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Dangers of Metal Braces

Metal braces have advantages beyond mere aesthetic benefits: properly aligned teeth can make it easier to chew food, treat lisping and other difficulties speaking and reduce the chance of chipping your front teeth. Like any treatment, however, braces can have some dangerous side effects. As an orthodontic patient, you should be aware of potential problems and solutions, and talk to your orthodontist about concerns you might have.

  1. Sexually Transmitted Diseases

    • Brackets and wires on metal braces often poke and scrape your inner lips and cheeks. You can usually treat this uncomfortable problem by having your wires adjusted or covering the irritating part of the braces with wax. These cuts can be more than a minor irritation, however, if you're engaging in sexual activity. The tiny cuts inside your mouth provide a way for blood-borne diseases, including hepatitis and HIV, to enter your bloodstream during oral sex or even kissing. In addition, braces can scratch your partner's mouth or genitals and cause tiny tears in condoms and dental dams, increasing your risk of transmitting STDs to each other even if you think you're practicing safe sex.

    Allergies

    • Metal braces contain various metals, including nickel, copper and chromium. About 30 percent of orthodontic patients with piercings and 1 to 3 percent of all other orthodontic patients have allergies to these metals, which can cause soreness and stuffy ears. In addition, even patients who didn't have allergies before they got braces may develop them over the course of treatment. Fortunately, allergies to nickel, copper and cadmium are generally mild and easily treated by changing the types of metal used in the braces.

      The possibility of developing a latex allergy due to the exposure to latex rubber bands used for metal braces is much more dangerous. About 1 percent of patients have a Class IV latex allergy, which causes mild irritation. Class I latex allergy is much less common but much more serious. Patients become more and more sensitive to latex with each exposure until the sensitivity develops into a life-threatening reaction. If you have a latex allergy or are worried that you may develop one, you can ask your orthodontist to use non-latex rubber bands.

    Tooth Decay

    • Because areas under and around metal brackets and wires are difficult to clean, food particles can get trapped in these areas, leading to a buildup of plaque. This puts people with metal braces at a higher risk for tooth decay and gum disease. In order to avoid this problem, you should avoid sugars and brush and floss thoroughly, using a floss pick to reach the difficult spots around brackets and underneath wires.

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