Your dentist or orthodontist will use a pair of special pliers to remove your braces. The pliers will gently take hold of each bracket and give them a little squeeze. This allows the dentist or orthodontist to separate the bracket from the tooth.

Legally, yes: your general dentist is capable and authorized to remove your braces.

It is important to note that there are a number of factors that can affect whether your brace actually come off or not. Your teeth can move unexpectedly before the next visit, or they may not move enough. In either case, your orthodontist may put off the removal.

The tissues and bone around the roots take time to adjust to the new tooth positions and there is a particular risk of relapse in the early months after the brace is removed. Even in the longer term some risk remains and the best advice is to continue retention for the long term if possible.

The orthodontist will use special pliers to remove the brackets, they will gently squeeze each individual bracket. This little squeeze will separate each bracket from your tooth. While this squeezing is going on, you may hear some odd sounds like cracking or popping. This is completely normal.

Don't worry — you can definitely switch orthodontists! In our profession, we understand that patients may have to move during treatment. They may also not see eye-to-eye with their doctor, or perhaps they just have too many scheduling conflicts to make it work.

Your Teeth Need Time to Solidify Their Positioning Braces help to hold the teeth in the proper position while they stabilize in their new location. Orthodontists may recommend that patients wait up to six months to remove their braces after the teeth are appropriately straightened and adjusted.