Can braces be worn for 9 years?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have had braces for almost nine years. I have had a major financial struggle ever since I got my braces and so I am still trying to work out a plan to pay for my appointments now that I am an adult. My main concern is the chains that they put in my mouth. How long could you have braces in your mouth before they become bad for you?

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

The approximate duration of orthodontic treatment varies from case to case, and an average of two years is sufficient for most of the cases. As per the history you mentioned, nine years is a long duration (if the entire nine years, you had braces and no other form of orthodontics treatment was going on earlier). Braces are made of metal and are considered biocompatible (meaning they do not cause harm to patients by leakage of materials) along with the wires. However, the ligatures or elastics (small rubber bands or fine wires that hold the archwire to the brackets on the teeth) are not biocompatible if kept for longer than a certain duration, which I feel should not exceed two months. In your case, the appointments have not been at regular intervals and the duration of elastics in between the appointments would have been longer than scientifically recommended. Even the metal braces might cause an indirect issue of difficulty in maintaining oral hygiene along with plaque and calculus deposition and bad breath (halitosis). Other issues would be higher chances of developing caries. Thus, I would recommend getting an orthodontic evaluation done as early as possible and completing the treatment according to your expectations. Other advice would be to have a complete oral check-up and resolve any other issues that would have come up due to prolonged duration. Please feel free to respond for further information or clarification.

I hope this helps.

Kindly follow up if you have more concerns.

Thank you.