Braces advice please (surgery closed) - use top brace only or leave both out?

flightinfo

I wondered if anyone can help as the orthodontist surgery is now closed. My son has braces. Having taken his braces out to eat, he now can't put the bottom brace in as he has a very loose tooth. Should he wear the top brace only for the moment? He is on a school trip tomorrow and the surgery won't be open till after he has left so we aren't sure if it's better for him to not put the braces in at all or to put the top one in. Unfortunately, although I can speak to the surgery tomorrow I won't be able to contact my son during the day.

Any help appreciated - thank you.

Toothsmith

Pull the tooth out!

coldstreamalways

It's difficult to say without knowing some more specific details. How old is your son? Do the braces have interlocking plastic blocks on them? Will he be having fixed braces after these ones? How long will he be away for?

flightinfo

My son is 12 (just). The braces do have interlocking plastic blocks. He is only away tomorrow although won't be able to go to the surgery till Monday as it is a 2 day exercise. If leaving them both out for 24 hours is not a problem I'll do that (as I'll hopefully be able to get advice from his own orthodontist tomorrow). He's only had the braces for 3 weeks so it's all a bit new to us and I'm probably worrying needlessly.

MrsBartolozzi

My sons both had twin block set of braces too and we were told there was no point in wearing just one, as the positioning of the jaw when the blocks interlock is the important bit. I may get shouted at by the orthodontists on here, but I would say that if you are only leaving them out for 24 hours then it shouldn't affect the treatment plan. Ds2 left his braces in my dad's car after being out for a meal and he was without them for nearly 2 days. On the next visit the orthodontist was happy with the way treatment was going and even commented that he'd obviously been wearing them all the time!

coldstreamalways

Yes, as ^ said, if they are interlocking, the metalwork is little more than a retention device, the real work is done by the blocks positioning his jaws against one another.

Can you not get the tooth out? Just a thought....!! If it's really wobbly, a quick pull and it's gone, 50p from the toothfairy and braces in for the weekend!

flightinfo

Thanks for all your advice. My son won't let me pull his tooth out but we'll leave the braces out for now and speak to our orthodontist tomorrow.

Toothsmith

Tell him tooth out or no trip tomorrow as he'll have to go to the dentist instead!

Might focus his mind!

Hold it with a bit of tissue paper and (like getting a plaster off) the quicker the better. Or give him a tissue and let him do it!