Wearing braces may result in soreness, discomfort, or even a loosening of your teeth. After a couple of days of dealing with this, you might start to feel worried. There is a possibility that wearing braces will result in your teeth becoming weaker, looser, or even falling out.
The most common reason for patients to seek orthodontic treatment is because of crooked teeth. These dental experts rely on braces and clear aligners to repair any issue that may arise with a patient’s teeth. However, despite the vast number of different devices that can be employed, the majority of people require braces. They are a series of wires that are used to apply pressure on teeth that are not aligned properly. It is to be anticipated that the external force may result in some discomfort; however, one is able to cope with the discomfort by employing counter-medication.
How Do Braces Work?
The teeth and jaws are subjected to constant pressure during treatment with braces, which shifts the teeth’s position and modifies the smile. The archwire is held in position by the brackets that are attached to the teeth. Therefore the teeth are subjected to pressure. Teeth gradually shift towards their final positions as time passes.
Periodontal ligaments refer to the connective tissue that can be seen all around the teeth and bone. These ligaments keep teeth in place and have the ability to stretch or contract in response to the movement of teeth. When braces shift a tooth to the right, the ligament on that side of the mouth contracts, and new bone grows on the left to fill in the space where the tooth used to be.
Teeth that are not properly secured in the mouth might get dislodged and shift position along the bone or periodontal tissue. This facilitates the movement of teeth.
The goal of wearing braces is to realign the teeth in the jaw. This process is expected to take several months to complete. It is not unusual for patients to experience unsteady teeth when their teeth are being moved into position. In the beginning stages of treatment, there is a possibility that some teeth will be moved into an undesirable position. This shouldn’t give anyone reason to freak out at all. The teeth are merely relocated in a progressive fashion, and there is no risk of any significant diseases developing as a result.
After undergoing treatment, they will experience some shakiness for a period of a few months, but eventually, they will become stable. When the orthodontic treatment is nearing its conclusion, there should be no movement of the teeth. If this does happen, you need to schedule an appointment with your orthodontist as soon as possible. It would be best if you informed your orthodontist of any changes that take place in your teeth during the final month of treatment.
The teeth may become more closely spaced or overlap one another as a natural consequence of the treatment. Clearly, this demonstrates that the teeth are moving in their sockets. Although it can look that the treatment is making your situation worse, that is not actually the case. The treatment consists of little more than putting them in the appropriate forum. In order to correct your dental formula with the braces, you will need to exercise patience.
Related: Understanding How Long Your Braces Will Take
Why Your Teeth Feel Loose with Braces
Wearing orthodontic appliances might make your teeth seem more mobile. After tightening your braces, it is common for your teeth to feel slightly loose for the first two to three days after the adjustment. This does not imply that your tooth will become permanently loose as a result of the situation. It is not anything that ought to cause any cause for alarm.
It is brought on by the movement of your tooth and any alterations that may have occurred in the structures that support your teeth.
Your teeth are fitted with braces, and then a mild force is applied to them to shift them into the appropriate position. When your braces are tightened, you may feel pressure being applied to your teeth. During this process, the bone and periodontal tissues both go through a variety of responses and transformations.
There is no such thing as a tooth that can magically cut through bone.
- The bone will be eroded away by your body in order to make room for it to move. This is the compression side, which is also the side where bone resorption takes place. Osteoclast cells in our bodies are responsible for this process.
- Following the movement of the tooth, there will be an opening on the left side of the tooth as a result. This is the tension side, which is also the side where bone development takes place. Osteoblast cells in our bodies are responsible for this process.
To put it simply, for our body to relocate a tooth to the right, it must first eat away at the bone on the right side of the space, then repair the bone on the left side. When the tooth is in this active state, we can perceive that the tooth is becoming loose. This is all being done on purpose, and we intend for it to occur so that the teeth will be able to move.
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What to Expect in Orthodontic Treatment
Loose Teeth
Don’t be alarmed if some of your teeth start to feel a bit loose as time goes on; this is quite natural. Before your teeth can be moved into the correct position, your braces will need to loosen them first. After your teeth have been realigned, you won’t have to worry about them coming out of place.
Soreness Caused from Braces and Appliances
You may find that your teeth and mouth feel a bit uncomfortable or sore when you first get your braces on. This is normal and will go away after a few days. This is very natural, and we assure you that the discomfort in your mouth will not last forever. We suggest dissolving one level teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of room temperature water to provide pain relief. In your mouth, give this fluid a few minutes of rinsing and gargling before swallowing (do not swallow the saltwater).
You can also try taking pain medication if the discomfort is particularly acute and does not go away after washing your mouth with water. As your lips, cheeks, and tongue become tougher and more accustomed to the braces, it is not uncommon for them to become irritated for one to two weeks throughout this process. We would be more than delighted to provide you with some wax that you can apply on the braces in order to decrease the sensitivity they cause. Please let us know if you require some wax in the future.
Loose Wires and Bands
There is a chance that the wires and bands attached to your braces will become shifted. If this occurs, please get in touch with us as soon as possible so that we can inspect and fix your appliance. In the event that a component of your appliance breaks off, you should make sure to keep it and bring it with you to work the next day.
You can make a temporary remedy for the loose wire by using the back of a spoon or the eraser end of a pencil to carefully and gently press the wire back into position. This will make the problem go away for the time being. Wax or a cotton ball dipped in water can be used over the broken wire to alleviate the pain if it is causing irritation to your lips or cheeks due to the loose wire.
Related: How to Cut Braces Wires at Home
When Will You Start to See Results?
Even though your teeth are being subjected to constant pressure by your braces, they will not move every day. Immediately following an adjustment, you may find that your teeth are sensitive to pressure for a few days while they acclimate to the new level of force. Your teeth will remain in the desired position while you wait for your next session because the braces will continue to retain them there.
In order to be effective and comfortable, orthodontic treatment must involve the gradual movement of teeth. When an orthodontist moves teeth too quickly, it is not only uncomfortable but can also cause damage to the roots of the teeth as well as the bone that surrounds the teeth. Our teeth require a period of time to shift into the proper position, during which the bone around them must either reabsorb existing bone or produce new bone, depending on the direction of tooth movement.
Every instance of orthodontics is unique! When the only modifications that need to be made to a person’s teeth are superficial or small, they may only need to wear braces for a period of as little as six months. Patients requiring more extensive treatment to correct several orthodontic abnormalities with their teeth and jaw may have to wear braces for as long as three years.
How to Tighten Loose Teeth
Even if the teeth have grown loose, there is still a chance that they can be tightened and stabilized by the patient. The only catch is that we can’t proceed until after your orthodontic treatment has been completed. We want them to be loose while they are moving, but as soon as they have completed their movement, we will be able to stabilize them. In most cases, this is the point at which you will be required to wear your retainers for the remaining six months diligently.
The first six months immediately following the completion of orthodontic treatment are the most important because this is the tightening stage. You can compare the retainers to a cast that might be placed on an arm that has been broken. On the tension side of the bone, we are waiting for the osteoblasts to finish filling in the missing space. After the bone has been completely filled in, the teeth will once again feel solid.
Read more: Does Invisalign Cause Gum Bleeding?
Consult Kumra Orthodontics to learn more about is it normal for teeth to feel loose with braces
If you are feeling a little anxious because your teeth seem to be loosening, don’t worry! This is perfectly normal and indicates that your braces are doing their job. Once your teeth have been repositioned, they will no longer feel loose. For more information on this process or if you have any other questions about braces, please consult Kumra Orthodontics today. We would be happy to answer any of your questions and take care of your oral health.