What Happens If You Damage a Tooth While Wearing Braces?

Dentist Blog

Orthodontics corrects problems with your teeth, and it shouldn't create them. But it's certainly possible for you to experience dental trauma while wearing your braces, even if the trauma is unrelated to the fact that you have braces. What happens if you suffer an accident that damages your teeth while you're wearing braces?

Avoid Potential Accidents

In the first place, you need to do everything within your power to avoid potential accidents during your orthodontic treatment. Some accidents are unavoidable, but you will need extra protection when undertaking a potentially risky activity. If you should play sports, you should purchase a custom mouthguard. This device will safely cover both your teeth and your braces. It might be slightly bulkier than the mouth guards you're used to, but it will still be perfectly comfortable while protecting your teeth and braces.

Minor Damage

However, if you should experience trauma to your teeth while wearing braces, the very fact that you're wearing braces means your treatment will require a specific approach. Minor cracks and chips to a tooth can generally be treated without removing your braces. As long as the area of concern isn't obscured by any component of your braces, and is limited to your dental enamel (as in, it's a superficial crack) a dentist can work around your appliance. These minor issues are usually corrected with composite dental bonding, which is when a tooth-coloured dental resin is used to rebuild the deficient part of the tooth.

Serious Damage

More serious trauma to a tooth can call for the removal of your braces. This includes accidents that have resulted in a fracture of the enamel and the underlying dentin, that may extend to the tooth's nerve. Vertical cracks that stretch from the crown to the root can also require the removal of your braces, as can an accident that has displaced a tooth from its dental socket. When it comes to these serious forms of trauma, effective treatment is simply not possible with your braces in place. 

Restoration Work

Your braces will be promptly removed so that restoration work on the damaged tooth can begin immediately. Ideally, the tooth can simply be sealed with composite bonding, but trauma to the tooth's nerve may require a root canal. The goal is to treat your injuries as quickly and comprehensively as possible so that your braces can be reinstalled. This will slightly prolong the duration of your orthodontic treatment, but the overall difference will be minimal.

Damage to a tooth is no joke, and it can be slightly more complex to treat when you're wearing braces. If your braces must be removed to treat your injuries, please rest assured that they'll be reinstalled as quickly as possible, minimising any disruption to your orthodontic treatment.

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26 October 2021

Unraveling Dental Myths about Children: A Blog for Parents

When I had my first child, I was a nervous wreck. Every book I read gave different advice, and I just wanted to be right! By the time I had my third child, some of the stress had abated. I now realised, there were tons of different perspectives on everything related to raising children including dentistry. To help parents, I have created this blog dedicated to unraveling dental myths about children. I am including posts that weigh both sides of issues such as thumb sucking, dental caries, breastfeeding, flossing and any other topic I can think of. I hope you find the information you need to unravel dental myths, but most importantly, I hope you find some peace of mind. With kids and dentistry, there can be more than one right answer, and I want you to be able to relax and go with the answer that's right for you.