After getting spacers, it may fall out before the next visit to your orthodontist’s office. So, you become concerned to know what happens if spacers for braces fall out?
If a spacer falls out the day before your next visit, you don’t need to get worried about it. But, if it comes out more than 48 hours before the appointment or within the first few days after getting it, you need a new spacer to be installed. You should consult with your orthodontist to get the new spacer again.
However, if you can do that on your own and the orthodontist permits you to do it, you can reattach it.
But, why do spacers fall out? How can you prevent it from happening again?
We will discuss these here. But, before that, we will know if this may cause any problem.
What happens if spacers fall out?
We will take a look at the two scenarios.
1. When the spacers fall out prematurely
You need to wear spacers for one to two weeks. If a spacer falls out before the time, you don’t get the expected result from it.
So, you have to reattach the separator again to complete the treatment with it. But, why is it necessary to wear it up to that time.
You get the separator to create space between the teeth. That means your teeth are overlapped with each other or they are in tight contact.
When the orthodontist places that elastic, it puts pressure on the teeth. As a result, teeth shift from their position and create an opening.
You feel pain and discomfort after getting separators due to the pressure.
Learn what to do when spacers hurt.
The gap is necessary to place the molar bands. The molar band is one of the essential components of braces treatment.
Brackets and wires take support from it to move the teeth in the desired position.
Now, let’s come back to the main point.
When spacers come out before the time, it can’t create enough gaps that it requires for molar bands.
If we don’t reattach it, we can’t place the band, and therefore, we will face trouble executing the treatment plan.
Separators move teeth slowly. So, it can’t open the gap within a day or two.
Besides, you can’t put excess pressure on the teeth. The reason is it damages your teeth permanently. So, the situation gets worse.
2. When the spacers come off just before the appointment
Typically, the more you move towards the day of your next appointment, the more the spacer will become loose.
Even it can fall out naturally just before the 24 hours of the appointment. It happens because of the work done by the separator, which is creating the space.
As a spacer is placed between two teeth, it can’t stay there forever.
The reason is once the gap exceeds or becomes almost equal to the size of the spacer, it doesn’t permit it to sit between teeth.
In that case, you don’t need to panic. But, you should tell your orthodontist whenever it falls out.
What to do if spacers fall out?
When the spacers fall out before the expected time, do the followings:
1. Inform your orthodontist
You should inform any problems you face during orthodontic treatment. So, when your separators come off, you should let him know about the situation.
After listening to it, he will advise you what you should do.
2. Putting the spacer back
You can put the separator back if you can do it on your own or by taking help from your family member.
We have discussed it later in this article.
However, you may not place it back if it comes off just before the next appointment.
3. Set an appointment with your orthodontist
If you can’t do it on your own and you need the spacer for few more days, you have to visit your orthodontist to replace it.
How to put spacers back in the mouth?
Here is the step by step guide to putting the spacer back in the mouth:
1. Wash your hands with soap.
First of all, you have to wash your hand with soap for at least 20 seconds. As you will put your hand inside of your mouth, you need to do that to prevent the germ from enting into your mouth.
2. Take dental floss.
You have to take help from dental floss to put the spacers back in teeth. So, buy a dental floss before if you don’t have it.
3. Thread a piece of dental floss through the spacer.
Next, take a piece of dental floss and thread it through the center of the spacer.
4. Floss the second piece of dental floss through the spacer.
Then, take the second piece of floss and thread it through the center of the separator just like the first one.
Two flosses should stay on the opposite side of one another.
5. Hold the two end of the floss.
Next, grab the one piece of dental floss with your right and the other piece with your left hand.
6. Place the spacer between the teeth.
Open your mouth and slide the separator in between your teeth from where it came off. Place it as it was before.
7. Pull the floss out of your mouth.
After you are done, pull the dental floss out of the spacer. Hold one end of the floss and take it off gently.
Do the same with the other floss as well. Just be careful so that it can’t remove the spacer.
Now your spacer is back in your teeth.
If you aren’t comfortable putting the separator back in the teeth, set an appointment with your orthodontist to replace it.
However, before placing the separator back, always consult with your orthodontist over the phone.
How to prevent spacers from falling out?
Let’s take a look at the ways.
1. Chew slowly.
While wearing spacers on teeth, you should chew foods slowly. Eating fast may put pressure on your teeth, which can displace them.
Moreover, you may feel pain. If you get spacers on only one side, chew using the other side of your jaw.
2. Avoid crunchy and hard foods.
Hard foods provide more pressure on your teeth. As a result, spacers may dislodge.
You should also stay away from sticky foods. These foods adhere to these elastics.
It may not loosen your separators, but it causes pain.
Learn what to eat with spacers.
3. Brush your teeth carefully.
As there is a risk of falling out of spacer while brushing teeth, you may want to avoid it.
But, you must brush your teeth regularly even with separators to maintain oral hygiene. But, you need to be careful so that it can’t loosen your separators.
You get spacers on the back teeth for braces. In those teeth, we need to brush teeth with an up and down movement.
With separators on teeth, this movement can take off the separators easily. So, use forward and backward movement in those areas with gentle pressure.
However, you can’t do that for a long time since it can scratch your teeth. So, perform up and down motion after separators are removed.
4. Avoid flossing teeth near the teeth with spacers.
You can avoid flossing your teeth while wearing spacers since it can be the most straightforward cause of falling out of them.
Why do spacers fall out?
Here are the reasons for which spacer may fall out:
1. Chewing hard and crunchy foods
Hard and crunchy foods apply pressure on the teeth. They can also hit the spacer.
As a result, it can come off.
2. Careless toothbrushing
If you brush your teeth with an up and down motion where you have a spacer, it can fall out.
3. Using floss or toothpick near the spacers
When you can’t control yourself from flossing the area where the separator is placed, it can come off.
4. Eating fast
Some people eat so quickly. This can be responsible for the falling out of spacers for them.
FAQ
How long does it take for spacers to fall out?
Spacers may fall out after one to two weeks of getting them after doing their work or may come off earlier than expected time due to other causes such as careless brushing, flossing, or eating habits.
Do spacers fall out on their own?
When spacers create the space and the gap exceeds or gets equal to its size, they may fall out. It’s not even an emergency and you don’t need to be worried.
But, in most cases, you get them removed before they fall out in that way.
What happens if you swallow spacers?
If a spacer is swallowed, you don’t need to worry about it, as it doesn’t cause any complication normally.
It passes through your digestive system and you may feel no other problem regarding that.
However, inform your orthodontist about it.
Though it should not cause any problem, you should talk to your orthodontist immediately if you develop any complications.
Is it normal for spacers to fall out?
It’s normal for spacers to fall out just before the day of its removal appointment with the orthodontist.
This is due to the gaps created by the spacer itself. It’s not bad as you think of.
However, it’s quite common for them to come out as people can’t maintain it or don’t become careful when they eat or clean teeth.
In that case, you have to be cautious.
Takeaways
In short, the separator may fall out on its own after creating the space. Sometimes, it may come off early due to an accident or certain activities of the patient such as the wrong tooth ceiling technique or poor eating habits.
However, you can place the spacer back in between the teeth on your own or visit your orthodontist to do that.
