Bracket come off on Christmas Day!

[ReaJT]

Hi guys! So just over two weeks in since I had my upper and lower ceramic braces fitted and every day seems to be a new experience or challenge! I finally got rid of all the cuts and ulcers and then my teeth got sore and wobbly. After reading a lot here I was encouraged to find out this was normal.

Then today one of my bottom brackets has come off! After reading some posts here I see it probably won’t be a huge deal at this stage, and I’m going to have to hope so because my ortho isn’t open again for another 10 days! The immediate problem is it’s just sliding up and down the wire, spinning and then jamming in all kinds of positions. I’m worried it’s going to cut up my mouth or end up lodged in against a tooth the wrong way and bend or break the wire. Do you guys think I would be better removing it if I can? I’m worried about taking it out and leaving a long length of unprotected wire in case it gets bent or broken, but I’m worried that’s going to happen any way with the bracket sliding about. It’s also very annoying!

Thank you so much for any help you guys can offer and I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas! X

[adisa]

Sorry to hear that your bracket came off, especially since it's Christmas time. I would put some dental wax on the bracket so that it doesn't cut you. Good luck!

[djspeece]

I doubt that the wire will bend in the absence of a single bracket. I have read here about some brave souls who routinely open and close their self-ligating brackets (e.g., Damon) for fun (See the "Confess Your Orthodontic Sins" thread). I'd be tempted to Google "How to open Damon brackets (or whatever brand you have) and see how do-able that might be. I'd be more concerned about it coming off and ending up in your lung -- unlikely, but possible. I'd recommend that you first call your ortho's office and leave a message, perhaps hinting that you are going to try to remove it yourself. Although they are closed for the holidays, I would guess that someone is checking messages to see if there any emergencies or urgent problems brewing. Maybe email them as well. Best of luck to you.

[FlyByNight]

When my back bracket came off, I slid the bracket off the back and cut the wire with some side cutters, as instructed by my ortho. He put a new wire in at my next appointment.

[ReaJT]

Thanks guys! So far it’s just sliding about and not causing me much bother so I’m just ignoring it until the ortho opens on Wednesday. However now I’ve noticed on the bottom the wire has come out of both of the furthest back brackets! Did these brackets actually do anything or do they just hold the wires in place? The don’t have elastics they just appear to be metal tubes the wire feeds through. I’m wondering if it’s worth the bother of me fighting with the wire to get it back in or if I should just leave it out. Thank you! Steep learning curve here! X

[embracethebraceface]

Just stick wax on it! That's what I had to do when I was in that circumstance. That's not much else you can do unless it's the back tooth and it can slide right off.