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Original poster

Bloody braces! 🦷

57 replies

StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 07:32

DS had braces fixed to his teeth a couple of months ago.
They said he needs to wear them for 2 years and eat soft food - no sweets no fizzy drinks etc

He’s 13. I’m not with him all the time to police the soft food policy.

They have now popped off THEEE TIMES - ending in an emergency visit to the orthodontist which is an hour’s round trip. They pop them back on in 5 minutes.

Is it ALWAYS like this? Will this happen for two whole years?! It’s driving me nuts.

OP posts:
twistyizzy · 26/09/2025 07:38

DD has had her fixed braces in for 6 months and touch wood they haven't come off yet.
The sweets and fizzy drinks thing is because sugar can get trapped under the brace and then rot the teeth as more likely to be missed in cleaning.

dementedpixie · 26/09/2025 07:45

Is it the wire or the bracket that is coming off? My dd never had a lot of issues and she had hers on for a few years (covid delayed her getting hers off)

What sort of foods is he having? Hard sweets and hard fruits/veg (e.g. apples, carrots, etc) can be an issue. My dd managed to eat most things tbh

Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 07:46

Notice you both have DDs.
He mostly drinks water.
I’m guessing he’s eating things less carefully than he needs to.

OP posts:

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Dental health
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 07:46

It’s been the wire and then also the bracket.

OP posts:
twistyizzy · 26/09/2025 07:49

StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 07:46

It’s been the wire and then also the bracket.

Hhmm not good of bracket is coming off too. Would imagine he's not taking too much care about what he eats?

twistyizzy · 26/09/2025 07:50

Just a thought ie sport. DD wears a braces mouthguard to play sports in, does your DS?

CandleMug · 26/09/2025 07:50

Three times in two months doens’t seen normal. 3 times in two year maybe, but as you say, it’s a long drive for you and if it continues at its current rate, it could be popping off 30 more times…. 😳🙄

dementedpixie · 26/09/2025 07:51

It could be that the bracket wasn't glued on properly. Hopefully it'll settle down and he'll get a phase where it al stays in place

Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 07:54

twistyizzy · 26/09/2025 07:49

Hhmm not good of bracket is coming off too. Would imagine he's not taking too much care about what he eats?

Show quote history

Well yes.

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 07:55

twistyizzy · 26/09/2025 07:50

Just a thought ie sport. DD wears a braces mouthguard to play sports in, does your DS?

Yes he does.

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 07:56

CandleMug · 26/09/2025 07:50

Three times in two months doens’t seen normal. 3 times in two year maybe, but as you say, it’s a long drive for you and if it continues at its current rate, it could be popping off 30 more times…. 😳🙄

Exactly 🙈🙄

OP posts:
agoodfriendofthethree · 26/09/2025 08:01

This definitely doesn't sound normal. My son had to wear his for 14 months and only one little bit popped off once, and that was a day after he'd had new brackets fitted and the glue just hadn't taken. He drank water, and avoided sweets, apples, carrots and pizza crust, but otherwise didn't eat a much softer diet than usual and he had no problems at all. I hope things settle down for you!

gingercat02 · 26/09/2025 08:05

DS has had his for over a year now. It's only very recently we haven't had go back between appointments to get a wire put back in or a block replaced.
It's a pain but it's worth it.
There is no way to eat soft food for 2 years, I couldn't do that, never mind a teen.

Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 08:15

gingercat02 · 26/09/2025 08:05

DS has had his for over a year now. It's only very recently we haven't had go back between appointments to get a wire put back in or a block replaced.
It's a pain but it's worth it.
There is no way to eat soft food for 2 years, I couldn't do that, never mind a teen.

Edited

My thoughts exactly.

OP posts:
BrieAndChilli · 26/09/2025 08:24

Its a boy thing!!!
DD and DS2 both had/have braces.
DD had hers from 14 until just before she turned 17 this summer. We had to get brace fixed once very early on.
DS2 has had his for about a year (is nearly 15) and i have lost count of the amount of times we have had to take him back to get braces fixed. They have started to get quite annoyed with him. He just takes massive bites and doesnt take care.

Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 08:36

BrieAndChilli · 26/09/2025 08:24

Its a boy thing!!!
DD and DS2 both had/have braces.
DD had hers from 14 until just before she turned 17 this summer. We had to get brace fixed once very early on.
DS2 has had his for about a year (is nearly 15) and i have lost count of the amount of times we have had to take him back to get braces fixed. They have started to get quite annoyed with him. He just takes massive bites and doesnt take care.

Hmm this is what I was suspecting 🙄

He was telling his mate’s older sister about them popping off, she’d had braces a few years ago, and she just shrugged and said - yeah you need to be careful how you eat 🙈

OP posts:
Sjh15 · 26/09/2025 13:09

I had train tracks as a teenager
they did occasionally pop off with the wire
I never had them pop off my tooth tho.
it’s very annoying

twistyizzy · 26/09/2025 13:16

@StrongLikeMamma ironically I seem to have spoken too soon as just had a call from school 🙄 what are the odds?

JRM17 · 26/09/2025 13:18

Yes it will keep happening if he keeps eating the "wrong" foods. I worked braces for 3years when I was 12-15 and I had them pop off 3 times in all that time as it was a pain to get them fixed and if it's the very end one that pops off the wire digs in to ur cheek and it is very painful. He needs to simply accept he needs to look after them.

OneFootAfterTheOther · 26/09/2025 13:18

Ds2s popped off a lot. Then they got the super strength glue out

Bringbackspring · 26/09/2025 13:30

I had train track braces as a teenager, 15-17, and after the first few weeks of getting used to them I pretty much ate as normal. I never had them come off. I do question the quality of dentistry products provided in the NHS now, compared to back when it was almost unheard of to have private dental care.
DH has an NHS dentist who is always trying up sales tactics on him and pretty much said the products he uses on his NHS patients are inferior.

Readyforseptember · 26/09/2025 13:37

The first wires are very thin and they get thicker as they progress through treatment so the first ones are quite delicate, the orthodontist didnt make us feel bad, just said it would get better which it did. We also got caught out with soft fruits breaking the braces so I agree that they aren't as well made anymore.

IneedtheeohIneedtheeeveryhourIneedthee · 26/09/2025 13:38

I had braces for over 3 years and ate and drank normally. No way would I have been on a diet of mush for 3 years.
Don't like fizzy drinks so that did help.

DeQuin · 26/09/2025 13:40

Ya, DD. It drives me nuts. We've been back three times in the last six months (in between scheduled appointments).

Shewhoshallnotbenamed91 · 26/09/2025 14:07

I work in an orthodontist. If he keeps breaking them by not eating correctly, they will remove them. The only thing off limits is sticky sweets, he can eat an apple but needs to cut it, he can have a roll but rip it apart rather than biting it. It's costing the practice money by him not following the rules or being sensible, so be prepared when they have had enough and remove them