All dental braces are custom braces, meaning that they are configured for your specific smile. This includes the length of the archwire, how often it's adjusted, and the degree of pressure that the archwire exerts via each bracket that has been affixed to the individual teeth. These brackets are generally attached to each tooth using a dental adhesive. In some circumstances, a bracket can detach from the tooth. What can cause this to happen? And how serious is it?
Potential Ways in Which a Bracket Could Detach
There are a number of ways in which a bracket can detach from a tooth.
You might have had an accident which caused a strong blow to your mouth.
It could have been a mishap while brushing or flossing, with a slip of the hand forcing inadvertent pressure onto a bracket, causing the bond to break and the bracket to detach.
You could be affected by an unrelated dental condition, causing the surface of the tooth to degrade which has resulted in the dental adhesive losing stability.
Possible Complications
A detached bracket might not seem like a major problem, and in the short term, it's certainly not. And yet you still need to visit your orthodontist to have the bracket in question reattached within a timely manner. The bracket will still be attached to the archwire, meaning that the archwire will still be exerting pressure upon the bracket. If the underside of the bracket is not aligned to the surface of the tooth and affixed into place, the resulting friction can potentially scrape the surface of the tooth, leading to damage to your dental enamel.
There is also the issue that tooth in question will not be subject to the same direct, moderate pressure that is being exerted by the predetermined tightness of the braces. This means that while the other teeth in your mouth are still being gently manipulated into the desired position, the tooth with the detached bracket will be left behind. Though braces are designed to slowly and gently move your teeth into the prefered final position, it's prudent that all teeth are treated at the same time to prevent misalignment.
Getting Treatment
Your orthodontist will examine the detached bracket and ideally, it will simply need to be reattached with dental adhesive. If the bracket or its loops (through which the archwire has been threaded) have been damaged, it will be replaced. The surface of the tooth will also be examined if it's suspected that a dental condition has led the adhesive to lose its grip, with this issue being addressed if needed.
A detached, individual bracket is not exactly a dental emergency, though it still needs to be repaired without delay.
Share21 August 2018
Hi! My name is Sarah, and as a busy professional, I understand the importance of making the most of my time. That includes everything from having productive working lunches to making the most of my dental checkups. I have created this blog to help you maximise your dental checkups. In these posts, you can learn how to prepare for your checkup, which questions to ask during your checkup and more. I am also going to have posts explaining why checkups are critical to your dental health as well as the health of your entire body. Happy reading, and thanks for visiting my blog!
