Archwire popped out of my bracket

[SaturdaysMuse]

Hi everyone! I was brushing my teeth tonight when my archwire popped out of the bracket. It is on a tooth that is pushed back farther than the rest. The assistant had a lot of trouble getting the wire in when the braces were put on and it didn't look fully set in the bracket. But I trusted they knew what they were doing. Last Friday I had the archwire pop out of a back bracket and when I called I was told to put it back in with tweezers. (I was able to fix that one). Has anyone else had this much trouble? I've only had my braces a week and a half! And I'm kinda a big baby. I brush and floss three times a day and eat soft food. Is this what I have to look forward to for the next 16 months?

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Oh let me tell you! LOL Ok so my first week I was eating soft "I-left-it-out-for-an-hour-to-mush-up" cookie dough. haha and the wire popped out nad the tooth was too close to even put it back in with tweezers, I don't have molar bands just a large back bracket which made it harder. Then I called the office all scared and told them and the thing is I travel a ong distance to get there, she's the besst so I only go for the best But anywho I knew I could not get up to Boston again, so when she asked me to come in I told her (the Ortho coordinator) I couldnt and she told me to put it back in with tweesers and that did not work so I tried hemostats which also did not work. So she told me to just cut it with nail clippers which I tried to and didin't work. So I took a pair of sharp scissors and ir worked.
So then something ELSE happened, I was flowwing and the wire bent out forward. I couldnt close my lips or get it over the bent out wire and I had work the next day. I work at a place that we are all over talking tlaking talking to the customers and we a re huge on customer service, and I couldn't talk and this was a firday night. (She's not open on fridays or sat and I had work on Saturday). I called her office to see if their was a voice message and it said if it is a true orthoodntist emergency please page her and so I had her paged. She called me back at 6pm on a Friday night. I was crying and told her I was super duper sorry I did not mean to, so she told me to taker a breather first then explain what had happened. She told me to bring the phone with her on it into the bathroom to a mirror and she walked me through it she told me it sounded like I popped the wire out in the back and it bent out forward. She told me to move the wire around in the back and it made a click and I pushed the front bent out wire down adn ahhhh! Success.
So yup I've had that happen and worse. The ortho said to me that it will happen a lot with the first flexible wires, when she gets the stronger ones in it won't happen. She said it happens even when you are eating the right thing.

[CountessDeSangre]

Don't be surprised when you pop a bracket. My first bracket popped in the car after getting braced on day 1. I didn't even reach my house yet.

But my orthodontist is cool and she'll just place a new one.

[klobird]

I got my braces on Friday and by Saturday morning the archwire popped out in the back. I freaked out!! I had no idea what just happened or what to do about it. So, I spent about 2 hours and finally got it back in. It happened 2 more times that weekend. The last time I could not get it back in. The wire was poking into my cheek and I ended up with bleeding fingers and a bleeding cheek. Wax wouldn't help keep it down.

So, I called the office on Monday morning 1st thing. They couldn't get me in until Tuesday. On Monday afternoon, my husband cut the end off with a garden tool-I was freaked out and crying--the wire was poking and hurting and causing bleeding, so he took care of the wire for good.

Well, when I went in on Tuesday, I saw the office mgr. and really quick told her that I did something I wasn't sure was OK---that I had the end clipped off. The very first thing she said was that it was going to cost me $50 for doing that! Not "How are you now?" or anything else! I was really angry. I told her that I tried to make an appointment for the day before, but that they were too busy. Then she said I should have called over the weekend to the on-call assistant. Like I knew they had emergency services!!!! I had never heard of an orthodontic emergency (I work for a physician).

Well, it turned out to not be a problem, I didn't get charged the $50, and the assistant just cleaned up the end of the wire.
But, my relationship with the ortho office really suffered from that. It has only been recently that I told them an accumulated amount of problems I was having with them, and surprisingly they have made a huge effort to fix attitudes, and their work atmosphere. It's a long story, but it's all good now.

(I had a wire pop out another time and I went to put it back in and the wire flipped back and broke perfectly clean off.
I didn't even say anything at the next appointment and neither did they.)

These heavier wires, though, don't seem to be anywhere near coming out anymore--relief!!

[kbp22]

One of my lower front teeth was kind of pushed back slightly behind the others, and after my second adjustment I noticed that the archwire wouldn't stay seated in the clip on that tooth...sounds like a similar issue to what you experienced. The assistant had trouble getting the wire in on that tooth, and then it just wouldn't stay in...it was recessed, and at too much of an angle. I didn't say anything - just waited til my 3rd adjustment to point out that the wire wasn't engaged in that one clip - and when I got my new wire, the ortho tied it into the clip (or tied the clip shut?) with a steel ligature, like the ones I had as a kid, so it all stays put. Maybe you should see if you can get your wire tied in this way, if that one tooth is kind of pushed back? I wish I had said something to my ortho earlier rather tham just waiting, because now it's that ONE tooth that is holding up the works, being stubborn and refusing to line up with the others, so that I can move on to the next phase of treatment.

[SaturdaysMuse]

Thanks! I feel so much better now. I think I need to get it fixed. The archwire is now poking out the back more and I don't trust myself to trim it. I'm calling my ortho tomorrow, I don't want anything prolonging treatment. I wish they spent more time explaining what to expect. I didn't even know I had Damon's until I searched what they look like :)

[klobird]

Hey Sat--I am soooo with you about needing more info from the ortho on what to expect--I am trying to get that point across to my ortho. On our personal login on the ortho site they have a survey on what would make things better. I suggested a patient e-mail visible to all the patients in which they answer questions--chances are several people have the same questions...This archwired site is the place where I have gotten ALL of my questions answered, and I have been WAY more prepared as far as what I need in supplies, or what I need to do in case of any scenario I may experience by searching on this site....just sayin!!

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Yeah it wont prolong the treatment time my ortho told me thats only if a bracket in the middle of both back brackets breaks and that tooth doesnt move. You can just snip it until you get there. Thats what my ortho's office told me to do and they jsut gave me a new archwire, tho mine was a thicker one but thye will give you one the same sixze if they need to and yup I have Damon Braces as well

[kamor]

I have damon speed braces and have had them on for about 2 months now. During the first week, several brackets popped off and the arch wire came out of the bracket on my back molar. The brackets that came off were on my molars and were attached to the tooth at a funny angle, since the molar is angled inwards. Plus the bracket was attached to part of the filling and not the actual tooth, so it did not have enough surface area on the tooth to adhere to. Once the brackets were re-positioned, they were fine and have not popped off.

I have had the arch wire pop out of the back bracket, many times. It seems to happen when i eat bread or muffins. The first time it happened, I freaked out and went to the office to have it fixed. They told me that it is common for this to happen and to just use tweezers and pop the wire back into the bracket. So now i just pop it back in when I need to. it has been happening more often lately, which leads me to believe that my teeth are moving a lot. Which is good So i believe this is fairly common with damon braces, and I'm not too worried about it.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Tip: Never eat cookie dough, even if you leave it out for like an hour LOL

[MetalAmy]

Same thing here, I'm so used to eating only on one side - right, and I'm missing one tooth, so day 12 and wire out of that back tooth is out.

I panicked even though it didn't hurt, it's on some good angle not touching my cheeks or anything sensitive.
For a minute I thought I ripped off a part of my tooth, crazy head.

So I put wax and it doesn't hurt, it's weekend and I plan to call my ortho tomorrow morning, I don't even know if I manage to put it back will it effect the 'moving' of my teeth.
I'm scheduled for a visit in two weeks anyway, so what if I manage to put it back and tell them then? Are those things on the back doing any pulling?

You helped a lot, I thought I was a big failure - and I was eating a cucumber, sliced! Getting this just two weeks after placement.... I feel much better now.

[MetalAmy]

Update: I maneged to put wire back to bracket, should I still call my ortho?

[Prometheus]

Don't worry, in the beginning of your treatment the wires are very thin and it's easy for them to pop out of the molar tubes. If you were able to get it back in the tube then you'll be fine until your next appointment. It has happened to most of us. I use a pair of tweezers or a small hemostat to manuver the wire back in. As time goes on you'll get thicker wires that are much less likely to pop out. Welcome to the club!