You may get worried after a few days of having braces on your teeth when you feel pain, discomfort, or your tooth feels loose. You may wonder if your teeth get weak, loose, or fallout from braces?
Normally, braces should never make your tooth weak, loose, and fallout, as long as proper orthodontic treatment is followed. Your teeth may feel slightly loose for 2-3 days after braces are tightened, which is temporary. However, braces may weaken your tooth or cause permanent loosening rarely if you have weak periodontal health.
Let’s discuss in which conditions braces can make your teeth weak, and fall out and why this happens.
Why do your teeth feel weak after braces are tightened?
It is normal to feel slightly loosening of teeth for the first 2 to 3 days after braces are tightened. It doesn’t mean your tooth will become loosen permanently. There is nothing to worry about it.
It happens because of the movement of your tooth and changes that occur in tooth-supporting structures.
Braces are placed on your teeth and a gentle force is applied to move them to the desired place. So, when braces are tightened, you feel pressure on your teeth 1st. In this process, different reactions and changes occur in the bone and periodontal tissue.
If your tooth doesn’t get loose, it can’t shift from one place to another because it’s strongly placed within the bone.
When your teeth become loose, they can move along the bone and periodontal tissue. This aids in tooth movement.
So, it’s normal that your tooth feels a bit weak when you wear braces. It doesn’t last very long.
Also, keep in mind that your orthodontist may tighten braces every 3 to 4 weeks during your treatment period.
Another reason for your being afraid is feeling pressure, pain, or discomfort after you get braces.
This is also normal. When a force or pressure is applied to a tooth, tooth-supporting structures like bones and periodontal tissue feel stress.
So, you feel the pain in the first few days. Then, gradually pain is relieved.
But, when do you have to worry about it?
Can braces make the teeth weak, or fall out permanently?
We know that excess of anything is bad for you. This is also the same for orthodontic treatment with braces.
An excessive force might cause your teeth to fall out. This may never happen when you see a qualified orthodontist. So, you should get the treatment happily.
In some conditions like periodontal diseases, there are some problems. When your periodontal health is weak and you have braces, your teeth will get loosen, and even fall out.
But, why is periodontal health related to treatment with braces?
There is a strong relationship between your periodontal health and braces. Periodontium is the supporting structure for your tooth. It consists of gums, bone, cementum (root portion of the tooth), and periodontal ligaments which contain bone and cementum.
Periodontal ligaments are fiber or thread-like structures that are attached between alveolar bone and cementum.
These fibers and gums are important in tooth movement because they must have the ability to bear the pressure given with wire/elastic through braces.
Otherwise, they may be destroyed and your tooth may lose the support.
Moreover, when force is applied to a tooth with braces, alveolar bones break down from one side, called osteoclastic activity, and a new form on the other side is called osteoblastic activity. Because of that, your tooth can move to the side where the osteoclastic activity takes place.
But, when your bones are weak, bones are broken down more and there is a decrease in bone formation from the other side. This causes a lack of support for teeth.
Now, let’s take a look at some conditions where periodontal health becomes weak and affects braces treatment.
In periodontitis
Periodontitis is a condition when your periodontium which includes alveolar bone and periodontal ligaments becomes weak or destroyed. these weak tissues can’t bear the force of orthodontic braces.
Even if braces treatment begins, teeth will get loose. Braces make loose teeth weaker and even fall out.
In this condition, orthodontic treatment should not be started and the patient should get periodontal treatment at first.
But, how to start orthodontic treatment, when your periodontal health is weak?
Your dentist treats your periodontal disease with medicine, scaling, and advising you to maintain good oral health.
If you have serious tooth mobility, it should be splinted, too. If it can’t be possible to keep a tooth, it may be needed to extract. But, treatment depends on your overall dental condition.
When your periodontal health gets normal, an orthodontist may start treatment. Otherwise, he or she won’t consider braces first.
So, if you consult a qualified orthodontist, you should keep faith on your him/her regarding this.
Another question may arise, can braces make your periodontal health weak, when you have a healthy mouth?
Excessive force
When your periodontal health is good, but the excessive force is applied with braces to move teeth, periodontal ligaments get destroyed.
Also, there is a more rapid breakdown of bones, as excessive force creates more stress on your bones.
Root gets shorter due to resorption or destruction of the root structure. Death of pulp may occur. (discussed later).
This bone or root loss can’t be minimized. So, teeth lose their support and become loose or mobile. Even, the tooth may fall out or need to be extracted.
Bad oral hygiene
Suppose you have good periodontal health and your orthodontist uses ideal force with braces. You may ask, can braces cause periodontal health weak in this case?
This may vary from person to person. In most cases, maintaining oral hygiene is the main reason for your periodontal health getting weak with braces.
Braces make it hard to clean teeth properly. So, you have to be more concerned about maintaining oral hygiene with braces.
Tartar or calculus accumulates more in braced teeth than in normal teeth. These lead to an increase in bacteria in the mouth. As a result, there is a higher risk of getting inflammation or infection which causes periodontal diseases or dental caries.
Usually, orthodontic treatment needs 1 to 2 years to get completed. If you don’t clean your teeth properly, you may have weak periodontal health after the removal of braces from your teeth. This may lead to the loosening of teeth.
So, to prevent these conditions, follow your dentist’s advice and brush and floss your teeth regularly. You have to give extra time and effort to clean your teeth to avoid any problems.
What happens if a tooth falls out when you have braces?
This shouldn’t happen, as orthodontic treatment with braces requires periodic visits to your orthodontist. Your orthodontist will monitor your treatment progress regularly and plan your treatment accordingly.
Even at the beginning of treatment, he or she checks your periodontal and oral health nicely and makes a proper treatment plan. If other procedures are needed before orthodontic treatment with braces like surgical or periodontal treatment, he or she will advise that first.
So, there is almost zero possibility that a qualified orthodontist will place braces on your teeth if you have weak periodontal health.
However, teeth removal may be necessary for your treatment purpose.
Do braces weaken teeth roots and pulp?
As we discussed above, excessive orthodontic force, bad oral hygiene, and treatment with braces on teeth with poor periodontal health may cause tooth roots to weak.
Excessive force may lead to root resorption or damage, as your teeth can’t withstand the stress. In this situation, the root structure is lost and it becomes short. So, there is tooth mobility or loosening.
Also, an excess force can damage the pulp (inner tissue of a tooth) and blood supply of your tooth. That means you have a dead pulp. This may ruin your tooth.
But, ideal orthodontic force shouldn’t cause this damage, if you maintain proper oral hygiene and follow the guidelines provided by your orthodontist.
Takeaways
Braces or Invisalign don’t make teeth weak, loose, or fall out in a healthy individual.
However, those who have bad periodontal health can suffer from these conditions if they wear braces.
Also, excessive force during orthodontic treatment with braces or Invisalign can cause serious damage to the pulp and root of teeth and supporting bones. This leads to tooth mobility or fallout.
But, when you take treatment from a qualified orthodontist, you shouldn’t be worried about this.
What you should be concerned about is maintaining good oral hygiene during treatment with braces or Invisalign. Otherwise, your periodontal health will get weak and you might have a loose tooth.
Consult your orthodontist for any problem regarding loosening or any problems, as there may have an individual variations in these cases.
