Help - son has problem with braces

specsappeal

Hi all,
My son has braces and yesterday whilst brushing his teeth a part of a bristle from the toothbrush got stuck in his brace. We have tried to remove it using tweezers but the bristle is so small we cant get a grip of it. it is driving him mad and has irritated the inside of his upper lip to the extent that it has caused an ulcer. I have just found some dental wax and he has put that on top of the bracket to give him some relief for a short while. Has anyone any ideas on how to get the bristle out. The bristle is actually stuck in the square bracket not in the wire or anything. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

snapping_crocodile

This will probably sound stupid but has he tried using the toothbrush to try and dislodge it?

prowla

specsappeal wrote: »

Help - son has problem with braces

I thought you were going to say his trousers keep falling down.:D

(Sorry - I'll get my coat!)

specsappeal

Hi,
yes we have tried everything but the bristle is actually stuck in the bracket and sticks out (90 degree angle)so that it irritates his lip. it is so small and sticks out only a tiny tiny bit which is why i cant get a grip on it.

esio_trot

have you tried getting him to try to suck/push water through and over his teeth? It might dislodge it enough to let you get in with the tweezers. Hope you get it sorted soon, I hated having similar things happen with my braces.

Finefoot

My sympathy to him. tweezers will just keep slipping off. I used to keep a pair of tiny pliers (used for jewellery making) for precisely this problem. Put some cornflour on the end of tweezer, it may help you get a better grip, instead of slipping off. Are you able to get in there with a bit of floss? that may also dislodge it.
good luck

xxvickixx

Wish I had an idea, just hope he gets it out soon.
They will be all worth it in the end though x

Toothsmith

Better to get to a dentist on Monday and have it done properly than pulling away at something that may or may not be a bristle and bust the brace.

You won't endear yourself to the orthodontist if you break it after 2 days, yet going back to see him if you're unsure of something will earn you 'sensible' points.

specsappeal

hi all thanks for all your replies. Well this morning my DH managed to snip the bristle with a pair of nail clippers so although there is still a bit of it stuck it is now not irritating his lip anymore.
Toothsmith - i think you misunderstood my post as my son has had his braces for around 6 months now. my local dentist who is literally a 3 minute walk down the road absolutely refuses to touch braces and my sons orthodontist is situated 18 miles away down a small road that is currently an ice rink.
oh the joys of having children lol!
Anyway for the short term my boy is pain free which is a relief.
Toothsmith maybe you can answer this question for me please - His next scheduled orthodontist appointment is not til march. would he be ok to leave the offending bristle in place until then?? our orthodontist usually says that if no pain is felt then any problems can wait for the next appointment.

Toothsmith

Sorry - yes. I thought you'd written he had braces yesterday!

If it's pain free, and that's what your orthodontist has said, then I'm sure it'll be OK.

specsappeal

thanks for that toothsmith!!