Orthodontic treatment is generally not harmful to your teeth if instructions are followed, however in some cases there may be complications which can lead to pain or sometimes long term damage to your teeth. Commonly, this can be due to poor dental hygiene (or cleaning) as food and bacteria have a greater tendency to accumulate around orthodontic appliances and lead to gum inflammation or infections, or irreversible discolouration or decay at these areas. In some cases, your dentist may recommend that you have professional dental cleaning performed more regularly during orthodontic treatment to detect and prevent these issues.