Braces Ligature (Rubber Band) Came Off: Causes, What To Do

Elastics are part of braces that interest you the most. But, you may wonder which problems you have to deal with. So, you might ask, “Do braces ligatures or rubber bands come off?”

One of your braces ligatures or rubber bands can come off accidentally or due to eating sticky foods, poor tooth cleaning technique, bad habits, and others. However, inter-arch rubber bands can also fall off or get damaged if you open your mouth wide open while eating while laughing loudly.

In this article, you will know about the causes of braces ligatures, or rubber bands coming off, and what to do if this happens.

Is it bad if a ligature comes off your braces?

Braces Ligature Came Off

Treatment won’t be interrupted if a ligature or elastic tie comes off because it doesn’t have a direct impact on the treatment. You get the ligatures to secure the braces wire. It’s neither bad nor an emergency because it’s used as an added precaution.

But, you need to put it in the right place so that it can do its work.

However, if you lose it after falling off, you should get it fixed.

Is it a big deal if a rubber band comes off braces?

When your inter-arch rubber band comes off braces frequently or tears off, it causes delays in your treatment. This is because, unlike ligatures, inter arch rubber bands are an active component of braces that put pressure on your teeth and move them.

When a rubber band falls off frequently, gets damaged or you lose it, tooth movement will be hampered and your treatment will be delayed.

So, you should solve this problem as soon as possible

When does braces bracket ligature band come off?

Braces bracket ligature or rubber band can come off in the following conditions:

1. Eating sticky food

During braces treatment, your orthodontist tells you not to eat sticky foods or candies. But, you don’t listen to him and eat the sticky foods regularly, sticky food particles get stuck to the braces as well as ligatures.

This causes the ligature to get weak and they might come off your teeth.

2. Brushing tooth roughly

One of the common reasons for coming out of bracket ligatures is brushing your teeth roughly. When you brush your teeth vigorously or without taking any extra precaution, a ligature may come out or tear off.

3. Flossing carelessly

If you are not careful, flossing can remove your elastic ligature from the tooth or damage the metal ligature.

4. Birting on hard food or objects

When you eat hard food or bite on hard objects such as pens or pencils, it puts pressure on your metal ligature or brackets and causes them to fall off.

If you have elastic ties and your brackets fall off due to those food and bad habits, your elastic ties will also come out.

5. Accidental

Sometimes even if you do nothing, a ligature or rubber band can come off accidentally.

6. Elastic getting weak

Wrong food habits or poor tooth-cleaning techniques can weaken the ligatures and rubber bands. 

This may happen due to the food particles and plaque that get attached to the ligatures.

7. Poor quality of elastic bands

Rarely because of the poor quality of the elastic bands, they may come off quite easily, even if you don’t have any fault.

But, in most cases, get good quality elastic bands and they don’t cause any issue on their own.

8. Injury to mouth

Any injury to the mouth while wearing braces is serious. During sports or outdoor activities, braces may get damaged and elastic ties may fall off or tear off.

9. Playing with elastics

Kids sometimes play with their colorful elastic ligatures. They may push them with an object, finger, or tongue. This may be responsible for an elastic tie coming out of the tooth.

10. Opening mouth wide

When you eat food that you need to open your mouth while wearing an inter rubber band, it may be responsible for the elastic bands coming out of the braces hook or getting broken.

Why do rubber bands keep falling off braces?

When you don’t follow your orthodontist’s advice and fail to take care of your braces, your rubber bands can keep falling off. Common reasons for braces elastics coming off frequently are taking sticky foods, chewing on hard objects, playing with elastics, and faulty tooth brushing techniques.

What happens if a rubber band or ligature comes off your braces?

You don’t have to face many problems immediately if your ligature falls off and even you lose it. However, if you don’t put it back, braces don’t work properly. Moreover, if it happens to your inter arch rubber band it will delay the treatment.

Another problem with lost ligature is your appearance. If you lose the elastic tie that’s attached to your front tooth, you may not look good when you smile or talk to people.

Moreover, if you wear colorful elastic, people can notice it easily.

So, you need to get the new elastic band when you lose it or put the old one back in the right place.

Now, what happens if you have a broken metal ligature or the wire tie comes off?

A broken ligature can poke and hurt your cheek and lips. Sometimes, it may cut inside your mouth.

What to do if your braces ligature comes off?

Here are some solutions for your braces ligature or rubber band coming off.

1. Try to put it back on braces.

When an elastic ligature comes off, the simple solution is putting it back to its previous position.

However, if you aren’t sure, consult with your orthodontist and follow the instruction to place the ligature.

And, if you can’t put the old ligature by any means, see your orthodontist and get it fixed.

But, if your wire tie comes off completely, you shouldn’t try to place it on braces on your own.

In addition, check out if it’s loose or torn off. If it happens, you shouldn’t try to place it.

How do you put a ligature back on braces?

Here is the step by step method of putting a ligature back on braces:

Step 1.  Wash your hand.

First of all, wash your hands with soap or handwash for 20 seconds to make the procedure sterile.

Step 2. Take sterile tweezers.

As you have to put the tweezer inside your mouth, you have to use sterile metal tweezers. You can achieve it by boiling them. You can also soak them in rubbing alcohol.

Step 3. Hold and put it back with the tweezers

Hold the pointer end of the ligature gently and try to put it back to the place that it was before.

2. Visit orthodontist to replace the ligature

If you have a ligature that is too loose or gets torn off, you can take it off completely. Use a sterile tweezer to eliminate the tie.

However, if you can’t do it on your own, take help from your family members. 

After that, visit your orthodontist to get a new ligature as soon as possible.

If you lost a ligature after falling off, you will also need to see your orthodontist.

Keep in mind that, you should never buy and try to put a new ligature on braces on your own.

3. Bend back down

If your braces have wire ties, and one of them sticks out, use a pencil eraser or Q-tip to bend back down. In addition, check other ligatures because when one ligature comes off, others may also follow.

4. Put dental wax

If a wire tie sticks out and pokes your cheeks and lips or a metal ligature is broken and you fail to put it back in right place, apply a small piece of orthodontic wax to prevent irritation.

If you don’t have it, you can get one now.

What to do if the rubber band for braces comes off?

You can put an inter-arch rubber band easily back to the right place, as they are removable and you have to replace the band on your own from time to time.

However, always follow the instruction given by your orthodontist to put the elastic bands.

When your braces rubber band broke or is torn off, you have to seek your orthodontist to get new rubber bands as soon as possible to prevent delay in treatment.

How do you put a rubber band back on a bracket?

Here is the method of putting a rubber band back on a bracket:

1. Wash your hand.

Use handwash or soap and wash your hand with it for 20 seconds.

2. Take a sterile tweezer. 

You can use a tweezer to put the rubber bands. You have to make it sterile by rubbing alcohol or by boiling it. However, if you are comfortable, you can use your two thumbs to put the elastic.

3. Put the rubber band on the hook on one jaw

Grab one end of the rubber band with tweezers and attach it with the hook of the upper jaw.

4. Attach the rubber band to the hook of other jaws

Then, hold the other end of the rubber band with the tweezers. Next, put it on the hook that attaches to the lower jaw as it was before.

N.B: If you have a triangle or rectangular elastics, follow the instruction of your orthodontist to put it on braces.

How to stop a ligature or rubber band from falling off braces?

Let’s take a look at some tips.

1. Eating braces-friendly food

Take foods that are suitable for braces. Avoid hard and sticky food such as candy, chocolate, and more.

Take soft and easy to chew food with your ligature, and braces.

You also have to stay away from a burger that needs you to open your mouth wide while wearing an inter arch rubber band.

2. Brushing tooth an ideal pressure

Follow the proper method of toothbrushing while wearing the brackets and ligatures.

Be careful so that elastics don’t get hit with the toothbrush.

If you have inter-arch rubber bands, remove them during tooth brushing and wear them back again after them.

However, you shouldn’t try to remove elastic tiles or ligatures at any time.

3. Flossing teeth carefully

Follow the appropriate technique of flossing your teeth with elastic ties or metal ligatures. Don’t wear the inter-arch rubber band during this activity. 

4. Wearing lip protector

You can also wear a lip protector to prevent ligatures from coming off brackets.

5. Applying dental wax

You can take help from dental wax if the metal ligature, wire, rubber band hook, or bracket of your braces is damaged. Putting a small piece of wax over them can prevent falling off them as well as braces.

6. Using a mouthguard

To prevent sports injury, you should wear a mouthguard to protect your braces, ligature, and rubber bands.

Takeaway

In short, braces ligature or rubber band can come off as a result of wrong tooth-cleaning techniques, taking sticky foods, and getting hut by a hard or rough object.

You can solve the issue by simply putting the ligature or elastic band back to the previous place with your thumb or sterile tweezers.

However, the elastic bands or wire ties get loose or damaged badly, you have to consult your orthodontist and get new ones.