How often do brakets come off?

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#1 Post by **Bluemoonjo** » Tue May 09, 2006 11:04 am

Today I recived the letter telling me about my braces .... cost, payment plan, ect.

It says that after 60 days, it costs $20 to replace a braket.

Is this normal? Will I be spending alot of money in brackets? Or should they stay on well?

Input?

#2 Post by **Pirate Wench** » Tue May 09, 2006 11:56 am

I was going to ask my ortho the same question when I go for my final consult in June. I am hoping at least some brackets are covered.....

I will be watching this thread to see what everyone says.

#3 Post by **Leslie022** » Tue May 09, 2006 12:00 pm

I wouldn't say it's too common. Some people on here have had several brackets pop off, some have had a couple, and there are some like me who have had none pop off. I think it depends on the amount of pressure the bracket may be receiving and also if the bracket was placed correctly. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

#4 Post by **nita** » Tue May 09, 2006 12:16 pm

I had two brackets fall off. One fell off within one hour of getting braced, while I was drinking a protein shake. The other fell off two days later while drinking coffee.
When I had them re-attached, the assistant told me not to eat or drink for an hour to let them set. That was six weeks ago and I've been fine since.

I also had two brackets fall off while they were bonding them. That was the assistant's fault though.

I wouldn't worry too much about it!

#5 Post by **Betty Bat** » Tue May 09, 2006 1:00 pm

I've had mine for over 6 months and I haven't lost a bracket yet. I had one taken off and replaced by the ortho, but mine are pretty well stuck on!

#6 Post by **Dark_angel** » Tue May 09, 2006 1:27 pm

Ive had one bracket fall off but it remained attatched to the wire so i didnt swallow it. Ive had one blocked tube on a molar band so that needed replacing, ive had one loose molar band replaced and i currently have another loose band that needs recemmenting.

I wouldnt worry about them falling off but i would request that the first 3 be done for free or something very similar to that.

#7 Post by **Gennel** » Tue May 09, 2006 1:40 pm

I asked about this at my ortho's office. They told me that they replace up to 3 brackets and then start to charge after. They said if the brackets pop orfall off within the same week or two of them being put on then it was most likely that it was not glued on well enough and they were happy to replace it. But if it happens like 2 or 3 months after then it's pretty clear that you ate something that was too hard or crunchy and it made it pop off.

I'm going to ask in my next appt for an itemized list of everything that is covered exactly and price.

Gennel

#8 Post by **JoeMama** » Tue May 09, 2006 1:43 pm

I agree with Dark_angel - you should get a couple free-bie's because accidents happen. Your brackets shouldn't come off, but they do sometimes and it's not always your fault. It wouldn't hurt to ask. My contract says I get 3 before I have to pay, but then it's $75... ouch!

#9 Post by **lionfish** » Tue May 09, 2006 4:25 pm

I've swallowed one bracket (danged cheese straws) and had it replaced free of charge. There's nothing in my paperwork about charging for replacement brackets, but I'd rather not lose any more anyway because it's a nuisance having to go in for unscheduled visits.

#10 Post by **Melancholyrose** » Tue May 09, 2006 5:08 pm

Luckily I haven't lost a bracket, just had a molar band come loose and be re cemented. However, my ortho said that my payment plan covers everything, I assume that he meant bracket replacement.

#11 Post by **drazda** » Tue May 09, 2006 6:24 pm

If anything is going to fall off, it will most likely be in the first 60 days.. at least that was the case for me. I had two molar brackets fall off within 2-3 weeks. They probably just weren't glued on properly because I haven't had a problem since.

#12 Post by **BraceMD** » Tue May 09, 2006 6:38 pm

If you're careful, I would say you might not lose ANY brackets. At a year out, I've not lost any. My ortho told me that is rare- he claims that his other patients (who are 99% kids) lose a bracket "at least every few months". I was surprised by that. He said it's almost always due to food- crunchy or chewy stuff.

So follow the food rules, and hopefully you'll be fine.

#13 Post by **jennandtonic** » Tue May 09, 2006 7:27 pm

I had never even heard of brackets popping off until I got on this site. It's been three months and none of mine have popped off as yet. I'm pretty careful and take good care not to eat the stuff my ortho says I shouldn't, so I don't think I'll have problems.

Like the above poster said, i think if you're careful you shouldn't have that many problems with brackets popping off.

#14 Post by **nvcarissa** » Tue May 09, 2006 7:31 pm

I have been lucky and have been careful too. I haven't had any brackets pop off, not even when getting molds done (and honestly, it felt like they were going to pull my teeth right out of my head). However, I have been careful. No apples, no carrots, nuts eaten very, very carefully.

#15 Post by **Flora2006** » Tue May 09, 2006 7:35 pm

I've never broken a bracket...yet.

At my last adjustment, when I was getting my lower brackets put on, my ortho kept saying how I need to be careful with the brackets and that he's not putting the wire through my very last teeth because the brackets will come off...

The way he spoke about this subject makes me feel as if he's expecting me to lose a bracket before my next adjustment! lol.

He even said how to clip the bracket off if it gets loose and how to make sure I bring the bracket in!!

So we'll see how it goes by the time I go in for my adj. I must say though...he really scared me into not really eating much!

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How often do brakets come off?

How often do brakets come off?

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