Pain, Discomfort, and Sharp Edges
Placing braces or aligners applies pressure to move teeth over time. Patients expect mild pain, discomfort, or soreness as their teeth shift. However, significant discomfort could indicate an emergency. If the pain becomes unbearable, contact your orthodontist right away—this pain is not normal. The pressure from braces can also lead to cuts or sores inside the mouth. Patients must watch carefully for any protruding wire or sharp edges rubbing against or cutting the inside skin tissue. Leaving sharp or poking edges unattended risks serious soft tissue damage, so diligently monitor for potential problems and alert your orthodontist if any sharp areas develop.
Loosened Braces or Bands
According to one of the best dentist in downtown Toronto, the orthodontic bands cemented around teeth anchor the wires and braces securely to each tooth. However, chewing certain sticky or hard foods can loosen or dislodge bands over time. Patients may also accidentally tear off sections of their braces when eating or playing sports. If a loose band cannot be pushed back into place or if part of the braces comes free from several teeth entirely, contact your orthodontist for a repair appointment. Leaving braces unanchored or loose for too long risks losing correction progress or even full debonding if neglected long enough.
Broken Wires or Lost or Broken Appliances
Even when patients observe all precautions in caring for their orthodontic equipment, components can wear out or unexpectedly fracture. When excessive stress is placed on the wires or hardware, broken items result. Severely fractured or protruding broken wires require immediate attention to prevent pain or injury to oral tissues. Sometimes, individual orthodontic brackets, headgear tubes, elastic hooks meant to hold elastics, or other small parts break free and are swallowed or lost; for removable appliances like Invisalign aligners, a lost or broken aligner causes real problems. In any of these situations, call your orthodontist right away for guidance; ignoring broken or missing components stalls progress.
Injuries During Sports or Activities
Active braces patients who participate in sports or recreational activities risk injury to oral tissues and orthodontic equipment due to accidental impact. Any falls, collisions, or blunt blows to the face—even from recreational events like opening a bottle with teeth or playfully wrestling—can damage braces. Contact sports like football, soccer, hockey, basketball, and baseball pose extra risks. Athletes wearing braces must practice caution and wear protective mouthguards. Patients noticing any injuries, pain, disturbance of their brace positions, or subtle loosening of bands after an impact should arrange an emergency visit to allow for assessing damage, repairing harm, and, if necessary, modifying any future treatment plans. Ignoring potential damage risks additional problems.
Uncomfortable Rubbing or Ulcerations
Even properly fitted braces may form occasional sore spots in the mouth. However, distinct painful ulcerations from severe rubbing warrant attention. The sores appear as round red lesions or bleeding points on oral soft tissues. Patients tend to develop sores along the inside lips or cheeks parallel to the braces. Tiny temporary sores occur but typically heal quickly.
On the other hand, lingering open ulcerations could require intervention because they indicate improper brace fitting or excess abrasion. When tissues show damage beyond small temporary irritations, seek adjustments to prevent worse injury or permanent scarring. Leaving irritations unaddressed might necessitate braces removal if ulcers worsen severely enough. Thus, regular orthodontic office visits ensure proper monitoring.
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