What happens if the braces break?
Brackets are the parts of braces attached to teeth with a special adhesive. They are generally positioned in the centre of each tooth. The bracket can be knocked off if hard or crunchy foods have been eaten. If the loose bracket has rotated on the wire and is sticking out and you cannot immediately reach the orthodontist, you can do a temporary fix to ease discomfort and prevent further damage. This must only be done as a last resort. Take care to prevent swallowing or other injury. To put the bracket back in place, use clean tweezers to slide the bracket along the wire until it is between two teeth. Rotate the bracket back to the proper position then slide it back to the centre of the tooth. Tiny rubber bands or small, fine wires, known as ligatures, hold the wire to the bracket. If a rubber ligature should come off, you may be able to put it back in place using clean tweezers. If a wire ligature comes loose, simply remove it with tweezers. If the wire ligature is sticking out into th
