Poking Braces Wire: Why This Happens, How To Stop

Pain and discomfort are part of orthodontic treatment. Sometimes, a braces wearer have to face a problem such as braces wire poking back of the mouth.

Poking braces wire is the situation when the one end of the wire comes out of from the bracket and starts hurting the cheek, gums, or back of the mouth. This may happen due to wrong food selection, poor tooth cleaning technique, any accident, or poor wire bending during tightening.

You can stop it temporarily by a simple trick at home.

However, you must visit the orthodontist to fix it permanently.

If you ignore it, you’ll end up with serious problems.

Now, you may wonder how to stop braces wire from poking at home, why does this happen and how can prevent it from happening next time?

We have discussed all of these here.

What is the Poking Braces Wire?

braces wire poking back mouth
Orthodontic Braces care - Welcome
Orthodontic Braces care - Welcome

If you are reading this article before getting braces from your curiosity, we want to tell you about the poking out braces wire at first.

Your orthodontist puts brackets on your teeth with glue. Then, he or she uses archwire to put pressure on the teeth. Each bracket contains a hook and slot.

The archwire is a curve thin metal wire placed in the slots of brackets and connects to them.

It helps moves teeth and aligns your teeth perfectly. Orthodontist places archwire through the slot.

There are other types of wires that are attached to the hook of the brackets individually.

The orthodontist bends them to put a force on your teeth through brackets.

Because of certain causes, sometimes one end of the braces wire can poke out from the back bracket.

This sharp end of metallic wire pokes your cheek. Commonly wire comes out from the bracket or band that placed on your back tooth.

This condition is painful and irritating resulting in other problems.

If you get confused about wire and springs on braces, we want to inform you that, those two are completely different.

If you have a broken coil spring or forsus appliance, check our other articles.

What happens if the wire in braces keeps poking out?

Let’s take a look at the problems that you have to face if you have pokey wire:

1. Poke the cheek and gums

Wires are placed on your teeth facing toward the cheek. So, when the wire comes off, it’s the sharp end will poke your cheek.

2. Cutting cheek and gums

When the metal wire becomes pokey, it cuts the side of your mouth and gums.

3. Sore gums and cheek

Continuous poking of the wire can lead to sore gums and cheek.

4. Ulceration

If you can’t stop a poky wire from hurting your cheek, it’ll result in ulceration and you will have a lot of trouble.

5. Stop tooth movement

Sometimes, a poking wire can be a result of loose or popped out wires. That means, the wire loses its functionality.

As a result, it doesn’t provide adequate pressure on the tooth and stop the movement.

6. Delaying treatment

As the problem with braces like poky wires can stop tooth movement, it delays orthodontic treatment, and sometimes, the outcome may not be good.

Why do you have poking braces wire?

Here are the causes of poking braces wire:

1. Long archwire

Sometimes after getting archwire, you may have an excess wire toward the back of your mouth.

It occurs when the archwire is longer than the required length. This causes a pokey wire that can hurt you.

2. Excess wires after bending

When you get braces tightened, a wire may not be cut off properly after adjustment. An excess wire may start poking your gums or cheek.

3. Not eating braces-friendly foods

Eating hard and crunchy foods with braces put pressure on the teeth and braces. This weakens the wire and loosens it, which can make the wire poky later.

4. Wrong tooth brushing method

Brushing your teeth too hard or in the wrong way can easily loosen your wire, which leads to poking wire.

5. Braces unfriendly toothbrush

Brushing your teeth with a stiff brush hits your wires badly. This injury easily causes the poky wire.

6. Wrong flossing technique

Flossing is one of the most important things to maintain oral hygiene while wearing braces. However, the wrong technique of flossing can damage the wire and make it poly.

7. Playing with the wires

Many children give their hands repeatedly in the wires and play with it. This causes loosening of wire and they may end up with a poky wire gradually.

8. Bad oral habit

Biting on a nail or pen is the worst for the braces and wires. Other bad habits like tongue-thrusting also cause this problem.

9. Injury

Unfortunately, an accident can break the braces and make the wires poky. It also causes more harm to your mouth while wearing braces.

So, you have to care more during the orthodontic treatment.

10. Experimenting with the wires

Many people think, why they have to go to the dentist again and again?

So, they copy the way the orthodontist and try to tighten the braces at home. This can cause poky wires.

Why don’t orthodontists use something that can’t be pokey?

It’s a strange question but you may ask when you get irritated of the pokey wires. We, orthodontists, have to use those metal wires because it’s the most effective way to put pressure on your teeth to correct misaligned or crooked teeth.

You also get rubber bands or elastics to move teeth in certain positions during orthodontic treatment.

But, the wires are mandatory for the treatment. So, what you should think about is how to stop it from happening.

How to prevent braces wire poking out from the brackets

Here are the ways to prevent braces wire poking back check or gums:

1. Check yourself during the appointment

When you visit your orthodontist for braces tightening or adjustment, you must check it on your own, if you feel that there is an excess wire, inform your orthodontist. He or she will reshape it.

2. Stop playing or experiment with the wires

Avoid playing with the wire or touching it repeatedly. You shouldn’t do anything that could damage your wire.

3. Stay away from bad habits

Ignore any habit like biting nails or pencil that could harm your wire.

4. Avoid hard, crunchy and sticky foods

Be aware of your diet. Eat soft and nonsticky foods. Make no mistake. Don’t bite on hard and crunchy foods.

5. Eat soft and braces-friendly foods

You should change your food habit. Eat soft and easy to eat foods while wearing braces to prevent any damage.

Know how to eat with braces.

6. Learn the toothbrushing method with braces

Follow the correct toothbrushing technique for braces is essential to prevent a poky wire. You need to brush the teeth with gentle pressure.

7. Buy a toothbrush with soft brittle

Use a soft-bristle toothbrush so that it can’t hurt the wires.

8. Follow flossing method for braces

Learn the perfect flossing technique while wearing braces. Keep in mind proper flossing is one of the best ways to maintain oral hygiene while poor technique can cause destruction

9. Wear a mouthguard while wearing braces and wires

Protect your braces as well as teeth from injury by using a mouthguard when you participate in an outdoor game or any activity that may have a risk of falling.

Is a poking braces wire an emergency?

Poking braces wire isn’t an emergency. So, you don’t have to go to the orthodontist immediately for this.

But, you need to manage it at home so that the wire can’t hurt your gums or cheek.

However, you must consult your orthodontist as soon as possible to make an appointment to fix the problem permanently.

Otherwise, it can cause other complications and stop the progress of treatment.

You may call it an emergency if the pokey wire cut your cheek too much and you struggle to stop the bleeding, talk to your orthodontist and do what he or she suggests.

However, rarely you face this kind of problem.

How to stop braces wire from poking

When the wire pokes your cheek or gum, you have to do something to stop it from hurting you until you see your orthodontist.

You can do the following things to braces wire from poking into gums or cheek:

  1. Put orthodontic wax on the pokey wire
  2. Bend the wire away from the cheek and gums.
  3. Cut the excess wire if possible, though orthodontist should perform this.

If you want to know, how to apply this at home, check out this article.


Poking braces wire can be a result of a long archwire, imperfect braces adjustment, biting on hard foods, or cleaning the tooth carelessly.

If you don’t solve the problem, you may end up with a cut or ulceration on the cheek and gums.

However, you can stop the braces wire poking back of the mouth at your home.

But, you must seek the orthodontist to fix the issue fast to prevent any delaying in treatment.