How could I tell if a wire/bracket was broken?

[catteethidk]

Got my braces three months ago, and when I've gone for adjustments my ortho or her assistant always ask me if anything's broken. Definitely not that I've NOTICED so far, but then I started to worry if I COULD tell or not, and if my ortho would tell me or if that's "my responsibility."

I also noticed a day or two ago that the two brackets on my front teeth aren't in alignment; one is slightly higher than the other and the entire row of braces seems to be at a weird sort of angle. I just noticed, and I'm super scared I've screwed everything up if I, like, accidentally bent a wire a certain way while brushing or something.

I don't want to tell my ortho since she doesn't like me very much and I don't want her to be mad at me for bugging her with what might be a stupid question. Braces have made my anxiety issues and hypochondria kick into hyperdrive...

Help please!

[djspeece]

If a bracket came off a tooth (and that's what they are talking about) you'd see it gleefully swinging around the archwire, celebrating its new-found, but temporary freedom. The archwire would probably be a few mm in front of the tooth. It is not a subtle sort of thing, at least in my experience. And not a big deal, either.
The biggest issue I had with archwires is that as your teeth begin to move, the archwire begins to protrude from the back of the last bracket (which is usually located on a molar.) It begins to stick you in the cheek or jaw with certain movements. It isn't really "broken," but the archwire should be trimmed by the technician even if it is in advance of a scheduled appointment. It takes them literally seconds to do.

As far as bracket placement goes, the orthodontist places them so that the archwire will eventually cause your teeth to move, and the brackets will eventually end up in a nice straight line. Some are high, some are low, some are possibly angled. And, you are not going to hurt the archwire with brushing. They are extremely hard and durable. You won't bend a wire accidentally.

You may think your ortho doesn't like you, but it may be that she is introverted and that is just the way she comes across. Or she may have other personal issues on her mind. They have heard and seen all sorts of things most likely, and your questions are not at all unusual, nor should they annoy her.

As time goes on you'll get more and more comfortable with the charm that is orthodontia and understand what sorts of tooth movements are happening (although they can be very slow). And not to trigger your anxiety, but in many if not all cases, things can get worse before they get better. If I ruled the world I would demand that all orthodontists post a sign to that effect at the entrance to their offices. Your bite may change in weird ways temporarily and you'll find new and exciting ways to chew your food. Tooth pain that comes and goes. And so on.

Best of luck to you!