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Our orthodontist, Dr. Ben McDowell, installed your braces with the intention of aligning your teeth for a better functioning mouth and a more appealing smile. This means that the tension applied to your teeth during routine adjustments gradually repositions each tooth. If any part of your braces is bent, loosened or otherwise damaged, this tension process may be affected. Delaying repair could significantly increase the amount of time it takes to achieve your ideal smile.

Chewing gum or sticky foods and crunching down on hard foods are some of the most common ways braces become damaged. If a piece of hardware is damaged or comes loose, it could seriously injure your cheek or gums. If part of it is still attached to any other part of your braces, you should not attempt to remove it.

The best way to handle a problem like this is to secure the sharp point inside the special orthodontic wax Dr. Ben McDowell gave you when he installed your braces. If you don’t have the orthodontic wax on hand, you can improvise with a pencil eraser.

It’s not uncommon for a spacer to fall out shortly before you are due for your next adjustment session. If this happens, you should call Dr. Ben McDowell and he can assess the situation and determine the best course of action. In many of these cases, the simplest solution is to schedule an earlier adjustment session.

If any part of your braces has become bent, loosened or damaged, please don’t delay calling our Payson Orthodontics team at 928-472-7223 to have it repaired. Our goal is to help you have the best experience possible with your braces in Payson, Arizona.