Hard food can damage orthodontic braces

Swords Orthodontics had a patient in from Balbriggan the other day and he had broken several of the attachments of his fixed braces (the brackets). This turned out to be because he was eating the wrong kind of food and he was eating it the wrong way for good brace function.

Orthodontics Braces are glued on to the teeth with special dental glue. The glue is amazing because it works in a wet area like the mouth, and can last for 2 years or more. But it isn't magic, and it certainly isn't indestructible - if you put enough force on a bracket it will break or the attachment will break and the bracket will come off the tooth.

So be careful - eat softer food, avoid too much chewing, cut your food into smaller pieces, use your back teeth for simple chewing, and avoid chomping through hard food with your front teeth.

And never ever chew hard things that aren't actually made of food, like pens, zips, or Lego pieces!

When the brace gets broken like this, your treatment doesn't make any progress and might actually have to go into reverse as we get attachments back on the teeth. Also, it can leave bits of wire free to poke your cheek until you get the brace fixed so it can be a nuisance or even painful.