips in mind, you'll buy some time until you can have the braces fixed. Contact a dentist who provides braces services to make an appointment as soon as possible.

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