three weeks, seven broken brackets and counting

[denny33]

I've had my damon braces for just under three weeks, and I've now broken seven brackets. Two of them are repeats, including the one I just broke eating an Egg McMuffin. The metal and ceramic braces have broken about equally, so it's not that. The glue is still on the bracket when it breaks. The glue actually breaks off my teeth, the bracket doesn't break off the glue.

I broke one eating a burger (soft bun), one while brushing, one while eating pita and hummus, one while eating soggy pizza (etc etc). None of this stuff breaks the rules. Do I have to liquify all my food or is there something wrong with me? Has anyone else had anything like this? It's very annoying and expensive for me to make a trip to the ortho. It's at least an hour of my day gone where I'm not billing.

[deltawire]

Not to mention that it "could" potentially slow down your treatment if you continue this way. I have not had these problems and I eat way more bracket breaking things than you mentioned. However, if I were having the same issue I would probably talk with the ortho about getting a stronger bonding medium to keep the brackets on AND I would proabably be extra conscious on what I am eating and doing to my braces. Meaning I would cut up everything in infant like portions just to be sure that I wasn’t the one causing the issues. Just my take on it. Good luck!

~Dwire

[jcdamon3]

Are you teeth like super crooked. Sometimes if there is alot of stress on the brackets at first it can cause that. Another thing is that it just might be your dentist's bonding technique. Or maybe even the etching process, or you have super stubborn teeth!

I hope your brackets settle down soon. I had 2 brackets fall of the same tooth in 16 months. I have no idea what it was about that tooth. The first time I don't even know how I broke it. The second time the ortho had just taken the wire off and I was flossing. We both saw it fly out of my mouth.

[neelie]

My ortho told me not to BITE INTO ANYTHING! My front teeth were very crooked with one front tooth overlapping the other on top and very crowded on the front bottom. In two months the overlapping is almost corrected and the teeth are straightening out on bottom. The ortho assistants have broken off two brackets when adjusting the arch wire but I haven't broken any. I cut all of my food into small pieces and eat with my back molars. The only food I've bitten into with my front teeth is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on soft white bread. I'm starting a list of foods I'll bite into again when the braces are off.....hamburgers, pizza, hotdogs, chicken SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM and a milky way bar....etc.

[denny33]

Yeah no kidding about slowing down the treatment. I've yet to last more than 48 hours with full braces on. They're just here to cut my gums at this point.

[denny33]

Oh yeah, my teeth aren't all over the place. They're splayed out in front leaving giant gaps, but the wire isn't a zig-zag pattern, which would create a lot of up-down tension on the brackets. The only tension I have is the tension that pulls my teeth straight back into my mouth.

[denny33]

Also, I have yet to break any of the front 8 teeth. I did break my bottom cuspids, but that's because my top teeth were biting right down on top of the brackets. Now I have bite bumpers. The other five breaks have all been molars.

[joleigh]

Hi Denny,

It could be possible that the enamel on your teeth isn't strong enough to hold the glue?

At my initial consult with my ortho he did mention that there might be some trouble with the brackets staying on my teeth because apparently some of the enamel had eroded away on some of my teeth. Thinking back I am sure it was my love of lemons that caused this (wish someone had told me that might happen), but he did say that that might be something we would have to deal with by using stronger glues. Luckily, I have had my braces for 11 months and (touch wood) have not had one bracket pop off.

Good luck!

[iBorg]

Wow your record is worse than mine.

I knocked one off due to stupidity but had one tooth that the ceramic bracket came off of four or five times in six weeks. Last time I ws asked if I wanted to try a metal bracket. So far, three weeks and counting, its held. What caused it to fail? Not a clue. I do wonder if different brackets have different requirements relative to the curve of the bracket and the tooth. I do know that the closer the shapes of the bracket and the tooth match, the stronger the bond.

Mike

[maple]

if you are breaking your bottom braces, the problem may be your bite. i have bite pads on my molars to prevent me from biting down on the bottom brackets.

if the top just pop off for no particular reason, i agree with those who recommend that you bring this to your ortho's attention ASAP.

you may want to stick to really soft, liquid like food for the first few days and gradually introduce harder braces friendly food.

good luck

[denny33]

Talked with the ortho today. They've had triple the normal amount of breaks from people who had braces put on the week that I had them put on. There was a problem with the glue.

[Rickysa]

Water (mist) in the air side of the air/water syringe can weaken the bond depending on the resin system used for attaching the brackets, and it can come from a number of places.

Dr. S

[hippyhippo]

I'm glad you found out it was the glue!

But I'm still a bit surprized by your food choices. I'm not supposed to bite into anything with my front teeth. If I can't cut it or rip it up, it's forbidden. So no burgers, no pitas, and no pizza unless I'm using a knife and fork to eat it. But from the sounds of your post, you weren't doing that?

I am allowed to eat pretty much everything that is bite sized though, but I'm supposed to be cautious with anything hard or sticky. So maybe different orthos have different rules.