How to treat broken braces at home

We understand how worrying it can be when your braces break. Thankfully, most issues can be resolved quickly and easily at home.

Here are some tips to help you manage while the practice is closed. If you need our advice, or you have an emergency, please call us on 020 7486 4433.

Your Invisalign aligner is rubbing

If your Invisalign aligners or removable retainers are rubbing your gums, this can be easily solved at home.

Simply smooth over any sharp, bothersome areas using a small emery board. Be careful not to take away too much of the aligner and hold it securely as you file to ensure it doesn’t snap.

Your Invisalign aligner has split

If a small split appears in your Invisalign aligner, don’t worry. You can keep wearing it – just be careful when you take it in and out. You’ll be able to move on to your next aligner as usual but contact us if you have any concerns.

If your removable retainer splits, it’s fine to keep wearing it in the short-term. However, we’ll need to organise a replacement, so please contact us to arrange an appointment at the practice.

Your Invisalign aligner has snapped in half

Even if your Invisalign aligner snaps in half completely, you can keep wearing both parts. If one section is particularly small, and there’s a risk you could swallow it, wear the larger part only. Again, you can move on to your next set of aligners at the usual time.

In the unlikely event that your removable retainer splits in half, follow the same advice, and contact us to arrange a replacement.

A bracket has detached from your tooth

If a bracket comes loose, we’ll need to reattach it. In the meantime, you can secure it using some dental wax. Take a pea-sized piece of dental wax and roll it into a ball. Carefully place it over the bracket and wire to hold everything in place.

To reduce the risk of a bracket detaching in the first place, avoid foods that are especially hard, sticky or crunchy.

A wire is poking out the back of your braces

If your archwire protrudes and pokes the inside of your cheeks, it can be irritating – not to mention uncomfortable.

Take a small piece of wax, soften it into a ball and place it over the end of the wire. If the wire is quite thin, you can also try snipping off the very end using some nail clippers or scissors.

Your fixed retainer has broken

If your fixed retainer breaks, you’ll need to wear your removable retainers more frequently until it can be repaired.

If there are any sharp points, you can shield your tongue using dental wax. Roll a small ball of wax and push it onto the breakage. If the wax doesn’t hold, you can wear your removable retainers full time to avoid any discomfort.

We look forward to welcoming you back to the practice when we reopen. In the meantime, we’re here to help by phone and email.