Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

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:
MILLYmo0se · 26/09/2025 14:12

Girl here too and never had them pop off, had to go back once to get a wire cut/adjusted. Don't think she's particularly careful with how she eats tbh.
Now getting her to stop losing the feckin aligners is a whole other matter 🙄

Sweep3 · 26/09/2025 14:28

DD has had hers for a year, they have popped off 4 times in total and twice we had to have wire trimmed as it was in her cheek. SDS has had his for 18 months and his have popped off 3 times, I think for both it was more at the beginning of having them fitted when the teeth were moving the most so perhaps it will settle down a bit. Neither of them really eat any less sweets but they do stay away from hard foods or chewy ones.

MildlyAnnoyed · 26/09/2025 14:53

Is it NHS? My daughter had braces fitted yesterday & they made it very clear that if you break the wire / braces anymore than 3 times, the NHS won’t fund anymore longer & you have to have them removed so he perhaps needs to be more careful!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Dental health
Cheshire71 · 26/09/2025 15:20

My daughter had braces in her mid teens and had to have a special block put behind her upper teeth due to having a large over bite and the risk to the braces popping off. Wonder if your son needs something similar.

Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:05

Sweep3 · 26/09/2025 14:28

DD has had hers for a year, they have popped off 4 times in total and twice we had to have wire trimmed as it was in her cheek. SDS has had his for 18 months and his have popped off 3 times, I think for both it was more at the beginning of having them fitted when the teeth were moving the most so perhaps it will settle down a bit. Neither of them really eat any less sweets but they do stay away from hard foods or chewy ones.

They did say sometimes the teeth move quite fast initially…. So could be that too I guess.

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:05

MILLYmo0se · 26/09/2025 14:12

Girl here too and never had them pop off, had to go back once to get a wire cut/adjusted. Don't think she's particularly careful with how she eats tbh.
Now getting her to stop losing the feckin aligners is a whole other matter 🙄

🤣🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:08

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

He was fine for the first couple of months, it’s been this last few weeks.
Beyond repeating what they have told him, there’s really not much I can do about what he chooses to eat at school when I’m not there. So, what will be will be I guess.

OP posts:
craigth162 · 26/09/2025 16:08

My son is 16 and his have came off twice already in 5 months. Both times playing football and took a ball or elbow to the face. I phoned and was told unless it's causing pain they'll just repair when he's in for next check up.

Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:08

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).

I hear ya 👍

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:09

craigth162 · 26/09/2025 16:08

My son is 16 and his have came off twice already in 5 months. Both times playing football and took a ball or elbow to the face. I phoned and was told unless it's causing pain they'll just repair when he's in for next check up.

That’s what I have told my son. I’d only take him if it’s hurting him.

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:10

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.

That’s fucking annoying!

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:11

OneFootAfterTheOther · 26/09/2025 13:18

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

Oooh will ask about this thanks !

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 26/09/2025 16:12

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!

🤞🤞🤞

OP posts:
Jok77 · 26/09/2025 17:00

I wore braces back in the 90s. Only thing I was told not to eat was toffees and whole apples. Never broke once!

Zingy123 · 26/09/2025 17:08

Two years seems very optimistic. My two DD's have them. One DD has had them 4.5 years and the other 3 years so far. We've had the odd bracket come off but never the wire.

Jowak1 · 26/09/2025 17:23

My daughter who’s 14 has fixed braces and she’s had them on for about 6 months now. We had to go back once when a bracket came off as it didn’t attach properly. My daughter has a great appetite and there is nothing she doesn’t eat! The dentist actually commented at the last checkup on how well she was cleaning her teeth and she does have the odd fizzy drink.

frustratedplusone · 26/09/2025 19:47

My DD had hers on age 8 and we had numerous emergencies, hooked on pjamas, a trapped pizza crust , being hit in the mouth at a swimming pool … I thought this was why they don’t put them on younger children so relieved to know it wasn’t just her age .. but do feel your frustration, she had ceramic so wouldn’t be as visable and she managed to turn the clear bands luminous yellow by eating pizza and spaghetti bolognaise. She was meant to have them on 6 months … we finally got them off today after a year and a half…. But still has a fitted retainer so they’ve said still no hard foods or we ll be back getting that stuck back on 😩.

ComebackStory · 26/09/2025 19:51

I feel your pain! Ds (13) has had his 4 weeks and we already have a snapped wire and he’s been picking the bracket so it’s loose!

JugglingMuggle · 26/09/2025 19:53

It’ll get better! My DD had hers fitted in March. In the first month we were back three times, a bracket and twice the wire coming out. She had to have teeth removed before the braces were fitted, and the wire has to cross a vast expanse between teeth where some were removed and it kept getting caught. But then the teeth moved quite quickly and since then it’s only happened once. I think it just gets better. Hang in there! (Oh and my DD is really careful with hers!)

fiorentina · 26/09/2025 19:58

My DS has them and the wire has popped out a couple of times but he put it back in himself? He doesn’t eat super soft food but breaks up crusty bread etc so as not to damage them. I have a retainer behind my teeth and do the same. I do sometimes drink fizzy drinks though as does my DS. Just not that often..

latishia6 · 26/09/2025 20:01

Yeah not normal! I had braces for two years and they never popped off, and I didn't really watch what I ate!

tinyangel · 26/09/2025 21:20

DS 15 has braces now for 6 months. We visit regularly for them "popping off" at the back.

He is told not to drink ice cold drinks as this affects the wire, and to also "eat like a disney princess" - small mouthfuls, chew gently. He had the back wires tucked in which has stopped them popping out, for now..

Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 27/09/2025 01:59

tinyangel · 26/09/2025 21:20

DS 15 has braces now for 6 months. We visit regularly for them "popping off" at the back.

He is told not to drink ice cold drinks as this affects the wire, and to also "eat like a disney princess" - small mouthfuls, chew gently. He had the back wires tucked in which has stopped them popping out, for now..

Edited

It’s the back ones here too.

OP posts:
Original poster
StrongLikeMamma · 27/09/2025 02:01

Jowak1 · 26/09/2025 17:23

My daughter who’s 14 has fixed braces and she’s had them on for about 6 months now. We had to go back once when a bracket came off as it didn’t attach properly. My daughter has a great appetite and there is nothing she doesn’t eat! The dentist actually commented at the last checkup on how well she was cleaning her teeth and she does have the odd fizzy drink.

They are happy with his cleaning.

OP posts:
Heartonfire · 27/09/2025 09:20

Don’t blame your child, blame the ortho!!!
this is ludicrous that this keeps happening.
in 20months we’ve had 1 bracket come loose whilst he ate a banana… the ortho fixed it and never happened again.
we were also never told to avoid any foods! Avoid too much sugar but nothing about food avoidance!

Swipe left for the next trending thread