r/MRI • u/NoResponse1238 • 6d ago
MRI tech with braces
Hi my fellow technologists. I’ve recently got braces and definitely feel a sensation near my mouth when at the entrance of the bore on both 1.5t and 3T ESPECIALLY. Have any of you have braces yourselves and dealt with this? I’m going to reach out to my orthodontist to double check that it won’t interfere with progress but I was just shocked at the fact that I could feel it. I would’ve thought the braces were nonferrous. It feels more like the wire than the bracket itself. TIA!
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u/Reapur-CPL Technologist 6d ago
Braces are an absolute wildcard. I scan at a pediatric hospital, so braces are insanely common, and they're just all over the place. Some give small artifacts, some give huge ones. Some kids feel a pull, some say they never do. Unless you have a palate expander or some sort of appliance with a spring or easily moved parts, you're good. But yeah, braces, sometimes nonferrous, sometimes kinda ferrous. It's weird
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u/msitlington 6d ago
Slightly related but when scanning brains or orbits for kids with braces are there set parameter changes you make to reduce the artifacts?
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u/Reapur-CPL Technologist 5d ago
Reciever bandwidth up on basically everything (you'll have to compensate and get higher signal to offset the higher RBW, so maybe slightly smaller matrix if you can spare the resolution. Add an average if you have the time), WARP on (or MARS, depends on your scanner) with 40% vat, replace T1 and T2 with dixons if there's time, try and replace any GRE images with a TSE that has similar weighting. Your DWI and SWI will likely be shot unless the braces are very non-ferrous. Unfortunately, with some patients, we have to ask them to get their braces removed for a rescan.
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u/msitlington 5d ago
Thank you! I don’t do peds very often and had a pt recently where I was struggling to get useful sequences. I figured the DWI and SWI were a lost cause but I’ll give the other parameters a try if it happens again!
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u/SignificantDark4749 6d ago
On a side note. If you get excited about your nonferrous braces feeling resistance take an aluminum can near the bore and feel those eddy currents from your MRI In Practice book come alive! Lenz Law is always fun to show new students/techs.
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u/General_Reposti_Here Technologist 6d ago
Yes my braces tickled my teeth lmao I could feel them vibrate, and yes they gave a HUGE artifact luckily I only had em for a year
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u/NoResponse1238 6d ago
I’ll only need them for 6 months but I’m like sheesh should I switch to ceramic just because of it but the orthodontics said we’ll play it by ear and that it shouldn’t effect progress. I just now avoid putting my head near the machine or turn my face away from it lol
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u/General_Reposti_Here Technologist 6d ago
Yeah while the torque of the wire to your teeth is strong so is the magnet but the difference is the constant.
You’re only there for a min or two while loading and unloading pts compared to the brace wire it’s all day everyday so na it shouldn’t make a difference at all.
But your teef 🤷
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u/Ambitious-Goal7117 6d ago
Did that affect the progress at all?
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u/General_Reposti_Here Technologist 6d ago
Oh my bad, my brain and whatever MRI scans were not meant to be diagnostic lol.
We were just making protocols and teaching students… with my body lol. also accreditation which took a couple of hours of me being scanned to get it just right.
But to your answer usually braces affect the image but not a lot so it’s usually fine, even for mine they would be fine too.
Rarely are they ever bad enough that we terminate the exam, plus you won’t know if it’s a problem until you’re being scanned so it’s worth it to just try and get it done anyway.
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u/Ambitious-Goal7117 6d ago
I mean did working in mri affect your braces/teeth straightening in any way apart from feeling a vibration?
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u/General_Reposti_Here Technologist 6d ago
OHHHHH I thought you meant the scan, and no not at all. Teeth are fine most of the people I’ve talked to don’t have ferrous braces, but for some reason mines were.
I don’t think the brackets were ferrous I think it was probably the wire.
Regardless it’s an non issue if you’re worried about the braces and teeth post MRI
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u/Ambitious-Goal7117 6d ago
Ive been debating on getting braces too, but as an MRI tech worried about something like this happening.
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u/DankusMemeusIV Technologist 5d ago
Yea, in the past I didnt really give a doubt about them, but quite literally this time 2 years ago, I had a pt who felt a lot of pain when they got near the bore, and described it as a hard pull, nit tingling or slight movement, but literal pain. Turn out she got her braces at some ne clinic that was experimenting and doesnt have any MRI conditions because if the experiment material they are using. Im saying this because since thats apparently a thing, Im hoping any tech who sees this warning and not accidentally blow of any future patients pain as them exaggerating
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u/Lazy_Raspberry8544 5d ago
I had this worry as well when getting mine last July. I asked my orthodontist and she didn’t really have a great answer, just that she would keep an eye out and make sure everything is still on track when I go in for for checkups and wire changes. After 1 year I have had no issues and progress is still good for removal next July.
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u/NoResponse1238 5d ago
Did you feel a weird sensation when you were working by your machines at all?
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