If your child breaks their braces, there’s no need to panic. You’ll want to take care of the situation right away, but before you do anything else, you’ll want to make sure that they haven’t done any damage to themselves or their mouth. In this post, we’ll explain what happens if your child breaks their braces and how you can help them with it.

Make an Appointment

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, in the United States, the majority of orthodontic patients are children (up to 3.9 million). If your child breaks their braces, it’s important to get them to the orthodontist right away. Your orthodontist should have emergency appointments available, so simply call to book one. They’ll assess the damage and decide if you need to replace the broken bracket or wire. If a replacement is needed, they’ll take care of it right away.

Reevaluate the Treatment Plan

If you’re able to bring your child in for an emergency appointment right away, then the broken braces shouldn’t set back the treatment plan. If the damage has gone unnoticed for some time, however, then your child may need to wear their braces for longer in order to correct any backward movement as a result of the broken braces failing to do their job.

Reattach or Replace the Braces

Depending on the way in which the braces have broken, the orthodontist will either reattach the braces or replace the damaged parts. Either option shouldn’t affect your child too much in the long run. In the rare case that the braces need to temporarily come off completely, your child will be given a retainer to wear until their treatment can resume.

Help Your Child Through the Issue

If your child comes to you to confide about the broken braces, it’s important to treat them gently and not berate them. You don’t want your child to be scared to come to you because any delay in taking care of the damage will hurt your child’s treatment process. Instead, reassure them that the orthodontist will be able to fix the issue.

If your child breaks their braces, don’t worry. Simply make an appointment with David Ross Orthodontics to have the issue corrected. We look forward to helping you!