Loose Wire

During your braces treatment a wire may become loose or dislodged. This is not uncommon or a cause for concern, and often occurs during the early stages of treatment when the wire is thin and flexible.

Loose wires will usually be at the very back of the mouth. As long as the wires towards the front of the mouth are still intact this is not a significant problem and will not prevent the wires at the front from doing their job. If the loose wire is closer to the front of the mouth, give our receptionists a call to schedule an appointment.

There are a few things you can do to deal with a loose wire; all methods can be used regardless of whether the wire is at the front or back of the mouth. We recommend getting some help from a family member or friend when trying any of the methods listed below:

Replacing the Wire into the Hole

Try placing the loose wire back in one of the tubes or holes in the bracket. It often helps to look at the other side of the mouth and copy what you see. You may find the use of tweezers helpful with this as it can be quite fiddly. Do not worry about breaking the wire when you are wiggling it, they are quite flexible.

Dental Wax

Provided by your orthodontist or dentist, dental wax can be placed over the end of the wire. This wax will cover the sharp end of the wire, making it more comfortable and keeping it out of harm’s way until you can visit our clinic.

Cutting the Wire

As a last resort, you can cut the loose part of the wire, this won’t stop the rest of the braces from continuing to do their job. This is easy to do using a standard pair of nail clippers – but watch out for your cheeks, gums and tongue.

When cutting the wire, try to make the cut as close to the next brace as you can. You may need to stretch the cheek back to get to the wire, luckily our cheeks are very flexible!

Contact Us

Once you have dealt with the loose wire using one of the above methods, be sure to give our friendly receptionists a call. They can advise whether or not you will need to schedule an earlier appointment.