Broken Bracket or Poking Wire: What to Do
For adults with fixed braces: how urgent a broken bracket, poking wire or lost ligature is, orthodontic wax and treatment time, from NHS sources, the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) and a study. If a brace breaks, BOS advises contacting whoever is treating your braces as soon as is reasonably possible, and says repeated breakages lengthen treatment.
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Medical disclaimer: This page is for general information only. It does not replace an examination or treatment by a dentist.
Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, principal dentist, reviewed this page. He is a General Dental Practitioner: BDS, BSc (Hons), MSc (Leeds), PG Dip Implant Dentistry, PG Cert Restorative and Aesthetic Dentistry.
What are the parts of a fixed brace?
NHS guidance on fixed metal braces says metal squares (brackets) are glued to each tooth. A wire connecting them applies a small amount of pressure that moves the teeth into position over time, and small pieces of elastic (modules) tie the wire to the brackets.
The orthodontic treatment process and what to eat with braces have their own pages, among the options in this section.
How urgent is a broken bracket, loose wire or lost ligature?
Broken braces are one of three non-urgent reasons NHS guidance gives to contact whoever is treating your braces. The three are: teeth that are painful for more than a few days after your braces are fitted or adjusted; gums that are very red, swollen or painful; and braces that are broken.
NHS Lothian's 2025 leaflet says most problems are not urgent. It asks its patients in pain to call. If their next normal appointment is within 2 weeks, it says most can wait until then; if more than 2 weeks away, it asks them to call at their convenience. It also advises using orthodontic wax where the brace rubs the gum, to help with discomfort.
University Hospitals Plymouth's 2024 leaflet, past its review date, says a broken brace that needs mending is not usually urgent to mend straight away, but the hospital would like to see its patients.
North Cumbria's 2025 NHS leaflet asks its patients to ring as soon as possible if their brace is broken, not to wait for their next appointment. It says treatment may take longer if anything breaks or comes loose.
What can you do about a poking wire?
Manchester's 2020 COVID-outbreak NHS leaflet says to first try pushing a poking wire flat against the tooth with a cotton bud or pencil eraser. If the wire cannot be moved into a comfortable position, it says to cover it with orthodontic relief wax. It says to tell whoever is treating your braces as soon as practically possible. If the wire stays extremely bothersome despite these steps, the leaflet says to telephone them for further instructions.
NHS Lothian's 2025 leaflet says wires sometimes slip out or break, which can occasionally be painful by irritating the gum; if it is causing pain, fixing the wire needs an extra appointment. Plymouth's 2024 leaflet, past its review date, says an early, flexible wire out of a back-tooth tube that is not hurting can wait until your next visit, but to contact whoever is treating your braces if it is painful or causing a problem.
What should you do about a loose bracket?
Plymouth's 2024 leaflet, past its review date, says a broken bracket can wait if you have an appointment in the next 2 weeks. Otherwise, it says to contact whoever is treating your braces. It says you might hear a crunch or click, see the bracket off the tooth or feel it loose.
NHS Lothian's 2025 leaflet says a bracket that breaks off can wait until the next normal appointment unless it is causing pain or discomfort, and asks its patients in pain to call.
If a loose bracket has rotated on the wire and is sticking out, Manchester's 2020 COVID-outbreak leaflet says to cover it with orthodontic relief wax and to tell whoever is treating your braces as soon as practically possible.
Questions about this treatment? Book online or call the practice.
What should you do about a lost or broken ligature?
Manchester's 2020 COVID-outbreak leaflet says ligatures, tiny rubber bands or small fine wires, hold the wire to each bracket. It says to tell whoever is treating your braces if one is lost or completely disengaged. They will advise whether you should be seen earlier or can wait for your next visit, it says.
Manchester's 2020 COVID-outbreak leaflet says a rubber ligature that has come partly off may be put back with clean tweezers, a loose wire ligature removed with clean tweezers, and a wire ligature sticking into the lip but not loose bent back down with a cotton bud or pencil eraser. When one ligature comes off or breaks, others may follow, it notes; missing or broken ligatures should be reported as soon as practically possible.
NHS Lothian's 2025 leaflet says a module that comes off is not classed as an emergency and can wait until the next normal appointment. Plymouth's 2024 leaflet, past its review date, says a lost coloured ring or elastic can wait if you have an appointment in the next 2 weeks; otherwise, contact whoever is treating your braces.
How do you use orthodontic wax for relief at home?
NHS Fife says to apply orthodontic wax to any areas where the brace is rubbing on the cheek or gum. It says this can help ease discomfort until you are seen.
Manchester's 2020 COVID-outbreak leaflet describes the method: pinch off a small piece, roll it into a ball the size of a small pea, flatten the ball and place it completely over the part of the brace causing irritation.
Who should you contact about a broken brace?
BOS's 2019 treatment leaflet says to contact whoever is treating your braces for an appointment as soon as is reasonably possible if a brace breaks.
Does a broken brace make treatment take longer?
The BOS 2019 treatment leaflet says repeated breakages increase the overall treatment time. It adds that you may have to pay for replacement braces, and that treatment might have to stop if further breakages occur.
A 2016 single-centre study of 45 people's records (aged 9.5 to 48, non-surgical treatment of a Class III bite, lower front teeth meeting or ahead of the upper) found more broken brackets or bands went with longer treatment. Missed appointments explained about 43% of the variation; breakages added about 6%, a weak but statistically significant link.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cut or fix a poking brace wire yourself?
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust's COVID-19 advice recommends contacting its orthodontic department before trying to fix any problem yourself, as you might damage your brace. For a poking wire, Manchester's 2020 COVID-outbreak leaflet gives pushing it flat, then wax if it will not move, and says to tell whoever is treating your braces as soon as practically possible.
What makes brackets come off?
Plymouth's 2024 leaflet, past its review date, says biting or chewing on hard objects or foods can break the glue holding brackets on. To stop a brace breaking again, Dorset County Hospital's 2021 leaflet, also past review, advises avoiding hard foods, biting your fingernails, chewing pens and using your teeth as tools.
Is it harmful to swallow orthodontic wax?
Manchester University Dental Hospital's 2020 COVID-outbreak leaflet says accidentally swallowed wax is not a problem, as the wax is harmless. It calls orthodontic relief wax non-medicinal and says a small amount makes an excellent buffer between the brackets and the mouth.
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Reviews of Deepcar Dental Care are on our patient reviews page. Our page on orthodontics at Deepcar Dental Care covers orthodontic treatment at the practice.
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