For someone wearing braces, the brace wire often catches the inside of the mouth causing bleeding.

Dentists give dental wax to apply to brace wire to avoid the wire catching the inside of the mouth.

1. Is it permissible to apply dental wax to the brace wire whilst fasting?

2. If yes, then if the wax is accidentally swallowed whilst sleeping during the state of fasting will the fast be broken

Jazakallah

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Answer

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Please find below the answers. The first 3 points are directly answering your question.

The remainder points are extra information from myself.

1. It is permissible to apply tasteless dental wax whilst fasting and, in certain circumstances, recommended or even medically required to prevent further damage.

2a. If swallowed during sleep, it will NOT break the fast, IF it is below the size of a chickpea due to the following:

‎(وْ ابْتَلَعَ مَا بَيْنَ أَسْنَانِهِ وَهُوَ دُونَ الْحِمَّصَةِ لِأَنَّهُ تَبَعٌ لِرِيقِهِ، وَلَوْ قَدَّرَهَا أَفْطَرَ (الدر المختار

2b. If, however a small amount is swallowed at the time time of placement when one is fasting, i.e. accidentally, then this WILL break the fast.

Further information (Mazeed tafseel):

A. The use of dental wax supplied normally by orthodontists (dentists specialising in ‘braces’) or by normal dentists (with adequate training in bracework) is to prevent trauma e.g. laceration of the adjacent tissues, should all or part of the braces come loose.

B. The patient will be able to tell if, following displacement of the bracework apparatus, if the sharpness is ‘severe’ enough to merit usage of the dental wax. If it is minor (e.g. in area of the mouth which is peripheral such as upper distant molars) then normally no wax is required. If however it is severe (e.g. in an area if constant usage, or a sharp long wire is exposed) then the wax is not only permissible but would qualify under علاج as NOT using it may cause further trauma and bleeding.

C. Most wax is tasteless. There are flavoured variants however most clinicians provide and/or have access to tasteless waxes. The ruling for flavoured variants would follow that of toothepaste. The following assumption here is based on the usage of tasteless wax, which as mentioned is normally the case. The wax is usually provided in a ‘strip’ format therefore allowing the patient to break off required amounts. Generally, the amount applied will be equivalent to a chickpea however patients can often be over exuberant.

D. Generally, the wax, if applied correctly, will hold itself together however it is not uncommon for all or indeed part of the wax to come loose hence the restriction of the chickpea size as mentioned in 2a.

If the wax was applied during the day ie after subh sadiq then ANY amount, if swallowed, would break the fast.

The recommendation is therefore to apply it BEFORE subah sadiq, so one can benefit from the rukhsa of ” ابْتَلَعَ مَا بَيْنَ أَسْنَانِهِ وَهُوَ دُونَ الْحِمَّصَةِ” if required.

Wassalam

Answered by Mawlana Asmar Akram, who is also a dentist.