Orthodontic treatment is an exciting step toward achieving a straighter, healthier smile, but that doesn’t mean it’s without challenges. While braces and clear aligners are designed to be durable and safe, accidents can still happen. A broken bracket, poking wire, or lost aligner can cause discomfort and disrupt your treatment progress. The good news? Most orthodontic emergencies are completely avoidable with a few simple habits.
Here are 5 dentist-approved tips to help keep your treatment on track and your smile stress-free.
1. Be Mindful of What You Eat
If you wear braces, your food choices can significantly impact your treatment. Hard, sticky, and chewy foods are the top culprits behind broken brackets and bent wires. Items like popcorn, caramel, ice, nuts, and hard candies can put excessive pressure on your brackets, causing them to snap off. Even healthy foods, such as apples and carrots, should be cut into smaller pieces rather than bitten into directly.
Clear aligner wearers should avoid eating with their trays in, as doing so can crack or distort them. Removing aligners before meals and storing them safely in their case keeps them secure and intact.
2. Protect Your Mouth During Sports
Whether you wear braces or aligners, protecting your teeth during physical activity is essential. A sports mouthguard acts as a cushion to safeguard your brackets, wires, and gums from injury. For aligner patients, wearing your mouthguard without aligners helps prevent damage to the trays and reduces the risk of injury. Your orthodontist can help you select a properly fitted mouthguard designed to accommodate braces and provide maximum protection.
3. Stay Consistent with Oral Hygiene
Good hygiene does more than protect your teeth; it helps prevent orthodontic emergencies. Plaque buildup can lead to swollen gums, tooth decay, and gum irritation, which may cause discomfort or affect how your braces or aligners fit. For braces, take extra care when brushing around brackets and under wires. For aligners, clean your trays daily to prevent warping, odors, and bacterial buildup. Healthy gums and teeth make your entire orthodontic experience smoother and more comfortable.
4. Avoid DIY Adjustments
It can be tempting to tweak a poking wire or tighten something that feels loose, but DIY orthodontics often leads to bigger problems. Using household tools to adjust appliances can damage the hardware or injure your gums. If a wire is irritating your cheek, orthodontic wax can offer temporary relief. For anything more serious—like a loose bracket or broken aligner—contact your orthodontist. Professionals have the tools and training to make safe, precise adjustments.
5. Keep Your Aligners and Appliances Safe
Losing or damaging appliances is one of the most common orthodontic emergencies. Always store your aligners, elastics, or retainers in their protective case when not in use. Avoid wrapping them in napkins, putting them in your pocket, or leaving them somewhere pets can reach. For braces wearers, be gentle when flossing or brushing around wires to avoid accidental bending.
Orthodontic emergencies can be stressful, uncomfortable, and disruptive, but they’re largely preventable. By being thoughtful about what you eat, maintaining good hygiene, and protecting your orthodontic appliances, you can enjoy a smoother, more enjoyable path to your ideal smile.
About the Practice
Find yourself in an orthodontic emergency? We can help! Our highly trained, caring orthodontic experts can see to your situation and will see you as quickly as possible to relieve your pain. Also, you’ll enjoy our modern orthodontic office with a cozy, homy feel. Whether it’s a broken bracket or a protruding archwire, we’ve got you covered! Schedule an appointment online or call (614) 495-9002.
