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Broken Brackets

Randy M. Feldman D.D.S, M.S., Chief Smile Officer of Feldman Orthodontics discusses broken brackets in orthodontic treatment in this video and blog.“Braces” is plural for bracket. A bracket is a little metal square which we glue onto the tooth with an adhesive.When you have braces, each tooth has a bracket on it. There are different kinds of brackets. There are single-wing brackets and double-wing brackets. Our brackets are single-wing brackets. We buy and we use in my practice, the smallest single-wing brackets made anywhere in the world. We like those because there’s a greater distance between the brackets on the teeth.Reasons brackets break off are usually due to something you’re doing mechanically to break the bracket away from the tooth. The adhesive that holds the bracket onto the tooth is strong but there are certain forces, especially sheer forces that can break the bracket off.Things that you eat, specifically things that end in an “O” in a cellophane bag: Doritos; Nachos; Tacos; Fritos; Combos. Those things very quickly, very easily, can break off brackets. Other things, if you bite on pens, pencils, if you bite your nails, all sorts of things can break brackets.So you have a broken bracket. How do you remove that broken bracket from the arch wire? What you need to do is go to the mirror, unless you want to have someone else do it, either one can do it. You take a safety pin. You open up the safety pin. Remember it’s very sharp. You don’t want to poke yourself or poke your gum tissue. But you go ahead and identify the bracket. The bracket will have a little rubber donut on it. You take the sharp end of the safety pin and you very carefully use that to pry away the donut away from the bracket. Then the bracket will fall away from the arch wire, you go ahead and throw the bracket away. Call the office after that to schedule a repair appointment.Feldman Orthodontics 1773 W Fletcher Ave. Tampa 33612 Florida Tel: (813) 968-2483 or 3739 W Neptune St. Tampa 33629 Florida Tel: (813) 254-8005.To learn more about Randy M. Feldman, DDS, MS and Feldman Orthodontics and the orthodontic treatment available for children, teens, and adults using braces, Invisalign, and Invisalign Teen, please visit: http://YourBite.com or call (813) 968-2483.

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