Most patients can keep braces on for an MRI. The magnet is usually not the problem. Metal near the face can blur a head or neck picture, so the imaging centre and our team decide together whether a wire or expander needs to come out. Call with the body part on the order before anyone takes brackets off.
Yes, in most cases the brackets and wires stay right where they are. MRI uses radio waves and magnetic fields rather than ionizing radiation, so the scan is not the same kind of exposure as a CT or x-ray. The Cincinnati Children’s radiology team notes that patients with metal braces, retainers, and some palatal expanders may undergo MRI because the hardware is secured to the teeth and has been shown to be safe on clinical scanners at 1.5T and 3T. What matters most is picture quality, not safety, and that depends almost entirely on which body part is being scanned.
A parent will often call on a Monday because the scan is Tuesday and the imaging centre left a voicemail mentioning “metal in the mouth.” That call is the right instinct. The first thing I ask is what the order says, whether it is a knee after a soccer injury or a head scan after weeks of headaches, because those two appointments are not the same problem. The topic came up briefly on our list of uncommon orthodontic questions, but a booked scan deserves a fuller answer.
Do Braces Have to Come Off for the Scan?
Usually no. A full debond of every bracket is not the default, and very few patients need their orthodontics removed for imaging. Different MR techniques and imaging angles can work around the hardware, so the radiologist can often read the pictures without anyone touching the braces.
When something does come out, it is usually a wire, not the brackets. An archwire can be removed for the appointment and placed back in afterward, which is a short chair visit rather than a restart of treatment. Before anyone walks into the magnet room, the brackets should be checked to confirm they are still bonded and nothing is loose, because loosely fitting hardware is a real reason to call ahead. If a wire does come out for the scan, the first day or two can feel different, and trays or wax help if anything feels pokey until the wire goes back in. If your child is in braces for kids treatment, none of this pauses the plan for long.
Can I Get an MRI With a Palate Expander?
It depends on the expander, so call the office before the appointment. Some fixed expanders are secure enough to stay in place during an MRI, and some need to come out. The difference comes down to how the device is anchored and how much metal sits near the scan area.
A palate expander is cemented or banded to the molars, which makes it far more stable than a loose piece of metal, but it also sits high in the mouth and close to the face. For a knee or spine MRI that placement barely matters. For a sinus or facial scan it can matter a great deal. The imaging centre may ask us to remove the expander, or they may be fine leaving it. That decision gets made together with the radiologist, and no parent should be guessing at it alone. If the expander does come out, we will talk through the timeline for replacing it so the expansion work is not lost.
What About Invisalign or a Retainer?
Take them out for the scan. Removable appliances are the easy case because they are designed to leave the mouth, so they come out for an MRI the same way they come out for lunch.
Invisalign trays and removable retainers are plastic with small metal or composite attachments, and none of that needs to be in the scanner. Pop the tray into its case, hand it to a parent or the technologist, and put it back in after the appointment. Fixed retainers, the thin wires bonded behind the front teeth, are a different question because they do not come out at home, and they fall under the same safety and artifact reasoning as braces. If you talk Invisalign with the office before a scan is booked, any fixed hardware gets noted so there are no surprises later.
Does It Matter If the MRI Is of a Knee or a Head?
Yes, the body part is the single biggest factor in whether anything has to come off. A scan far from the face barely notices the braces. A scan of the head, neck, or face is where metal in the mouth can blur the image enough that the radiologist cannot read it. Devices may cause artifacts mostly in the facial and orbital regions, and sometimes the brain and cervical spine, which is an image quality problem rather than a safety one.
The choices usually break down this way:
- A knee, spine, or body MRI away from the head means braces usually stay in place and the scan proceeds normally.
- A head, neck, face, or sinus MRI means the imaging centre may ask us to remove a wire, or rarely more, so the radiologist can see clearly.
- Removable trays or removable retainers come out of the mouth before the scan.
- A palate expander or some fixed expanders are the call-the-office category, where some stay in and some come out depending on the device and the scan.
Rarely, a device is removed so the radiologist can see a lesion near the face, and that only happens after discussion between the ordering physician, the parent, and the radiologist. That conversation is exactly the one we want to be part of, because removing hardware has a cost to treatment and should not happen by default.
Questions Parents Ask Us
Can you get an MRI with braces?
Most of the time, yes. Braces are secured to the teeth and have been shown to be safe on standard clinical MRI scanners, so the magnet is not pulling them off. The real question is whether metal near the face will blur the picture, and that depends on which body part is being scanned. For anything below the neck the braces almost always stay. Call the office with the scan order before anyone removes a bracket.
Do metal braces need to be removed for an MRI?
Rarely. A full debond of every bracket is not the starting point, and imaging teams can often use different techniques and angles to read around the hardware. Sometimes an archwire comes out for the appointment and goes back in afterward, which is a quick chair visit. Brackets themselves come off only when a lesion near the face needs a clear view, and only after the ordering doctor, the radiologist, and the parent all agree.
Can I get an MRI with a palate expander?
It depends on the expander and the scan, so call ahead. Some fixed expanders are stable enough to stay, and some need to come out for the appointment, especially for head or sinus imaging. Because an expander sits high in the mouth near the face, it is more likely to cause artifacts on a facial scan than on a knee scan. The decision gets made together with the imaging centre, and no parent should guess at it.
Can I wear Invisalign trays in an MRI?
No, take them out. Trays and removable retainers are designed to leave the mouth, so they come out for the scan and go back in after. Pop the tray into its case before the appointment and carry on with normal wear afterward. Fixed retainers, the wires bonded behind the teeth, are different and stay in unless the office says otherwise.
Will the MRI magnet pull my braces off?
No. The brackets and wires are bonded to the teeth and have been shown to be safe on clinical scanners at standard field strengths. The magnet is not going to rip hardware off the teeth. What can happen is image artifact, meaning the metal blurs the picture, not that the metal moves. If a bracket were already loose, that is a reason to call before the scan, but a securely bonded brace stays put.
When a Scan Lands on the Calendar
If an MRI shows up on the family calendar, the best first move is a phone call with the body part and the appliance written down. We see families across our Guildford, Scottsdale, and Langley offices, and we are happy to talk to the imaging centre directly so nobody is making this decision in a panic on a Monday morning. A quick question to confirm the braces can stay is always better than cancelling a scan or taking off brackets that did not need to come off. When you are ready, book a consultation or just call the office with the scan order in hand, and we will figure out together what stays and what comes out.
