If your teen has braces….

[DCIJackieDeering]

How often to they break? DD has had braces for about 6 weeks and so far they’ve broken 3 times, once a bracket fell off, and twice the wire has come out of the last bracket. I’m getting annoyed at so many visit to get them mended, given we paid a fortune to have them done. I’m not sure if this is normal, we’re doing something wrong, or they’ve been fitted badly. Is this normal or should I be complaining?

Dd broke hers twice in between the first 2 appointments but not since and been a year past Feb...

Yes, my dd also broke hers twice at the beginning but hasn’t at all since. She’s had them on for a year. I suppose they are just getting used to them and to what they can’t eat.

A bracket came off twice I think but that was all in 2½ years of dds braces

My two had them and they never broke.

They generally break because the teenagers are biting to hard!
you need to keep food soft, no crusty bread or roast potatoes etc… if they weren’t fitted correctly they would have been pulled off when the dentist fitted the wires as the elastics need quite a bit of pulling!
the t kids do learn eventually

I’ve got braces at the moment, the wire always comes loose, and I’ve had 2 brackets break. Last time I went back they put some resin on the bottom of one of my top molars-they said my top teeth weren’t aligning properly and was causing stress to the bottom bracket. No issues since

They don’t seem to brake when eating, the bracket came off in her sleep. The wires seem to come out when she’s brushing, so might be brushing too hard.

I had adult braces and a bracket popped off the first day. I discovered two years later that the dentist was incompetent and had completely messed up my teeth. Looking back, I ignored a lot of red flags like the bracket coming off, my lip getting cut by dentist during adjustments, no dental wax provided (I only found out it existed via google), the treatment plan and time estimate constantly changing, etc.

Anyway all I mean to say is: trust your instincts, keep an eye on the orthodontist and if you aren’t happy, get a different one or at least a second opinion. I expect most are great, sadly mine was not.

DS broke a bracket off in the first 2 months and almost a year on it hasn't happened again.

Thanks, he came highly recommended by a friend. They seemed very professional, we did get the goody bag with lots of brushes, toothpaste and the wax. We’ll see how it goes

When DD had hers she had a breakage early on, I panicked and booked her in, they fixed it but said it could have waited till her next check up. Towards the end covid struck and she wasn't able to go for 6 months, they all came apart completely in that time but the treatment still worked.

DS has had I think two breaks in about a year, both times we have waited till the next appt but he is being seen more frequently and I am more blasé about it all now (feels as though we have been doing it for years as DS started just as DD finished and both had twin blocks for >18 months before fixed braces).

Hmm my sons wire has popped out of the back bracket twice but I poked it back through myself, could you do that? None have broken.

I did spend a while trying this eve @Whyisitsodifficult I might have another go in the morning, i didn’t have the knack of getting it in, it seems like there are some little teeth on the bracket you need to get inbetween, might get the pliers out in the morning and try again!

Yes it’s a bit fiddly I used tweezers but the wire is quite flexible and should pop back into the bracket if you get it right. Saves a trip to the Orthodontist and they were happy for me to do it.